2024 has come to a close, and with it another fantastic year forShonen Jump. Between great arcs from ongoing hits, new manga with fantastic debuts, and the excellent conclusions ofMy Hero AcademiaandJujutsu Kaisen, there was always something fun to read, and it made for one of the best years in the magazine to date.
2024 was a great year forShonen Jump, and 2025 is set to be even better. Between established hits that continue to tell one great story after another and new hits that are already making names for themselves,2025 will be a great year forShonen Jumpbecause of how many fantastic titles will continue to deliver in terms of both story and artwork just as they did in 2024. A few of those manga, in particular, especially stand out, and reading a single one is sure to be a worthwhile experience for 2025 and beyond.
10Hima-Ten!
Manga By Genki Ono; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump Since 2024
Genki Ono’sHima-Ten!stars Tenichi Iemori, a part-time house cleaner, and Himari Yoshino, a popular influencer who owns her own line of makeup products. The two don’t initially have much in common, and their few interactions don’t inspire either of them to pursue a deeper friendship, but everything changes when Iemori is assigned to be Himari’s new house cleaner, thus forcing them to bond in more ways than one.
Hima-Ten!’s writing invokes all the basic tropes of classic harem rom-coms, and while that could easily be hard to sit through,the earnestness inHima-Ten!’s writing, combined with its great character work, makes it fun to read, despite its cliched nature.Shonen Jumphasn’t had a straightforward rom-com in quite some time, and thankfully,Hima-Ten!has done a great job of filling that void.
9RuriDragon
Manga By Masaoki Shindo; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump 2022-2024, Shonen Jump+ Since 2024
Masaoki Shindo’sRuriDragonstars Ruri Aoki, a seemingly ordinary girl who wakes up one day to find that horns have sprouted out of her head. Ruri’s mother casually explains that her father is a dragon and Ruri’s dragon heritage has finally started to come out, and now Ruri has to deal with handling her new powers along with all the typical difficulties of being a high school girl.
In addition to its great artwork and character designs,RuriDragon’s commitment to telling a slice-of-life comedy that’s more about the characters than any comedy or drama makes every chapter fun to readand leaves it as one of the most uniqueShonen Jumptitles in tears. The series finally returned from a lengthy hiatus in 2024, albeit on a biweekly format, and overall, its return has been great to see.
8Astro Royale
Manga By Ken Wakui; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump Since 2024
InKen Wakui’sAstro Royale, a sudden meteor shower has not only destroyed most of Japan, but has also given some people dangerous supernatural abilities called Astros. The power of Astros has only heightened the chaotic state of Japan, and the only one who can fix things is Hibaru Yotsurugi, the heir to a notorious Yakuza clan with a noble heart and a powerful Astro.
While the series started a bit slow,Astro Royalehas slowly evolved into a great manga with standout character writing and entertaining fight scenes, with the final arc of 2024, in particular, doing a great job of fleshing out the cast and overarching narrative, as well.Astro Royaleis the latest manga by Ken Wakui ofTokyo Revengersfame, and anyone who was a fan ofTokyo Revengerswould be remiss to not giveAstro Royalea chance.
7Ichi The Witch
Manga By Osamu Nishi & Shiro Usazaki; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump Since 2024
Osamu Nishi and Shiro Usazaki’sIchi the Witchstars Ichi, a young boy who’s spent his whole life living as a hunter in the woods. One day, Ichi’s instincts lead him to kill a creature called a Majik and gain magical powers, an act is treated as a marvel by the witches of the world both because of the power of the Majik and because up until then, only women had ever had magical powers.
In addition to its fun comedy and character writing,Ichi the Witch’s paneling, character designs, and general artwork are some of the best of anyShonen Jumpmanga right now, resulting in a series that only gets better with every chapter. The team of Osamu Nishi and Shiro Uzaki has proven to be a great one, andIchi the Witchis easily the best newShonen Jumpmanga of 2024, by far.
Dark Gathering
Cast
Dark Gathering is a 2023 TV series that chronicles the harrowing journey of Keitaro Gentoga, who has the ability to see spirits. Haunted by his past, he teams up with his cousin Eiko and her friend Yayoi to confront malevolent ghosts. As they delve deeper into dark territories, their quest unveils chilling supernatural threats. Starring Yu Sasahara, Rina Honizumi, and Nobunaga Shimazaki, the series blends suspense with the supernatural.
Kenichi Kondo’sDark Gatheringstars Keitaro Gentoga, a college student trying to live a normal life, despite his ability to sense the supernatural. All of that changes, however, when he meets Yayoi Hozuki, a girl with similar supernatural abilities who uses them to capture and enslave violent spirits to prepare for battle against the spirit that stole her mother’s soul, and much to Keitaro’s dismay, he gets dragged into the dangerous and horrifying battles she undergoes for her mission.
Dark Gatheringhas always excelled with its character work and its brilliantly dark action and artwork, and in 2024, in particular,Dark Gatheringdid a perfect job of finally closing out the fight against Taisei Seikun with incredible action and visuals from start to finish. The series will be on a brief hiatus in 2025, but when it returns, it has all the setup it needs to continue to outdo itself.
Manga By Hirohiko Araki; Serialized In Ultra Jump Since 2023
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Hirohiko Araki. It follows the adventures of the Joestar family, spanning generations, each with unique abilities and battling supernatural enemies. Known for its eccentric characters, distinctive art style, and creative battles, it includes manga, anime, games, and merchandise.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOLandsis the ninth part of Hirohiko Araki’s long-running generational epic,JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Set nebulously in modern day, the latest protagonist is Jodio Joestar, a young drug runner looking for a chance to make it big in Hawaii, and he might have found that in a mysterious lava rock with the power to draw wealth to anyone who holds it.
Most ofThe JOJOLands’ story in 2024 was spent on the battle between Jodio’s group and HOWLER’s Stand users, Lulu and Bobby Jean, and in addition to the great artwork,JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOLands’ latest arc did a great job of highlighting the creativity of the series with its new Stand abilities and creative fight choreography. The series is finally ramping up its story, and it will be great to see what it has in store for 2025.
4The Bugle Call: Song Of War
Manga By Mozuku Sora & Higoro Toumori; Serialized In Jump Square Since 2022
Mozuku Sora and Higoro Toumori’sThe Bugle Call: Song of Warstars Luca, the bugler of a mercenary company with the ability to manifest the music he plays into light. One day, the mysterious Pontiff recruits Luca into an army of people with similar abilities to defeat the deadly Garland in exchange for Luca getting a chance to become a real musician, but there ends up being far more to it all than Luca could have imagined.
Between the amazing fight between Akira and the Heavenfall Branch-hexed, Luca’s flowering, and the massive lore reveals that completely changed the story,The Bugle Call: Song of Warcontinued to be one of the most inventive manga in terms of both art and writing in 2024 thanks to its latest story arc. The manga officially releases in English in 2025, so there’s no better time to start reading it if someone already isn’t.
Kagurabachi
Kagurabachiis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono. It began serialization inWeekly Shōnen Jumpin September 2023. The story follows Chihiro Rokuhira, an 18-year-old aspiring swordsmith whose father, Kunishige Rokuhira, was a renowned blacksmith known for forging six enchanted blades instrumental in ending the Seitei War. After his father’s murder by a criminal gang of sorcerers called the Hishaku, who also stole the enchanted blades, Chihiro embarks on a path of vengeance to reclaim them. Armed with his father’s last enchanted blade, Enten, Chihiro confronts various adversaries, including the Hishaku and other antagonistic groups.
Takeru Hokazono’sKagurabachiis an urban fantasy series starring Chihiro Rokuhara, the son of a legendary blacksmith who created six enchanted blades that were powerful enough to end wars. One day, Chihiro’s father is killed and his swords are stolen, but with the secret seventh enchanted sword, Chihiro will hunt down the enchanted swords and destroy them before they can be used for evil, killing anyone who gets in his way in the process.
With the fantastic conclusion to the fight with Sojo, the incredible Rakuzaichi arc, and all the depth of the current arc with Samura,Kagurabachicontinues to evolve into a standout manga with its great writing and even greater artwork and fight choreography.Kagurabachi’s first full year inShonen Jumpwas a great one, and its second year in 2025 is bound to be even better.
Dandadan
Two high school students, embroiled in a wager to prove the existence of ghosts or aliens, encounter daunting paranormal threats, acquire superpowers, and possibly discover love. The series blends supernatural elements with personal dynamics as the protagonists navigate their newfound abilities and unexpected challenges.
Yukinobu Tatsu’sDandadanstars Momo and Okarun, two people who believe in ghosts and aliens, respectively, and an attempt to prove the existence of both leaves the two of them with supernatural abilities and Okarun without his genitalia. Momo and Okarun, along with an ever-growing group of people with similar abilities, must now continually fight off alien and supernatural threats as they search for Okarun’s genitals, during which a romance between the two of them slowly begins to develop.
While the Danmara arc started slow,the unfolding of Zuma’s tragic backstory gave the Danmara arc some of the best writing in all ofDandadan, and everything that’s followed has done a perfect job of taking the comedy and dramatic tension of the series to even greater heights. There has never been a bigger shakeup to the status quo, and it will be great to see where things go from here.
Manga By Eiichiro Oda; Serialized In Weekly Shonen Jump Since 1997
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
In Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piece, the world has entered a Great Age of Piracy as pirates search for the mythical One Piece in the hopes of becoming the next Pirate King. Among those pirates is Monkey D. Luffy, a young rookie who can stretch his body like rubber, but despite his inexperience, it isn’t long before Luffy and his crew show the entire world that they can’t be underestimated.
Between the various twists of Egghead’s finale and the excitement of the Straw Hats finally reaching Elbaph,2024 was an incredible year forOne Pieceas the story effortlessly continued through its final saga.The long-awaited Elbaph arcwill surely be a highlight of 2025, and thanks to that,One Pieceis bound to be thebestShonen Jumpmanga to read in 2025, by far.
