Can Undead Unluck replace My Hero Academia in Weekly Shonen Jump's time of need?

Undead Unluck is a popular manga series that has shown quite the potential. In a short period, the manga managed to gather a dedicated fanbase that adores this series thoroughly. Given that this is a unique shonen manga series that Weekly Shonen Jump publishes, fans seem to be asking an important question about the publication's future.

Fans have been wondering if Undead Unluck can replace My Hero Academia in Weekly Shonen Jump's time of need. Yes, Undead Unluck shows a good amount of potential at the time of writing for it to be one of Weekly Shonen Jump’s main manga series soon. This article will take a look at other details surrounding Weekly Shonen Jump’s most popular titles and understand the timelines set for each of them.

---

Understanding why Undead Unluck can replace the likes of My Hero Academia

Fuuko and Undead as seen in the anime series (Image via Studio David Production)

There is no doubt that Undead Unluck shows a ton of potential, but that alone cannot be the reason for it to replace something like My Hero Academia. The latter is one of the most popular modern shonen manga series and it would be quite difficult to replace.

However, it is important to note that the manga series is in its concluding stages. Therefore, Weekly Shonen Jump will be looking for a manga series that would take charge and act as one of the main titles for this publication.

One might argue that Undead Unluck wouldn’t be the ideal replacement, especially with the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen still pumping out content. However, this series too would conclude by the end of 2024. This was confirmed by the manga author, Gege Akutami himself at the Jump Festa 2024. During the panel, a note written by Gege Akutami was displayed on the large screen.

Gege Akutami's note confirming that this year's event would be the last Jump Festa for the series (Image via Shueisha/Gege Akutami)

As per the note, the Jujutsu Kaisen author stated that this year’s Jump Festa would be the last one while the manga is being published. This is a clear indication that two of Weekly Shonen Jump’s most popular titles will be concluding soon. While fans might be skeptical of Gege Akutami’s comments, the manga contents seem to align with the author’s views. The jujutsu sorcerers are trying their best to neutralize Sukuna, and one can’t help but feel that the manga is coming to an end soon.

Coming back to Undead Unluck, the plot is rather unique, which hooks the readers to the series. The main character, Fuuko Izumo is cursed with “unluck” which means anyone who comes in physical contact with her is afflicted with terrible luck. Knowing that she can never be with someone who can passionately love her drives her to a point of no return as she attempts to take her own life.

However, things change when she comes across an immortal being, Andy, who has incredibly high regenerative abilities and wishes to die too.

A glimpse of the manga series featuring Fuuko (Image via Shueisha/Toshifumi Yotsuka)

When their paths cross, Fuuko Izumo wishes to tap into her full potential to help Undead achieve his goal. However, before they can do so, the two must fend themselves off against a murderous organization. The plot of Undead Unluck is not only interesting but also has certain dark themes that can explored during the course of the series.

The prevalence of a plot like this followed by high-octane action and dark themes makes this manga series similar to My Hero Academia. The availability of the anime adaptation also allows fans to choose the medium in which they wish to consume this title.

In conclusion, there are two main reasons why Undead Unluck will be a replacement for My Hero Academia when Weekly Shonen Jump needs it. The first is the potential that the series has shown ever since its release in 2021.

The second reason is timing, since series like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia are coming to an end. It will be interesting to see how this series fares next year.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.