Whoa there, isn’t Kingdom Hearts manga an old manga? So, why in the world am I talking about the manga now?

Well, it’s true that Kingdom Hearts manga is an old manga.

How old is the manga, you wonder? It was so old that the first volume of the manga that I bought more than 10 years ago already became yellow as I write this. That shows how old the manga is!

To be honest, I hesitated to talk about the manga because of that. But since Kingdom Hearts III manga is now released as a simulpub and the tankoubon edition of the Japanese manga is coming out soon, I thought that it doesn’t hurt for me to talk about the manga on my blog.

Even if Kingdom Hearts manga has been around for such a long time, surprisingly enough there are still people who don’t know that Kingdom Hearts manga is a thing.

Yes, I know that because my cousin is one of them.

When I told him about the manga, he thought that it was a fan-created manga. He didn’t even know about the manga despite the manga has been around for more than 10 years.

So, yes. Don’t be surprised that some people don’t know about the manga’s existence even to this day.

What Kingdom Hearts manga is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from Bookwalker.

After a terrible storm shatters the peace of his tropical island home, a young boy named Sora is set adrift from his world and his friends, Riku and Kairi. Meanwhile, Disney Castle is in an uproar when it is discovered that King Mickey has gone missing, leaving it up to Court Wizard Donald and Captain Goofy to find him! When Sora, in search of his friends, and Donald and Goofy, in search of their king, cross paths, their fateful encounter will change the destiny of the universe forever!

What attracts me to the manga in the first place

It’s not that hard to figure out why I got the manga in the first place. I played the game and I love it. So, getting the manga version seems like a no-brainer to me.

What makes Kingdom Hearts manga worth reading

Isn’t the fact that it’s Kingdom Hearts makes it all worth reading?

Okay, I’m kidding.

What makes the manga worth reading is that the story in the manga flows just as seamlessly as the story in the game.

You see, it’s not easy to adapt a manga from video game especially a battle-intense game like Kingdom Hearts.

But to be able to adapt the manga without missing the critical parts of the story in the game while adding new elements to make the story fresh makes the manga enjoyable to read.

It feels like you’re reading something new despite already familiar with the story.

And not to mention, Shiro Amano’s clean art style that fits Kingdom Hearts’ nuance makes the manga an interesting read too.

What I didn’t expect when I read the manga

If you played the game before, I’m sure that you’re aware that the story in the game tends to be serious most of the time.

Well, at least for me. I don’t remember if I ever crack up over the scenes in the game. Okay, maybe I did when Riku snatched the keyblade from Sora and gave him a wooden sword instead. That’s the only time where I crack up a bit.

When you already play the game, you expect that the manga will follow the same tone as the game.

And that’s where I got it wrong.

Not only the story in the manga is more on the lighter side, but it’s also hilarious too.

Sure, there will always be tons of wacky moments when you’re with someone like Donald and Goofy. But the manga version takes the wackiness to another notch, making the story even more hilarious than the one in the game.

Yes, having so many wacky moments will mean that some parts of the story in the manga to be different than the one in the game.

In fact, the boss battle in the manga is simplified too. You don’t see a lot of battle scenes in the manga. Even if it does, it’s not like what you see in a shonen manga like Naruto or Bleach.

Despite the lack of battle scenes, I still find the manga enjoyable to read, though. I guess that Shiro Amano doesn’t have any intention to turn the Kingdom Hearts manga into a battle-intense manga.

And that’s fine with me.

Who should read the manga

It’s obvious that you should get this manga if you’re a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts.

But even if you’re new to Kingdom Hearts and never played the game before, it doesn’t hurt for you to give this manga a try. After all, the manga serves as an introduction to the Kingdom Hearts world. So, you don’t need to know anything about the game prior to reading this manga.

Keep in mind that the story in the manga is the simplified version of the story in the game. So, you may feel that some of the scenes in the game are missing from the manga version.

If you’re fine with that, then good for you. Otherwise, you’re better off sticking to the game or get the light novel version instead since the light novel version tends to flash out details much better than the one in the manga.

Where to buy Kingdom Hearts manga

As always, you can get Kingdom Hearts manga in print or in digital on Amazon. You can get the manga in your preferred format right here:

Buy Kingdom Hearts manga on Amazon

You can also get the digital version of the manga on Bookwalker as well. But you can only buy the manga if you live in the US or Canada, though. If you prefer to buy the manga on Bookwalker, you can get it right here:

Buy Kingdom Hearts manga on Bookwalker

Over to you

What do you think about Kingdom Hearts manga? Are you thinking of getting the manga version of the game after reading this post? Let me know in the comment below.