2026 is only halfway over, but even so, many Shonen Jump series have been cancelled before January is even over. Launched in 2014, Shueisha’s official manga platform, Shonen Jump+, is known for serializing original shonen series alongside catering to other manga demographics. Several series in the platform are globally renowned, such as Dandadan, Kaiju No.8, Spy x Family, and many more. Since there are so many options for readers to choose from, several manga don’t get the attention they deserve. Unfortunately, series that aren’t performing well are often discontinued abruptly. While Shueisha almost never officially declares a manga is getting axed, it’s impossible to miss when a story reaches an anticlimactic conclusion in just a few months after its debut. Just last year, the platform concluded several dozen series, and it appears 2026 will follow the same pattern.
Aside from the cancellation of Weekly Shonen Jump’s Otr of the Flame, Shonen Jump+ has also been actively concluding promising series such as Ryota Killed His Brother. However, the purge is far from over since @WSJ_manga on X, a famous account known for sharing all Shonen Jump news, just confirmed another series has ended this month. This action-occult series has been underrated since its debut, although it has a small but dedicated fanbase, which expressed its disappointment after the news was shared on social media.
What Is The Urban Legend Files About?
This supernatural horror-comedy manga is written and illustrated by Kazuki Hiraoka. Manga Plus describes the series as, “Mokume is a first-year college student and occult fanatic! She hunts down an older student, Kugutsu, who is rumored to attract urban legends of all kinds… What will happen when she joins the Occult Club? The long-awaited occult comedy from the creator of “Janji”, Kazuki Hiraoka!”
Shonen Jump+ Confirms Two More Manga Cancellations
The primary reason is definitely popularity, since the publishing company faces certain damage if it continues a manga with no scope of catching the reader’s eye. With the digitization of manga series on a globally accessible scale, the competition is intense. They also need to clear serialization slots for other promising series. Not to mention that it affects the brand image. However, even famous series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer don’t even manage to hit the 300-chapter milestone and conclude the story with steady progress, and a lot of factors play out in this.
Unlike the era of shonen manga, where series like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, etc. were allowed time to develop the story naturally, modern series are pitched with a clear idea of an ending in mind. Reader preferences have changed over the years, with many new manga enthusiasts preferring to read several fast-paced and short series instead of spending months on longer and slow-burning shonen.
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