Éditions Ki-oon

What Éditions Ki-oon does

Éditions Ki-oon is a French manga publisher founded in 2003/2004 and operated through SARL AC Media, headquartered at 2 rue de Saint-Pétersbourg, Paris. The company specializes in publishing Japanese manga in French translation across shonen, seinen, shôjo, and kodomo demographics, holding licenses for an extensive catalog of 200+ active series including high-profile franchises such as Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, Frieren, Les Carnets de l'apothicaire, and Beastars. The company sells standard volumes at unit prices of 6.60-7.95 euros, premium collector editions (for example Les Carnets de l'apothicaire T17 at 34.90 euros) bundled with merchandise such as shikishi, tea sets, and artbooks, and ancillary products including agendas and notebooks priced at 9.95-12.95 euros.

Name

Éditions Ki-oon

Legal name

SARL AC Media

Website

https://ki-oon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Éditions Ki-oon is a Paris-based French manga publisher operating under SARL AC Media since 2003, publishing 200+ licensed Japanese manga series across shonen, seinen, shôjo, and kodomo genres for French-speaking readers in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and DOM-TOM via the Interforum distribution network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manga Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA)

Keywords

• French manga publishing
• Licensed Japanese comics
• Collector editions
• Book distribution
• Manga merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Manga Volume Sales: Ki-oon publishes and sells manga volumes in French translation. Standard editions are sold at standard retail prices (approximately 7-8 euros per volume), with higher-priced collector editions, box sets, and prestige editions available for popular series.
2. Collector and Premium Editions: The company generates additional revenue through premium collector editions featuring exclusive items such as alternative covers, artbooks, shikishi (artist boards), tea sets, incense holders, tote bags, and notebooks. For example, the Carnets de l'apothicaire T17 collector is priced at 34.90 euros.
3. Merchandise and Accessories: Ki-oon sells branded merchandise including agendas (9.95 euros), notebooks (12.95 euros), and other goodies at events and potentially through retail channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Éditions Ki-oon publishes and distributes French-language manga volumes translated from licensed Japanese series, releasing both standard and premium collector editions alongside branded merchandise such as agendas and notebooks. The catalog exceeds 200 active titles spanning shonen, seinen, shôjo, and kodomo demographics, sold via wholesale distributors (Interforum) covering France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and DOM-TOM, complemented by direct e-commerce and event sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jujutsu Kaisen (manga series) French-language publication of the globally popular Japanese shonen manga Jujutsu Kaisen and its Modulo spin-off, targeting teen and young adult readers of action/dark fantasy; available in standard volumes at approximately 7.20 euros each.
• My Hero Academia (manga series)

Quantifiable outcome

• Ki-oon celebrated 20 years of publishing in 2024, demonstrating sustained market presence
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Interforum (France)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInterforum is Ki-oon's primary distribution partner for France metropolitan, handling logistics and distribution of manga publications to bookstores across mainland France. Contact: Fax 0033 2 38 32 71 28.
• Interforum SuissecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwiss distribution partner for Ki-oon publications. Located at Route André Pillier 33 A, Givisiez, CH-1701 Fribourg, Switzerland. Tel: 0041 26 460 80 60.
• Interforum BénéluxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBelgian distribution partner for Ki-oon manga publications. Located at Fond Jean-Pâques 6, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Tel: 0032 10 420 347.
• Interforum CanadacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian distribution partner for Ki-oon publications. Located at 1055 bd René Lévesque Est, Suite 1100, 11th floor, Montreal, Quebec H2L 4S5, Canada. Tel: 001 514 281 10 50.
• Interforum International (DOM-TOM)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for French overseas territories and departments (DOM-TOM). Contact: BP 11, 45331 Malesherbes cedex, France. Tel: 0033 2 38 32 71 00.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Glénat: France's largest and oldest manga publisher (founded 1969), publishes a massive catalog of Japanese manga in French including Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto. Direct competitor for Japanese licensing rights, shelf space, and reader mindshare in France.
• Kana: Belgian/French manga imprint under Dargaud-Média Belgique (Média-Participations), publishes major franchises in French including Attack on Titan, Death Note, and Fullmetal Alchemist. Competes directly with Ki-oon for Japanese licenses and francophone distribution.
• Kazé Manga: French manga publishing arm formerly part of VIZ Media Europe, now aligned with Crunchyroll/Sony. Publishes major shonen titles in French and competes directly for licenses and retail space. Recently merged with Crunchyroll, giving it stronger digital integration.
• Pika Édition: French manga publisher known for seinen and shôjo titles (including Sword Art Online, Tokyo Ghoul). Comparable in size and catalog scope to Ki-oon and competes head-to-head for the same Japanese rights and French readership.
• Dupuis: Belgian-French publisher (Média-Participations) that has expanded into manga alongside its traditional BD catalog. Competes for Japanese licenses and shelf space in the same francophone bookstore channel as Ki-oon.
• Panini Manga: French arm of Italian publishing group Panini, publishes manga in French including Naruto, Boruto, and My Hero Academia (alongside Ki-oon in some markets). Competes directly with Ki-oon in the same retail and license categories.
• Delcourt/Tonkam: French manga imprint under Delcourt (Média-Participations), publishes seinen and shonen titles in French. Operates the same licensing, translation, and bookstore distribution model as Ki-oon, targeting the same reader demographic.

Others

• Shueisha: One of the largest Japanese manga publishers (publisher of Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia via Jump). Ki-oon is a downstream licensee of Shueisha IP — Shueisha is therefore an infrastructure/ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• VIZ Media: Largest English-language manga publisher in North America, joint venture of Shueisha, Shogakukan, and ShoPro (Japan). Operates the same licensing-and-translation model at significantly greater scale; serves as a parallel of Ki-oon's role but for the English-language market and with much larger resources.

Emerging players

• Huginn & Muninn: Smaller French manga publisher focused on seinen, horror, and niche genres (e.g., Dorohedoro). Partial overlap with Ki-oon's catalog scope, more specialized positioning; represents the next-tier competitive set.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubedailymotion.com/Ki-oon
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Ki-oon-%C3%89ditions/105381832835459
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ki-oon-editions

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 Éditions Ki-oon