Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump has brought back one of the creators whose previous series was canceled not long into its run, and their new series is already looking much more promising than the last. Yuki Kawaguchi first made waves with manga fans when they first hit the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine back in 2020 with The Hunter’s Guild: Red Hood. While it was an instant hit with many fans for its new take on witches and fairy tales, Shueisha didn’t feel the same as they surprisingly canceled the series after only 18 chapters of trying to tell its story.
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Kawaguchi made even more waves with fans when the final chapters of the canceled The Hunter’s Guild: Red Hood not only openly addressed that the story was axed before it would ever really get to begin, but openly addressed the nature of being in a competitive magazine like Shonen Jump when it ended. This made fans really pay attention to what the creator could come out with next, and now we’ve got our answer with the debut of their brand new series, Otr of the Flame.
What Is Otr of the Flame?
Yuki Kawaguchi returns to the pages of Shonen Jump with the debut of a brand new series that seems to already be much different than what was seen with The Hunter’s Guild: Red Hood. Titled Otr of the Flame, this new manga series introduces a young boy named Otr from a remote village. This village has been coated in a long standing Winter despite it being the Summer season currently, and Otr has volunteered to work at a nearby fortress as a cook. Coming from a Viking like society where warriors are worshipped as they fight to seek death (to get to Valhalla), Otr wants to help fight against the aggressions of the Ice Kingdom.
The Ice Kingdom is an enemy kingdom that’s spread across the country and taken over nearby villages, and soon enough they come to the fortress. The warriors around are defeated with ease thanks to one sorcerer’s icy powers (and their ability to raise the corpses of the dead as zombie ice warriors), and Otr is nearly killed too. But upon praying to a flame with the hopes of keeping it alive, it turns out to be a fire spirit that was born by the life breath Otr was feeding into it. Bonding together, the two of them unite with a fiery new power to push back the Ice Kingdom’s enemies.
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Will This Series Survive In Shonen Jump?
It’s far too early to tell whether or not Otr of the Flame will have more luck surviving in Shonen Jump than The Hunter’s Guild: Red Hood did. Both series kicked off with a very intriguing debut chapter, and series like this don’t get a lot of time before Shueisha decides whether or not to move onto a new creator. Shueisha has been giving its creators more time to explore their ideas before cancellation lately, however, with its last cancellation coming after a full year, so there’s hope for this new manga yet.
Otr of the Flame already seems much more action focused with its main protagonist, however, and that’s going to go a long way towards longevity. Not only is this Viking inspired series unique for Shonen Jump, but it’s got some great imagery that will help its young hero stand out. As the magazine is looking for heroes just like this at the moment, Otr could have a bright future if it continues to hit these heights.
You can now find Otr of the Flame for free with either Shueisha’s MangaPlus service or Viz Media’s digital Shonen Jump library.
