The Best Deluxe Edition Manga

There's a good chance that if you've picked up a manga graphic novel, it was a paperback version. After all, they're very affordable, and their pocket-friendly design makes them easy to carry around. But recently, we've also seen various manga publishers offer deluxe editions of some of the biggest manga properties around. Typically, these deluxe editions follow a similar format of reprinting each manga on an oversized page format and binding them inside a faux leather hardcover package alongside a selection of exclusive extra content.

So far, only a handful of manga series have been adapted into this format by the likes of Kodansha and Dark Horse Comics, but we've rounded up those that are available in the list below. We'll also update this list as more manga titles get the deluxe edition treatment.

Yasuhiro Nightow's cult-classic Trigun manga series follows Vash the Stampede, a pacifistic gunslinger with a billion-dollar bounty on his head--as he tries to avert the disasters that follow in his wake across an alien planet where humanity is barely hanging on.

The original manga series is available in the Trigun Deluxe Edition, which collects Trigun Volumes 1 and 2 in one stunning hardcover that clocks in at almost 700 pages. The sequel series, Trigun Maximum, also received the Deluxe Edition treatment. Volumes 1-4 are available now, while Volume 5 is available to preorder ahead of its June 17 release.

• Trigun Deluxe Edition -- $25 ($50)
• Trigun Maximum Deluxe Editions
  • Volume 1 -- $20.17 ($50)
  • Volume 2 -- $25 ($50)
  • Volume 3 -- $17 ($50)
  • Volume 4 -- $22.70 ($50)
  • Volume 5 -- $25 ($50)

How do you fight back against Nazi vampires and other supernatural menaces lurking in the dark? By unleashing an even bigger monster to brutally exterminate them, that's how. Hellsing remains a firm favorite with fans of dark supernatural stories, and the original manga is a masterclass in violence thanks to its lead character. Imaginatively illustrated and featuring a protagonist who's harder to kill than an atomic-powered honey badger, Hellsing is a bloody amount of fun. The full series is available in three Deluxe Edition volumes.

• Hellsing Deluxe Edition: Volume 1 -- $32.36 ($50)
• Hellsing Deluxe Edition: Volume 2 -- $30.40 ($50)
• Hellsing Deluxe Edition: Volume 3 -- $31.49 ($50)

$80 (was $180)

One of the best manga series of the early '90s, Battle Angel Alita is regarded as a cult classic in the cyberpunk genre. The Battle Angel Alita hardcover edition does justice to the story, as it contains the complete manga run, a collection of short stories that were previously only available in Japanese, three art cards, multiple interviews with creator Yukito Kishiro, and an alternate ending to the original series.

$31.71 (was $55)

Arguably the gold standard in the cyberpunk genre, Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell was a groundbreaking piece of work when it was first published. Ghost in the Shell: Fully Compiled is an 832-page hardcover reprinting of the original Ghost in the Shell manga that ran from 1989 through 1990. It also includes notes on the series, all of the original cover pages, and a brand-new cover by Shirow.

$119 (was $140) | Releases Februrary 17

The new Legacy Edition is a deluxe reprint of the original manga, and it includes censored content that Shirow originally removed for western release of the manga. The box set also includes bonus materials, such as limited-edition prints, a set of multicolored Fuchikoma robot stickers, a double-sided poster, and a premium slipcase featuring brand-new illustrations by Shirow.

$161.60 (was $220)

You're probably familiar with Akira through its landmark animated film, but the movie was only a slice of the full story. Anyone looking to experience the complete work will want to check out the manga, and this 35th Anniversary Box Set is the best way to do so, as this version features an all-new English translation that restores the original right-to-left reading format and creator Katsuhiro Otomo's original hand-drawn sound effects. The set includes the full Akira manga series across six hardcover volumes, plus an art book, an exclusive pill patch, and a display box.

$59.46 (was $78)

The Sailor Moon: Naoko Takeuchi Collection Box Set includes hardcover editions of the first six volumes of the original manga series, plus an exclusive set of 16 art cards and a holographic display box decorated with metallic silver ink.

$59.67 (was $80)

Studio Ghibli's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind was originally adapted from studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki's 1982 manga, and while the film version is a masterpiece, it only adapts one part of Miyazaki's original epic. So if you've ever wanted to see more of Nausicaa's engrossing post-post-apocalyptic world, you'll want to pick up the Hardcover Box Set, which contains the entire run across two hardcover books, each of which clocking in at over 500 pages. The set also includes an ornate display box featuring art from the manga and a bonus poster.

Several manga series from the master of horror, Junji Ito, have been collected into deluxe editions. These include his unsettling masterpiece Uzumaki, the stomach-churning apocalyptic tale of Gyo, and the anthology series Tomie. Each hardcover edition includes the full series, as well as several bonus materials that go behind the scenes on the development of their frightening tales.

Junji Ito deluxe edition manga

• Uzumaki -- $20 ($35)
• Gyo -- $18.23 ($35)
• Tomie -- $19 ($35)
• No Longer Human -- $28 ($35)
• Moan: Junji Ito Story Collection -- $18.75 ($25)
• The Art of Junji Ito: Twisted Visions (Hardcover) -- $18 ($35)

The original Oldboy manga from the '90s is still a gripping tale of revenge and mystery, and these were recently collected into a pair of deluxe hardcover editions. Both volumes feature metallic silver foil paper on their covers, a ribbon bookmark, and a 7" x 10" page size, which is larger than the standard manga format. They also feature brand-new English translations and updated lettering.

• Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book One -- $63.46 ($70) | January 26
• Oldboy Deluxe Edition: Book Two -- $70 | March 26

$70 | Releases August 11

Before there was Ghost in the Shell, there was Appleseed. Masamune Shirow's cult-classic sci-fi cyberpunk series is getting upgraded for its deluxe edition, featuring wraparound cover art, full-color end sheets, a ribbon bookmark, and gilded edges.

The debut manga series by Vinland Saga creator Makoto Yukimura, Planetes is a thought-provoking and surprisingly grounded look at interstellar travel. Published from 2015 through 2016, these hardcover books feature copper gilding on their edges, raised lettering on the covers, and are printed on high-quality 7 x 10-inch paper. Each book also comes with dozens of pages of full-color art.

• Planetes Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 -- $27.76 ($50)
• Planetes Deluxe Edition Vol. 2 -- $31.41 ($50)

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Hisao Tamaki's adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope is getting a unique reprint. This version collects high-resolution scans of Tamaki's original art boards for the first volume, and the manga art is presented alongside an all-new translation of the original Japanese lettering. This means that all the blemishes and production touches that are normally edited out before print--such as ink bleeds between panels, handwritten notes, and other elements from the illustration process--have all been retained for this release.

• The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope - The Manga Vol. 1 -- $46.59 ($50) | June 16
• The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope - The Manga Vol. 2 -- $50 | August 18

$44 | Releases January 27

The cult-classic manga that inspired a genre-defining movie is back, as writer Koushun Takami and artist Masayuki Taguchi's seminal work is getting the deluxe edition treatment. Details on what you can expect from this reprint are light, but in case you missed it the first time it was printed, Battle Royale is adapted from the 2000 novel of the same name, and it tells the story of 42 high school students forced to fight each to the death until only a single survivor remains.