Shonen Jump has seen the conclusion of Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia this year but it still has One Piece to keep the numbers going.

SUMMARY

2024 was a sad year for manga fans as they lost Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia.

The two names were one of the best-selling mangas by Weekly Shonen Jump.
However, Weekly Shonen Jump still has its biggest player, One Piece in the game.

2024 has been a tough year, especially for manga fans, because the industry has seen the conclusion of some of the greatest manga series that had global-level popularity and took the Weekly Shonen Jump to the next level. Two of the biggest names that were bid adieu by Weekly Shonen Jump this year were Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen and Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia.

My Hero Academia | Credit: Studio Bones

Jujutsu Kaisen saw its conclusion with manga chapter 271, which came out in September, and My Hero Academia saw its conclusion with manga chapter 430, which was released in August. With these big names leaving the manga community, the only hope for Weekly Shonen Jump is now One Piece, which is one of its longest-running manga series and has been at the top of its game for almost 30 years.

One Piece has been dominating the manga community, and even though there have been some frequent hiatuses, it still remains one of the top contenders of Weekly Shonen Jump. And it looks like One Piece and a few new manga series will be the only ones representing Shonen Jump, as there are a few more series that will most likely see their conclusion sooner rather than later.

The biggest Weekly Shonen Jump names have taken a bow

For the past few years, Weekly Shonen Jump has been at the top of its game as it has earned global recognition through My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen. Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia started in 2014 and remained one of the best-selling manga series for almost ten years. It was one of the biggest names in Shonen Jump and sadly saw its conclusion a few months ago.

In Jujutsu Kaisen’s case, Gege Akutami started this manga in 2018 and came to an end this year. The manga brought a revolution within the community by being crowned as one of the greatest dark fantasy stories within Shonen Jump and also becoming one of the biggest sellers. The series’ conclusion was one of the saddest moments for Jujutsu Kaisen’s cult following.

Jujutsu Kaisen | Credit: MAPPA Studios

They were some of the biggest names from Weekly Shonen Jump, and their end has surely affected the overall numbers of the Japanese manga anthology. But it still has some new additions that are slowly gaining their pace and will most likely become big names just like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia.

The only hope for Weekly Shonen Jump

While it may look like Weekly Shonen Jump might see a decent fall in the numbers since the conclusion of two of its greatest mangas, there is one name that could solely hold Shonen Jump’s head high, and it is One Piece. Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece has been the pillar of the manga industry for almost three decades with fame and recognition that transcends worldwide.

One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

The success of One Piece can be contemplated by the fact that the manga has over 523.2 million copies in circulation in 61 countries and regions worldwide by the end of December 2023. This makes it the best-selling comic series printed in book volume, as it surpassed JK Rowling’s Harry Potter. And the series is a few years away from its conclusion, which means that it is only going to grow.

Also, there have been a few big names like Sakamoto Days and Kagurabachi that have proven themselves by generating big numbers. Therefore, it is safe to say that even though Weekly Shonen Jump lost a few of its big names, it still has many different stories in its arsenal that will continue to grow with One Piece being at the top.