Kodansha is a major manga publisher whose recent activities include a large catalog deal with Crunchyroll Manga, the 50th Kodansha Manga Awards, and hiatuses for two of its magazine serials.
Kodansha's recent news cycle centers on its manga publishing and licensing operations. On May 11, 2026, the company held its 50th Kodansha Manga Awards, with Kei Urana's Gachiakuta winning the Shonen category, Gin Shirakawa's Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn't Remember Me winning the Shojo category, and Shun Umezawa's The Darwin Incident winning the General category. The awards included a two million yen prize, a certificate, and a bronze statue.
Days later, on May 16, Crunchyroll announced a partnership with Kodansha USA to add 23 back-catalog manga titles to the Crunchyroll Manga app, including major series like Attack on Titan, Tokyo Revengers, and Your Lie in April. The additions are scheduled for May 18 and represent the largest single catalog addition since the app's relaunch in October 2025.
Two Kodansha magazine serials entered hiatuses in mid-May. Muchimaro's Even the Student Council Has Its Holes! went on a health break in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, with a return set for the 27th issue on June 3. The series has 12 compiled volumes and is inspiring a television anime. Hiro Mashima's Dead Rock ended its Academy Arc in Monthly Shonen Magazine and will go on hiatus before returning with a new Godfall arc this winter. The seventh compiled volume shipped on May 15.
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Hiro Mashima's Dead Rock manga ended its Academy Arc on Thursday and will go on hiatus before returning with a new Godfall arc this winter. Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine published the final chapter of the arc. The seventh compiled volume shipped on Friday.
Muchimaro's Even the Student Council Has Its Holes! manga is taking a break in Weekly Shōnen Magazine due to the artist's health, with a return scheduled for the 27th issue on June 3. The announcement noted Muchimaro's health is improving. The series, which launched in 2022, has 12 compiled volumes and is inspiring a television anime.
Crunchyroll announced a partnership with Kodansha USA to add 23 back-catalog manga titles to its Crunchyroll Manga app on May 18, alongside You Chiba's Dricam!! from Shueisha. The additions include major series like Attack on Titan, Tokyo Revengers, and Your Lie in April, marking a significant expansion of the app's library since its relaunch in October 2025.
Kodansha named the winners of its 50th Manga Awards on May 11, 2026. Gachiakuta, written and drawn by Kei Urana with graffiti art by Hideyoshi Andou, took the Shonen category. The series beat fellow finalists Ichi the Witch, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, and Utsuranain desu. Urana posted on X that she never expected the honor and would keep working at full speed. The prize includes two million yen, a certificate, and a bronze statue. In the Shojo category, Gin Shirakawa's Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn't Remember Me won. The manga adapts Eiko Mutsuhana's light novel Return from Death, with original illustrations by Yugiri Aika. Shun Umezawa's The Darwin Incident won the General category after being a finalist in two previous years. The series follows Charlie, a half-human half-chimpanzee raised by human parents, who is pulled into an eco-terrorist plot. Judges for the 50th awards included Hiro Mashima, Hikaru Nakamura, and Natsumi Ando.