Weekly Shonen Jump has become the best-selling manga magazine ever, thanks to long-running hits like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. Launched in 1968, the magazine has published countless popular manga series and short stories over the years and continues to thrive despite changing trends. Today, most manga series end after around 300 chapters, or are even cancelled sooner. Even popular titles like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen finished within five to six years, with fewer than 300 chapters. To make room for new series, Shueisha, the magazine’s publisher, typically gives a manga about a year to release 40-60 chapters and a few collected volumes to gauge its success. However, some promising series are cancelled after only 20 chapters if they don’t attract enough readers. Gonron Egg is one example, ending on March 29th, 2026, after just 21 chapters. Currently, a newer series that began in February is also facing potential cancellation due to low readership.
Alien Headbutt Got Axed Before It Got a Chance
Akira Inui’s first ongoing manga series, Alien Headbutt, began publishing on February 8th, 2026. Though Inui had previously created several short stories for the Shonen Jump+ platform, Alien Headbutt hasn’t been well-received since its release. While some international fans are hopeful for the future of the series, it’s been much more poorly received in Japan. Recently, @ShonenSalto on X noted that Kinato’s Magic, another manga released around the same time, is starting to gain popularity, as seen in responses to Shonen Jump’s latest promotional videos.
Since its release, Under Doctor has maintained steady popularity and continues to gain fans. The manga started publishing in late January and has released 14 chapters so far. Both series’ promotional videos quickly gained traction on YouTube, exceeding 100,000 views in just two weeks. However, Alien Headbutt has only reached 13,000 views, a considerable difference. Given this contrast in performance, it’s possible Alien Headbutt may be cancelled.
Whether or not the manga continues will largely depend on how well the first volume sells when it comes out on July 3rd, 2026. Called Alien Headbutt, the story follows Shirokiba, a pro wrestling champion who returns to his childhood home—a small island—only to discover it’s been invaded by strange aliens. He then uses his wrestling skills to fight them off. You can read the manga on the official Manga Plus app and the Viz Media website.
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2026-05-30 05:11