Anime Friends 2026 in São Paulo features new manga launches and Ultraman YouTube revival

The Anime Friends 2026 convention took place over the weekend in São Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian publisher MPEG used the event to announce five upcoming manga titles: a relaunch of Satoshi Mizukami’s *Hoshi no Samidare* (formerly *Lucifer And The Biscuit Hammer*) in a new two‑in‑one format, a new edition of Kozue Amano’s *Aria* that includes the prequel *Aqua*, the Brazilian release of Kanae Hazuki’s *Suki‑tte Ii na yo* under the title *Diga que me Ama*, and a 2‑in‑1 edition of Akiko Higashimura’s *Kuragehime*. The announcements highlighted the publisher’s plans to expand the manga market in Brazil.

During the same convention, a live Ultraman show was staged, marking the franchise’s resurgence after decades of legal disputes that had blocked its international licensing. Tsuburaya Productions, the rights holder, resolved the litigation and chose to distribute its recent series free on YouTube, providing simultaneous subtitles in Portuguese and English. The strategy attracted over 3.2 million subscribers and more than one billion views, revitalising the brand and paving the way for merchandise, a Marvel comic partnership, and a Netflix animation deal.