Overview
Ototo is a French publisher specializing in manga, founded in 2011 within the company Euphor.
Its creation reflected a desire to better distinguish the group’s different editorial lines. While Taifu Comics gradually specialized in publications aimed at more specific audiences, Ototo took over acquisitions oriented toward shōnen, shōjo and seinen.
Its first publications arrived in early 2012.
The initial catalog was still searching for its direction across several genres, but Spice & Wolf quickly became one of the publisher’s important titles. Its arrival in July 2012 notably helped establish Ototo in fantasy universes and in adaptations of series originating from the light novel format.
This direction gradually became a major part of its identity.
Ototo later published manga adaptations of properties such as Sword Art Online, Re:Zero, Overlord, DanMachi, Classroom of the Elite and various Rascal Does Not Dream adaptations.
This close relationship with light novels does not mean that Ototo publishes the novels themselves.
The novels are handled separately by Ofelbe, another structure linked to Euphor, while Ototo focuses mainly on their manga adaptations and other graphic works.
This organization sometimes allows several formats from the same property to be offered in French within the same editorial environment.
Sword Art Online is one of the clearest examples.
Ototo does not publish only the first manga arc, but gradually develops several branches of the property: Aincrad, Fairy Dance, Phantom Bullet, Progressive, Mother's Rosario, Girls' Ops and other adaptations.
The same logic can be seen with Re:Zero, whose different narrative arcs are adapted by separate teams in Japan and published independently in France.
The catalog is not limited to light novel adaptations, however.
Series such as Made in Abyss, Bungô Stray Dogs, Murciélago, Mieruko-chan and +Anima illustrate a broader editorial range, stretching from adventure and fantasy to thriller, horror and more unconventional stories.
Ototo also publishes works originating from other forms of Asian publication.
The arrival of Tower of God, originally a South Korean webtoon, notably shows that the publisher can move beyond traditional Japanese manga when a project fits its catalog.
Over the years, Ototo has therefore built an identity based less on a single demographic category than on a range of strongly identifiable worlds, often connected to imagination, fantasy, adventure and contemporary Japanese popular culture.
The publisher also continues some series over long periods.
This continuity matters for a catalog made up of many properties whose adaptations may include several arcs, parallel series or spin-offs.
In 2026, Ototo remains active with new releases for series such as Made in Abyss, Murciélago and Bungô Stray Dogs, while keeping in its catalog several properties that have been present for more than a decade.
History
2011-2012 — Creation of a new publisher within Euphor
Ototo was announced in November 2011 by the company Euphor, already behind Taifu Comics.
The objective at the time was to clarify the editorial lines.
Taifu had previously published both mainstream manga and titles aimed at more specialized readerships. As it evolved toward Boys' Love, yuri and erotic publications, a new brand became necessary to separately develop shōnen, shōjo and seinen manga.
Ototo Manga was created with this purpose.
The first series were released in 2012, notably including Adekan, Dangereuse Attraction and Samidare, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer.
This initial period allowed the publisher to experiment with several directions before a clearer identity emerged.
2012-2014 — Spice & Wolf and the emergence of a fantasy line
In July 2012, Ototo began publishing Spice & Wolf, the manga adaptation of Isuna Hasekura’s work.
The series became one of the first major titles shaping its catalog.
Beyond its own success, it brought the publisher closer to a group of Japanese properties in which manga, light novels and animation often function together.
Ototo gradually developed this direction with works notably originating from catalogs connected to ASCII Media Works and Kadokawa.
In 2014, the arrival of Sword Art Online marked another step.
Rather than treating the property as an isolated publication, Ototo gradually supported several of its adaptations and spin-off stories.
The same year, Euphor’s editorial environment expanded with Ofelbe, dedicated to light novels.
Ototo could therefore continue focusing on manga while a separate publisher handled Japanese novels.
2015-2019 — Development of major properties
The second half of the 2010s saw Ototo expand its lineup of series connected to fantasy, the supernatural and worlds originating from light novels.
Overlord, Re:Zero, DanMachi and different branches of Sword Art Online gradually joined the catalog.
The publisher simultaneously developed other strong properties.
Bungô Stray Dogs brought a blend of action, supernatural elements and literary influences, while Made in Abyss established a much more distinctive adventure beneath the appearance of an exploration story.
With Murciélago, Ototo also explored a more violent and adult approach to action manga.
The catalog therefore became more identifiable without becoming entirely homogeneous.
Fantasy and imaginative fiction occupied an important place, but coexisted with horror, comedy, thriller, social stories and more experimental series.
Since 2020 — Digital publishing, webtoons and catalog continuity
In 2020, Ototo began developing digital publishing with Mieruko-chan: Slice of Horror.
The title also illustrates the catalog’s ability to mix several tones: slice of life, humor and horror coexist within the same series.
Over the following years, Ototo continued its established properties while bringing in new works.
The catalog notably welcomed Classroom of the Elite, new adaptations linked to Spice & Wolf, several extensions of Bungô Stray Dogs and different series from contemporary fantasy.
The publisher also released Tower of God, a South Korean work originally created as a webtoon.
This diversification did not turn Ototo into a generalist publisher.
Its catalog remains mainly built around manga and Asian works close to that editorial universe.
In 2026, new releases of Made in Abyss, Murciélago and Bungô Stray Dogs demonstrate the continuity of several series that have been present for many years.
What sets it apart
A strong connection to the light novel ecosystem
A significant part of Ototo’s identity comes from its adaptations of Japanese light novels.
Spice & Wolf, Sword Art Online, Re:Zero, Overlord, DanMachi and Classroom of the Elite existed as novels before receiving manga adaptations.
Ototo therefore regularly operates at the intersection of several media: novels, manga, animation and sometimes video games.
This specialization allows it to support worlds that already contain several narrative branches, adaptations or spin-offs.
It also explains its historical complementarity with Ofelbe, which focuses on the light novel format itself.
Developing properties beyond a single series
Ototo often develops a property through several adaptations rather than limiting itself to one main series.
Sword Art Online is the clearest example, with manga devoted to different arcs and characters.
Re:Zero is also published through several adaptations corresponding to different story arcs.
Bungô Stray Dogs similarly extends into spin-off series such as BEAST or stories devoted to particular characters.
This approach turns certain properties into genuine editorial families within the catalog.
A catalog oriented toward imaginative worlds without being limited to isekai
Ototo is strongly associated with fantasy, the supernatural and alternate worlds.
The presence of many light novel adaptations naturally reinforces this direction.
The catalog is not limited to isekai, however.
Made in Abyss is built around the exploration of a mysterious world, Mieruko-chan mixes everyday life with horror, Bungô Stray Dogs combines detective fiction with supernatural powers, while Murciélago moves closer to crime thriller and action.
Ototo’s identity therefore relies more on strongly characterized worlds than on one precise genre.
A distinct identity within the same publishing group
Ototo shares its origins with Taifu Comics and Ofelbe, but each of these brands serves a different role.
Ototo mainly focuses on mainstream manga and the shōnen, shōjo and seinen categories.
Taifu Comics develops a distinct editorial line, while Ofelbe is dedicated to light novels.
This separation allows each brand to retain a clear identity while evolving within the same environment devoted to Asian works.
Good to know
- Ototo was founded in France in 2011 within the company Euphor.
- The publisher’s first releases arrived in 2012.
- Ototo was initially created to take over shōnen, shōjo and seinen publications as Taifu Comics developed a different editorial line.
- Spice & Wolf, published from July 2012, became one of the first important titles in the publisher’s development.
- The catalog notably includes properties such as Sword Art Online, Re:Zero, Overlord, Made in Abyss, Bungô Stray Dogs, DanMachi, Mieruko-chan and Classroom of the Elite.
- Ototo publishes many manga adaptations of light novels, while the light novel format itself has historically belonged to Ofelbe’s editorial line.
- The publisher is not limited to Japanese manga and also publishes Tower of God, a South Korean work originating from webtoon.
- In 2026, Ototo remains active with new releases for several series in its catalog.
- The official website currently lists Makassar for circulation and MDS for distribution.