2024 marked the beginning of some promising manga such as Centuria, MAD, Ichi the Witch, and more. At the same time, the clock ticked down for some of the most popular manga that have been entertaining the readers for many years. Yes, 2024 closed the chapter of well-known manga across the Shonen and Seinen genres. That said, let’s find out the manga series that bid farewell in 2024.
Popular Manga That Reached the Finish Line in 2024
Without any further delay, let’s take a look at the world-famous manga that ended in 2024 and how the readers felt about each of the manga’s endings. Note this article includes spoilers for the manga series listed below.
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami (2018 – 2024)
Tite Kubo’s Bleach inspired Gege Akutami to create his own sorcery manga, Jujutsu Kaisen, in 2018. It had an intriguing premise, and Gege fashionably fleshed out the plot and characters involving sorcerers and curses.
The author wonderfully built upon existing shonen elements and commenced a new era of shonen. Still, JJK was not a global hit manga at the start but once the anime adaptation aired, its popularity skyrocketed to become the hottest shonen manga on the planet, as evidenced by the new Guinness Record.
The way the final saga kicked off with the epic showdown between Gojo and Sukuna pulled in many readers. As readers came en masse, the manga leak culture got out of hand. But the manga began to falter as soon as the series’ most popular character Gojo bit the dust. What followed was a cliched and predictable war between the remaining sorcerers and Sukuna.
Gege couldn’t control the flow of the story and made some harsh decisions, such as bringing back dead characters like Nobara and underutilizing well-established characters such as Maki, Yuta, and many others. In the end, the creator rushed the ending of the manga, and many narrative beats were left unexplored. Hence, most of the fanbase was unhappy with JJK’s final run yet it dominated every other manga that came out in 2024 to become the best-selling manga of 2024.
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi (2014-2024)
Kohei Horikoshi’s superhero manga, My Hero Academia, debuted a decade back in 2014. It was considered one of the modern shonen manga alongside Black Clover and Seven Deadly Sins that could keep the shonen flame alive after the conclusion of Naruto and Bleach. Coming back to the present, My Hero Academia truly lived up to its expectations and entertained the fans quite well with its superhero and villain fights for a decade. MHA concluded in August this year, merely one month before JJK.
Unlike Jujutsu Kaisen, the final act saga of My Hero Academia (see MHA arcs in order here) was handled with care and executed fittingly by Horikoshi sensei. He took his time to wrap up every story element he meticulously built over a decade.
As a result, it was satisfying to watch the payoffs and conclusion of major developments such as Deku vs. Shigaraki, Ochaco and Himiko, Endeavour family, and many more. While the epilogue could have been better, as claimed by many fans, it ended on a high note.
Oshi no Ko by Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari (2020-2024)
Aka Akasaka, the creator of the international hit series, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, returned with a new supernatural drama revolving around idols back in 2020. The manga garnered a massive fan following and the release of the anime adaptation only boosted its popularity. In a short time, Oshi no Ko became a celebrated manga title and fans looked forward to Aqua’s revenge tale.
While Oshi no Ko was off to a good start, the manga received a sudden decline in quality and many controversies started to pile up around it. To top it off, Oshi no Ko’s ending didn’t resonate well with the readers and is considered to be one of the worst ending in manga history. Nevertheless, a manga about the Japanese idol industry kept the fandom on edge and put on an incredible show that will be remembered for years to come.
Potential Replacements for Manga That Ended This Year
The massive void left by these great mangas that concluded in 2024 obviously can’t be filled easily. However, there are a few manga with amazing potential, ready to take up the mantle and keep the Shonen manga fans entertained. The only manga that comes close to the dark fantasy and complex themes like JJK is Chainsaw Man. Fujimoto sensei has been consistently delivering phenomenal chapters for a long time now. The other toned-down replacement that comes to mind is Kaiju No. 8, which made a name for itself after the anime’s debut this year.
There are only a handful of superhero manga, so naturally, it is a tough situation to take over My Hero Academia. The old-timer One Punch Man manga is still being published, but keep in mind that it is a Seinen series. The other new contender is Go! Go! Loser Ranger! It is a popular manga right now about Power Rangers after its anime debut this year. Though they share similar themes of superheroes, each manga offers rather a different experience from MHA.
Finally, there aren’t any manga as intricate as Oshi no Ko. However, fans remark a classic manga called Skip Beat! could match the vibes. If you rather like a unique drama centered around Japanese entertainment, then Akane-banashi could be your next pick. Anyway, we have to wait for some more time to see any other manga or Aka will come out with a replacement of his own. That said, what are your thoughts about the mangas that ended in 2024? Let us know in the comments below.
