Kubo, Horikoshi, Akutami, and more to judge Shueisha's next "Battle Manga" following My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen's end

By Joseph Brogan

Modified Aug 24, 2024 11:07 GMT

Kubo, Horikoshi, Akutami, and more to judge Shueisha's next "Battle Manga" following My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen's end (Image via BONES)

Following the end of the My Hero Academia manga earlier this month, it seems that mangaka Kohei Horikoshi and others will be given new roles within Shueisha outside of authorship. Announced on Monday, August 19, Horikoshi, Jujutsu Kaisen mangaka Gege Akutami, Bleach mangaka Tite Kubo, and Black Clover mangaka Yuki Tabata will all be judges in a special one-time award.

The My Hero Academia mangaka and his colleagues will judge the “Jump Next Generation Battle Manga Award,” which is meant to seek out the next era of battle manga for Weekly Shonen Jump and more. Likewise, the top prizes include publication opportunities in Shueisha’s various magazines, as well as cash prizes and more.

My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and more manga creators decide Shueisha’s future in March 2025

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The aforementioned contest, which the My Hero Academia mangaka is one of four judges for, will take place from October 1, 2024, through January 20, 2025. The contest will accept entries from both professionals and amateurs, with Horikoshi, Kubo, Akutami, and Tabata personally judging the contest and its entries.

Alongside this news, an illustration for the event was revealed featuring the protagonists of each of the judges’ series. Kubo’s Ichigo Kurosaki, Tabata’s Asta, Akutami’s Yuji Itadori, and Horikoshi’s own Izuku “Deku” Midoriya each occupy a corner of the screen. Horikoshi drew the illustration himself.

The top three winners of the context will have their works published in the digital version of Weekly Shonen Jump, while the top two can earn a spot in the special GIGA magazine issue. The first-place winner will also have their work published in the physical version of Jump in addition to the digital version and the GIGA issue.

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There are also cash prizes of 1 million yen (roughly $6,900 USD), 500,000 yen (roughly $3,400 USD), and 300,000 yen (roughly $2,000 USD) for first, second, and third places, respectively. Excitingly, each of the winners’ published works will receive recommendations from one of the four judges. While the language on this lacks clarity, it seems the fourth judge will instead provide support to the honorable mention winners rather than recommend a winner’s series.

The results will be announced in late March 2025 in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, which isn’t a moment too soon considering the news regarding Jujutsu Kaisen earlier today. While fans had previously thought the manga would continue into 2025 at least, an official statement from Akutami confirmed that the series will be over by the end of September 2024.

In turn, this makes Horikoshi, Akutami, and Tabata’s involvement in the contest all the more significant. The former two’s series will be over by the time it begins, while the latter’s is likely to end around the same time as the results are shared in March 2025. Essentially, the trio are picking who they think are most likely to fill the void left behind by their respective mangas.