Manga hero

Past exhibition

23 May 2019 – 26 August 2019

Organised with The National Art Center, Tokyo and the Organisation for the Promotion of Manga and Anime

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For the catalogue, homewares and gifts from the exhibition, visit the British Museum Shop.

A graphic world where art and storytelling collide in the largest exhibition of manga ever to take place outside of Japan.


Manga is a visual narrative art form that has become a multimedia global phenomenon, telling stories with themes from gender to adventure, in real or imagined worlds.

Immersive and playful, the exhibition explored manga's global appeal and cultural crossover, showcasing original Japanese manga and its influence across the globe, from anime to 'cosplay' dressing up. This influential art form entertains, inspires and challenges – and was brought to life like never before in this ground-breaking exhibition.

Exhibition supporters

Citi logo

As a global bank, we value diverse perspectives from around the world. No one has a monopoly on good ideas and we believe it is critical to unearth, share and celebrate the views, thoughts and outlooks that will help to define our collective future. With a permanent collection spanning two million years of history, the British Museum is a perfect place to explore the present and future through the lens of the past.

In staging The Citi exhibition Manga, the Museum used its fabulous collection and many loans from Japan to explore the historically significant, yet hugely contemporary, Japanese art form of Manga. This visual narrative art has grown over the centuries to become a global phenomenon. Manga has transcended its origins to become an influence with truly international reach.

At Citi, our mission is to serve as a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress. This mission extends to the 98 countries that we physically go to work in and the total of 160 that we serve our clients in. We are incredibly proud to partner with the British Museum in supporting it in its role as one of the most important global guardians of world history. We value the fact that our support enables the Museum to continue with its ground-breaking exhibitions and renowned education programmes.

IAG edited cargo logo

IAG Cargo is the single business created following the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo in April 2011. Following the integration of Aer Lingus, bmi, Vueling and Level, the cargo carrier now flies to over 350 destinations.

IAG Cargo has a strong network presence across Asia Pacific, serving 16 destinations with more than 150 flights per week to hubs in London and Madrid. From Japan, we offer daily services at both Tokyo Haneda and Narita airports with British Airways, as well as five frequencies each week to Madrid with Iberia, and an additional British Airways route to Osaka launched in March 2019. It was with these services that IAG Cargo was proud to be the official logistics partner of the Citi exhibition Manga, and provide continual support moving important objects around the world for the British Museum.

Exhibition project curator supported by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures.

Japan-UK Season of Culture

Japan-UK Season of Culture logo

The exhibition was part of the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019–20.