Duel Masters is approaching its 25th anniversary in 2027, and its creator Shigenobu Matsumoto is collaborating on a new manga in Monthly Coro Coro Comics.
Duel Masters is heading toward a milestone anniversary. Wizards of the Coast president John Hight, in an interview during a visit to Japan, said the company is planning for the franchise's 25th anniversary in 2027. Hight described Japan as the source of TCG culture and argued that any trading card game that succeeds there can succeed globally. The interview did not specify what form the anniversary plans will take.
Meanwhile, Duel Masters creator Shigenobu Matsumoto is working on a new project outside the franchise. Monthly Coro Coro Comics launched a manga titled Horo-Beat on May 15, 2026, with Matsumoto credited for the original work and storyboard composition. The manga is a collaboration that also involves The Irregular at Magic High School author Tsutomu Satou on the scenario and Reborn! creator Akira Amano on original character designs. Akira Tsuruta is drawing the manga. The story follows a middle school student who can see monsters and teams up with a cat that transforms into a raiju beast.
The two stories establish that Duel Masters remains an active property for Wizards of the Coast, with a known anniversary approaching, while its creator is engaged in a separate cross-creator project in the same magazine that originally published the Duel Masters manga.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/duel-masters.
CC BY 4.0.
When a claim about Duel Masters was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.
John Hight, president of Wizards of the Coast, visited Japan and gave an official interview. He discussed Magic: The Gathering's record sales in 2025, the importance of the Japanese market, and plans for Duel Masters' 25th anniversary in 2027. Hight described Japan as the source of TCG culture and said any TCG that succeeds there can succeed globally.
Shogakukan's Monthly Coro Coro Comics magazine launched a new manga titled Horo-Beat on Friday, May 15. The first chapter runs 66 pages. The project brings together creators from three major franchises. Duel Masters creator Shigenobu Matsumoto is credited with the original work and handles storyboard composition. The Irregular at Magic High School light novel author Tsutomu Satou is cooperating on the scenario. Reborn! creator Akira Amano provides the original character designs. Akira Tsuruta is drawing the manga. The story is described as a "thrilling tag-team battle" manga featuring yokai and humans fighting together. It centers on Jin Narumi, a second-year middle school student who can see monsters, yokai, devils, and ghosts. He visits his friend Hinata at her temple every morning, which is overrun by these creatures. Hinata cannot see them and does not take Jin's concerns seriously. When a giant yokai attacks them, Hinata is knocked unconscious and Jin is near death. Hinata's temple cat Leo transforms into a raiju beast, and Jin teams up with Leo to defeat the yokai and save Hinata.