Ever feel like a certain manga shouldn’t have been canceled, but it got canceled anyway?
Well, you are not alone. Every one of us has experienced it and will keep experiencing the feeling over and over again. In the day and age where thousands of manga are available digitally, the competition has gotten fierce. With that, countless great manga get canceled. They never get the time to ripen or showcase their potential.
And that is why I’ve curated this list to discuss about manga that shouldn’t have been canceled. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the list of Top 10 Manga that Should Have Never Been Canceled.
10Time Paradox Ghostwriter
After getting nothing but rejections, aspiring mangaka Teppei Sasaki decides to quit. But lightning strikes at his apartment, after which he finds a Shonen Jump issue from 10 years in the future. Sasaki sees light at the end of the tunnel.
Unfortunately, Time Paradox Ghostwriter was promising, but it didn’t last more than 15 chapters. According to many, topics of plagiarism inside the storyline and the manga being too mature for its target audience might have led to its cancellation. Many believe it was plucked unripe; a bit more time would’ve shown its true potential.
9The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies
As the leader of an evil organization, Mira’s goal is to destroy and conquer. When the organization set its eyes on Earth, Mira encountered a brave magical girl named Byakuya Mimori. Before even realizing it, Mira fell head over heels for Mimori.
Due to the author’s passing, the manga only had 21 chapters. However, Studio Bones decided to adapt this into an anime, which will be released on July 9, 2024. It is also one of the Most Anticipated Summer Anime of 2024.
8Hell’s Kitchen
Dogma is the chef of Hell who is tired of eating the souls of arrogant chefs. To eat the soul of a true chef, he sets out to find one and discovers a middle school student named Satoru. Dogma decides to make Satoru a true chef from scratch and possesses him to do that.
Hell’s Kitchen was ended prematurely with only 53 chapters. The part that disappointed the readers most is that the ongoing arc was looking promising before it got canceled out of the blue, no one seems to know why. Although it got a spin-off manga, it never gained momentum.
7Robot x Laserbeam
Robato Hatohara’s emotionless expressions and rigid mannerisms earned him the nickname Robo. His best friend, Tomoya Nakata, is a school golf club member. Although Tomoya tried pursuing Robo to join the Golf Club, he failed. One day, an aspiring pro golfer notices Robo’s straight shot at a driving range and challenges him to a duel. Soon after the duel, Robo decided to join the club.
Robot x Laserbeam has pretty decent sales, but WSJ rankings weren’t that good, and in the end got canceled after a solid 62-chapter run. It was bound to happen, considering how golf isn’t an interesting sport for the targeted demographic.
6Act-age
Kei Yonagi was attracted to the idea of acting since childhood. As a teenager and the sole breadwinner of her family, she started auditioning with no luck until a director named Sumiji Kuroyama saw potential in her and gave her the much-needed opportunity. But the road ahead is anything but easy.
Unfortunately, Act-age’s story writer, Tatsuya Matsuki, didn’t act his age and got arrested for sexual misconduct with two junior high school girls. Thoughtless actions led to the cancellation of such a well-received manga after only a 123-chapter run.
Meanwhile, Rurouni Kenshin got a live-action as well as a reboot anime. Iykyk.
5Baby Steps
Eiichirou Marou decides to join a tennis club to take better care of his health. What started as only a way to keep himself fit became his obsession; the more he played, the more tennis fascinated him. Before knowing, Marou developed his unique playing style, using his brains more than his brawns.
After a whopping 10 years of serialization, Baby Steps was canceled after a 462-chapter run. The saddest part is that it is not the author’s decision but the publisher’s. She expressed her wish to continue, if possible, but sadly, it had to come to an abrupt end. It has a live-action series adaptation and a 50-episode anime adaptation (2 seasons).
4Somali and the Guardian of the Forest
In a world where humans are hunted to extinction, a lone golem comes across a human girl bound in chains. The golem decides to leave his duty as the Guardian of the Forest and embark on a journey to find the girl named Somali’s parents.
With a childcare theme, this slice-of-life fantasy anime has garnered positive and warm reviews, most appreciating it for its soothing presence. Unfortunately, Somali and the Guardian of the Forest was discontinued after a mere 39-chapter run due to the author’s continued poor health. On the brighter side, it also has an anime adaptation, aired on the same day it was canceled.
3Phantom Seer
The cancellation of Phantom Seer has to be the most infuriating one, considering how so many below-average manga(s) are still being published in the magazine. A few more chapters and this action horror might have become a promising release for Weekly Shonen Jump because the sales were surprisingly good for a manga that got canceled after a 32-chapter run.
2MamaYuyu
Corleo is the hero of the peaceful world. But the peace is disturbed when a hero and a demon lord from another world appear. MamaYuyu’s first chapter was impressive; it seemed like the next big thing. From the paneling, the art, and the presentation to the engaging storyline, MamaYuyu attracted the attention of readers globally.
Despite getting recommended by Jujutsu Kaisen’s author, Gege Akutami, and Chainsaw Man’s author, Tatsuki Fujimoto, MamaYuyu’s run was cut short with 29 chapters. It’s a reminder of the oversaturation and the cruel reality of the manga industry.
1Psyren
To this day, despite excellent global reception, many manga get canceled due to poor domestic (Japan) reception, and Psyren is a prime example of that. Published in the late 2000s, Psyren was known for its unique power system and impressive world-building. It was thought to be the next big hit until it was canceled after a solid 145-chapter run because it was overshadowed by other action manga during that time.
Final Thoughts
In an ideal world where sales and popularity aren’t the deciding factors to cancel a manga, an ideal world where a canceled manga gets to continue in another magazine, all would be well. But reality isn’t as forgiving. If you have any recommendations or feedback, let me know in the comment section below.
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