One of the most renowned manga creators, Hiro Mashima, has been actively working as a mangaka since 1998 and has worked on a large number of series and one-shots. His most famous and controversial work is the action fantasy series Fairy Tail, which has amassed a large fanbase thanks to its unique world-building, intriguing power system, and captivating characters. However, the series also gets just as much hate for its excessive fan service and heavy reliance on the “power of friendship” trope. Despite some dissatisfaction with the series, it has a strong foundation to support its fair share of strengths and flaws. Mashima gained global recognition for the series and even won several awards, including the prestigious Kodansha Manga Award for Shonen manga in 2009.
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Fairy Tail debuted in 2006 and ended serialization in 2017, before returning with a sequel series, 100 Years Quest, illustrated by Ueda Atsuo. While the original manga has been fully adapted into an anime by A-1 Pictures, the sequel anime by J.C. Staff is still awaiting a Season 2 announcement, after concluding Season 1 in January of 2025. As soon as Fairy Tail ended, Mashima continued working on other series without taking a hiatus, and now, @MangaMoguraRE on X confirmed he is returning with another new series. While details on the series are pretty scarce, it’s expected to have a long run, unlike the one-shot manga he released this year.
Fairy Tail’s Creator Will Be Working on Simultaneous Projects
Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest has been ongoing since 2018, with Mashima responsible for the story, while the illustrations are handled by Ueda Atsuo. In the same year, the mangaka also released Eden’s Zero, a sci-fi fantasy, in Weekly Shonen Jump, which ended its serialization in 2024. Apart from these two series, Mashima also released a monthly series, Dead Rock, in 2023, providing both the story and art for another action fantasy series. Dead Rock was supposed to be a short series with only 15 chapters or so, but the manga has released 28 chapters already and hasn’t announced its finale.
Centering around the underworld’s top educational institution, the series has a darker spin compared to other works by the author. Mashima returned with a surprise Seinen one-shot series in July this year to commemorate Weekly Young Magazine‘s 45th anniversary. As a renowned Shonen creator, the one-shot, 1993, is Mashima’s first Seinen work, which portrays Mashima himself as a teenage delinquent along with his friend.
The story is a fictionalized depiction of how Weekly Young Magazine in the 1990s influenced him and his friend. While details about Mashima’s new manga have yet to be released, he is already working on its debut, and it’s going to be a weekly series. After the new manga’s release, Mashima will be working on over three projects at the same time, with many fans appreciating his dedication while also worrying about him being overworked.
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