5 manga that ended too quickly (& 5 that dragged for too long)

Manga brings audiences to extraordinary worlds populated by intriguing characters. However, some series fail to reach an ideal length. Several series conclude prematurely, which frustrates readers with their open endings, while others drag on excessively until their plotlines become thin and readers grow impatient.

Mangaka must find the ideal balance to keep readers engaged while preserving story momentum. The article reviews five manga series that stopped prematurely with untapped potential and five manga series that persisted beyond their prime moments.

By analyzing these examples, we demonstrate writers' difficulties when developing stories that maintain proper pacing while engaging readers.

Disclaimer: This list is ranked in no particular order and reflects the writer's opinion.

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5 Manga That Ended Too Quickly

1) Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru

Samurai 8 manga cover (Image via Shueisha)

Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto and illustrator Akira Okubo, crafted Samurai 8 with elements that should have guaranteed its success. The sci-fi samurai epic presented intriguing world-building that merged advanced technology with classic samurai themes.

Sales numbers and audience reception problems led to the series' premature cancellation after 43 chapters from May 2019 to March 2020. Due to the hurried conclusion, numerous plot threads and character arcs remained unresolved. If it had received additional time, Samurai 8 would have developed its one-of-a-kind setting with cybernetic warriors fighting throughout space.

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2) Berserk

Berserk manga cover (Image via Young Animal)

Kentaro Miura completed 30 years of work on Berserk before his death in 2021, leaving this dark fantasy series unfinished. Guts, the Black Swordsman's intricate storyline captured global fans with its stunning visuals and complex characters amidst a brutal medieval setting.

The premature ending of Berserk leaves readers without Miura's planned ending to Guts' pursuit of vengeance against Griffith. This series serves as both evidence of Miura's exceptional talent and a painful reminder that its narrative concluded before its time.

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3) Double Arts

Double Arts manga cover photo (Image via Flat Hero)

The action fantasy by Komi Naoshi about a world suffering from a fatal illness demonstrated great promise throughout its short 23-chapter series in 2008. Through the story, we explored the journeys of Kiri, who could neutralize Troia disease, and Elraine, who battled the disease's origin while being part of the Divine Sisters.

Their discovery that physical contact is necessary to protect Elraine from Troia leads them to create a unique fighting method called Double Arts. Komi's artistic uniqueness and intriguing storyline could not reach its full potential because the series ended prematurely before developing its world-building and characters, leaving fans curious about possible future developments.

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4) Mx0

Mx0 manga cover (Image via Shueisha)

In Yasuhiro Kano's magical comedy series, Taiga Kuzumi unintentionally joins a top magic school and pretends to be a powerful mage despite having no magical abilities. Taiga manages this dangerous situation by combining innovative thinking with the help of his unique "card," which temporarily reverses magic.

The series Mx0, which ran between 2006 and 2008, offered 99 chapters filled with inventive magical ideas alongside engaging character interactions. The series reached its full potential through intricate magic system analysis and character development just before its cancellation abruptly terminated its narrative and exploration of its universe.

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5) High School of the Dead

A still from the High School of the Dead anime (Image via Madhouse)

The zombie apocalypse action series written by Daisuke Satō and drawn by Shōji Satō became well-known due to its strong survival horror themes and unique art expression. The manga about high school students surviving a zombie outbreak started in 2006 and ended after 30 chapters in 2013 when it went into an indefinite hiatus.

The series never reached its intended conclusion when writer Daisuke Satō passed away in 2017. The narrative's premature termination disappointed fans because substantial momentum and character development had been established before its end.

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5 Manga That Dragged For Too Long

1) Rent-A-Girlfriend

Rent-A-Girlfriend manga cover (Image via Kodansha)

Reiji Miyajima's romantic comedy follows a college student who rents a girlfriend after a breakup but extends what might have been a brief story into an endless cycle of romantic letdowns. The series started in 2017 and reached 300 chapters by 2025 through repeated resets of character development and relationship milestones to uphold its core premise.

Readers believe that Kazuya's habitual indecisiveness and ongoing misunderstandings create an endless loop instead of engaging drama, which would have allowed for a satisfying ending in half the time without losing its key strengths.

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2) Detective Conan/Case Closed

Detective Conan manga cover (Image via Shogakukan)

Since its 1994 debut, Gosho Aoyama's detective series has produced over 1100 chapters about a child with a brilliant detective mind. The episodic murder mysteries deliver steady quality, yet the main storyline involving the Black Organization, which turned Shinichi into a child, develops extremely slowly.

The main storyline has seen little advancement over decades while new characters and plot complications emerge without resolving previous storylines. The series' design enables perpetual continuation yet sacrifices narrative momentum for essential story components.

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3) Hajime no Ippo

Hajime no Ippo manga cover (Image via Kodansha)

Since 1989, George Morikawa's boxing manga has documented Ippo Makunouchi's career through more than 1,400 chapters. The series receives praise for its accurate depiction of boxing training but features a repetitive structure, following the same pattern of training montages and prolonged fight sequences over multiple chapters.

Ippo's path to the world championship continues to meander through numerous implausible detours while his character development remains stationary for prolonged durations. Many readers who acknowledge the story's technical achievements believe it could have achieved its key milestones using fewer chapters.

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4) Naruto

Naruto manga cover (Image via Shueisha)

The ninja story by Masashi Kishimoto about an orphan's quest for acknowledgment became a worldwide sensation throughout its 700 chapters from 1999 until 2014. The series displayed noticeable pacing problems throughout its run, with the Fourth Ninja War arc standing out because it made up almost half of the manga's length.

The culmination of the final conflict brought about multiple unexpected power increases along with retcons and lengthy flashbacks, which disrupted the story's pacing. The compelling moments and characters of Naruto could have led to a more decisive conclusion if the story had maintained a tighter focus during its final stages.

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5) Fairy Tail

Fairy Tail manga cover photo (Image via Kodansha)

Between 2006 and 2017, Hiro Mashima published 545 chapters of his fantasy adventure about wizard guild members. Fairy Tail's popularity did not prevent its reputation from becoming tarnished due to repetitive story patterns and frequent reliance on "friendship power" solutions for conflicts.

The narrative structure of multiple story arcs within the series remains almost the same, with villains often defeated through unexpected power increases instead of strategic battles or character development.

Defeated enemies who returned as allies decreased the seriousness of each battle because major threats no longer became significant obstacles. Condensing the story would have allowed the series to maintain its strengths while removing unnecessary repetitions.

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Conclusion

The duration of a manga series plays a crucial role in shaping its lasting influence and the memories fans will retain of it. Premature endings rob some narratives of their full potential, whereas others lose their influence from overly extended serialization.

Successful manga achieves the perfect narrative timing by concluding their stories just right so that readers feel fulfilled by fully developed characters and resolved plots. Both fans and creators learn from these examples that effective storytelling demands the wisdom to know when to finish a story just as much as when to start one.

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