Prior to the anime's release, four manga series based on original concepts began serialisation in Kodansha's Nakayoshi, Bessatsu Friend, Magazine Special and Bessatsu Shonen Magazine publications during December 2011 and January 2012.[5] These manga are titled AKB0048 Episode 0, AKB0048 Heart-Gata Operation (AKB0048 ハート型オペレーション AKB0048 Hāto-Gata Operēshon?), AKB0048 Gaiden: Fly! AKB Zero Zero Girl's School (AKB0048外伝 とびだせ!AKBぜろぜろ女学園 AKB0048 Gaiden Tobidase! AKB Zero Zero Jogakuen?) and AKB0048: The Most Serious Guy in the Universe (AKB0048 宇宙で一番ガチなヤツ! AKB0048 Uchū de Ichiban Gachi na Yatsu!?).
The official website for the AKB0048 anime announced on Saturday that the "next stage” will begin airing in Japan on January 5. The next stage will run on tvk, HTB Hokkaido TV, TBC Tohoku Broadcasting Co., Ltd., Fukushima Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd., Tochigi TV, GTV, Tele Tama (TV Saitama), Chiba TV, TOKYO MX TV, Mie TV, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, Hiroshima TV, and TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Co., Ltd.