Billy Bat is in English from Abrams ComicArts' Kana imprint, translated by Kristi Iwashiro, and has won two North American manga awards in 2026: Best New Manga at the American Manga Awards and Best Manga at the Harvey Awards.
Billy Bat, the manga by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki, arrived in North America in June 2026 as a Kana release from Abrams ComicArts, with Kristi Iwashiro credited as translator. The debut volume appeared in the week of May 31 to June 6 alongside a Blu-ray NANA collection from Sentai Filmworks and new Viz Media and Kodansha USA titles.
Within weeks the release picked up awards attention. The Japan Society and Anime NYC announced the nominees for the third American Manga Awards on June 15, and Billy Bat won Best New Manga when winners were named on August 21. The same ceremony gave The Summer Hikaru Died the Best Continuing Manga Series award and Cocoon Best One-Shot Manga, and inducted two figures into the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame. Editorial professionals voted on the winners.
By October the Harvey Awards, voted on by comics professionals, named Billy Bat Best Manga at New York Comic Con. The other nominees in the category were He Rolled Me Up Like a Grilled Squid, Land, Miss Ruki, My Gorilla Family, and My Life in 24 Frames per Second. The Harvey nomination slate had been announced on July 8, with the Best Manga category listing seven titles and winners set for New York Comic Con on October 9.
Coverage reads the English edition as a long-delayed arrival. A June 16 Reader's Corner column described Billy Bat as finally available in English after eighteen years and put it alongside cocoon, a one-volume historical manga about the Himeyuri schoolgirls during the Battle of Okinawa. Across the six stories, the two award wins are the firmest points; no announcement about further volumes or an adaptation appears in the coverage.
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The Harvey Awards announced this year's winners on Friday at New York Comic Con, and Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki's Billy Bat, released by Abrams ComicArts' Kana imprint and translated by Kristi Iwashiro, took Best Manga. The category's other nominees were He Rolled Me Up Like a Grilled Squid, Land, Miss Ruki, My Gorilla Family, and My Life in 24 Frames per Second. Spider-Noir won Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.