Is Kagurabachi to blame for MamaYuyu's cancellation? Explored

With the release of the latest edition of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, two series of particular interest for fans were those of Kagurabachi and MamaYuyu. The former manga series from author and illustrator Takeru Hokazono is about to begin its biggest fight yet. The latter series from author and illustrator Yoshihiko Hayashi, however, has earned fans’ attention due to showing several signs of early cancellation in recent weeks.

Likewise, with the release of the latest edition of Weekly Shonen Jump, it has been confirmed that MamaYuyu is the first series of Shueisha’s JUMP NEXTWAVE initiative to be axed early. Kagurabachi, meanwhile, shows no signs of slowing down and is only getting more and more popular with each passing week.

Unsurprisingly, fans are starting to draw connections between this latest development for MamaYuyu and its having started in Jump at roughly the same time as Kagurabachi did. As a result, many are questioning whether or not the blame for the (in the eyes of many) premature cancellation of the former series can be rested on the shoulders of the latter.

Kagurabachi’s smash-hit status doesn’t necessarily put it at fault for MamaYuyu’s early cancellation

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Both manga were spawned as a result of Shueisha’s JUMP NEXTWAVE initiative. The program was created with the goal of finding the next “big” series for Weekly Shonen Jump. These could replace the series that are set to soon end, like My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and even One Piece. In other words, Shueisha essentially took their best shots with the program, having held high hopes for all 3 series in it.

Unfortunately, Hokazono’s series quickly became the one to which fans most positively responded and on the widest basis overall. While Hayashi’s manga was still received positively, its readership numbers on MANGA Plus reflected the niche audience it seemingly couldn’t break past. While those who read the series sang its praises, its lack of a widespread audience undoubtedly played a major role in its cancellation.

However, Kagurabachi shouldn’t be blamed for MamaYuyu’s lack of an audience. This is considering several other series have gone up against much bigger names and still found a way to remain in serialization. Some great examples are My Hero Academia, Black Clover, and Jujutsu Kaisen. The former two debuted within roughly 7 months of each other, yet both still found success without one getting the other canceled.

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The lattermost was even set to be canceled but found a way to secure more time via creative approaches to its ongoing story at the time. Not to mention, all three had to contend with One Piece and other well-established Jump series that were being serialized at the time. This is all to say, it’s entirely possible to face stiff competition in Weekly Shonen Jump and still find a way to remain in serialization, even if your competition also ends up in regular serialization.

With this in mind, it’s difficult to put the fault of MamaYuyu’s cancellation squarely on Kagurabachi’s shoulders. There’s simply not enough precedent of other Jump series meeting similar fates in similar contexts to make such a bold claim. There are undoubtedly other aspects of Hayashi’s manga and its setting that contributed to its aforementioned niche audience size.

Potential flaws in Hayashi’s approach, explored

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One of the biggest differences between Hayashi’s and Hokazono’s respective manga series lies in their respective power systems. More specifically, the naming and foundational concepts of Hayashi’s power systems weren’t the most memorable or engaging. The naming especially falls into this category, with many abilities’ names being somewhat difficult to say and leaving little to no lasting memory. Hokazono’s, however, excels in this category.

Many also argue that MamaYuyu went too big too early, whereas Kagurabachi had its memorable moments from its first few chapters but generally saved the action for later on. While either approach is successful given the right context and surrounding support, it’s clear that Hayashi failed in this regard for the former series.

That being said, there’s plenty that Hayashi got right. MamaYuyu’s dark fantasy aspects were heavily praised, even by Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami. The series' characters were also beloved by fans, with each getting clear backstories and motivations from essentially their respective introductions.

Yet despite these positives and more, in the contemporary Shueisha environment, a series needs to be firing on all cylinders from the start to have the best chance at serialization, as many say Kagurabachi did. Resultantly, the cancellation of Hayashi’s series lies with them and their editorial staff alone.

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