LINE Digital Frontier Establishes Webtoon Studio "STUDIO WHITE" with REDICE and KADOKAWA. First Work is a Spin-off of 'Record of Lodoss War'!
LINE Digital Frontier, REDICE STUDIO, and KADOKAWA have jointly established the webtoon production studio "STUDIO WHITE." The first work announced is a spin-off webtoon of 'Record of Lodoss War,' with plans for future webtoon adaptations of popular light novels.
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- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 22:59 (12h 27m after Collected)
LINE Digital Frontier Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Masamine Takahashi) announces the establishment of the webtoon production studio "STUDIO WHITE" in a joint venture with REDICE STUDIO inc. (Headquarters: Korea; Representative Director and President: Jang Jeong-suk) and KADOKAWA Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Director, Representative Executive Officer and CEO: Takeshi Natsuno; hereinafter KADOKAWA).
The Japanese webtoon market is estimated to be approximately 50 billion yen in 2022, accounting for about 10% of the e-comic market (*1). In recent years, the number of domestically produced webtoon works has also increased, attracting attention with some works being adapted into anime or movies, some exceeding 100 million yen in monthly sales, and others ranking high globally.
By establishing "STUDIO WHITE," the three companies will combine KADOKAWA's original works, which discover talent from around the world and create diverse IPs, with REDICE STUDIO's high creative power and deep knowledge in webtoon production, known for works like 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' and 'Solo Leveling,' which have garnered attention for their anime adaptations. These webtoons will be delivered to users in over 150 countries worldwide through WEBTOON Entertainment inc.'s global WEBTOON platform, the parent company of LINE Digital Frontier Corporation, as well as on "LINE Manga," Japan's No. 1 manga app in terms of downloads (*2).
Respecting the original image of KADOKAWA's works, which have fans worldwide, the planning and production have been advanced through years of discussions with the original authors and each company. The first webtoon work produced by "STUDIO WHITE" is a spin-off of 'Record of Lodoss War' (Author: Ryo Mizuno), a major hit from the dawn of light novels and the progenitor of Japanese fantasy, which established a world of elves, adventure, and magic. The Korean version is scheduled to begin distribution on NAVER WEBTOON from Saturday, May 9, 2026. The Japanese version is also planned for distribution on LINE Manga and ebookjapan in the second half of 2026, with distribution also decided for English, French, Traditional Chinese, Thai, and Indonesian.
Furthermore, spin-off webtoons of the globally beloved light novel series 'Sword Art Online' (Author: Reki Kawahara, Illustrations: abec) and 'Slayers' (Author: Hajime Kanzaka, Illustrations: Rui Araizumi), as well as a webtoon adaptation based on the original work of 'The Familiar of Zero' (Author: Noboru Yamaguchi, Illustrations: Eiji Usatsuka), are planned for sequential release.
Comment from Ryo Mizuno, author of 'Record of Lodoss War':
"Over 30 years have passed since 'Record of Lodoss War' was born. I am deeply moved that this work is embarking on a new development as a 'webtoon.'
This work is set in an 'unknown war' that has never been told in novels. I provided the original concept, and entrusted the construction of characters and story to a trusted production team. I, too, as a reader, eagerly await the completion, wondering what kind of battles will be depicted through the dynamic vertical-scrolling presentation unique to webtoons.
I hope this work will reach a wide audience, serving as a new chapter that fills in the blank history for long-time fans, and as an introduction to fantasy war chronicles for newcomers."
Comment from Shinpei Kim, Representative Director CBO of LINE Digital Frontier Corporation:
"We are delighted to partner with industry leaders KADOKAWA and REDICE STUDIO. We have brought together KADOKAWA's fully supervised story and REDICE STUDIO's overwhelming production quality, optimizing them for webtoons using expressions like 'beautiful color depiction' and 'powerful action,' while maximizing respect for the image of these legendary works. As the No. 1 global platformer, we will deliver these works not only to Japanese fans but also to audiences worldwide."
Comment from Jang Jeong-suk, Representative Director of REDICE STUDIO:
"We are very pleased to unveil this work for the first time through STUDIO WHITE, together with the globally influential LDF and KADOKAWA. The wonderful original works provided by KADOKAWA have given us endless inspiration. And to the story of that original work, we, REDICE STUDIO...
The Japanese webtoon market is estimated to be approximately 50 billion yen in 2022, accounting for about 10% of the e-comic market (*1). In recent years, the number of domestically produced webtoon works has also increased, attracting attention with some works being adapted into anime or movies, some exceeding 100 million yen in monthly sales, and others ranking high globally.
By establishing "STUDIO WHITE," the three companies will combine KADOKAWA's original works, which discover talent from around the world and create diverse IPs, with REDICE STUDIO's high creative power and deep knowledge in webtoon production, known for works like 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' and 'Solo Leveling,' which have garnered attention for their anime adaptations. These webtoons will be delivered to users in over 150 countries worldwide through WEBTOON Entertainment inc.'s global WEBTOON platform, the parent company of LINE Digital Frontier Corporation, as well as on "LINE Manga," Japan's No. 1 manga app in terms of downloads (*2).
Respecting the original image of KADOKAWA's works, which have fans worldwide, the planning and production have been advanced through years of discussions with the original authors and each company. The first webtoon work produced by "STUDIO WHITE" is a spin-off of 'Record of Lodoss War' (Author: Ryo Mizuno), a major hit from the dawn of light novels and the progenitor of Japanese fantasy, which established a world of elves, adventure, and magic. The Korean version is scheduled to begin distribution on NAVER WEBTOON from Saturday, May 9, 2026. The Japanese version is also planned for distribution on LINE Manga and ebookjapan in the second half of 2026, with distribution also decided for English, French, Traditional Chinese, Thai, and Indonesian.
Furthermore, spin-off webtoons of the globally beloved light novel series 'Sword Art Online' (Author: Reki Kawahara, Illustrations: abec) and 'Slayers' (Author: Hajime Kanzaka, Illustrations: Rui Araizumi), as well as a webtoon adaptation based on the original work of 'The Familiar of Zero' (Author: Noboru Yamaguchi, Illustrations: Eiji Usatsuka), are planned for sequential release.
Comment from Ryo Mizuno, author of 'Record of Lodoss War':
"Over 30 years have passed since 'Record of Lodoss War' was born. I am deeply moved that this work is embarking on a new development as a 'webtoon.'
This work is set in an 'unknown war' that has never been told in novels. I provided the original concept, and entrusted the construction of characters and story to a trusted production team. I, too, as a reader, eagerly await the completion, wondering what kind of battles will be depicted through the dynamic vertical-scrolling presentation unique to webtoons.
I hope this work will reach a wide audience, serving as a new chapter that fills in the blank history for long-time fans, and as an introduction to fantasy war chronicles for newcomers."
Comment from Shinpei Kim, Representative Director CBO of LINE Digital Frontier Corporation:
"We are delighted to partner with industry leaders KADOKAWA and REDICE STUDIO. We have brought together KADOKAWA's fully supervised story and REDICE STUDIO's overwhelming production quality, optimizing them for webtoons using expressions like 'beautiful color depiction' and 'powerful action,' while maximizing respect for the image of these legendary works. As the No. 1 global platformer, we will deliver these works not only to Japanese fans but also to audiences worldwide."
Comment from Jang Jeong-suk, Representative Director of REDICE STUDIO:
"We are very pleased to unveil this work for the first time through STUDIO WHITE, together with the globally influential LDF and KADOKAWA. The wonderful original works provided by KADOKAWA have given us endless inspiration. And to the story of that original work, we, REDICE STUDIO...