1 Year Ago, Shonen Jump’s Most Underrated Fantasy Series Was Cancelled

August 25, 2026, 11:00am

Shueisha’s Shonen Jump went through a major change in 2025 with a wave of manga endings. Whether it’s the series reaching its natural conclusion or getting unofficially axed, the platform ended dozens of series last year. One of them is Ire Yonemoto’s underrated fantasy, Wild Strawberry, which reached its climax with Chapter 50 on August 21st, 2026. While the manga initially gained decent enough recognition during its initial phase, thanks to its unique worldbuilding and intricate art style, it wasn’t able to survive the competitive world of Shonen. It performed poorly in sales, resulting in its cancellation with just 50 chapters.

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Although there are no official statements to support this claim, it’s pretty obvious that the author could’ve done a lot more with the story. While the creator did his best for the story to reach its natural conclusion, a lot of plot points could’ve been explored way better. The anticlimactic ending and the sudden finale all point towards the possibility of the series’ cancellation. It’s not new for Shonen Jump magazines or online platforms to cancel a series ahead of time if they fail to perform well in sales.

What Is Wild Strawberry About?

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in the near future where monstrous plant-like creatures consume humans and mimic their appearances using flowers with human-like faces. Anyone infected with such plants is killed immediately by the Flower Funeral Force. Kingo and Kayano are two siblings barely able to make ends meet in a brutal world. Not to mention that Kayano has been infected for a long time, but Kingo has managed to hide her secret for a long time.

Once the secret was out, he put his life in danger to save her, only for Kayano to sacrifice herself to save him in return. As the story continues, Kingo embarks on a quest to help her return to normal regardless of what he has to give up in exchange.

Wild Strawberry Creator Will Return With Future Projects

On his official X handle, the author shared, “Thank you so much for supporting Wild Strawberry until the final chapter. I am deeply grateful to everyone for the encouraging letters and the comments filled with both support and constructive criticism.”

He also reflected on the difficulties faced while ending the series. Yonemoto continued, “To be honest, the period after the decision to end the series was tough, and I could only feel my own shortcomings.”

The author also confirmed plans for future projects, “I have nothing but gratitude for everyone who stuck with me until the end. I will train myself further and return stronger.”

Wild Strawberry is Yonemoto’s first serialized manga, and it definitely won’t be the last. The series didn’t get the reception it deserved, but its art style and worldbuilding speak volumes about the author’s talents. However, the creator hasn’t shared any updates in a year because it’s too soon to return with a new project.