Another Shonen Jump Series Readies for 2026 Cancellation With New Update

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So far this year, Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump has already ended four different manga series, and it looks like another one will be cancelled soon. Shueisha has been trying out a lot of new manga in recent years, after some long-running series finished. Unfortunately, many of these new stories haven’t gained a large following and have been cancelled shortly after they began.

Recent cancellations of manga series in Shonen Jump have all followed a similar pattern: each series ends after fewer than 30 chapters, and often less than 20. It now appears that Akira Inui’s Alien Headbutt will be next to end. Updates regarding the release of physical copies in Japan (noticed by @WSJ_manga on X) suggest the series will conclude in the next few weeks.

Alien Headbutt Seems All But Cancelled in Shonen Jump

Japanese physical releases of Alien Headbutt will begin with the first two volumes on July 3rd. This quick release of both volumes at once is similar to what happened with other cancelled series – they often rushed out initial releases when sales were expected to be poor. This suggests that the publisher doesn’t expect Alien Headbutt to become popular, and an official cancellation announcement will likely follow soon.

It looked like Alien Headbutt was heading for a quick end, just like some other recent series. The sci-fi wrestling story debuted in Shonen Jump earlier this year and stood out from everything else in the magazine. While international fans enjoyed it, it wasn’t performing well in Japan, putting it at risk of cancellation. Sadly, it appears that cancellation has now happened.

What Happened to Alien Headbutt?

While not officially cancelled by Shonen Jump, many fans felt that Chapter 14 of Alien Headbutt signaled the series’ upcoming conclusion. The chapter featured a final challenge from the main villain, a new form for the protagonist Ouga, and intense battles. However, these elements couldn’t overcome the series’ declining popularity, and a rapid introduction and discarding of numerous alien designs seemed to confirm that the end was near.

Now that the story’s ending and final boss have been hinted at, it seems Alien Headbutt will probably be cancelled in the next few chapters. Chapter 19 is usually when the magazine starts cancelling series, and with summer coming, new short stories will quickly replace anything that ends. This means Alien Headbutt likely won’t be the only series to finish up in the next few weeks.

HT – @WSJ_manga on X

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2026-05-19 22:10