Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s Billy Bat has won Best Manga at the 2026 Harvey Awards, giving the acclaimed mystery series another major recognition following its arrival in English.
The manga, illustrated by Urasawa and written in collaboration with Nagasaki, was selected from a field of nominees that included works by Yoshiharu Tsuge, Kazumi Yamashita, and Fumiko Takano.
The award adds to the series’ international recognition as more readers gain access to its intricate blend of historical fiction, mystery, and conspiracy.
BILLY BAT WINS BEST MANGA AFTER ENGLISH RELEASE
The English edition of Billy Bat is published by Abrams ComicArts under its Kana imprint, with Kristi Iwashiro handling the translation. The publisher licensed the series in August 2025, and the first English volume arrived on June 2, 2026.
Originally serialized in Kodansha’s Morning magazine from October 2008 to August 2016, the manga was collected into 20 volumes in Japan. It has also earned international recognition, including the 2012 Lucca Comics Award for Best Series in Italy and the 2014 Max & Moritz Prize for Best International Comic in Germany. In 2026, its first English volume also won Best New Manga at the third American Manga Awards.
WHAT IS BILLY BAT ABOUT?
Billy Bat begins in 1949 Los Angeles, following Kevin Yamagata, a Japanese American comic artist who becomes successful with his detective character, Billy Bat. His career takes an unexpected turn when he discovers that a similar character may have existed in Japan before his own creation.
Determined to investigate the possible plagiarism, Kevin travels to postwar Japan. His search gradually draws him into a much larger mystery involving murders, secret societies, historical events, and the recurring appearance of the bat symbol across different eras.
According to the official Abrams ComicArts book description, the series blends conspiracy, historical fiction, and metafiction, exploring the relationship between stories and reality.
BILLY BAT BEATS FIVE OTHER MANGA NOMINEES
The 2026 Harvey Awards Best Manga category featured six titles. Alongside Billy Bat, the nominees were He Rolled Me Up Like a Grilled Squid by Yoshiharu Tsuge, Land by Kazumi Yamashita, Miss Ruki by Fumiko Takano, My Gorilla Family by Ichiro Iijima, and My Life in 24 Frames Per Second by Rintaro.
The official Harvey Awards nominee announcement confirms the category and credits the creators and translators. The award adds another distinction to Billy Bat, following its earlier recognition in Europe and its 2026 American Manga Awards win for Best New Manga.
The 2026 result also follows recent Best Manga winners Witch Hat Atelier in 2025 and Delicious in Dungeon in 2024. With its English edition reaching a wider audience, Urasawa and Nagasaki’s conspiracy thriller is gaining renewed attention beyond its original Japanese readership.
