2025 was a considerably disappointing year for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, as the series had more than 10 cancellations this year, as readers wondered if the magazine would see more major hits any time soon. As the magazine known for serializing classics such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and many more series, there’s no denying WSJ is the best when it comes to manga. However, not all series get the same level of attention, which is especially true during recent years, as it’s becoming a norm to serialize shorter and fast-paced manga series rather than long-running ones that continue for more than a decade.
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Except for Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, a sequel to the original series written by Gege Akutami and illustrated by Yuji Iwasaki, none of the series released this year left a deep impression on fans. Not to mention that Modulo is already expected to conclude in spring next year, since it was always supposed to be a short manga with no more than three volumes. Currently, among the newer WSJ manga released in the past two years, none can compare to the groundbreaking success of Kagurabachi and Ichi the Witch. Weekly Shonen Jump decided to promote both series together as the first issue of 2026 makes its debut.
Weekly Shonen Jump Welcomes 2026 With a New Kagurabachi and Ichi the Witch Cover
The first issue of the magazine was released on December 1st, 2025, in Japan, while the chapters were simultaneously available on the official apps of Manga Plus and Shonen Jump. The cover of the issue was an exciting collaborative art of the two series, both of which have a massive fan following on social media. Two series appearing on the same cover of an issue is rare and has only happened a handful of times in decades. However, Shueisha’s decision to start the 2026 issues with these two manga at the center just confirms how popular they are.
Since the magazine isn’t globally available, the official X handle of Shonen Jump shared it with fans while promoting the new chapters. Apart from this, Shueisha has also launched a promotional campaign called Ichikabachika, which is being promoted in the first issue. According to Comic Natalie, from December 1st to December 26th, chapters 1 to 18 of both series will be available for free every day between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM JST only in Japan. There are also several exciting offers, including collaboration with several companies for merchandise to promote these series.
Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi, which debuted in September 2023, currently has over three million copies in circulation, and the numbers keep rising at an exponential rate. On the other hand, Ichi the Witch, a magic fantasy written by Osamu Nishi and illustrated by Shiro Usazaki, debuted exactly a year after Kagurabachi and immediately became a worldwide hit. The manga currently has over one million copies in circulation, even though not a single volume has been released in any other language except Japanese.
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