Legend of Zelda Wii U Release Date and News: Twilight Princess May Be Available In the West Soon

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will reportedly have a manga counterpart. The said comic book version was originally slated for Japanese publication, however, Akira Himekawa (the combined name of the artistic manga duo) - recently hinted of a localized English version of the purported manga title albeit with no confirmed date of release yet.

Viz Media will reportedly handle the localization of the manga title which means that it may take a while for the Twilight Princess entry into western markets. If Akira Himekawa's May 21 Facebook post is of any indication, then it could a wonderful treat for Legend of Zelda fans while waiting for the forthcoming game title to arrive after a number of repeated delays.

"The English version is planned to be published by Viz Media, and the German version will be published by TOKYOPOP Deutschland," Himekawa shared in a Facebook post as quoted by Nintendo Insider.

"However, the English and German publishers have not announced their releases yet and we don't know their release dates or other details, so please wait for the announcement from them for more information. We will share the information once it has been announced officially."

On the other hand, manga publisher Shogakukan's American subsidiary Viz Media recently issued a response on Akira Himekawa's social media announcement regarding their involvement Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess manga publication sometime in the near future saying that there are no 'firm plans' as of this time.

"We're really happy that fans are excited for the next release of The Legend of Zelda manga. At this time, we don't have news on Twilight Princess," says Beth Kawasaki, VIZ's Senior Editorial Director as quoted by Newsmara. "We'll most certainly make an announcement once plans are firmed up!"

Despite the lack of 'firm plans', there's still weight to Akira Himekawa's purported claim of localized Twilight Princess Manga versions to suit western markets. As per Anime News Network, Viz Media has already been tapped to published Himekawa's other Zelda works which include the Legendary Edition, Vol. 1: Ocarina of Time Parts 1 & 2 manga in English (November 1) and The Legend Of Zelda: Legendary Edition (2-in-1 series). The report added that the abovementioned manga titles will feature colored artwork and new covers in a larger printing format.