Japan’s Custom Nuts and US’s Baboon Animation announce the first issue of the Riot Sisters manga. The manga series will lead up to the anime and live action hybrid project of the franchise.
New issues of the manga will drop every six weeks, allowing fans of both wrestling and anime a deeper dive into the characters’ backstories and insights into the world of the franchise.
The synopsis of the project reads: Riot Sisters follows four high school girl-gangs, battling ferociously in a spectacular and bizarre underground wrestling league. Here, insecure student Momo is mistakenly thrust into the ring as “Tiger Punk”– forced to fight incognito against her own big sister, the reigning champ. When Momo is propelled to unexpected superstardom, will it tear her family apart – literally?
Custom Nuts co-founder Silas Hickey said, “The manga and live-action wrestling events allow us to build an audience while we produce the series. It’s about creating engagement and excitement before the series launch. The goal is to build a loyal following in advance of the anime’s debut. The integration of wrestling, manga, and anime ensures that fans will stay engaged across multiple platforms, creating an ever-expanding Riot Sisters universe.”
Baboon Animation YA development head Emily Kaye shared, “This project offers a fresh take on IP creation. The dynamic between real-life wrestlers and their manga and anime alter-egos adds depth to both the narrative and the fan experience. The Riot Sisters manga, in particular, provides essential backstory and character insights for pro wrestling fans, while enriching the world of the anime.”
Baboon Animation is an animation collective based in New York, creating content for global audiences. Some of their projects include Angry Birds Toons, Gigantosaurus, Pocoyo, Shrek and Madagascar.
Custom Nuts is a Tokyo-based animation studio specialising in hybrid anime productions. Their projects include Jock & Sunny, Classic & Chaos, Space Horse, Sukeban, Journey to the West and Zang Punk among others.