Viz Media To Raise Manga Prices Next Year
For quite some time, Viz Media has been a premiere publisher when it comes to all things manga. As the medium has become more popular as of late in North America, and in numerous countries, sales have skyrocketed as a result. In a number of manga listings for 2024 from Viz, it would appear that the publishers are looking to raise the price of their manga volumes for the first time in over fifteen years. While not yet confirmed by Viz officially, the writing appears to be on the wall.
Manga sales in North America have been quite bountiful in recent years, but the recent coronavirus pandemic began a trend wherein anime and manga sales were propelled thanks in part to readers looking to pass the time. Surprisingly, following the alleviation of lockdowns, manga sales have not gone down from the heights gained by the "COVID-19 era", as more readers are discovering movers and shakers in the medium. For quite some time, Viz Media has typically sold a manga volume for around $9.99 USD, but with the new listings, it has yet to be seen how fans will react to the increase when it comes to some of their favorite manga series.
How Much Will Viz Manga Prices Increase?
The prices for Viz Media manga in 2024 have seemingly increased from $9.99 USD to $11.99 USD on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. Even with this increase, it would seem that Viz is still undercutting some members of the competition as publishers including Kodansha, Yen Press, and Seven Seas Entertainment typically charge anywhere from $12.99 to $14.99 per manga volume.
For quite some time, Viz Media has been the premiere place to acquire titles that run under the shonen umbrella. Titles include the likes of Dragon Ball Super, One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Chainsaw Man, and almost too many other manga to count. Thanks to manga's skyrocketing popularity around the world, it seems that Viz isn't slowing down when it comes to publishing manga. As Viz has created both physical and digital releases for its manga in recent years, it will be interesting to see if this price increase has any effect on overall sales.
What do you think of the upcoming manga price increase at Viz? What has been your favorite manga title published by the company so far? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of manga.
