Cancelled Shonen Jump Series’ Creator Returns in Spring With a New Manga

January 5, 2026, 7:15pm

2025 was a chaotic year for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, with several manga cancellations, as some of them got discontinued before even releasing their first volumes. Ever since it was launched in 1968, Weekly Shonen Jump has serialized several iconic series, including Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and many more. WSJ eventually became the best-selling manga magazine of all time, and even now, it continues to stay on top with several hit series such as Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia that redefine modern shonen. While only a handful of the magazine’s series engraved their mark in history, countless other series were forgotten by readers as they got axed due to low viewership or sales. Despite the ever-growing manga industry, WSJ often faces a major crisis, with multiple times more cancellations than hit series.

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Released in June last year, Nono Daiki’s sports manga Ekiden Bros was cancelled in October after releasing only 17 chapters. It was the first serialized manga by the creator and had a strong start, but it failed to catch readers’ attention during the time it was being serialized. It has only over 400 votes on MyAnimeList, and the score has dropped to 5.13, which is considered below average both rating- and engagement-wise. However, the latest update confirms the mangaka’s unexpected return in Spring this year.

Ekiden Bros’ Creator Is Returning With Another Shonen Jump Manga

According to @WSJ_manga, a reliable source of information regarding all Shonen Jump series, it was confirmed that the mangaka is returning in the Jump GIGA Spring 2026 issue. The information was included in the Jump GIGA Winter 2026 issue, released on January 5th, 2026. While chapters of manga series included in the issue, such as Black Clover, were added on official platforms such as Manga Plus, the preview was only included in the magazine available exclusively in Japan. While it doesn’t share any details on Daiki’s upcoming work, it could be a one-shot manga, as it is more common for creators to test their hand at upcoming stories.

We might even get to see a completely different genre than Ekiden Bros, a sports manga following Nobunaga, a young student who grew up watching the Tokyo–Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race since his mother ran a dormitory full of long-distance runners training for the marathon. The story focuses on his journey as he rediscovers his love for running after getting into a brief argument with his childhood rival and entering a ten-kilometer run.

Shonen Jump often releases one-shot manga, which is beneficial to both the magazine and the creators. It tests the creator’s storytelling skills, helps them build a portfolio, and can even attract editors. In case their work receives a good reception, there’s also a chance of extending the story into a properly serialized manga, although it’s not that common. Regardless, the creator returning next year is an exciting update, as it all but confirms we might keep seeing more works from him in the future. Ekiden Bros is currently available to read on the official Manga Plus app.

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