Jujutsu Kaisen Creator Addresses Fans About the Manga's Sudden Delay

Jujutsu Kaisen's series creator addressed fans on the manga's sudden break from last week's issue with a new update alongside the release of the latest chapter! The Culling Game arc of the original manga series has been making its way through the climax of the fights within the Sendai Colony as Yuta Okkotsu now is up against two powerful opponents, but before the scheduled release of Chapter 178 of the series last week it was announced that the chapter would be suddenly delayed for an extra week as the creator suddenly fell too ill to reach the deadline.

Fans had been hoping that it was not the kind of sudden delay series creator Gege Akutami had gone on before (with that previous hiatus lasting for well over a month before returning with new chapters), and while the creator has returned with Chapter 178 as of the latest issue of Shonen Jump in Japan, Akutami's explanation and apology to fans for the delay is certainly a little less hopeful than before. Noting in the official author comments alongside the new chapter (as translated by Viz Media), Akutami stated "I'm so sorry for last week. I will work more efficiently. And now I've been hit with hay fever." 

Much like the creator's previous hiatus before, fans are more hoping that Akutami's health has gone back to a manageable level rather than forcing through new chapters of the series. As with any series, fans would rather each creator take care of themselves first before making their health worse just for the next phase of the story. It seems like that might not be the case here as Akutami admits he's gotten hay fever, but cross your fingers that the creator's health remains well as the weeks and months continue. 

As for Chapter 178 of the series, it indeed takes Yuta's fight to a whole new level as it's now clear that the current version of the fighter is much stronger than he ever was during the prequel series. But we'll see that progress more as the Culling Game arc continues with each new chapter...regardless of how long that takes as long as Akutami's health remains intact. But what do you think? Are you happy to see the manga back on track? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!