Jujutsu Kaisen Creator Lands New Shonen Jump Manga
Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami appears to be back with a new manga. The new series, titled Mimojuro, will be written by Akutami with art by Cipher Academy illustrator YÅ«ji Iwasaki. Not much else is known about the manga, beyond the fact that it’s a short-term serialization, but given Akutami’s pedigree, fans are already excited.
Reportedly, this week’s issue of Weekly Shonen Jump confirmed the release in its table of contents. Shueisha has not formally announced the project. According to manga news source Manga Mogura on X, fans can look forward to the first chapter’s release in the September 8th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump.
Why Fans Are Already Hyped For Gege Akutami’s New Manga, Mimojuro
Releasing in 2018 to immediate fanfare, Jujutsu Kaisen is a beloved battle shonen that clearly takes inspiration from series like Naruto and Bleach. There’s a reason many fans consider Jujutsu Kaisen to be Bleach’s true successor. With its darker edge and tone, Jujutsu Kaisen was one of Shonen Jump’s biggest series until its conclusion in September 2024.
In addition to fan anticipation for Akutami’s return to the world of manga, there is also excitement about his collaborator. YÅ«ji Iwasaki and Nisio Isin’s Cipher Academy was Shonen Jump’s most exciting new series when it premiered in 2023, and part of that was undeniably Iwasaki’s artwork.
Why Akutami’s New Manga Is So Surprising Even Before It Releases
Beyond the obvious excitement at the prospect of more manga from Akutami, what makes Mimojuro so surprising is how soon it’s being released after the end of Jujutsu Kaisen.
Manga is a notoriously rough industry, and even Akutami himself needed help from One Piece’s creator to cope with the physical strain of working so hard. Most mangaka behind huge series take much longer sabbaticals before attempting another series.
Masashi Kishimoto, for instance, took five years after Naruto’s ending to release the first chapter of his follow-up manga, Samurai 8. The stress of working on manga, both physically and mentally, means that no one can blame the creators of big series for taking a long rest after their popular manga’s conclusion.
Probably helping matters for Akutami is that he’s not on art duties. While writing weekly manga is no doubt a daunting task, it is often the art that provides the biggest challenge and time sink for manga creators. Given that Akutami is working with an artist, that probably makes it easier to start work on a new series.
Though it is surprising to see Akutami return to the world of manga so soon after Jujutsu Kaisen’s ending, it’s still a welcome return. Jujutsu Kaisen is a seminal series, so it will be exciting to see what Gege Akutami cooks up next.
