Manga Arabia Company

What Manga Arabia Company does

Manga Arabia Company (مانجا العربية) is a Riyadh-headquartered, private subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) that produces and publishes Arabic and Japanese comics across digital and physical channels. Founded in August 2021, the company operates two consumer segments — Manga Arabia for Kids (ages 6-12) and Manga Arabia for Youth (ages 13-25) — delivered through dedicated mobile applications on iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery, alongside physical monthly magazines, collector's volumes, and a proprietary e-commerce store. Its content library spans 70+ titles that combine licensed Japanese IP from flagship partners (Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Kadokawa, Hakusensha) with original Arabic productions authored through the Nafitha creator platform.

The company's technology stack centers on a mobile manga reading platform with professional Arabic translation workflows, offline chapter downloads, a recommendation and reading-progress engine, and the Nafitha creator submission portal used by 170+ Arab creators. Distribution combines digital app stores reaching 190+ countries with a physical retail and delivery network covering 220+ points across the Arab world, including partnerships with Jarir Bookstore, Noon, Jahez, and HungerStation in Saudi Arabia. Manga Arabia has also established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Manga International, headquartered in Tokyo, to deepen Japanese sourcing and run Japanese-language editions.

Commercially, Manga Arabia runs a hybrid monetization model with freemium digital access (free chapters and premium pay-as-you-go purchases or subscriptions), one-time physical magazine and collector's edition sales, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Reach signals include 12M+ cumulative app downloads, 250,000+ monthly print copies circulated, and 100+ issues published since launch. The company is led by Dr. Essam Bukhari (General Manager and Editor-in-Chief) and has accumulated 2025 recognition including the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Manga Award Silver Medal, the Riyadh International Book Fair Publishing Excellence Award, and recognition from the Japan Patent Office for IP protection efforts.

Name

Manga Arabia Company

Legal name

Manga Arabia (MANGA ARABIA)

Website

https://mangaarabia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Manga Arabia Company is a Riyadh-based subsidiary of Saudi Research and Media Group that produces and publishes Arabic and Japanese manga across mobile apps, print magazines, and e-commerce for Arabic-speaking kids and youth audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manga & Comic Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Periodical Publishers (513120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Book Printing (2732), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)

akta.pro primary industry

Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ), Children’s Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Publishing (MPAJAFAH), Adult/Seinen/Josei Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAJ), Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail (CRALAAAF)

Keywords

• Arabic manga publishing
• Digital comic reading
• Manga mobile apps
• Creative content production
• Comic book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Content Sales: Revenue from mobile app content including chapter releases, subscriptions, or one-time purchases of digital manga chapters
2. Physical Magazine Sales: Sales of printed manga magazines for both Kids and Youth segments, distributed through retail partners across the Arab world
3. Physical Volume/Collector's Editions: Sale of compiled manga volumes and collector's editions through their e-commerce store and retail partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Manga Arabia Company produces, publishes, and distributes Arabic-language manga content for Kids and Youth audiences, combining original Arabic productions with officially licensed Japanese manga translated professionally into Arabic. The company operates dedicated mobile reading applications, sells physical magazines, volumes, and collector's editions through retail and digital channels, and supports a creator ecosystem through its Nafitha submission platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manga Arabia for Youth (mobile app)
• Manga Arabia for Kids (mobile app)
• Physical Manga Magazines (Kids and Youth editions)
• Manga Arabia Store (store.mangaarabia.com)
• Nafitha Creator Platform Online submission platform enabling manga creators to upload work, track reviews, and interact with readers. Supports the company's talent pipeline of 170+ enabled creators from the Kingdom and Arab world.
• Original Arabic Manga Series Collection of original Arabic-language manga titles produced by Manga Arabia, including 'A Quarter Life Crisis' (أزمة ربع العمر), 'The Dib Dab' (الولد الضب), 'Wanderers' (هائمون), 'Drawing the Void' (رسم العدم), 'Memories Upside Down' (ذكرياتي بالمقلوب), and others. Available digitally via apps and in print format.
• Licensed Japanese Manga (Arabic-translated editions) Officially licensed Japanese manga titles from publishers Shueisha, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Kadokawa, and Hakusensha, professionally translated into Arabic for distribution through Manga Arabia's digital and print channels.
• Japanese-language Manga Editions Special Japanese-language versions of Kids and Youth manga magazines and volumes displayed at the Saudi pavilion at Expo Osaka in Japan in September 2025, also celebrating 70 years of Saudi-Japan relations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 million+ app downloads across 190+ countries
• +2 more outcomes

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

AI capability1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Parent company of Manga Arabia, providing strategic backing, resources, and institutional support for the manga publishing venture launched in August 2021
• ShueishaflagshipTechnology or IntegrationMajor Japanese manga publisher partnership for licensing and publishing Japanese manga content in Arabic translation
• KodanshaflagshipTechnology or IntegrationLeading Japanese manga publisher partnership for licensing Japanese manga titles for Arabic publication
• ShogakukanflagshipTechnology or IntegrationJapanese manga publisher partnership enabling Arabic translations of Shogakukan's manga catalog
• KadokawaflagshipTechnology or IntegrationJapanese publishing conglomerate partnership for manga licensing and content collaboration
• Jarir BookstorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Saudi retail bookstore chain distributing Manga Arabia's printed magazines and volumes across their store network in Saudi Arabia
• NooncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading e-commerce platform in the Middle East for online distribution of Manga Arabia products
• Manga International (Tokyo)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational subsidiary established in Tokyo, Japan, as a strategic step to expand global influence and establish presence in the international manga industry

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Neel wafai / Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) publications: SRMG is Manga Arabia's parent and the largest Saudi publishing group; comparable as the regional media conglomerate ecosystem that provides capital, distribution, and editorial infrastructure.
• Shueisha (集英社): Shueisha is a flagship licensing partner of Manga Arabia and one of Japan's largest manga publishers (Jump series). It is comparable as the upstream content owner whose Arabic distribution Manga Arabia depends on.
• Kodansha (講談社): Kodansha is another flagship Japanese manga publisher partnered with Manga Arabia for Arabic licensing, comparable as an upstream content licensor whose strategy shapes Manga Arabia's catalog.

Direct peers

• Tappytoon: Tappytoon is a digital comics and webtoon platform publishing manga and original content in multiple languages with a freemium model, comparable to Manga Arabia's app-driven digital strategy.
• Webtoon Entertainment: Webtoon operates one of the world's largest digital comics platforms with localized Arabic content, serving the same digitally-native Arabic youth audience as Manga Arabia.
• MangaToon: MangaToon is a global digital comics and manga platform offering translated content in multiple languages including Arabic, with a similar freemium mobile-app model targeting international manga readers.

Broad incumbents

• Piccoma: Piccoma (Kakao Entertainment) is Japan's leading mobile manga app and a comparable digital manga reading platform with original and licensed content, providing a benchmark for mobile-first manga monetization.
• Manga Plus by Shueisha: Manga Plus is Shueisha's official global manga reading platform — a partner of Manga Arabia — that provides simultaneous free releases in multiple languages and represents the global benchmark for licensed Japanese manga distribution.
• VIZ Media: VIZ Media is the largest English-language manga publisher (joint venture of Shueisha, Shogakukan, ShoPro) and a direct analogue for licensed Japanese manga publishing at scale.
• Crunchyroll Manga: Crunchyroll (Sony-owned) bundles manga reading into its anime streaming subscription and serves Arabic-speaking anime/manga fans globally — a potential ecosystem competitor to Manga Arabia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MangaAlarabia
• Facebookfacebook.com/MangaAlarabia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Manga Arabia Company