comico, one of Japan’s established digital manga and webtoon platforms, is shutting down.
The platform announced on August 17, 2026, that it will end its entire service on January 6, 2027, at 11:59 PM JST, bringing an end to comico’s years-long run as a destination for digital manga and webcomics in Japan.
The announcement was made through an official notice addressed to comico users, with the company thanking readers and creators who supported the platform throughout its operation.
comico Will Completely End Its Service
According to the announcement, comico will gradually wind down its services over the coming months before the platform officially closes.
The first major changes will begin at the end of August 2026.
From August 31 at 11:59 PM JST, comico will stop distributing new chapters, updating rental works, selling coins, and accepting new member registrations. New works and episodes will also no longer be able to be submitted through the platform’s “Challenge” section.
The next stage will come in September.
From September 28 at 11:59 PM JST, comico will stop both manga sales and rentals, meaning users will no longer be able to purchase or rent additional works through the platform.
The platform itself will then remain accessible for a limited period before officially shutting down.
The final shutdown is scheduled for January 6, 2027, at 11:59 PM JST
Until that deadline, users will still be able to access previously purchased works through their comico bookshelf.
However, the closure does not mean users will necessarily lose every manga they have purchased. comico says it is preparing a system that will allow eligible purchased works to be transferred to Mecha Comic, another Japanese digital manga service.
The company will provide further information about the bookshelf migration process in September.
Purchased Manga Will Be Eligible for Migration And Unused Paid Coins Can Also Be Refunded
After comico shuts down, users will have a migration period running from January 7 through April 30, 2027.
During this period, users who want to transfer their purchased manga library will be able to submit an application.
However, comico has warned that not every purchased title is guaranteed to be transferred.
Only works for which the publisher or rights holder has granted permission for the transfer will be eligible. This means some manga currently available in a user’s comico bookshelf could potentially be excluded from the migration.
Users who do not complete the migration application before the end of the migration period may lose access to their purchased works.
The shutdown also affects comico’s paid coin system.
Users will be able to apply for a refund for their unused paid coins during the migration and refund period.
However, comico clarified that already-used paid coins will not be refunded.
The platform says it will publish detailed instructions explaining how users can apply for the refund by the time the service officially shuts down.
A Major Chapter Comes to an End for comico
comico’s shutdown marks the end of one of Japan’s established digital manga platforms.
For years, the service has provided readers with digitally serialized manga and webcomics, while also giving creators a platform to publish their work online.
Now, the entire service is being wound down in stages, with new content, purchases, rentals, and registrations ending months before the final shutdown.
For existing users, the most important dates to remember are August 31, when new content and coin sales stop; September 28, when manga sales and rentals end; and January 6, 2027, when comico itself officially closes.
The platform’s post-shutdown migration process will then continue until April 30, 2027, giving eligible users time to transfer their purchased manga and claim refunds for unused paid coins.
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About comico
comico is a Japanese digital manga and webtoon platform that launched in October 2013, becoming one of the early major services to embrace the vertical-scroll, full-color format that later became a defining feature of webtoons. The platform was designed primarily for smartphone reading and published original manga across a wide range of genres.
Over the years, comico became home to several popular original titles, with some eventually expanding beyond the platform into anime adaptations, games, physical manga releases, merchandise, and international releases.
Among its best-known titles is ReLIFE, the popular romance and slice-of-life manga by Yayoiso. Alongside Pastel Family, it was one of the original flagship works that helped establish comico when the service launched in 2013.
Other notable comico titles include How to Keep a Mummy (Miira no Kaikata), Momokuri, Nanbaka, and Koekoi. Several of these works received anime adaptations, while How to Keep a Mummy also expanded into games and merchandise.
The platform also helped its creators reach audiences outside Japan. comico launched overseas versions in several Asian markets and later introduced its English-language Pocket Comics service in the United States, Canada, and Singapore, featuring popular comico works such as ReLIFE, How to Keep a Mummy, Momokuri, Nanbaka, and others.
After more than a decade of operation, however, comico will now begin winding down its services before officially shutting down on January 6, 2027.
Source: Official Website
