Billy Bat, the manga by Naoki Urasawa, is now available in English for the first time, released by Kana in June 2026. It won Best New Manga at the third American Manga Awards in August 2026.
Billy Bat, the manga by Naoki Urasawa, finally reached English readers in June 2026 after eighteen years. Kana published the first volume during the week of May 31-June 6, and the release was highlighted in Anime News Network's weekly roundup as a notable debut. The long wait made the arrival a centerpiece of that week's new manga coverage.
The release quickly drew attention from critics and awards. Beneath the Tangles' Reader's Corner on June 16 featured Billy Bat as a lead review, noting its 1940s setting alongside cocoon, another historical manga. The same week, the third American Manga Awards announced its nominees, and Billy Bat was among the contenders for Best New Manga.
On August 21, the American Manga Awards, presented by Anime NYC and the Japan Society, named Billy Bat the winner of Best New Manga. The award ceremony, voted on by editorial professionals, spread wins across seven categories and six publishers. Billy Bat's win capped a rapid rise from its English debut to a major U.S. manga award in just over two months.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
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Aug 21
The third American Manga Awards, announced Thursday by Anime NYC and the Japan Society, honored creators and publishers across seven categories. Billy Bat took Best New Manga, The Summer Hikaru Died won Best Continuing Manga Series, and Cocoon won Best One-Shot Manga. The ceremony also inducted two figures into the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame and gave Akiko Higashimura an Award of Distinction. Editorial professionals voted on the winners.
Jul 8
The Harvey Awards announced nominees for the 2026 ceremony, with five anime and manga-related projects nominated for Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel. The Best Manga category includes seven titles. The winners will be announced at New York Comic Con on October 9.
Jun 16
Beneath the Tangles' June 16th Reader's Corner features reviews of several new manga releases, headlined by the long-awaited English release of Naoki Urasawa's Billy Bat and the one-volume historical manga cocoon about the Himeyuri schoolgirls during the Battle of Okinawa.
Jun 15
The Japan Society and Anime NYC announced the nominees for the third American Manga Awards on Monday. Categories include Best New Manga, Best Continuing Manga Series, Best One-Shot Manga, Best New Edition of Classic Manga, Best Lettering, Best Translation, and Best Publication Design. Chigusa Ogino will receive the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame award.
Jun 4
Anime News Network's weekly roundup covers North American releases for the week of May 31-June 6, 2026. Highlights include the NANA - Complete Collection on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, the debut of Billy Bat from Kana, and Viz Media's I'm No Angel and Kodansha USA's Secondhand Sisters. The list spans 40 print manga, 31 digital manga, and one anime title.