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Japanese manga giant KADOKAWA has plans to become the largest comic store chain in North America (and has already quietly come close!)
There aren't enough places to get manga in North America, so one Japanese manga publisher is changing that with its own comic store chain
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There's a major new comic store chain growing in the United States — and it's focused on manga and light novels, and owned by a manga publishing giant. Manga Spot, which quietly launched several test stores in the past three years, is now going ahead full steam and could become North America's largest comic store chain.
The burgeoning Manga Spot store chain is owned by Japanese manga publisher Kadokawa, and this week it's established a dedicated North American retail business — dubbed Kadokawa Retail Ventures — to bolster its growth plans in the next few years, past the 10-store footprint it's quietly established since fall 2023.
"Currently, the paper book market for comics and light novels is expanding rapidly in the North American market, against the backdrop of the explosive popularity of Japanese anime," reads the announcement from Kadokawa. "On the other hand, there are still many regions where there is a shortage of physical stores where you can directly pick up books and IP-related goods in response to this strong demand."
Currently, Kadokawa has 10 Manga Spot stores in North America, but it now has plans to "accelerate the expansion of its store network in North America in earnest to maximize group synergies." The largest comic store chain in North America is the US Midwest's Graham Crackers Comics, which has 14 stores; second to that would be the Southeast's Coliseum of Comics, which recently grew to 12 as it entered Texas.
"At the same time, we will improve the efficiency of store operations and further strengthen cooperation with the publishing and MD (merchandise) businesses to improve the profitability and sustainable growth of the entire group," Kadokawa's statement continues. "We will make the most of the direct contact with fans through physical stores and deliver a variety of content created by the Kadokawa Group to fans in North America."
Kodokawa Retail Ventures will be overseen by longtime Yen Press publisher Kurt Hassler, who also manages Kadokawa's U.S. publishing operations. Hassler is uniquely talented for this; prior to becoming one of the leading manga publishers in the U.S., he was also a major comics & graphic novel buyer for the now-defunct Borders bookstore chain.
Get ready for what's next with our list to upcoming comics and how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to all the free comics you can get with this year's Free Comic Book Day 2026 and Comics Giveaway Day 2026.
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