With the conclusion of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga in September 2024, there has been speculation that Kagurabachi could potentially become one of the leading series in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. This is due to the magazine’s history of promoting three series simultaneously, but with both My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen coming to an end, the magazine will only have One Piece remaining as a flagship series.
Despite Yoshihiro Togashi’s confirmed return from hiatus to continue the Hunter X Hunter manga, his past track record of taking long breaks must be taken into consideration. As such, Weekly Shonen Jump must find a more permanent solution to maintain the success of the magazine. One potential candidate within the current lineup is Kagurabachi, although it may require an anime adaptation to fully take on the responsibility.
Please note that the views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
Why does Kagurabachi need an anime to replace Jujutsu Kaisen?
Despite its popularity among fans, Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen manga never quite reached its full potential before receiving an anime adaptation. However, everything changed when the series was adapted into an anime by MAPPA studio, which was met with critical acclaim.
The scenario was similar for Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer manga, as its sales rose after the release of the Ufotable-produced anime adaptation.
Despite not having an anime adaptation, Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi manga remains incredibly popular and continues to generate high sales. However, it has not reached the level of widespread fame. This can be seen in the limited discussions about the series on online platforms, especially when compared to other popular series.
Despite its initial lack of success in Japan, the popularity of a manga is heavily influenced by its marketing. However, it gained a positive reception from the Western population and this in turn also contributed to increased sales in Japan.
This was the first instance in which a manga had made such a significant impact in the Western market that it had an influence on sales in Japan.
At Jump Festa 2024, the editor-in-chief of the Weekly Shonen Jump publicly recognized the widespread popularity of Kagurabachi manga among international readers. He also took the opportunity to encourage Japanese readers to give the manga a chance.
Furthermore, Nikkei Newspaper, a prestigious agency in Japan, carried out a survey to explore the global appeal of the series. The manga’s popularity was further solidified with the release of the latest English-translated VOMIC by Shonen Jump.
Despite all of this, it is necessary for the manga to have an anime adaptation for the purpose of marketing. This is because an anime has a much greater ability to boost the sales of a manga compared to it being solely reliant on its own marketing. This is particularly true because manga primarily caters to manga readers and may not reach the wider audience of anime watchers. Only after Kagurabachi’s anime is released can we truly assess its impact.
If the project were to be picked up by a major anime studio and given a faithful adaptation, the series would surely gain popularity. Without an anime adaptation, the sales would never reach the same heights.
This fact is further supported by the examples of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Oshi no Ko, where the anime adaptations resulted in a significant increase in manga sales.
Hence, should Kagurabachi manga be adapted into an anime, the series would likely experience a significant boost in its sales, potentially elevating its status within Weekly Shonen Jump and solidifying its place as one of the prominent works featured in the magazine.
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