Weekly Shonen Jump is one of the most iconic manga anthology magazines in Japan and around the world, with it being or having been home to powerhouse titles One Piece, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and many more. Being as popular as it is, making it in WSJ is no easy task. Plenty of mangaka dream of their work being published in WSJ, but it's a demanding and competitive scene.
2025 was a rough year for the iconic magazine, with 10 series getting the axe to go alongside 3 others reaching their conclusions. With so many of its established series having either ended or nearing their end, it's hard to predict what the future will look like for Weekly Shonen Jump. One thing we know for sure is that it doesn't take much for a series to get canned. While WSJ doesn't usually release official numbers for its canceled series, you can tell how a series is performing based on its "rankings" or where it's placed in a given issue's table of contents. Higher placement means it's a popular series, while a lower spot on the index might spell bad news. With that in mind, these WSJ manga might not make it to the end of 2026.
Harukaze Mound
If there's one series that seems like it's on its last leg, it's Harukaze Mound. Sports manga generally have a pretty strong audience, but for whatever reason, Harukaze Mound just doesn't seem to be catching on.
The series debuted in Issue 29 and has only appeared in the rankings' top 10 three times since. Over the last eight issues, Harukaze Mound has averaged a ranking of 17.8, placing it at the bottom for ongoing serializations. At this rate, it looks like it won't last too long into 2026.
Otr of the Flame
Like Harukaze Mound, Otr of the Flame seems like a series that might be on its way out sooner rather than later. The fantasy series hasn't been placing well over the last eight volumes, sitting with an average ranking of 17.5 and having placed in the bottom few slots of the index over the last few weeks.
Otr of the Flame doesn't seem to be doing well in terms of sales either. The series tankobons apparently didn't even sell 3,000 copies in the first week of November. With 2.947 copies sold, that puts it just above Ping-Pong Peril (2.107 ), a series that was recently canceled this year. Kaedegami, another series with similar rankings that ended last month, barely outsold it. Unless something drastic happens, you can bet that Otr of the Flame is on its way out.
Hero Girl and Demon Lord Call It Quits
Predicting that Hero Girl and Demon Lord Call It Quits won't make it to the end of next year might be jumping the gun a little, but the series isn't off to a great start. Like all new series, it ranked first during its debut chapter, which was in 2025 Issue 50. But it's dropped to 7th and 12th in issues 51 and 52.
That's not a great trend for a new series. Instead of gaining hype through word of mouth, it seems to be struggling to find an audience. It's not strange to see a more comedy-centric series succeed in WSJ, but Hero Girl and Demon Lord Call It Quits might just not be cutting it with series like Me and Roboco and Hima-Ten! Around.
Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi
Unlike most of the series mentioned so far, Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi has actually been running in WSJ for a short while. It debuted in June 2024 and has amassed 6 tankobon volumes so far. The series was even recommended by Eiichiro Oda, who series creator Shoichi Usui worked under for five years.
Overall performance for the series hasn't been bad throughout its run, but it's been trending in the wrong direction recently. Over the last eight issues, Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi is averaging a 13.9 ranking. Judging by the first week of tankobon sales for November, the series is performing decently with 8,559 volumes sold. But it's still not doing well compared to other modern series like Ruri Dragon (56,184) and Akane Bashi (26,971). At the end of the day, Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi might just be one of those series that pulls through with the audience it has. But it's worth keeping an eye on as a potential 2026 casualty.
The Elusive Samurai
The Elusive Samurai will be one of those lucky series that will see its story conclude organically rather than suffer through a rushed ending. It was announced that the series was heading towards its conclusion in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 48, 2025. It's been a month since, and the series is still going. Who knows if it'll last the year, but you can be sure that if it does, 2026 will be the last year we get new Elusive Samurai chapters.
Thankfully, fans still have the upcoming second season of the anime to look forward to. While a release window has yet to be announced, it would be great if the anime returned next year to lessen the sting of the manga ending, if only a little.
