Link-U Group forms capital alliance with Crunchyroll to expand manga services

Link-U Group has entered into a capital and business alliance with Crunchyroll, LLC to expand the global reach of manga through the ‘Crunchyroll Manga’ service. As part of the agreement, Link-U will issue approximately 1.07 million shares to Crunchyroll at 856 yen per share, raising roughly 912 million yen. This transaction will make Crunchyroll a major shareholder in Link-U.

The partnership aims to maximize intellectual property (IP) value by expanding manga distribution platforms into new regions, enhancing localization, and strengthening development, operations, and compliance capabilities. The funds raised are earmarked for platform expansion, engineering resources, and content discovery through data utilization between 2024 and 2030.

This collaboration follows the October launch of ‘Crunchyroll Manga’ in the United States and Canada. Since its launch, the service has seen its title count more than double. The move aligns with Japanese government goals to increase overseas sales of domestic content to 20 trillion yen by 2033.