WEBTOON Entertainment’s LINE Digital Frontier Makes Additional Investment in No.9

Deepening "Japan to Global" strategy, LINE Digital Frontier will debut No.9's new title as the first Japanese series to launch through WEBTOON's worldwide "Global Drop" simultaneous release

TOKYO, November 9, 2026 - LINE Digital Frontier, a subsidiary of WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq: WBTN), today announced an additional investment in No.9 Inc. ("No.9"), a Tokyo-based digital comic agency and studio.

The two companies formed a capital and business alliance in December 2024, and have since worked to strengthen the production of No.9's manga IP and expand its global distribution.

No.9 has built its name on action-packed battle fantasy webcomics, including Savior of Divine Blood and I Am the Strongest Transcendent. On the traditional page-based manga side, the studio specializes in shojo and josei stories, with hits like Welcome Back, First Love (by Tora Kamemizu / No.9), which later turned TV drama, and I Don't Like Haruno-san at All (working English title; by Yasaka Kisarahi / No.9), a top-six finisher in the Web Manga category at the 2026 Next Manga Awards.

LINE Digital Frontier, which operates LINE MANGA, the No. 1 manga app by cumulative downloads in Japan,* and ebookjapan, one of the country's largest digital bookstore services, made the additional investment to deepen its relationship with No.9 and create globally successful original content from Japan.

WEBTOON Entertainment reaches approximately 159 million monthly active users across 150-plus countries and 10 languages. "Global Drop," which launched in September 2026, premiers new titles and popular ongoing series simultaneously worldwide. No.9's The Assassin Hero's Astra Path will be the first Japanese series part of "Global Drop," rolling out worldwide simultaneously with more to follow.

"Under our 'Japan to Global' strategy, we're investing in and developing more original content from Japan, and No.9 is behind exactly the kind of hits that travel, at home and abroad, including Savior of Divine Blood and I Am the Strongest Transcendent," said Hiroshi Mori, Chief Business Officer, Japan, LINE Digital Frontier. "Strengthening this partnership lets us bring Japanese stories that cross borders to readers everywhere."

"Japan is a key market for WEBTOON Entertainment, and No.9 is a trusted partner that consistently delivers outstanding work," said Yongsoo Kim, President of WEBTOON Entertainment and Co-CEO of LINE Digital Frontier. "I'm looking forward to realizing our 'Japan to Global' vision together and turning Japanese originals into worldwide hits."

"This investment reflects how strongly we believe in Japanese webcomics, and how determined we are to take them global faster," said Takuma Kobayashi, Representative Director and CEO of No.9. "Pairing our storytelling with WEBTOON Entertainment's global reach, we're bringing Japanese storytelling to readers everywhere. For manga artists and creators, watching their work cross borders means new fans and new room to keep creating, and we want to build this borderless future of storytelling together."

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About No.9
Founded in November 2016, No.9 is a manga IP publisher committed to maximizing the value of manga across three core domains-"Creating Manga," "Delivering Manga," and "Expanding Manga"-under its mission to "Build a tomorrow to look forward to through manga." In the rapidly evolving entertainment landscape, the company strives to maximize the value of manga by continuing to take on bold challenges without being bound by conventional frameworks.

Corporate Website: https://corp.no9.co.jp/

About LINE Digital Frontier
LINE Digital Frontier Corporation operates "LINE MANGA," a digital comic service that allows users to easily enjoy manga on smartphones and tablets; "ebookjapan," one of Japan's largest digital bookstore services; and "bookfan," an online print book retailer. Dedicated to "Creating the future of manga," the company continues to deliver the utmost value to users, creators, and partner companies alike.

(*) Cumulative downloads for domestic manga apps (App IQ: Books & Comics) (January 2014 - July 2026) / Total for iOS & Google Play combined / Source: Sensor Tower