VIZ Media

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VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, California, is a major American anime, manga and Japanese entertainment company formed by the merger of VIZ Communications, LLC, and ShoPro Entertainment. The company is currently jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, as well as the Shogakugan subsidiary licensing house Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions.

Summary

The first issue of the Western Shonen Jump, published by VIZ in late 2002.

VIZ Media, originally VIZ Communications or simply VIZ, was founded in July 1986 by Seiji Horibuchi on behalf of Shogakugan. Horibuchi, already a successful importer of Japanese cultural items in San Francisco, became a fan of manga after reading Domu: A Child's Dream while overseas in Japan, and gained approval to import Shogakugan's titles from its then-current director, Masahiro Ohga, in 1985. Although the company debuted to mediocre sales figures, titles such as Ranma ½ quickly became popular in America, and soon the company was able to expand into other fields such as magazines and anime. Following a merger with Shogakukan subsidiary ShoPro Entertainment in 2005, VIZ Communications was renamed to VIZ Media, though Horibuchi remained chairman of the company.[1]

VIZ's first magazine project would be a Western edition of Shueisha's popular Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, retitled as simply Shonen Jump (2002-2012). Prior to the magazine's 2002 debut, Shueisha themselves purchased an equity interest in VIZ Communications, granting them both full access to their extensive catalogue and additional funding for the magazine's marketing campaign.[3] The first issue of VIZ's Jump, accompanied by a major marketing push, was published on November 26, 2002, and quickly met with commercial success. Fueled by Shonen Jump, VIZ would later produce several other manga-related magazines, including Animerica (1993-2004) and its companion magazine Animerica Extra (1998-2004), an adult-oriented seinen and josei manga magazine titled PULP (1997-2002),[4] and the shōjo monthly magazine Shojo Beat (2005-2009).[5]

Following Shonen Jump's "switch to a digital format" in 2012[6] and the subsequent end of its successor, Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, in 2018,[7] the company now offers an integrated digital product line of Weekly Shonen Jump serializations and graphic novels, while continuing to license and distribute physical releases for manga and anime.[2]

BAOH

In 1989, twelve years prior to Shonen Jump, VIZ would acquire the license to Hirohiko Araki's second serialized manga, Baoh the Visitor, from Shueisha. Under the shortened title of BAOH, VIZ began releasing the manga in monthly issues in December, with each issue containing two to three chapters of the serialization. The manga proved to be financially unsuccessful, however, and it would take until 1995 for VIZ to re-release it in a form similar to its two tankōbon volumes. Although Araki was credited as the "creator of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" in the author biography of each volume, no plans were in place to localize the JoJo series at the time.[8]

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Paperback)

An advertisement for Part 3 published alongside a preview in Shonen Jump.

After an English release of its OVA adaptation entered production, VIZ would finally begin work on a localization of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga, more specifically its Stardust Crusaders arc. Prior to the beginning of its proper publication, VIZ published a preview of the Part's second chapter in the August 2005 issue of Shonen Jump. The first volume of the Part released soon after, on November 1, 2005. The volume publication lacked the redrawn sound effects seen in the magazine preview, but included the Part's first chapter from the previous volume alongside an exclusive prologue chapter detailing the events of Part 1. Similarly to the OVA, disappointing sales figures led to an inconsistent release schedule for the manga, with VIZ's release of the Part's final volume occurring on December 7, 2010.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Hardcover)

On May 3, 2014, a month after Crunchyroll acquired the license to JoJo's anime adaptation, VIZ announced that Stardust Crusaders would be receiving a reprint to coincide with the anime release at the time.[9] VIZ further announced in July that, in addition to publishing Stardust Crusaders digitally, they had also acquired the licenses to publish the JoJonium editions of Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, maintaining the cover illustrations, color pages, and author afterwords from those releases. The two Parts would initially be released digitally, beginning in September 2014, before later being released in physical hardcover editions quarterly from February 2015 onward.[10] After the JoJonium release of Part 3 completed in Japan, VIZ acquired the license to and subsequently distributed the new hardcover edition of Stardust Crusaders from November 2016 through February 2019.

The first volume of VIZ's deluxe hardcover edition of Part 4.

On July 6, 2018, VIZ announced at their Anime Expo panel that they would continue their hardcover publication of the series with Diamond is Unbreakable, despite the Japanese JoJonium edition ceasing publication at the end of Part 3.[11] VIZ's exclusive "deluxe hardcover editions" would instead be based on the original tankōbon release, but with unique cover designs for each Part and the inclusion of magazine color pages provided by Shueisha. In addition, most of VIZ's volumes would include the contents of two tankōbon volumes, with exceptions at the ends of Parts with odd volume counts. Part 4's English hardcover release began publication on May 6, 2019, and its final volume released on May 4, 2021.

On October 20, 2020, VIZ announced that they had licensed Part 5 of the manga.[12] Part 5 would be published in the same format as Part 4, using the name Golden Wind to match the anime adaptation. The physical publication of Golden Wind ran from August 3, 2021 to August 22, 2023. Stone Ocean's physical release switched to a bimonthly schedule, releasing from November 2023 through March 2025, although VIZ had already begun publishing chapters of the Part digitally on a weekly basis.[13] As of late 2024, VIZ has announced plans to publish Steel Ball Run as well, with the bimonthly physical publication slated to begin in May 2025.[14]

Other Merchandise

Main article: Home Video Releases

Having been named the official North American merchandise licensee for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series in February 2015,[15] VIZ Media oversees the licensing and development of a comprehensive range of products based on the celebrated property across several key consumer categories.

VIZ's paperback edition of Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak revives their original logo for the series.

In addition to the main series and BAOH, VIZ Media has also published other works related to the JoJo franchise. In February 2022, VIZ revealed their plans to release the two volumes of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan spin-off series as deluxe hardcovers, which they did in September and December of the same year respectively. Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak, localized as Shining Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak, has also been licensed by VIZ for paperback release from December 2024 through April 2025.[16]

At Anime Expo 2016, alongside the release of Part 4, VIZ also revealed a forthcoming English release in June 2017 of Hirohiko Araki's newest book at the time, Hirohiko Araki's Manga Techniques (under the altered title of Manga in Theory and Practice: The Craft of Creating Manga).[11] VIZ has also licensed the artbooks JoJo 6251 and JOJO A-GO!GO!, with English releases following in May 2023 and October 2024 respectively. Alongside Steel Ball Run, VIZ announced that they would also be releasing the JoJo collaboration issue of Globe-Trotter Travel Guidebook (retitled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Globetrotter Guidebook) sometime in the summer of 2025.[14]

VIZ also holds distribution licenses for the anime adaptation in America and Australia. At Anime Expo 2016, the company confirmed that they would be releasing every season of the anime on Blu-ray, beginning with the first season.[17] VIZ Media's releases of the anime each contain half of a single season, along with bonus features such as art booklets and interviews with the cast of the English dub.

Name Variants

Main article: Name Variants

In order to avoid potential legal troubles, many characters' names are changed in VIZ Media's releases; many of these localized names are carried over to and from other media, such as official releases of the anime adaptation, video games, and even Japanese materials. In 2013, VIZ Media briefly discussed the copyright issues surrounding JoJo via a Facebook post, mentioning that Araki often references fashion, music, and real people within the story. As licenses for famous names in fashion and music can be difficult and expensive to acquire, VIZ referred to the situation as a "lawyer's nightmare." As a result, VIZ is often forced to use altered names as substitutes.[18]

Phantom BloodBattle TendencyStardust CrusadersDiamond is UnbreakableGolden WindStone OceanSpin-OffsBAOH
LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Tattoo Tats

Tarkus Tarukus

Bruford Blueford

Page, Jones, Plant, and Bornnam Payju, Jones, Pluton, and Barnum

LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Donovan Donobang

Santana Santviento

Loggins Loggs

Messina Meshina

Suzi Q Suzie Q

LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Holy Kujo Holly Kujo

Muhammad Avdol Mohammed Avdol

DIO Dio (Paperback)

Enya the Hag Enyaba

Devo the Cursed Soul Sacrifice

Rubber Soul Robber Soul

J. Geil Centerfold

Hanged Man The Hanged Man

Emperor The Emperor

Empress The Empress

ZZ Zii Zii

Steely Dan Rubber Soul (Paperback)
Dan of Steel (Hardcover)

Lovers The Lovers

Sun The Sun

Mannish Boy Manishu Booi

High Priestess The High Priestess

N'Doul N'doul

Egypt 9 Glory Gods Nine Great Gods of Egypt (Paperback)
The Ennead (Hardcover)

Oingo Zenyatta (Paperback)

Boingo Mondatta (Paperback)

Tohth Thoth

Bastet Bast

Sethan Set

Daniel J. D'Arby D'Arby the Elder

Chibi and Buchi Tiny and Butch

Telence T. D'Arby D'Arby the Younger

Kenny G. Billie Jean

Vanilla Ice Cool Ice

Roses Rosas

LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Crazy Diamond Shining Diamond

Echoes Reverb

Bad Company Worse Company

Red Hot Chili Pepper Chili Pepper

Surface Show Off

Tonio Trussardi Tonio Trendy

Pearl Jam Pole Jam

Killer Queen Deadly Queen

Sheer Heart Attack Heart Attack

Atom Heart Father Heart Father

Highway Star Highway Go Go

Boy II Man Boys Man Man

Super Fly Superfly

Enigma Misterioso

Cheap Trick Cheap Trap

LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Leaky-Eye Luca Leaky Eye Luca

Gold Experience Golden Wind

Sticky Fingers Zipper Man

Black Sabbath Shadow Sabbath

Moody Blues Moody Jazz

Soft Machine Tender Machine

Sex Pistols Six Bullets

Kraft Work Arts & Crafts

Aerosmith Li'l Bomber

Little Feet Tiny Feet

Purple Haze Purple Smoke

Man in the Mirror Mirror Man

The Grateful Dead Thankful Death

Beach Boy Fisher Man

Baby Face Babyhead

White Album White Ice

King Crimson Emperor Crimson

Clash Crush

Tizzano Tiziano

Talking Head Talking Mouth

Notorious B.I.G Notorious Chase

Spice Girl Spicy Lady

Metallica Metallic

Epitaph Eulogy

Green Day Green Tea

Oasis Sanctuary

Gold Experience Requiem Golden Wind Requiem

Rolling Stones Prophecy Stones

LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Loccobarocco Locobaroco

Goo Goo Dolls G.G. Dolls

Stone Free Stone Ocean

Manhattan Transfer Downtown Transfer

Whitesnake Pale Snake

Kiss Smack

Highway to Hell Freeway Thru Hell

Foo Fighters F.F.

Marilyn Manson Mary Lynn Manson

Savage Garden Savage Guardian

Weather Report Weather Forecast

Jumpin' Jack Flash Jumpin' Jack Spark

Sports Maxx Sports Maximum

Limp Bizkit Limp Viscuit

Narciso Anasui Narciso Anastasia

Diver Down Diver Drive

Planet Waves Starlight Waves

Dragon's Dream Drake's Dream

D an G D an' G

Yo-Yo Ma YA-YA MA

Enrico Pucci Domenico Pucchi

Green, Green Grass of Home Green, Green, Green Home

Miuccia Miuller Mew Mew

Jail House Lock Jailhouse Lock

Burning Down the House Burn the House Down

Bohemian Rhapsody Bohemian Ecstatic

Sky High Sky Guy

Under World Netherworld

Heavy Weather Heavy Forecast

Perla Pucci Perla Pucchi

Domenico Pucci Domenic Pucci

Wes Bluemarine Wes Aquamarine

C-MOON Sea Moon

Made in Heaven Maiden Heaven

LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Mutsu-kabe Hill Yokai The Spirit of Mutsu-kabe Hill

Vergina Virginia

LocalizationLink to this section
Name Variants:
Original Name Localized Name

Sumire Violet

Sunny Stefen Nozzo Notsuo

Dr. Kasuminome Professor Hazyeye

Dress Organization Judas Group
Judas Laboratory

22nd Man Number 22

Baoh (Parasite) Parasitic Worm Baoh

Shirasawa Yuji

Censorship / Changes

Hardcover (left), Paperback (right)

In the original 2005 Stardust Crusaders release, a few scenes involving animal death were changed. In the Yellow Temperance fight, a panel in which a dog lost its head was changed so that, while the dog still died, it wasn't as bloody. In the Death Thirteen fight, the death of another dog was changed to that of a giant rat, with dialogue altered to remove its owner's association with it. At the end of the same fight, panels featuring Mannish Boy's feces are redrawn to hide the fecal matter from view, though the implication remains the same.

Errors

Chapter / Explanation
VIZ Translation
Correct Translation
Original Japanese
Chapter 12
Viz Error Chapter 12 George.png
George says that he was born into poverty as well, when he is actually speaking hypothetically.
"I, too, was born into poverty, and may have made the same choice as you did."
"If I, too, was born into poverty, I might have done the same thing."
わたしも貧困の中に生まれたなら同じことをしたかもしれない……
Chapter 115
Viz Error SC Chapter 2 Avdol.png
Joseph says that he met Avdol in Egypt instead of saying that Avdol is from Egypt.
"This is a friend of mine. We met in Egypt three years ago. His name is Avdol."
"This is a friend from Egypt that I met three years ago, named Avdol."
三年前に知り合ったエジプトの友人アヴドゥルだ

Gallery

Videos

In December 2020 VIZ Media posted a small motion comic video on their Twitter account to promote the release of Diamond is Unbreakable Volume 7.[19] In September 2021, VIZ Media posted a second motion comic promoting Golden Wind Volume 1.[20]

Promotional Videos

References

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