What Udon Entertainment does

Udon Entertainment is a privately held, direct-to-consumer publisher founded in 2000 and headquartered in Fremont, California, operating with a 1-10 employee footprint. The company specializes in publishing and localizing licensed art books, manga, comics, and collectible merchandise derived from major video game and anime franchises - notably Capcom's Street Fighter, Mega Man, Darkstalkers, and Rival Schools, FromSoftware/Bandai Namco's Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne, plus Sonic the Hedgehog, Persona, Monster Hunter, Shantae, Bayonetta, Okami, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, Robotech, and others. Its English-language catalog also includes translated manga such as Isekai Izakaya Nobu (10 of 21 volumes localized as of December 2025), Veil, Mr. Mega Man, Little Mega Man, and My Stepmom's Daughter is my Ex, alongside original comics like Street Fighter Masters: Juri and Mega Man: Gear Masters.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: direct merchandise sales via the company's own global e-commerce storefront (one-time purchases of art books, manga volumes, pins, apparel, and prints), and publishing/licensing royalties from licensor relationships. Pricing spans a wide range - $4.99 for standard comic cover variants up to $120 for deluxe hardcover art books - with premium store-exclusive and convention-only editions (metal cards, foil covers, catwalk variants) occupying the $20-$50 tier. The go-to-market is DTC-first with global shipping across 50+ currencies, supported by an owned blog, email newsletter, and social media presence on X, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, plus event-driven sales at San Diego Comic-Con and Free Comic Book Day. No AI/ML capabilities, mobile apps, APIs, patents, funding rounds, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

Udon Entertainment

Legal name

UDON Entertainment

Website

https://udonstore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Udon Entertainment is a privately held, Fremont, California-based publisher (founded 2000, 1-10 employees) that creates and sells licensed art books, manga, comics, and collectible merchandise tied to major video game and anime franchises through its global direct-to-consumer online store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Comic and Manga Publishing

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Sports Trading Cards Retail (TCG/Entertainment) (CRALAGAB)

Keywords

• Manga publishing
• Art book publishing
• Comic book publishing
• Video game merchandise
• Collector editions

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct merchandise sales: Udon Entertainment sells art books, manga, graphic novels, comics, and merchandise directly through its e-commerce storefront. Products include hardcover deluxe editions, collectible pins, apparel, and prints. Revenue is generated through one-time purchase transactions.
2. Publishing and licensing: Udon Entertainment publishes and localizes licensed content from major video game and anime franchises including Street Fighter, Mega Man, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Okami, Monster Hunter, Shantae, Darkstalkers, Bayonetta, Bloodborne, Sonic the Hedgehog, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, and Robotech. Revenue is generated through licensing agreements and publishing rights.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Udon Entertainment is a publisher and direct-to-consumer retailer of officially licensed art books, manga volumes, comic series, and collectible merchandise based on popular video game and anime franchises (including Street Fighter, Mega Man, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Monster Hunter, Okami, Bayonetta, Bloodborne, Sonic the Hedgehog, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and others). The company localizes Japanese manga into English and produces deluxe hardcover art books, variant cover comics, apparel, collectible pins, and metal card sets sold primarily through its own e-commerce store with global shipping.

Product overview

Udon Entertainment is a publisher of art books, graphic novels, and manga based on popular video game franchises and anime properties. The company operates as a unified publishing house with product lines spanning official art books (covering franchises like Street Fighter, Mega Man, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Okami, Monster Hunter, Shovel Knight, Rival Schools, Atelier Ryza, and Clair Obscur), manga series (including Isekai Izakaya Nobu, Veil, More than a Married Couple but Not Lovers, Blue Archive, and My Stepmom's Daughter is my Ex), comics (such as Street Fighter Masters, Mega Man: Gear Masters, and Mega Man X series), and collectible merchandise including pins and apparel. Products are distributed through the UDON Store with both regular releases and exclusive editions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marvel VS Capcom: Ultimate Complete Works HC - Deluxe Edition A deluxe hardcover art book covering the Marvel VS Capcom fighting game franchise, featuring over 140 new pages in an updated and upgraded edition, targeted at fighting game fans and collectors.
• Mega Man: Official Complete Works - Deluxe Edition Deluxe hardcover art book covering the Mega Man video game franchise, targeted at video game art collectors and Mega Man fans.
• Mega Man X: Official Complete Works - Deluxe Edition Deluxe hardcover art book covering the Mega Man X video game series, targeted at video game art collectors and Mega Man X fans.
• Shovel Knight: Ultimate Design Works Hardcover Hardcover art book covering the Shovel Knight indie game franchise, with an expanded edition adding new art, character concepts, and interviews.
• Elden Ring: Official Art Book Volume III Hardcover Third volume of the official hardcover art book covering the Elden Ring video game, targeted at Elden Ring fans and video game art collectors.
• Monster Hunter Illustrations 3 - Hardcover Third volume of the official hardcover art book covering the Monster Hunter franchise, targeted at Monster Hunter fans and video game art collectors.
• Okami Official Complete Works - UDON Store Exclusive Hardcover Official hardcover art book covering the Okami video game franchise, sold exclusively through the UDON store.
• The Art of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Standard Edition Standard edition hardcover art book covering the game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, targeted at fans of the game and video game art collectors.
• Mega Man X DiVE: Official Complete Works Hardcover Hardcover art book covering the Mega Man X DiVE mobile game, targeted at Mega Man fans and collectors of video game art books.
• Rival Schools: Official Complete Works Hardcover Deluxe edition hardcover art book covering the Rival Schools video game franchise, targeted at fighting game art collectors and Rival Schools fans.
• Atelier Ryza 3: Official Visual Collection Official visual collection art book covering the Atelier Ryza 3 video game, targeted at Atelier Ryza fans and JRPG art collectors.
• Street Fighter V: Climax Arts Hardcover Hardcover art book covering Street Fighter V: Climax, targeted at Street Fighter fans and fighting game art collectors.
• Isekai Izakaya Nobu (Manga Series) Ongoing English-translated manga series illustrated by Virginia Nitōhei, published by Udon Entertainment for English-speaking manga readers.
• Veil (Volumes 1-4) Manga series published in English by Udon Entertainment for English-speaking manga readers.
• Mr. Mega Man (Volumes 1-2) Manga series based on the Mega Man video game franchise, published in English by Udon Entertainment.
• Little Mega Man (Volumes 1-2) Manga series based on the Mega Man video game franchise, published in English by Udon Entertainment.
• More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers Manga series published in English by Udon Entertainment for English-speaking manga readers.
• Blue Archive: Comic Anthology Volume 1 Comic anthology based on the Blue Archive video game, published in English by Udon Entertainment.
• My Stepmom's Daughter is my Ex Manga series published in English by Udon Entertainment for English-speaking manga readers.
• Falling in Love with a Traveling Cat: Mofusand's 1st Illustration Book First illustration book featuring the Mofusand cat character, sold by Udon Entertainment.
• Street Fighter Masters: Juri Comic series based on the Street Fighter franchise focusing on the character Juri, published by Udon Entertainment.
• Mega Man: Gear Masters Comic series based on the Mega Man video game franchise, published by Udon Entertainment with multiple cover variants.
• Mega Man X Comic series based on the Mega Man X video game franchise, published by Udon Entertainment.
• Mega Man ZX Timelines Comic series based on the Mega Man ZX video game franchise, published by Udon Entertainment.
• Street Fighter Forever Comic series based on the Street Fighter franchise, published by Udon Entertainment.
• Street Fighter Swimsuit Special Special comic edition featuring Street Fighter characters in swimwear, published by Udon Entertainment.
• Shantae Swimsuit Special Special comic edition featuring Shantae characters in swimwear, published by Udon Entertainment.
• Mega Man Showdown Special Special comic edition featuring Mega Man characters, published by Udon Entertainment.
• Darkstalkers Petite Fighters Collection Collectible pins featuring Darkstalkers characters including Felicia, Lilith, Morrigan, Hsien-Ko, and Mei-Ling, sold by Udon Entertainment.
• Street Fighter 6 Character Collectible Pins Collectible pins featuring Street Fighter 6 characters including M. Bison, Zangief, and Marisa, sold by Udon Entertainment.
• Mega Man Collectible Pins Collectible pins featuring Mega Man characters including Mega Man, Proto Man, Rockman Robot Masters, and Star Force, sold by Udon Entertainment.
• Rival Schools Collectible Metal Card Sets Collectible metal card sets featuring Rival Schools characters, including Pacific High and Taiyo High sets, sold by Udon Entertainment.
• Street Fighter Graphic Tees Graphic t-shirts featuring Street Fighter characters and artwork, sold by Udon Entertainment.
• Mega Man Graphic Tees Graphic t-shirts featuring Mega Man characters and artwork, sold by Udon Entertainment.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Yen Press: Major English manga and light novel publisher, joint venture between Kadokawa and Hachette. Directly comparable to Udon's Isekai Izakaya Nobu localization work, since both publish English translations of Japanese manga series.
• Viz Media: Premier English-language manga publisher with a large direct-to-consumer store and weekly serialization across hundreds of titles. Comparable to Udon's manga translation business and shared licensing of Japanese IP, though at much larger scale.
• Seven Seas Entertainment: Independent English-language manga publisher with strong direct-to-consumer focus and licensing of Japanese titles. Comparable niche-positioning and D2C e-commerce model to Udon's manga business.
• Tokyopop: English-language manga and graphic novel publisher with direct-to-consumer operations. Comparable to Udon in producing localized manga volumes and graphic novels for Western audiences.
• Titan Comics: Publisher of licensed comics and art books across video game, film and TV properties. Comparable to Udon's licensed-content comic and art book business, with similar collector-oriented premium editions.
• Dark Horse Comics: Independent publisher of licensed comics, manga and art books including extensive video game and anime tie-ins (e.g., Overwatch, Avatar). Directly comparable to Udon in format mix (art books, comics, manga) and licensed-content orientation, with similar D2C retail operations.

Broad incumbents

• Capcom: Video game publisher that is both a licensor to Udon (Street Fighter, Mega Man, Okami, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry) and produces its own official art books and merchandise. Comparable as a producer of franchise collectibles, though at vastly larger scale as an IP owner.
• Square Enix (Publishing): Major video game publisher that also publishes official art books (e.g., Final Fantasy, NieR series). Comparable in that it produces premium franchise art books, but operates at massive scale and controls its own IP, unlike Udon which licenses third-party IP.
• Bandai Namco Entertainment: Major video game publisher whose franchises (e.g., Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Tekken, Tales) are core to Udon's art book and manga catalog. Comparable in producing official franchise merchandise, though Bandai Namco is also a licensor that controls the IP underlying several Udon products.

Others

• Idea Books / Third Eye Comics: Specialty comic book and collectible retailers carrying import manga, video game art books and convention exclusives. Comparable distribution channel for collectors of the same franchise merchandise Udon publishes, representing a retail overlap rather than direct competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/udoncrew
• Facebookfacebook.com/udonentertainment
• Instagraminstagram.com/udonent
• Pinterestpinterest.com/udonentertainment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Udon Entertainment