Walt Disney Japan is winding down its Shueisha comics contract for Marvel adaptations, with sales ending September 30, 2026, while it brings Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu to Disney+ on September 2 following a theatrical run.
The two stories about Walt Disney Japan cover separate arms of the company, and they point in different directions. On the streaming side, Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu arrives on Disney+ on September 2, just over three months after opening in theaters in Japan and the U.S. on May 22. The film topped weekend charts in both markets and finished its theatrical run with more than 3.6 billion yen and 2.1 million attendees. That is the Star Wars franchise's first theatrical release in seven years, and Disney Japan is now moving it to streaming.
The comics side is a contraction. Shueisha is ending its contract with Walt Disney Japan for comics adaptations of Marvel characters as of September 30, 2026. Distribution stops on each e-book site between September 28 and 30, and physical sales end too. Items already purchased remain viewable. Among the affected works are Deadpool: Samurai and SECRET REVERSE, the latter handled by Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi.
Together the stories show a company still running its Disney+ pipeline for Star Wars while losing a licensing outlet for Marvel manga in Japan. Nothing in the stories says the Shueisha contract has a replacement plan, and nothing says the Star Wars streaming date changes any theatrical plans. The Marvel manga editions head out of print.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
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Shueisha will terminate its contract with Walt Disney Japan for comics adaptations of Marvel characters as of September 30, 2026. Distribution stops sequentially on each e-book site between September 28 and 30, and physical sales end as well. Already purchased items stay viewable. Deadpool: Samurai and SECRET REVERSE, handled by Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi, are among the works affected.
Walt Disney Japan announced that the movie Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting September 2. The film opened in Japan and the U.S. on May 22, topped weekend charts domestically and worldwide, and finished its theatrical run with over 3.6 billion yen and 2.1 million attendees.