Given recent developments, manyShonen Jumpreaders believe that the magazine is going through a rough patch, perhaps even in a crisis, with many debuts being quickly canceled and flagship titles concluding. Since it was announced thatOne Piecewould end within a couple of years, fans are not sure that the magazine will be able to keep its position as the biggest manga magazine in the next few years.
There have been reports ofsales substantially dropping afterJujutsu KaisenandMy Hero Academiaconcluded last year, and with many recent hits also concluding, the situation appears to be worsening.
2020
Ended In
TBA (2025, likely)
Shonen Jumphas not only been canceling many fresh titles, but many of the flagship titles of the magazine in the past few years have come or are coming to an end. Recently, it was announced thatSakamoto Dayswill enter its Final Battle. For instance, a final arc can last for months or even years (Gintamais a good example of this), but they typically conclude within a few months inShonen Jump, a pattern observed in recent years, except forOne Piece’s extended final arc.
Therefore, while there is no exact date forSakamoto Daysto officially conclude,there is a good chance that the series will end by the end of this year. AfterJujutsu KaisenandMy Hero Academiaconcluded last year,Sakamoto Daysbecame one of the flagship titles of the magazine. This has alarmed fans, who have been expressing for a few years thatShonen Jumpseems to be decaying in readership and the ability to set new hits. Yuto Suzuki could begin a new manga afterSakamoto Daysends, but generally, the authors have either not returned to the magazine or not been able to write new manga as successful as their previous hits.
It seems that even successful new titles don’t last for over 6 years inShonen Jump. Examples of this includeSakamoto Days, which has been published since 2020, andUndead Unluck, which ended a few months ago, concluding a 5-year serialization. These two were at some pointlabeled as promising hitsthat could be part of a new “Big Three.”
Shueisha has been investing in contests to find new mangaka forShonen Jump. These contests generally select a new manga to be serialized in the magazine and adapted into anime. However, it seems this sort of campaign hasn’t paid off yet, as no fresh author awarded in this kind of contest has emerged as a new highlight of the magazine. However, we might have to wait a few more years to determine whether this is a good strategy or not.
Is Kagurabachi Jump’s Last Hope?
WithSakamoto Dayswaving goodbye soon, it seems thatKagurabachiwill become the only new flagship title of the magazine. Given that One Piece might end within the next few years,Shonen Jumpwill probably have a hard time maintaining its status as the biggest manga magazine if no big hits emerge in the meantime.However,Kagurabachihas amassed a large fan base with its dark tone, and it may be able to keep sales to a fair standard. Furthermore,Ichi the Witchhas been gaining attentionand might also become a flagship title. Still, there are many doubts about whether these two manga can last for many years, even though many fans believeKagurabachiis the best hope for the magazine.
Kagurabachi gotta carry the entire shonen jump now.
— BucketHerroon Reddit
In a sense, it isn’t bad that new hits don’t last over 6 years. This suggests thatJumpis letting authors conclude their stories instead of trying to extend them too much, like seemingly happened withNarutoandBleach. Thus, it could mean that authors are working in a better environment than what was reported a few years ago. Nonetheless, it seems that while manga readership seems to be generally increasing worldwide, readers are not looking forShonen Jumptitles as they used to in the recent past. Readership is likely to become more diverse, andShonen Jumpmay be falling behind in this process.
What’s the Future of Shonen Jump?
It’s always hard to try to predict the future, as we don’t usually have information about everything involved in the way that things seem to be turning. Despite this decline,Shonen Jumphas been testing new waters with titles that depart from the typical Jump tropes. However, these “experiments” have mostly taken place on the Shonen Jump+ platform, rather than in the main magazine. However, givenIchi the Witch’sgreat reception, the magazine will likely try more of this in order to attract those new readers who aren’t looking for the typical shonen story.
