Horo Beat manga launches with Matsumoto, Satou & Amano

TL;DR, Horo Beat, a new yokai battle manga, debuted in Monthly Coro Coro with a 66-page first chapter. Duel Masters creator Shigenobu Matsumoto is credited for the original, Tsutomu Satou helped the scenario, Akira Amano supplied character designs, and Akira Tsuruta draws.

Horo Beat, a new yokai battle series, launched in the June issue of Shogakukan’s Monthly Coro Coro Comics with a 66-page opener. It matters because three marquee creators and a rising artist teamed up, blending hit-making experience across manga and light novels into one project.
The Horo Beat manga pairs humans and yokai in tag-team fights, opening with middle schooler Jin, his friend Hinata, and a temple cat named Leo.

The launch arrives with clear credits and a print-first debut that anchors the series in one of Japan’s longest-running children’s magazines.

Horo Beat manga launches in Monthly Coro Coro with a 66-page first chapter

Shogakukan’s Monthly Coro Coro Comics has started serializing Horo Beat with a first chapter 66 pages long. The magazine’s June issue, released on Friday, carries the debut. Billed as a yokai and human “tag-team battle” series, the opener establishes its action premise and sets up its trio of leads in a single, extended read.

The magazine and its official site introduced the project as a collaboration-driven launch. The length signals a table-setting chapter, giving room for the premise, character beats, and a marquee first fight. For readers tracking new series in weekly and monthly mags, this arrives as a print-first rollout with credits presented up front.

Horo Beat manga begins as a Coro Coro title, which means new chapters will appear through the magazine’s serialization pipeline. The debut chapter is available inside the June issue on sale in Japan. Follow-up chapters will run in later monthly issues, with announcements reflected by the magazine and its website.

• Magazine: Monthly Coro Coro Comics, June issue from Shogakukan.
• Debut size: first chapter 66 pages, a super-sized opener for a new title.
• Concept: yokai and humans form teams to fight, framed as tag-team battles.
• Format: print serialization in Coro Coro, with details mirrored on the magazine’s site.
• Title variants shown in materials: Horo-Beat and ホロビート.
• Core appeal: fast setup, clear battle hook, and an all-star credit line at launch.

Who is behind Horo Beat: Matsumoto, Satou, Amano and Tsuruta

Four names headline the project, each with a defined job. Shigenobu Matsumoto, creator of Duel Masters, is credited with the original work and storyboard composition. Tsutomu Satou, author of The Irregular at Magic High School, provides scenario cooperation.

, supplies the original character designs. Akira Tsuruta draws the manga.

These creator roles in Horo Beat funnel distinct strengths into one pipeline. Matsumoto’s original and layout duties shape pacing and page turns. Satou’s scenario input supports structure and plot beats.

Amano’s character sheets guide silhouettes and expressions. Tsuruta translates all of that into finished storytelling, action flow, and readable combat on the page.

Credit specificity helps readers know who to thank for which layer, and it sets expectations for how the team built the first chapter. The magazine presented this as a “thrilling tag-team battle” project, so a clean division of labor matters in a fight-driven series where designs, staging, and scenario need to click.

• Shigenobu Matsumoto: original creator and storyboard composition, brings Duel Masters experience to layout and series vision.
• Tsutomu Satou: scenario cooperation, adds structural and story support informed by his light novel background.
• Akira Amano: original character designs, provides the look, proportions, and costume logic for the cast.
• Akira Tsuruta: artist, turns scripts and boards into final pages, panel timing, and action clarity.
• Pipeline: concept and boards feed scenario tuning, then character design alignment, then finished art.
• Result: a collaboration with clearly attributed craft zones, reducing guesswork about who shaped what.

What Horo Beat’s story shows in chapter one and where to read it

Chapter one opens on Jin Narumi, a second-year middle schooler who can see monsters, yokai, devils, and ghosts. He stops by the temple where his friend Hinata lives, only she cannot see any of it and brushes off his warnings. The temple grounds crawl with creatures, which only heightens the disconnect between them.

A giant yokai attacks, knocking Hinata unconscious and leaving Jin near death. At that moment Hinata’s temple cat, Leo, appears and transforms into a raiju beast. Jin and Leo form a battle pair and take down the giant yokai together, which sets the Horo Beat story tone for human and yokai tag teamwork.

The series is officially serialized in Monthly Coro Coro Comics. The June issue in Japan carries the debut chapter, and subsequent parts will run in later issues as the magazine continues monthly publication. For where to read Horo Beat, start with the June issue of Coro Coro in print, with news mirrored by the magazine’s website.

• Main cast setup: Jin Narumi sees the supernatural, Hinata lives at a temple, Leo is the temple cat.
• Conflict driver: Hinata cannot see yokai, so she doubts Jin until a giant yokai strikes.
• Turn: Leo reveals a raiju form, enabling a new tag-team dynamic mid-battle.
• Battle focus: yokai battle manga structure with a human and yokai pairing at its core.
• Reading path: find the first chapter in Coro Coro’s June issue, then follow monthly installments.
• Search tip: terms like “where to read Horo Beat” and “Horo Beat manga” map to the magazine release.

Source: ANN