Kagurabachi's biggest competitor bites the dust as Weekly Shonen Jump axes yet another manga

Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has decided to axe yet another manga, and this time it's Kagurabachi's competitor, MamaYuyu. The promising action-based shonen manga is slated to end its serialization on April 8, 2024, with only 29 chapters in Jump issue #19.

Written and illustrated by Yoshihiko Hayashi, MamaYuyu debuted on September 11, 2023, as part of Shonen Jump's NEXTWAVE project, in which Kagurabachi and Two on Ice were selected as two other entries.

While the series didn't have a solid reception like Hokazono's series, it nonetheless had a fanbase. Unfortunately, the manga couldn't attract a wider audience. As a result, Weekly Shonen Jump decided to end its run.

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Weekly Shonen Jump axes Kagurabachi's competitor, MamaYuyu

Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump is known for axing underperforming manga series. Unfortunately, the latest victim of this practice is Yoshihiro Hayashi's MamaYuyu.

According to the announcement, the action-shonen manga series will end serializing in Weekly Shonen Jump's #19 issue on Monday, April 8, 2024, with chapter 29.

Notably, fans of this series had already guessed this predicament, given how the manga rushed its pacing. With Corleo's adventure as a hero reaching a climax point in the previous installment, it was a matter of time before Weekly Shonen Jump announced the dreaded news.

A lead color page of Yoshihiko Hayashi's manga (Image via Yoshihiko Hayashi/Shueisha)

After debuting on September 11, 2023, as part of Shueisha's Jump NEXTWAVE Project, MamaYuyu promised a lot. Some fans felt it could rival Takeru Hokazono's Kagurabachi, which debuted in the same project.

However, Hayashi's manga never reached the popularity that Hokazono's series did. Even in the weekly ToC rankings, Yoshihiko's manga frequently dwelled in the bottom three, while Hokazono's series gradually moved to higher rankings.

Similarly, the action-shonen manga didn't have the best volume 1 sales. Although the volume copies were restocked two times, it's clear that Shueisha didn't find the overall numbers satisfactory enough to let the series continue on Weekly Shonen Jump.

Chihiro, as seen in Kagurabachi manga (Image via Takeru Hokazono/Shueshia)

On the other hand, Kagurabachi surged in popularity and had incredible success with volume 1, selling more than 55k copies. Additionally, MamaYuyu didn't have a stable fanbase like Hokazono's series, which made it difficult for the series to thrive.

Nevertheless, there's no doubt that the series had immense potential. Yoshihiko Hayashi's genius as a mangaka was reflected in his meticulous use of panels. His unique art style gave the series a refreshing vibe.

Moreover, he incorporated an intriguing power system known as Sigil Sorcery and beautifully crafted the "Hero-Villain" dynamic. Yet, the series failed to capture the attention of a larger audience.

Notably, this is not the first time Shueisha has axed a promising manga series. For example, in February 2024, the company prematurely ended a fairly popular manga, Martial Master Asumi.

While some fans blamed Takeru Hokazono's manga for Martial Master Asumi's failure, the actual reason was the series' lack of popularity and unsatisfactory manga sales. It's saddening that MamaYuyu met the same fate as several other promising manga series that got axed in the Weekly Shonen Jump.

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