Jujutsu Kaisen manga enters hiatus due to author's poor health

Yesterday, the official Twitter account for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga announced a one-week hiatus due to author Gege Akutami’s poor health. Akutami is said to currently be recovering.

The hiatus came amidst a highly-anticipated chapter in the wake of the series' previous issue. This will be discussed in more detail below, as well as the state of the series and where it seems to be headed.

Follow along as this article breaks down the Jujutsu Kaisen's hiatus news, it’s impact on serialization, and why fans should be happy to see Akutami prioritizing their health.

---

Jujutsu Kaisen manga enters one-week hiatus, mangaka Gege Akutami recovering from poor physical condition

Current hiatus and hiatus history

The Jujutsu Kaisen manga will be entering a one-week hiatus ahead of its 178th issue. The chapter was meant to debut this coming Sunday in Weekly Shonen Jump’s 15th 2020 issue, but will now release the following Friday in the 16th issue.

The official Twitter account for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga broke the news, quoting the original and initial Japanese tweet made by the PR account for the series. Both tweets emphasize the hiatus being due to Akutami’s poor physical health, with the latter tweet emphasizing that they have already begun recovery practices.

Akutami most recently went on hiatus, prior to this current instance, in July 2021. The hiatus length was roughly one month long, with Akutami also citing their poor physical health as the reason for the hiatus then.

The previous hiatus also stressed that Akutami was in good mental health and it was not a serious disease. This is likely the case here as well, considering the presence of such factors were not announced.

---

Warning: Next section contains spoilers for recent Jujutsu Kaisen manga chapters

---

Current story summary and why the hiatus is good

Yuta Okkotsu's official design from the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 film (Image via MAPPA)

Without a doubt, the single biggest implication on story development is the delay in Yuta Okkotsu’s current fight. He currently finds himself locked in a three-way battle, against two other sorcerers with impressive powers.

Through Chapter 177, Yuta had fought without his Cursed Spirit, Rika, as she was protecting innocent civilians in a nearby stadium. However, being pushed to his limit, the previous chapter ended with him calling out to her, asking for “all of [her]” to come to his aid. This would seem to imply that fans have not seen “all of” Rika thus far.

Obviously, the already cliff-hanger ending has become even more suspenseful, with spoiler information for Chapter 178 becoming even more tantalizing. While fans may be upset at the last-minute hiatus, they should be incredibly grateful that Akutami is prioritizing their own health over the story.

In the wake of Kentaro Miura’s tragic death in May 2021, the extremely demanding prices of consistent serialization in the manga industry have been shoved into the spotlight. Other living mangaka, such as Hunter x Hunter’s Yoshihiro Togashi, further serve as examples of the pain which consistent drawing can bring into the author’s daily lives.

As a result, it’s incredibly understandable, appropriate, and proper for Akutami to prioritize their own health above the consistent serialization of the manga. While fans may be upset about waiting a week, it’s likely all would agree this is preferable to the series never being finished due to the author’s poor health.

---

In summation

The hiatus comes on a short publication week for Weekly Shonen Jump, with the magazine’s 15th and 16th issues releasing less than a full week apart. Even if it were to be a full, week-long hiatus for the series, this is still shorter than last summer’s hiatus, which fans were incredibly supportive of.

Follow along for more Jujutsu Kaisen anime and manga news as 2022 progresses.