5 Shonen Manga that ran longer than Jujutsu Kaisen (& 5 that were much shorter)

Shonen manga is known for producing a lot of prominent series and Jujutsu Kaisen is no different. This series ended this year with 271 chapters and while there have been a lot of different opinions regarding its conclusion, the general perspective is that there were a lot of rushed plot points and could have benefitted from being longer.

In that regard, there are some major shonen manga series that were significantly longer and had time to conclude their plot in a much more satisfying manner. On the other hand, there were also series that took a lot fewer chapters to end their stories and many of them have been celebrated as some of the greatest icons of the medium throughout the years. So here are, in no particular order, series that ran longer and shorter than Jujutsu Kaisen.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series mentioned here. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

5 Shonen Manga that ran longer than Jujutsu Kaisen

1) Naruto (700 chapters)

One of the most iconic shonen manga out there (Image via Studio Pierrot).

There is no denying that Naruto is one of the greatest shonen manga of all time and had a gargantuan run that lasted for 700 chapters. Very few series can boast of such a milestone and makes a lot of sense when considering the deep lore and world-building that was established by author Masashi Kishimoto throughout the years.

Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy who is hated by the people of the Hidden Leaf Village because he has a demon fox who attacked them sealed within him. He doesn't know why but he grew up an orphan and chooses to become a ninja and aim for the position of Hokage, the leader of the village, thus starting his adventure in this series.

2) Bleach (698 chapters)

Another major shonen manga (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Jujutsu Kaisen was heavily influenced by Bleach, although is fair to say that author Gege Akutami didn't take the series' length. In general, author Tite Kubo's most celebrated work has had a massive influence on modern shonen manga, with a lot of people citing his work, although that also goes to show the style he crafted throughout the years.

Ichigo Kurosaki is a teenager who always had the ability to see ghosts and his life changes forever when he meets a girl named Rukia who is a Shinigami and is in charge of dealing with the souls of the dying. As they are attacked by corrupted souls known as Hollows, Ichigo ends up becoming a Shinigami, starting an adventure that is going to take him across multiple realities.

3) Dragon Ball (519 chapters)

Perhaps the most influential and legendary shonen manga ever made (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball is probably the most important shonen manga of all time and that is no exaggeration when considering the franchise's worldwide influence and reach. Both the manga and anime industries grew significantly because of the success of author Akira Toriyama's series and everything started with the source material.

A girl named Bulma is traveling across the world to find these magical orbs known as Dragon Balls that can grant wishes and runs into a kid with a monkey tail named Goku who has freakish strength. They end up becoming friends and Goku chooses to go with Bulma to find the Dragon Balls, starting a journey that is as incredible as is legendary.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history, and Dragon Ball, thanks to these 519 manga chapters, has become the measuring stick of shonen manga for generations.

4) Slam Dunk (276 chapters)

A major shonen manga series (Image via Shueisha).

While Slam Dunk didn't have a lot more chapters than Jujutsu Kaisen, it is telling that this series had a much stronger development and conclusion when comparisons are made. This series is also notorious for delivering a much more realistic and educational take on basketball, which is something that not a lot of sports manga tend to use as an approach.

Hanamichi Sakuragi is a juvenile delinquent who chooses to apply for the basketball team of his school to impress the girl he likes, Haruko Akagi. While his temper and stubbornness initially cause a lot of problems, especially with teammates Takenori Akagi and Kaede Rukawa, he begins to develop a love for the sport and grows as a player.

Author Takehiko Inoue might be more celebrated these days because of his masterful work on Vagabond, but Slam Dunk is where his progression was made. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest shonen manga of all time and rightfully so.

5) My Hero Academia (430 chapters)

A shonen manga that ended recently (Image via Shueisha).

My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen have always been compared to some degree since they are two of the most prominent shonen manga of the last decade and have shared that even by sharing endings. These two series ended almost at the same time in 2024 and is fair to say that their conclusions have been equally controversial to a degree.

Izuku "Deku" Midoriya grew up in a world where people could born with superpowers known as Quirks and didn't have one, which led to a lot of bullying and prejudice during his childhood. Everything changes when he makes a risky decision to save his bully, Katsuki Bakugo, and his childhood hero, All Might, sees this and decides to give him his Quirk, One For All, so he can be his successor.

My Hero Academia was praised as the next big thing in Shonen manga ten years ago and has been an absolute commercial success, even if the story itself has been divisive to some people. In many ways, it is a modern classic and the conclusion is going to be debated for years.

5 shonen manga that were much shorter than Jujutsu Kaisen

1) Fist of the North Star (245 chapters)

A classic shonen manga (Image via Shueisha).

Fist of the North Star is one of the most critically and commercially acclaimed battle shonen, to the point of preceding Dragon Ball as far as this genre goes. That is very important since this series has been very influential and has a lasting impact on the medium, with a lot of people claiming that this manga defined the 1980s.

Kenshiro is the chosen wielder of the Hokuto Shinken fighting style and is wandering a desolate wasteland of a world that was ravaged by nuclear warfare decades ago. He is searching for his loved one named Yuria and along the way he meets allies and foes alike as he delivers his style of deadly justice.

Writer Buronson defined the series with strong characterization and a formula that was clear and effective for 245 chapters, coupled with Tetsuo Hara's phenomenal art. A lot of tropes of the shonen genre have been defined because of Fist of the North Star and the manga definitely deserves to be revisited.

2) Yu Yu Hakusho (175 chapters)

Another legendary shonen manga (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Yu Yu Hakusho started as a fairly generic episodic ghost story and evolved into a classic and complex battle shonen manga that managed to push the envelope of the genre. While it only had 175 chapters during its run in the 90s, it has become a very influential piece for a lot of series, including Jujutsu Kaisen.

Yusuke Urameshi is a high school delinquent who comes from a broken home and only causes problems to those around him but everything changes when he is hit by a car after saving a kid. He dies and is given the chance to return to life but chooses to go to the afterlife because no one cares about him, although that changes when he sees his own funeral and realizes that a lot of people do care.

The strong characters are a big selling point of Yu Yu Hakusho but watching the evolution of author Yoshihiro Togashi is a major aspect of this manga's appeal. There is a constant sense of development that makes it one of the most fascinating reads as far as shonen manga goes.

3) Attack on Titan (139 chapters)

A very popular series that was much shorter than Jujutsu Kaisen (Image via Wit Studio).

There is no denying that Attack on Titan has been one of the greatest hits as far as anime goes in the last decade or so, including comparisons with Jujutsu Kaisen. While some people have qualified this series as seinen, it was featured as a shonen manga and ran for 139 chapters, becoming a modern classic of the medium.

It is also worth pointing out that Hajime Isayama's series was a monthly production, so it makes a lot of sense that is only half as long as Jujutsu Kaisen. While its ending has been extremely divisive to a lot of people, it is still a beloved piece of storytelling, with a lot of people praising how it took a different direction with battle shonen.

Eren Yeager spent his youth in a small town that was isolated with walls as a way to protect them from creatures known as Titans. Eventually, he chooses to join the army designated to fight the Titans to avenge his mother and find freedom beyond the walls, although events take a massive turn, and a lot of dark truths are revealed.

4) Rurouni Kenshin (255 chapters)

A cult favorite among shonen manga (Image via Liden Films).

Rurouni Kenshin is a cult classic as far as shonen manga goes and is interesting to compare with Jujutsu Kaisen since they have very different approaches to storytelling. Kenshin Himura was once known as the "Hitokiri Battōsai", a slayer of the government who took down a lot of rebel enemies during the years of war but now has become a ronin in the current Meiji era.

The series ran for 255 chapters and focused heavily on Kenshin's choice of never taking life again, which is a decision that is constantly challenged by enemies of his past. He tries to settle down in a normal life at a dojo owned by a lady named Kaoru Kamiya and they slowly fall in love with one another.

There is an argument to be made that Rurouni Kenshin didn't have the commercial and worldwide reach of the other series in this list but it was certainly a critical success. The positive perception of the recent anime remake by Liden Films shows how beloved this shonen manga is.

5) Fullmetal Alchemist (108 chapters)

A modern shonen manga masterpiece (Image via Bones).

Fullmetal Alchemist barely had more than one hundred chapters but still managed to become one of the most popular and celebrated shonen manga of the last thirty years. Some of the reasons it has been praised are the clear battle systems, strong characters, solid world-building, and an ending that was satisfying and logical with everything that was set up.

Edward and Alphonse Elric were two young boys who chose to try alchemy to bring back their mother from the dead but that had a lot of ramifications for them. It turns out that alchemy cannot bring people back to life, which ends up costing Edward one of his arms and legs, and Alphonse his entire body and his soul got trapped into an armor.

They decide to become Alchemists for the state and try to find a way to fix their bodies, although they eventually get involved in a greater conflict that involves terrorism, warfare, and even inhuman creatures. All of this while telling a story that celebrates the importance of bonds and the elements that make people human.

Final thoughts

There are other shonen manga series that were both shorter and longer than Jujutsu Kaisen but these are some of the most prominent examples. Moreover, all of these series have had a lot of relevance throughout the years, which makes the comparison all the more logical.

Related articles

Edited by Tiasha