The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (manga)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Cover of the first volume of the English release, featuring Link in his Hylian and Wolf forms
ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス (Zeruda no Densetsu: Towairaito Purinsesu)
Genre	Adventure[1] Dark fantasy[2]
Manga
Written by	Akira Himekawa
Published by	Shogakukan
English publisher	NA: Viz Media
Magazine	MangaONE
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	February 8, 2016 – January 30, 2022[3]
Volumes	11 (List of volumes)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess^[a] is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Himekawa, and is based on the video game of the same name. It was serialized through Shogakukan's MangaONE app from February 2016–January 2022, and spans 58 chapters across 11 volumes.

Development

After completing manga adaptations of other games from The Legend of Zelda series, the duo Akira Himekawa wanted to adapt The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Since the game was rated more mature than other games in The Legend of Zelda series, they wanted a weekly magazine to serialize in with a higher-aged target demographic; however, they were unable to find a suitable magazine.^[4] After requests from fans, the duo later decided to approach Nintendo again on the hopes of being able to find a magazine, and eventually settled on MangaONE.^[4] Due to this new agreement, they were able to make the adaptation longer than previous adaptations, which only lasted for one or two tankōbon volumes.^[4]

Publication

In July 2015, the duo Akira Himekawa announced they were working on a new manga adaptation for The Legend of Zelda series.^[5] In February 2016, the duo announced the game they would be adapting was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and it would start serialization on the MangaONE app and website on February 8, 2016,^[6][7] shortly preceding the release of Twilight Princess HD on Wii U the following month.^[8] From November 2017 to February 2018, Himekawa put the series on hiatus in order to "recharge".^[9][10] In May 2020, Himekawa announced that the series had entered its final arc.^[11] The series entered its climax in the tenth volume, to be concluded in the eleventh.^[12] The final chapter was released on January 30, 2022, with the final volume released the following March.^[3]

An English release of the series was first hinted at in May 2016, when Himekawa made a post on their Facebook claiming that Viz Media would publish the series.^[13] Three months later at New York Comic Con, Viz Media confirmed they had licensed the series for English publication.^[14]

Volume list

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	June 24, 2016[15]	978-4-09-142174-6	March 14, 2017[1]	978-1-42-159347-0
1. Light and Shadow (Part 1) 2. Light and Shadow (Part 2) 3. Ordon Village 4. Omens 5. Those Who Come Forth from Shadow 6. Link's Past 7. The Monster Who Devours Fear 8. Into Twilight
2	December 28, 2016[16]	978-4-09-142314-6	August 8, 2017[17]	978-1-42-159656-3
9. The Wicked One’s Execution 10. Midna 11. Locked in a Tower 12. Wolf Link’s Awakening 13. Different Ways of Life 14. To Faron Woods 15. Twilight Sense 16. The Hero in Green 17. Bewilderment
3	May 26, 2017[18]	978-4-09-142400-6	March 13, 2018[19]	978-1-42-159826-0
18. Quiet Determination 19. Kakariko Village 20. Into Twilight Once More 21. The Golden Wolf Again 22. Life and Death 23. True Bravery 24. A Fierce Battle for Someone 25. Duel Atop the Bridge of Eldin 26. Reversal
4	December 27, 2017[20]	978-4-09-142594-2	September 11, 2018[21]	978-1-97-470226-8
27. The Goron Tribe 28. The Final Twilight 29. Memory Tracks 30. Lakebed Temple
5	August 28, 2018[22]	978-4-09-142758-8	July 9, 2019[23]	978-1-97-470564-1
31. Midna Covered in Wounds 32. The Master Sword 33. The Resistance 34. Desert Arbiter's Grounds
6	March 28, 2019[24]	978-4-09-143017-5	January 14, 2020[25]	978-1-97-471163-5
35. Snowpeak Ruins 36. Darkening of Madness
7	August 28, 2019[26]	978-4-09-143070-0	August 11, 2020[27]	978-1-97-471533-6
37. Invitation to Rebirth 38. Setting Out on a Journey Again 39. Destiny of the Triforce 40. The Temple Where Time Sleeps
8	March 27, 2020[28]	978-4-09-143164-6	March 9, 2021[29]	978-1-97-471982-2
41. The Temple Where Time Sleeps, Part 2 42. The Temple Where Time Sleeps, Part 3 43. Attack 44. City in the Sky 45. To the Twilight Realm, Part 1
9	December 25, 2020[30]	978-4-09-143258-2	September 14, 2021[31]	978-1-97-472338-6
46. To the Twilight Realm, Part 2 47. Zant the Usurper King 48. Difference
10	September 28, 2021[32]	978-4-09-143346-6	September 20, 2022[33]	978-1-97-473404-7
49. The Power of Shadow 50. The Lord's Hall, Part 1 51. The Lord's Hall, Part 2 52. The Lord's Hall, Part 3
11	March 28, 2022[34]	978-4-09-143395-4	April 11, 2023[35]	978-1-97-473650-8
53. The Lord's Hall, Part 4 54. Single Combat, Part 1 55. Single Combat, Part 2 56. Single Combat, Part 3 57. Single Combat, Part 4 58. A New Departure

Reception

Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network praised the first volume for it being easy to pick up even for someone who hadn't played the game and the characterization of Link, while criticizing the art for being too dark at times.^[36] Nick Smith from ICv2 concurred with Silverman, praising the plot as easy to pick up for anyone, while also praising the artwork.^[37] Evan Minato from Otaku USA praised the art and characters, while being critical of the plot, stating it is "too melodramatic".^[38] Matthew Warner from The Fandom Post concurred with Silverman and Smith, praising the plot as easy to pick up for anyone and calling it "[overall] an enjoyable ride".^[39] Leroy Douresseaux from Comic Book Bin also offered praise for the plot, calling the volume "[a] good read".^[2] Demelza from Anime UK News also praised the first volume for both Himekawa's artwork and adaptation of the game's story.^[40]

In 2017, Amazon listed the series as one of their best books of 2017 in the comics and graphic novels category.^[41] Several of the volumes have ranked on The NPD Group's monthly BookScan's list of top adult graphic novels, such as the first volume ranking third on the 2017 list and the third and fourth volumes ranking third upon their release.^[42][43][44]

Notes

1. Japanese: ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス, Hepburn: Zeruda no Densetsu: Towairaito Purinsesu

References

1. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
2. Douresseaux, Leroy (March 13, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Volume 1 manga review". Comic Book Bin. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
3. @AkiraHimekawa (January 30, 2022). "【お知らせ】「トワイライトプリンセス」70回、最終話がマンガワンで公開されました！6年間本当にありがとうございました。単行本11巻は3月発売の予定です。#トワプリ漫画 #ゼルダの伝説" (Tweet). Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via Twitter.
4. Chapman, Jacob (August 10, 2017). "Interview: The Legend of Zelda's Akira Himekawa". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
5. Loo, Egan (July 1, 2015). "Zelda Manga Series by Akira Himekawa Returns After 7 Years". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
6. Hallmark, Kyle (February 1, 2016). "Akira Himekawa's New Zelda Manga is Twilight Princess". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
7. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 3, 2016). "Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga's Monday Debut, Semimonthly Schedule, Visual Unveiled". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
8. Frank, Allegra (February 3, 2016). "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is getting a manga, starting next week". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
9. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 2, 2017). "Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga Takes Break, Returns in January". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
10. Sherman, Jennifer (January 2, 2018). "Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga Returns on February 26". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
11. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (May 26, 2020). "Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga Enters Last Arc in December (Updated)". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
12. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (August 10, 2021). "Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga Enters Climax in 10th Volume". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
13. Hallmark, Kyle (May 24, 2017). "Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga Creators Tease English Release". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
14. Ressler, Karen (August 12, 2016). "Viz Media Licenses Sweet Blue Flowers, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Queen's Quality Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
15. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス １" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
16. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ２" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
17. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
18. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ３" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
19. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
20. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ４" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
21. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
22. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ５" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
23. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
24. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ６" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
25. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 6". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
26. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ７" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
27. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 7". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
28. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ８" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
29. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 8". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
30. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス ９" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
31. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 9". Viz Media. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
32. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス １０" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
33. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 10". Viz Media. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
34. "ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス １１" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
35. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 11". Viz Media. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
36. Silverman, Rebecca (March 3, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess GN 1 Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
37. Smith, Nick (March 24, 2017). "Review: 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' Vol. 1 TP (manga)". ICv2. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
38. Minato, Evan (March 7, 2017). "[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". Otaku USA. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
39. Warner, Mathew (April 23, 2017). "Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess Vol. #01 Manga Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
40. Demelza (March 26, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Volume 1 Review". Anime UK News. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
41. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 13, 2017). "Amazon's Best Graphic Novels of 2017 List Includes Twilight Princess, My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, My Brother's Husband Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
42. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 2, 2018). "U.S. Bookscan 2017 Top 20 Manga List Features All Viz Media-Published Works". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
43. Sherman, Jennifer (April 6, 2018). "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Ranks #3 on U.S. Monthly Bookscan March List". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
44. Ressler, Karen (October 19, 2018). "Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Ranks #3 on U.S. Monthly Bookscan September List". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 23, 2021.

External links

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia