As the year draws near its end, Weekly Shonen Jump confirms an exciting start to the year 2026 with Kagurabachi and Ichi the Witch sharing the spotlight in the first issue. 2026’s first issue is expected to be released on December 22nd, 2025. 2025 has been a rocky year for Weekly Shonen Jump, with several series’ cancellations as readers wondered if the magazine would see more major hits any time soon. The magazine is known for serializing classics such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and many more. However, with the ongoing trend of creating shorter manga, most popular series don’t last long anymore, which is why WSJ sees major changes each year now.
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While this year may have seen many promising manga in the magazine, none of them became groundbreaking hits like Kagurabachi and Ichi the Witch. Both manga offer something unique to the readers, which piques the readers’ interests. It’s evident that Shonen Jump has high expectations for both of these series, considering that it’s planning to commence the year with both of them on the cover. It’s uncommon for two series to share the spotlight in a WSJ cover, especially when it’s the first cover of the year. The information comes from @WSJ_manga on X, a reliable source of information regarding all Shonen Jump series. Since both manga already have a massive fan following on social media, fans express their excitement over the upcoming lead cover page, which is expected to feature the protagonists.
Shonen Jump Has Every Reason to Bet on Kagurabachi and Ichi the Witch
Among the manga that have yet to announce anime adaptations, Kagurabachi and Ichi the Witch are the most popular in the magazine, outselling even some of the older ongoing Jump series. Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi, which debuted in September 2023, is a modern fantasy centering around Chihiro Rokuhira, who embarks on a journey to avenge his father’s murder and retrieve the legendary Enchanted Swords forged by him. The manga 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 major hit among readers. The series centers around Ichi, a lone hunter who suddenly gained the power of a witch, even though only women are supposed to wield magic in the world. The manga currently has over one million copies in circulation, even though not a single volume has been available in English or any other language except Japanese.
Ichi the Witch will release the English version of its first volume in February 2026, which is sure to boost the overall sales even further. With this massive success, it’s only reasonable to expect both series to receive their anime adaptations eventually. While it’s too soon for Ichi the Witch yet, rumors about Kagurabachi‘s anime have been circulating for about a year already.
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