KAZE, HarperCollins’ new manga imprint, will launch in the US in Fall 2027 with 3-5 titles, scaling to 25-30 titles a year by 2029. Publisher Andrew Arnold confirmed the numbers at industry event Manga Week on August 23, 2026 — and confirmed the imprint will not use AI translation.
HarperCollins put real numbers behind its new manga imprint on Saturday, August 23, 2026, when KAZE publisher Andrew Arnold laid out a launch and growth plan at the industry trade event Manga Week. It’s the first time the publisher has said how big it actually intends KAZE to get.
The Numbers HarperCollins Confirmed
| Year | Titles |
|---|---|
| Fall 2027 (launch) | 3–5 titles |
| 2027 (full year) | 5–8 titles |
| 2028 | 20–25 titles |
| 2029 | 25–30 titles per year |
KAZE will launch simultaneously in the US, Brazil, and Spain in Fall 2027, publishing manga, manhwa, manhua, and original English-language work. The catalog will draw on titles already released under KAZE’s existing France and Germany operations, plus new original IP developed in-house through HarperCollins Japan.
Who’s Running It
Andrew Arnold is Vice-President and Publisher of the imprint. Emilia Sowersby and Josh Sippie are its editors, with Christina Quintero as art director and Mikhail Fernandes as assistant designer. Arnold has said the imprint’s goal is to “champion all categories of manga for English-language readers” across shonen, shojo, seinen, and josei, while “honoring the creative freedom and storytelling excellence” of the source material.
No AI Translation — a Deliberate Line in the Sand
The one commitment KAZE made explicitly at Manga Week, beyond the release numbers, is that the imprint will not use AI translation. That’s a direct response to a fight that’s been running through the manga industry for the past two years, as several publishers have experimented with AI-assisted or fully AI-generated translations to cut costs and speed up simultaneous global releases — a practice fans and translators have criticized for flattening tone, missing cultural context, and cutting working translators out of the credit and the pay. By ruling it out up front, HarperCollins is making a specific promise to readers who have grown wary of that shortcut, before a single KAZE title has even been announced.
The First Title Isn’t a Translation at All
KAZE’s first announced title, SOL Sistah by Saxton Moore and Phillip Johnson, isn’t a translated Japanese series — it’s an original English-language manga described as “Ultraman meets Power Rangers” in a Pan-African, kaiju-fighting, teen slice-of-life setting. Leading with an original title rather than a licensed one signals that KAZE plans to use its English-language catalog for more than reprints of existing hits — it’s positioning itself to develop new manga-format work directly for Western readers, not just import it.
Why It Matters: A Big Five Publisher Is Betting Big on Manga
KAZE originated in France as an anime and manga publisher and distributor before HarperCollins folded it into its own operations; the imprint spent time rebranded as Crunchyroll Manga in France and Germany before reverting to the KAZE name for its 2026 European relaunch. Bringing that same name and catalog to the US puts one of the “Big Five” English-language publishers into direct, at-scale competition with dedicated manga publishers like Viz Media, Kodansha, and Seven Seas — a market that’s grown enormously as manga sales have outpaced the rest of the US book industry for several years running. A publisher the size of HarperCollins committing to 25-30 titles a year by 2029, and doing it with human translators, is a meaningfully different bet than a licensing side-deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does KAZE launch manga in the US?
KAZE launches in the US, Brazil, and Spain in Fall 2027, with 3 to 5 titles at launch and 5 to 8 titles across the full year.
How many titles will KAZE publish per year?
KAZE’s confirmed targets are 5-8 titles in 2027, 20-25 titles in 2028, and 25-30 titles per year by 2029, according to publisher Andrew Arnold at Manga Week on August 23, 2026.
Will KAZE use AI to translate manga?
No. HarperCollins confirmed the KAZE imprint will not use AI translation, a direct response to industry criticism of AI-assisted manga translation over the past two years.
What is KAZE’s first announced title?
SOL Sistah, an original English-language manga by Saxton Moore and Phillip Johnson, described as a Pan-African, kaiju-fighting teen slice-of-life story.
Is KAZE a new company?
No. KAZE originated in France as an anime and manga publisher, was folded into HarperCollins, and operated for a time as Crunchyroll Manga in France and Germany before reverting to the KAZE name. The US launch is a new expansion of that existing operation, not a new company.
Sources
Reporting confirmed against: Anime News Network, The Beat, and Anitrendz.
Related: how the One Piece anime’s own schedule shake-up reshaped its release calendar this year, and our JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure watch order guide for more manga-to-anime coverage.
