Everyone's favorite Disney alien is getting a new story in an upcoming manga from TokyoPop. Stitch, the ukelele-playing, Elvis-loving adorable alien is going to find himself in a new setting and his new friend may not be what anyone would expect.
The Walt Disney animated feature Lilo and Stitch released back in 2002. The movie spawned an animated series on Disney Channel and three sequel films. Alternate versions of Stitch's story have been released in other countries. In an anime series titled Stitch! from 2008, the fluffy blue alien landed in Okinawa, Japan, instead of Hawaii. Instead of meeting Lilo, Stitch met a different little girl named Yuna. Another animated series called Stitch and Ai was released in China in 2017, which featured Stitch landing in Huangshan and meeting a little girl named Wang Ai Ling. Disney previously announced that they are developing a live-action remake of the original film. Stitch has become a fan-favorite character worldwide and is one of the most popular modern characters the Disney Company has in their arsenal.
In May of this year, TokyoPop will release Stitch and the Samurai, Vol. 1. Stitch will arrive in sengoku-era Japan. This era is part of the time period commonly referred to as Feudal Japan. Instead of meeting any children this time, Stitch will meet a samurai. This volume will be an English translation of the manga, Tono & Stitch. It was originally published between January 13 and December 21 in 2020.
The complete summary from TokyoPop states:
While fleeing the Galactic Federation, Stitch's spaceship malfunctions and he makes an emergency landing... not in Hawaii, but in sengoku-era Japan! Discovered by the brutal warlord Lord Yamato and his clan, Stitch's incomparable cuteness is no match for the battle-weary samurai, who decides to bring the "blue tanuki" home with him. Will Stitch's love of chaos turn into a formidable advantage for the samurai's influence? Or will his cute and fluffy form disarm the noble lord's stern façade?
This is not the first time that Stitch has ever been in a manga series, considering he was featured in a title called Stitch! which was also published by TokyoPop. That series was two volumes long. TokyoPop also published a volume called Stitch! - Best Friends Forever which collected Stitch! - Izayoi Island and Stitch! - Diary for BFFs! This series, based on the anime Stitch!, focused on Stitch's adventures in Japan with Yuna.
This is the first time that Stitch's travels have taken him not just through space, but also through time. This will also be the first time that he befriends an adult male. The summary implies that Stitch will find a lot of laughs and interesting adventures in Feudal Japan, potentially being viewed as an alternate kind of tanuki, which are also known as raccoon dogs. Tanuki have a long history in Japanese mythology and art, and have been popular in Nintendo video games (ex: Mario's Tanuki suit and Animal Crossing's Nook family). Whatever adventures Stitch is going to have, one thing is certain: they are bound to be out of this world. Stitch and the Samurai, Vol. 1 releases May 11, 2021.