Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ is an official manga platform that serializes original series as well as broadening the horizons beyond the traditional shonen demographic. The service has established itself as one of the biggest in the industry with series such as Fire Punch, Chainsaw Man, Hell’s Paradise, Spy × Family, Kaiju No. 8, and Dandadan playing crucial roles in elevating its popularity. However, not all series get the attention they deserve, and many of them even get axed before they get a chance. 2025 has seen a wave of manga endings on the Shonen Jump+ platform. Some of these series are considerably famous, including Kaiju No. 8, Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective, and even Rugby Ramble, which will be ending in three chapters.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The platform is almost aggressively canceling or ending several series this year. Many of these series, such as Beast Orange and The God of Time, didn’t even manage to reach 20 chapters. So far in 2024, over 40 Shonen Jump+ series have been concluded, and no doubt, the number will keep increasing for the rest of the year. A purge of this level in one of the biggest platforms in the manga industry raises the question about Shonen Jump’s future and what it means to transition into an era with shorter Shonen series.
Shonen Jump Series Are Ending Faster Than Ever
The primary reason is definitely popularity, since the publishing company faces certain damage if it continues a manga with no scope of catching the reader’s eye. With the digitization of manga series on a globally-accessible scale, the competition is intense. They also need to clear serialization slots for other promising series. Not to mention that it affects the brand image. However, even famous series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer don’t even manage to hit the 300 chapter milestone and conclude the story with steady progress, and a lot of factors play out in this.
Unlike the era of shonen manga, where series like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, etc. were allowed time to develop the story naturally, the modern series are pitched with a clear idea of an ending in mind. Reader preferences have changed over the years, with many new manga enthusiasts preferring to read several fast-paced and short series instead of spending months on longer and slow-burning shonen.
We also can’t fail to mention the biggest concern in the manga industry, and that’s the creator, aka the mangaka, and their health. Creating a manga, especially one with a weekly schedule, is immensely taxing. The mangakas are often understaffed, and they overwork themselves even to the point of suffering from several ailments.
There are rarely any famous mangakas in the industry whose health hasn’t taken a serious hit because of overworking. The situation is the same for almost everyone, whether it’s the creator of old classics such as Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) or the new series like Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen). In such cases, it’s in the mangaka’s best interest to work continuously for a few years, take plenty of rest after the series’ ending, and return with something new. This is exactly what Gege Akutami is supposedly planning, and that’s certainly for the best.
While it’s sad to see smaller stories go, are there any currently running in Shonen Jump+ that you’d like to talk about? Let us know in the comments below!
H/T: @WSJ_manga on X
Most Viewed
-
Young Animal -
Image Courtesy of Pierrot/Shueisha -
Image Credit: DC
