Viz Media Licenses Naruto: Itachi's Story, Tokyo Ghoul Novels, Gangsta.: Cursed Manga

North American publisher Viz Media announced on Thursday that it has licensed both Naruto: Itachi's Story novels, the Naruto: Sasuke's Story - Sunrise novel, and the Tokyo Ghoul novels. In addition, it has licensed the spinoff manga Gangsta.: Cursed.

Viz Media will release author Takashi Yano's Naruto: Itachi's Story - Daylight (Itachi Shinden: Kōmyō-hen) this November and Naruto: Itachi's Story - Midnight (Itachi Shinden: Anya-hen) this winter. Both tell a prequel story focusing on Itachi from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga. Shin Towasa's Naruto: Sasuke's Story - Sunrise is slated for spring 2017.

Shueisha released the two volumes of Naruto: Itachi's Story on September 4 and October 2, respectively. Naruto: Sasuke's Story - Sunrise shipped in Japan on November 4.

The Naruto Shippūden anime has been adapting the Naruto: Itachi's Story novels' story since March.

Itachi Shinden and Sasuke Shinden were the first two installments in the Naruto Shinden (Naruto True Legend) novel series.

Shueisha previously published six Naruto epilogue novels earlier in 2015: Kakashi Hiden, Shikamaru Hiden, Akatsuki Hiden, Gaara Hiden, Sakura Hiden, and Konoha Hiden. Viz Media has licensed the first three epilogue novels — Kakashi Hiden, Shikamaru Hiden, and Sakura Hiden — for English release in North America.

The first Tokyo Ghoul novel, Tokyo Ghoul: Days (Tokyo Ghoul [Hibi]), is slated for this October, and the second, Tokyo Ghoul: Void (Tokyo Ghoul [Kūhaku]), is slated for January 2017. The release date for the third novel, Tokyo Ghoul: Past(Tokyo Ghoul [Sekijitsu]), is forthcoming. Shin Towasa wrote the novels based on Sui Ishida's original manga.

Shueisha published Tokyo Ghoul: Days in Japan in July 2013. It is a compilation of six short stories depicting the daily lives of characters in the series. Tokyo Ghoul: Void, which shipped in Japan in June 2014, tells the stories of what happened with the characters in the half year following the three-way battle between Aogiri Tree, CCG, and Anteiku.Tokyo Ghoul: Past shipped in December 2014 and compiles prequel stories for various characters.

Viz Media is publishing Sui Ishida's original manga in North America.

The first volume of Gangsta.: Cursed is slated to ship in December. Syuhei Kamo has been drawing the spinoff of Kohske's Gangsta manga in Shinchosha's Quarterly Comic Go Go Bunch magazine since July 2014. The series, titled Gangsta.:Cursed. EP_Marco Adriano in Japan, focuses on the history of the original manga's Marco Adriano.

Viz Media is releasing the original manga in North America.​