Cyberpunk: Edgerunners‘ showrunner, Rafal Jaki, was writing for the new ongoing manga series, No/Name, with artist Machine Gamu. The series began as a one-shot before it started serialization on Shonen Jump+. Jaki announced in January that the fourteenth chapter of No/Name will be its last, thanking fans on his social media accounts for their support of the series. The last chapter was officially posted on Manga Plus, ending the story that Jaki and Gamu began the previous year. While Jaki wished he could’ve done more with the series, he’s already hyping up his next work with Gamu, hoping fans will check it out once the new project is ready.
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The manga received online attention because of the writer’s pedigree. Jaki is a business development director, executive producer, and writer best known for his collaboration with gaming company CD Projekt RED. He was part of the team behind the Cyberpunk 2077 video game before serving as showrunner for Edgerunners. While the main Cyberpunk 2077 had a notoriously mixed response at launch, Edgerunners achieved critical acclaim. Studio Trigger was in charge of animation for Edgerunners, and a new animated feature in the Cyberpunk universe was announced in 2024 for Netflix. It’s unknown if Jaki will be involved with the new Cyberpunk animated project.
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Was No/Name a Failure?
Rafal Jaki responded to fans’ questions about No/Name’s final chapter. He clarifies that he and Gamu planned the first arc to be around 360 pages, but they would have continued the series if they could. Jaki explains that a manga series must be a hit on Jump+ to avoid cancelation, hinting the series didn’t hit the view numbers Shueisha was hoping for. It’s well documented that the manga industry is cut-throat, with many manga series being prematurely canceled within a few years or less.
No/Name didn’t continue despite the one-shot receiving the first-ever Gold Award from Shueisha and Jump+. The Gold Award represents an achievement of reaching over one million views on the Japanese publication of Jump+ and Manga Plus. Jaki claims the one-shot gained two million readers. Despite its early success, No/Name didn’t get the go-ahead to carry on past the first arc by the publishers.
Manga Cancellations Are Part of the Cycle for Countless Beloved Series
However, it should be noted that a manga’s early cancellation isn’t indicative of that manga’s quality. All kinds of manga series don’t get the readership they deserve for various reasons. Sometimes, a publisher could mishandle a manga’s advertising, leading to the series not achieving the readership numbers the publisher desires. Some manga genres are also more popular than others, and, for example, shonen manga genres typically sell more than other demographics.
Nonetheless, No/Name’s end could also be a reflection of the oversupply of new comics and manga on the market. Not everything will be given its due because there are so many other manga to read. No/Name at least finished its one arc and leaves readers with a conclusion.
Jaki and Gamu’s series didn’t get prematurely canceled during the middle of a storyline; the series simply didn’t continue from the opening arc. The final pages of No/Name have the main characters hug each other, with the promise it isn’t a goodbye. Those last pages assure readers these characters’ lives are not over and that they should look forward to the future, as nothing is ever a goodbye.
This story comes courtesy of Jaki Rafal on X (formerly Twitter) & Manga Plus.
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