Unmasking the Impact of Inflation: A Harsh Reality for Otaku Culture

Viz Media, the leading manga publishing company, has decided to raise the base price of single-volume manga for the first time in 15 years. This adjustment aligns with the global trend of rising prices across various sectors, such as food, gaming consoles, restaurants, and airline tickets. It was only a matter of time before even the beloved staples in the otaku world would succumb to inflation.

The news of the price increase was reported by ICv2 last week. In order to confirm this, a thorough review of the prices for upcoming manga releases in January 2024 was conducted through popular online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The results revealed that the price increase would impact all new single volume manga, regardless of whether they are part of a new series or an existing one.

According to ICv2, My Hero Academia will release Vol. 36 in December at a price of $9.99, which has been the standard price for Viz Media manga for the past 15 years. However, Vol. 37, set to launch in January 2024, will be priced at $11.99, representing a $2 increase, equivalent to a 20% raise.

It is worth noting that Viz Media has consistently offered some of the most affordable manga options in recent years. For comparison, Kodansha currently sells single-volume manga for $12.99, while Yen Press charges $13.00. Even with the price increase, Viz Media will remain the most budget-friendly choice in the market. While other manga companies have yet to announce price changes as of now, it is only a matter of time according to our prediction.

Manga fans, who are dedicated to collecting every volume of their favorite stories, will be greatly impacted by a 20% increase in prices, particularly in the current global economic conditions. Thankfully, otaku on a budget can still enjoy reading Viz Media titles legally through the successful launch of the company's online streaming service, Viz Manga, in early May. Viz Manga offers the English versions of manga chapters simultaneously with their release in Japan, and at an affordable monthly cost of just $1.99.

Viz Manga is not suitable for otaku who prefer physical manga copies since it only offers streaming with digital content. As is the case with various situations, otaku who wish to spend money on purchasing physical manga will need to be more cautious with their spending due to rising prices. Consequently, they need to determine whether manga remains a priority for them to buy or not.