Dark Horse Manga has licensed deluxe editions of Gantz for spring 2027, announced at its Anime Expo panel. Creator Hiroya Oku has separately confirmed he wrote and drew Thunder 3 under the pen name Yuki Ikeda.
Gantz's current cycle is dominated by its creator's other work. Dark Horse Manga announced at its Anime Expo panel that it licensed deluxe editions of Gantz among four new titles, all scheduled for spring 2027 and open for pre-order. The Gantz license is the only Gantz-specific item in the cluster.
Separately, Hiroya Oku confirmed he is Yuki Ikeda, the credited author of Thunder 3. Oku stated on September 24, 2026 that the pen name existed to protect a chapter 1 twist that his real name would have weakened, and he wanted first-time readers to be surprised. Online speculation about the art style resembling GANTZ had circulated before his post. The confirmation arrived while the Thunder 3 anime was still airing, with its final episode, Episode 12, set to air on September 30.
The timeline of Thunder 3 is now settled. It began in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022, reached its final chapter in the July 2026 issue released on June 5, 2026, and totals 10 collected volumes, with the last released on August 17. A later confirmation on social media added that Oku drew the series as well as wrote it, and that a hiatus in March 2025 over Ikeda's health preceded its return and June 5 ending. Oku has said he plans to retire after Kanrekihime.
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Hiroya Oku, the manga author known for GANTZ, stated on his official X account on October 12 that he will retire with Kairoki Hime, the manga he currently serializes in Big Comic Superior. He had called it his retirement work in earlier posts, on February 4 and May 28. Kairoki Hime has volumes 1 and 2 on sale. Oku said he will draw both Kairoki Hime and GANTZ:E through to the end.
Hiroya Oku confirmed on social media Thursday that he created the Thunder 3 manga under the pen name Yuki Ikeda. He said the pen name kept a first-chapter surprise intact for new readers, one that the Oku name would have lessened. The series launched in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022, entered its climax in January 2025, went on hiatus that March over Ikeda's health, returned in February, and ended on June 5.
Hiroya Oku, the manga artist behind GANTZ, stated on September 24, 2026 that Yuki Ikeda, the credited author of Thunder 3, is his own pen name. Oku posted the confirmation on his X account. He said the pen name existed because a chapter 1 twist would have been weakened if his real name had been attached, and he wanted first-time readers to be surprised. Thunder 3 began serialization in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022 and reached its final chapter in the July 2026 issue, released on June 5, 2026. The collected volumes total 10, with the last volume released on August 17. The TV anime adaptation premiered on July 8, 2026 and its final episode, Episode 12, is set to air on September 30. Online speculation about the art style resembling GANTZ had circulated for some time before Oku's post.
Hiroya Oku revealed on X that he is Yuki Ikeda, the pen name credited as the author of Thunder 3. He said the alias protected the twist in Episode 1, so first-time readers would be surprised. Oku thanked the anime staff and said he watches every episode. Thunder 3 ran in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine, concluded in June 2026, and its anime streams on Netflix.
Dark Horse Manga announced four new manga licenses during its Anime Expo panel on Friday, including Kenji Tsuruta's The Sky is but One Roof of the World and Gou Tanabe's H.P. Lovecraft's The Haunter of the Dark. All titles are scheduled for spring 2027 release and are available for pre-order now.