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The news that Kagurabachi is getting an anime adaptation isn’t surprising to manga fans; the series has become the big standout among new Weekly Shonen Jump titles, to the point where it felt almost inevitable that it would be animated soon. However, a recent report shows that publisher Shueisha is putting a lot of effort into making sure that Kagurabachi is the next breakout anime hit because they’re not sure if their current manga lineup has the same potential.

Many of the biggest anime hits out there come from the pages of Shonen Jump. From icons like Dragon Ball to Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach (the Big Three from the early 00s that dominated the anime fandom) through to recent titles like Jujutsu Kaisen and DanDaDan, Shueisha’s flagship manga magazines have always been the place to find the next big anime hit. However, there is a sense in the anime industry that those days may be coming to an end. 

“Akane Banshi and Kindergarten Wars probably won’t become social phenomena as anime,” an anime producer told outlet Toyo Keizai recently. “It seems like there are no more promising Jump titles left.”

That is why we don’t expect the hype around Kagurabachi to die down anytime soon. Because of its huge popularity both in Japan and overseas, Shueisha and studios CyberAgent and Shochiku (who are jointly producing the anime) need this series to become a hit. It is seen as the only Jump manga that has the potential to become a breakout anime. Otherwise, the days of Shonen Jump’s dominance of the anime zeitgeist may be coming to an end.

Each week, Popverse's resident anime expert Trent Cannon runs down the latest and, dare we say "greatest," in anime and manga in Popverse Jump. Some recent columns have included... 

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