Ask John: Could Azumi Rival Naruto in America?

Question:
Do you think the Azumi manga will ever be licensed to be a rival to Viz’s Naruto?

Answer:
To put it simply, no. To elaborate, I think that the odds of a domestic publication of Yu Koyama’s manga serial Azumi are slim, but not entirely impossible. But Azumi does not presently rival Naruto, nor will it ever.

Although first published in 1994 – not really that long ago – Yu Koyama’s Azumi ninja action serial is drawn with a realistic “gekiga” style that makes the art look and feel much older than it actually is. This creates the first of several obstacles to the series’ American publication. Genuine vintage ninja and samurai manga titles including Kamui Gaiden, Kozure Okami, and Dororo have seen American release but none of them have reached the massive mainstream success of a contemporary shonen title like Naruto. Vintage manga, like vintage anime, simply holds less appeal for typical American consumers than trendy modern titles.

Furthermore, manga featuring realistic “gekiga” style art like Golgo 13 and works drawn by Ryoichi Ikegami including Crying Freeman, Kizuoibito, and Mai the Psychic Girl have reached America, but, again, to limited success. The largest American audience for manga is children and teens that are attracted to the stylized art of conventional contemporary manga. So an American license for the Azumi manga can’t be discounted, but Azumi is unlikely to be a first or even second choice acquisition for many of America’s manga publishers.

Although the Azumi manga may have some potential for American release, it has no chance of achieving the sort of blockbuster success that Naruto enjoys. Despite being an award winning title in Japan, even in the home of manga, Azumi’s popularity is eclipsed by Naruto. The art design of the Azumi manga reduces its potential to directly compete against Naruto. The protagonist of Azumi is female; and Azumi is a tragic ninja story about loss and suffering. The protagonist of Naruto is a teen boy, and the themes of Naruto are encouraging: honesty to self, hard work nets positive gains, loyalty, friendship. Naruto is specifically designed to appeal to teenage boys. Young readers, both male and female, can relate to and immerse themselves in Naruto’s world. Azumi is simply a drastically different type of manga story. Naruto and Azumi are both ninja adventure manga, but that’s the extent of their similarity, which is why Azumi will never directly compete with the narrative and literary structure and themes of Naruto, nor compete for the same audience.