Shonen Jump has canceled many titles over the past few years. In fact, readers have been claiming that the magazine has struggled to attract new readership since Naruto and Bleach concluded. While series such as My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen were massive hits, they were also short-lived compared to the "Big Three" (One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach).
As One Piece draws closer to its end, even though it will still take a while before it is finally concluded, many fans wonder what will happen to the magazine once One Piece is over. Either way, is it really a bad sign that so many titles were recently axed?
Why Are Long-Running Shonen Manga Getting Shorter?
The "Post-Big Three Era" is over, and each major title was significantly shorter than their predecessors. Why is that?
How Many Jump Titles Were Recently Axed?
Many Shonen Jump readers have been under the impression that the magazine is axing titles more quickly than it used to. They might not be wrong, as Shonen Jump has recently canceled many new titles, including Green Green Green, Syd Craft: Love Is a Mystery, Super Psychic Policeman Chojo, Embers, and Astro Royale. The latter was considered a potential hit since it was written by Tokyo Revengers creator Ken Wakui, but it lasted only a year in the magazine.
While some readers may have been surprised when Astro Royale was canceled, the manga wasn't really performing well, so those familiar with Jump sales were not shocked. From the listed titles, the most shocking cancellation was actually Embers, since it ran for less than six months in the magazine. The second and final volume will be out in August. Shonen Jump typically lets new series run for at least three volumes to check if they are able to gain momentum, but Embers was cut before reaching the third volume, suggesting a new approach.
Is Shonen Jump Struggling to Find New Hits?
There are a few signs suggesting that Shonen Jump has been struggling to find new, long-lasting hits. The first one, which many readers have already commented on, is that even successful titles have hardly run for over 6 years, especially when we consider manga that started serialization after the mid-2010s. Jujutsu Kaisen, which was once regarded as the next-generation flagship title of the magazine, concluded last year, during its sixth year of serialization. Black Clover is still in serialization, but it went on hiatus many times and shifted to Jump Giga, so Yuki Tabata could follow a quarterly schedule as he writes the final arc of the story. Currently, Me & Roboco and Sakamoto Days are the oldest new-generation titles in the magazine, and they both began in 2020.
In any case, while this may sound alarming to many readers, it could only mean that the magazine is following a different approach, not forcing authors to keep writing a series when they are no longer able to continue it. In fact, such long-lasting titles were the exception in the history of Shonen Jump. However, there are other clues suggesting that Shueisha is worried about the magazine not being able to produce series that can run for years and years. For example, Shonen Jump has been investing heavily in contests to find new talents. Contests are a cheap way to have access to a massive number of fresh writers trying to find a chance in the manga industry, and the winners are evaluated not only by editors but also by prominent authors. Still, for now, it doesn't seem this approach is getting where they might want.
It's also noticeable that the magazine is investing in the production of reboots and remakes. While there are still anime based on new titles, this approach suggests that old titles might still be a safer investment than trying to adapt mild hits into anime. Additionally, according to reports, sales have dropped after My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen concluded, which is an important indicator that the magazine is struggling to attract new readers.
Is This Shonen Jump's New Normal?
- Shonen Jump is likely less patient to find new flagship titles.
- New hits likely won't last over 6 years in the near future.
As mentioned, Shonen Jump seems to be entering an era where flagship titles won't last for many years. However, unlike what happened in the 1970s and 1980s, successful authors don't seem to be able to produce more than one hit for a magazine, either because their new series aren't successful or because they simply don't start to write new series. This is a bit strange since manga and anime are gaining more and more popularity worldwide.
Therefore, it seems that we are entering a pattern of massive hits that lasts for about 6 years, but there is a good chance that Shonen Jump is looking for a way to deliver massive hits in the future. So we might still see some changes in the magazine in the next few years. The magazine seems to be following a path of diversification of titles instead of focusing mostly on battle shonen. But it also seems that the biggest Jump titles will come from Shonen Jump+, and not the print magazine.
Insights from Kazuhiko Torishima
Kazuhiko Torishima, a legendary Dragon Ball editor who also served as Shonen Jump's editor-in-chief from 1996 to 2015, recently attended Paris Japan Expo 2025, where he shared some insights on the manga industry. Torishima believes that digital platforms are likely to change the way we consume manga because, after reading a series, algorithms suggest similar stories. This is very different from reading a manga magazine, where the reader has access to a "curation" of many different series. Thus, while there are many more options today, readers will likely stay reading similar things instead of discovering different stories. Those who want to try new things will have to actively look for them.
There are many manga out there with complex and difficult themes. They don't make you want to read them.
— Kazuhiko Torishima
Torishima also suggested that there is something lacking in recent titles, at least when it comes to major magazines. He mentioned Attack on Titan as an example of a series that made a lot of noise but didn't sell that well; he also stated that there are many complex and difficult manga out there. It seems that he believes that manga should deliver a simple narrative, or at least a narrative told in a simple structure. While Torishima was not talking specifically about Shonen Jump, his answers might be valuable to understand how Shueisha is trying to reshape Shonen Jump in order to keep leading the manga business.
Shonen Jump titles are available to read on MANGA Plus.
