Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has evolved a lot over the last few years, and not necessarily in a good way. In recent years, more manga have ended or been cancelled than have debuted. The magazine has especially struggled to find new leading series besides One Piece. Before 2024, several strong series emerged as its leading titles, including Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, and Black Clover. All these series helped Shonen Jump thrive on a different level. However, ever since two of these manga ended in 2024 and the third shifted to another magazine, Shonen Jump has struggled to find long-running series.
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However, a few series have emerged, including Sakamoto Days and Kagurabachi, which debuted in 2020 and 2023, respectively. Both quickly gained popularity and helped the magazine establish new leading titles, with Kagurabachi surpassing 100 chapters. This milestone is a sign that the manga is thriving, and with its anime adaptation also announced, it is poised to become an even bigger success, especially as Sakamoto Days is also approaching its conclusion. However, another manga, Ichi the Witch, which debuted in 2024, has achieved a major milestone that further confirms its rise as one of Shonen Jump’s hottest new leading series.
Shonen Jump’s 2024 Manga Just Achieved the Perfect Milestone to Prove It’s a Leading Series
In Weekly Shonen Jump’s 45th issue of 2026, Ichi the Witch released its 100th chapter, becoming one of the few manga series to reach this milestone in recent years. However, while other manga series have also achieved this feat, Ichi the Witch has maintained consistently high viewership for its chapters, ranking only behind Kagurabachi in terms of views. This is further proven by the manga’s sales, with over 2 million copies sold across its eight volumes, as reported in July of this year. These are significant numbers that continue to prove it is a leading series, especially when compared with other shonen manga.
For instance, Shinobi Undercover, the manga that debuted right after Ichi the Witch and will also reach the same milestone next year, has struggled to achieve comparable sales. Its latest volume reportedly sold barely 2,000 copies, compared to over 100,000 copies for Ichi the Witch‘s latest volume. The reason behind Ichi the Witch‘s success is evident in its narrative, which perfectly captures the nuances of a shonen series while introducing its own unique premise. By focusing on Ichi, a boy who becomes a witch in a world where only females can become mages, the series embraces the unconventional premise that Shonen Jump manga often explore.
As the narrative has progressed, it has introduced other elements, including the emotional growth of not only the protagonist but also the other characters, while forming a new, cool male duo in Shonen Jump that has not been seen since Jujutsu Kaisen‘s Yuji and Todo. In fact, Ichi and Gokuraku’s duo might even rival this iconic pair. The series is now featuring a major arc that continues to explore character bonds and growth, making Ichi the Witch an increasingly compelling shonen series. Its anime adaptation could become the next big Shonen Jump event, further reinforcing the manga’s leading position. Given its achievements, fans can expect an announcement at any time, with the anime potentially arriving in Fall 2027 or early 2028.
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