Weekly Shonen Jump is one of the most iconic manga anthology magazines in Japan and around the world, and is or has been the home of top titles. One piece, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball, Narutoand many others. Being as popular as it is, it's not an easy task to make it in the WSJ. Many mangaka dream of having their work published in the WSJ, but it's a demanding and competitive scene.
2025 was a rough year for the iconic magazine, with 10 series getting the ax alongside 3 others reaching their conclusions. With so many established series either ending or coming to an end, it's hard to predict what the future of Weekly Shonen Jump will look like. One thing we know for sure is that it doesn't take much to get a series canned. While the WSJ doesn't usually release official numbers for its canceled series, you can tell how a series is doing based on its “rank,” or where it ranks in that issue's content. A higher ranking means that it is a popular series, while a lower ranking in the index can mean bad news. With that in mind, these WSJ manga may not make it until the end of 2026.
Harukaze Mound
If there's any streak that looks like it's on its last stretch, it is Harukaze Mound. Sports manga generally have a pretty strong following, but for whatever reason Harukaze Mound it just doesn't seem to be catching on.
The series debuted at number 29 and has only appeared in the top 10 chart three times since then. For the last eight numbers Harukaze Mound it averaged a 17.8 rating, placing it at the bottom for ongoing serializations. At this rate, it doesn't look like it will last until 2026 for too long.
Burn the flame
Like Harukaze Mound, Burn the flame looks like a series that could be on the way sooner rather than later. The fantasy series hasn't fared well over the last eight installments, sitting at an average rating of 17.5 and has been in a couple of bottom positions in the index in recent weeks.
Burn the flame sales don't seem to be doing well either. Apparently, not even 3,000 units of serial tankobons were sold in the first week of November. With 2,947 copies sold, it's just above The dangers of ping-pong (2.107)series that was recently canceled this year. Kaedegamianother series with similar ratings, which ended last month, barely beat it. Unless something drastic happens, you can bet Burn the flame he's on his way out.
Hero Girl and Demon Lord Call It Quits
Anticipate it Hero Girl and Demon Lord Call It Quits it won't make it until the end of next year, maybe it will jump a bit, but the series is not off to a great start. Like all new series, it ranked first during its debut chapter, which was in 2025, at issue 50. But in issues 51 and 52, it dropped to 7th and 12th.
That's not a big trend for the new series. Instead of promoting the hype through word of mouth, it seems to be trying to find an audience. It's not strange to see the success of a more comedy-oriented series on the WSJ, but Hero Girl and Demon Lord Call It Quits maybe it just doesn't cut it with similar series Me and Roboco and Hima-Ten! around.
The ultimate exorcist Kiyoshi
Unlike most of the series mentioned so far The ultimate exorcist Kiyoshi in fact, it ran in the WSJ for a short time. He debuted in June 2024 and has accumulated 6 volumes of tankobons so far. The series was even recommended by Eiichiro Oda, under whom series creator Shoichi Usui worked for five years.
The overall performance of the series hasn't been bad throughout its run, but it's been going in the wrong direction lately. For the last eight numbers The ultimate exorcist Kiyoshi is an average of 13.9 ranks. Judging by the first week of tankobon sales for November, the series is doing well with 8,559 volumes sold. But it still doesn't do well compared to other modern series like it Dragon Ruri (56,184) a Akane Bashi (26,971). After all, The ultimate exorcist Kiyoshi may just be one of those series that appeals to the audience it has. But it's worth watching as a potential 2026 offering.
The elusive samurai
The elusive samurai will be one of those lucky series that sees its story wrap up organically rather than suffering a rushed ending. It was announced that the series is heading towards its conclusion in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 48, 2025. A month has passed since then and the series is still going. Who knows if it will last a year, but you can be sure that if it does, 2026 will be the last year we get new The elusive samurai chapters.
Fortunately, fans still have the upcoming second season of the anime to look forward to. While the release window has yet to be announced, it would be great if the anime came back next year to ease the sting of the manga's ending, even just a little.
