New Manga Adventure from a Gaming Icon

A fresh comic series called Azuki is set to launch, created by Arnold Tsang who once shaped the look of the popular game Overwatch. The story will first appear at Anime Expo in Los Angeles from July 2 to 5, where fans can read the opening chapter at Azuki Labs’ stand and watch Tsang draw live. After that, readers will be able to follow the series for free each month on Azuki. com, a platform designed mainly for mobile use. The plot follows Shao, a young woman from a rough neighborhood known as the Alley. Her life changes when her sister Rei disappears during a dangerous relic‑smuggling job in a protected area called the Garden, which can only be accessed with special red beans. With no help around her, Shao makes a risky pact with the crime boss Zero and becomes a relic hunter. She wields an old water blade while battling mercenaries, zealots, and warriors in a world she never expected to enter. As the story moves forward, Shao discovers that Rei has been transformed into something else and learns that powerful forces want to break the link between their two worlds forever.Tsang says manga was his first love, and after working on games he felt it was time to return to the medium that started him. He believes the world of Azuki and its characters are best told through comics, bringing together his experience in game design with storytelling. This is his first comic work since he helped create a Street Fighter series for Udon Entertainment. The Azuki universe also supports a trading card game that already sold over a million dollars in direct‑to‑player preorders before its retail launch, showing the brand’s strong fan base.