What NCOMIC does

NCOMIC株式会社 (NCOMIC Inc.) is a Tokyo-based digital entertainment company founded in 2014 that produces and globally distributes WEBTOON (vertical comic) content. The company operates a B2B2C model: it produces original WEBTOON content in-house under a division-of-labor production system that separates original concept/screenplay creation from storyboard art, then licenses the finished serialized titles to more than 30 third-party e-bookstore platforms worldwide — including Piccoma, LINE Manga, TappyToon, Webcomics, Pocket Comics, TAPAS, Mangaplaza, Comic Cmoa, and Mechacomic — which in turn distribute to end readers.

The company's core services are threefold: (1) WEBTOON Global Distribution across the 30+ platform network, (2) WEBTOON Production via the division-of-labor model, and (3) Secondary IP Business (character merchandise, launched in 2016). Content is organized under three branded labels — Moge (モゲ野郎, male-oriented action/fantasy/isekai), Himo (ヒモ乙女, female-oriented romance/reincarnation/villainess), and Kiku (キク男爵, romance/drama). The company operates a bidirectional content flow: Japanese WEBTOON is exported globally, while Chinese WEBTOON has been imported into Japan since 2018. Creators are recruited through a dedicated application platform and the Tatekomi Original Award contest (launched 2024), and are compensated at 25,000-110,000 yen per episode plus 7-18% NET royalties with sales-tied bonuses.

Revenue is generated from three streams: licensing and distribution fees from global e-bookstore platforms (primary), character merchandise sales (since 2016), and creator production fees. The company is privately held and independently owned, with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or financial information; it is led by CEO Natsumi Ota (大田夏実) from its Roppongi Hills headquarters, with a secondary office (N CAFE) in Shibuya.

Name

NCOMIC

Legal name

NCOMIC株式会社

Website

https://ncomic.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

NCOMIC Inc. is a Tokyo-based digital entertainment company that produces and globally distributes Japanese and Chinese WEBTOON content to over 30 e-bookstore platforms, including Piccoma, LINE Manga, and TappyToon, operating a division-of-labor production system targeting readers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Comic Publishing

NAICS

Publishing Industries (513)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Webcomics & Digital-First Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Webtoon & Digital Comics Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAK)

Keywords

• Webtoon distribution services
• Digital comic production
• Manga licensing platform
• Character merchandise sales
• Webtoon content creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Roppongi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. WEBTOON Global Distribution: NCOMIC distributes Japanese WEBTOON titles globally and global WEBTOON titles (including Chinese WEBTOON since 2018) to Japan through partnerships with over 30 platforms worldwide, earning licensing and distribution fees.
2. WEBTOON Creator Royalties: Creators receive NET royalties of 7%-18% on sales. For planning/scripting roles, NCOMIC pays 25,000-50,000 yen per episode; for planning/scripting/storyboard combined roles, 55,000-110,000 yen per episode. Bonus royalty rates apply based on annual sales.
3. Character Merchandise Sales: NCOMIC began selling character merchandise from Japanese comics in 2016, generating additional revenue from IP-based goods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NCOMIC produces original WEBTOON (vertical-scroll comic) content through a division-of-labor production system that coordinates separate planning/screenplay creators, storyboard artists, and editors. It then licenses and distributes this content to more than 30 global digital e-bookstore platforms including Piccoma, LINE Manga, TappyToon, Webcomics, Pocket Comics, TAPAS, and Mangaplaza, and monetizes secondary IP through character merchandise.

Product overview

NCOMIC is a WEBTOON content company offering a platform-plus-labels portfolio centered on three product categories: モゲ野郎 (Moge) for male-oriented action/fantasy titles, ヒモ乙女 (Himo) for female-oriented romance/reincarnation titles, and キク男爵 (Kiku) for romance/drama titles. The company operates three core services: WEBTOON Global Distribution (publishing on 30+ platforms worldwide), WEBTOON Production (original creation with complete division of labor), and Secondary IP Business (merchandise/derivatives). Supporting infrastructure includes a Creator Application Platform for recruiting writers and illustrators, and the タテコミ原作大賞 contest for discovering new talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WEBTOON Global Distribution Core service licensing and distributing NCOMIC's WEBTOON catalog to e-bookstore platforms worldwide; the company localizes and delivers titles to global digital publishers under licensing agreements.
• WEBTOON Production Original WEBTOON creation service covering planning, scriptwriting, storyboarding, and illustration, using a coordinated division-of-labor model where specialized creators handle separate production stages.
• Secondary IP Business Secondary IP development including character merchandise and derivative goods based on NCOMIC's WEBTOON properties, providing monetization beyond digital reading royalties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 WEBTOON titles distributed cumulatively by 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 株式会社アムタス (Amutas)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Distribution partner listed in NCOMIC's global partner network for WEBTOON content distribution.
• 株式会社アカツキ (Akatsuki)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Listed as a global partner for NCOMIC's WEBTOON distribution network.
• 株式会社暁印刷 (Akatsuki Printing)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Partner in NCOMIC's global partner network for WEBTOON distribution.
• 株式会社イーブックイニシアティブジャパン (Ebook Initiative Japan)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Distribution partner listed in NCOMIC's global partner network.
• 株式会社ウェイブ (Wave)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Listed as a global partner in NCOMIC's distribution network.
• 株式会社集英社 (Shueisha)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Major Japanese publisher listed as a key partner in NCOMIC's global distribution network.
• 株式会社カカオピッコマ (Kakao Piccoma)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Parent company of Piccoma platform, a primary distribution channel for NCOMIC's WEBTOON titles.
• 株式会社ビーグリー (Beecrew)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Listed as a global partner for NCOMIC's WEBTOON distribution.
• 株式会社メディアドゥ (MediaDo)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Digital publishing infrastructure company listed as a partner in NCOMIC's distribution network.
• 株式会社BookLiveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023E-bookstore platform listed as a global partner for NCOMIC distribution.
• 合同会社 DMM.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Listed as a global partner in NCOMIC's WEBTOON distribution network.
• LINE Digital Frontier CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Operator of LINE Manga platform, a major e-bookstore distribution partner for NCOMIC's titles.
• NTTソルマーレ株式会社 (NTT Solmare)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Listed as a global partner in NCOMIC's WEBTOON distribution network.
• 株式会社U-NEXTminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Entertainment platform listed as a distribution partner for NCOMIC's WEBTOON content.
• 株式会社viviONminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2023Listed as a global partner in NCOMIC's WEBTOON distribution network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KADOKAWA Corporation: Major Japanese publisher with a significant manga/light novel catalog that has expanded aggressively into WEBTOON production and global digital distribution through services like BOOK WALKER and ComicWalker. Comparable as a Japanese publishing house with global digital ambitions, though operating at vastly larger scale.
• Shueisha: One of Japan's largest manga publishers (Weekly Shonen Jump) operating the global Manga Plus platform and investing in Korean webtoon studios. NCOMIC lists Shueisha as a 'core' distribution partner, demonstrating direct business overlap in WEBTOON IP and global reach — but Shueisha competes and partners simultaneously.
• Naver Webtoon: The dominant global WEBTOON platform with deep Korean and international operations, vertical integration into original IP, and a 30+ country footprint that overlaps directly with NCOMIC's distribution regions. Most direct comparable in business model (platform + original production), but operates at multi-billion scale.
• Kodansha: Major Japanese manga publisher (Morning, Magazine) with significant WEBTOON presence and global licensing operations. Comparable as a Japanese publisher expanding into vertical-scroll digital comics and global platform distribution.
• LINE Digital Frontier (LINE Manga): Operates LINE Manga, one of Japan's largest WEBTOON platforms and a 'core' distribution partner of NCOMIC. Comparable as both a distribution channel and a direct producer of original WEBTOON content, representing both collaboration and competition for NCOMIC.
• Kakao Entertainment (Piccoma): Parent of Piccoma, NCOMIC's largest single distribution partner, and a dominant Korean WEBTOON production and platform conglomerate. Highly comparable in operating a WEBTOON platform plus original production arm, though at vastly greater scale and capital intensity.

Emerging players

• BookLive: Japanese e-bookstore platform that is a minor NCOMIC distribution partner. Highly comparable as a digital manga/webtoon retail channel serving Japanese consumers, though focused more on retail distribution than original production.
• CyberAgent (Cygames/Ameba): Digital media conglomerate operating manga platforms and original IP investment through subsidiaries like Cygames. Comparable as a Japanese digital entertainment company investing in manga/WEBTOON IP with both platform and production capabilities.
• Ebook Initiative Japan: Operates ebookjapan, one of Japan's major manga platforms, and is a listed NCOMIC distribution partner. Comparable as a digital manga/webtoon distribution platform — a current partner that also competes for read time and shelf placement.

Direct peers

• NHK Services (comico): A Japanese-first WEBTOON platform that also runs original WEBTOON production for Japanese and global audiences. Comparable as a Japan-based, vertically integrated WEBTOON producer-distributor operating on both original IP and platform distribution model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncomicncomic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 NCOMIC