Two of Manga's Most Infamous Leakers Just Got Arrested... Again

For ages, it seems the manga industry has been plagued by piracy. From early leaks to illegal scans, no manga is safe from the shadows despite a growing number of official manga services. Earlier this year, eyes turned to Japan when three major manga leakers tied to Shonen Jump were arrested. And now, a new report just confirmed two those leakers have been arrested for manga leaks... again.

Yes, you read that right. According to Nikkei, two of the foreigners arrested this year for leaking Shonen Jump content ahead of release have been arrested again. This time, the unnamed pair were taken into custody for leaking material from Weekly Shonen Magazine, an imprint run by Kodansha.

Of course, this news is hardly surprising. The report does not indicate these leaks occurred after the couple were arrested. It seems like the arrest is part of the ongoing investigation behind the scenes. After all, police already shared some evidence photos with fans regarding this case, and several Weekly Shonen Magazine titles were pictured. For instance, Blue Lock appeared in a leak, so this arrest is par for the course.

According to NHK, the investigation into a recent streak of prolific manga leaks is ongoing. Authorities do believe there are more involved in the process. The report suggests the raw Japanese manga is translated into English and Arabic before being shared online unofficially. As for the two suspects in this case, the pair do admit to taking pre-release photos of the manga, but they say they weren't the ones who published the images online. So with a second arrest under thumb, you can be sure authorities are digging into whether the pair's claim is true. 

Given this arrest's impact on global manga leaks, all eyes are on the ordeal. When it comes to leaks in manga, striking down one head allows three more to rise up. There is no denying the popularity of manga nowadays as the industry makes billions each year. In the United States, the majority of graphic novel sales are thanks to manga, so interest in series are higher than ever. Still, piracy persists even in the face of licensed simulpublish services like Manga Plus and K Manga. 

What do you make of this latest arrest? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!