Kagurabachi takes a week off from Jump due to author's illness

Kagurabachi will not appear in issue 42·43 of Weekly Shonen Jump, on sale September 14. The official account for the series has announced that the author, Takeru Hokazono, suffered a sudden illness and could not deliver the chapter on time.

The statement, reported by the Sanyo Shimbun newspaper, explains that the chapter planned for that combined issue has been postponed. "He has already recovered and the continuation will be published in the next issue 44 of Weekly Shonen Jump, on sale September 28."

This is not the first health-related break for the series this year. In May, Hokazono already took a week off due to a similar problem: the chapter planned for issue 25 was moved to issue 26. Then, starting with the June 29 issue, the manga went on a month-long hiatus and did not return until July 27. With this new interruption, Kagurabachi has now had three breaks due to the author's physical condition in less than four months.

A debut work with phenomenon-level numbers

Kagurabachi follows Chihiro Rokuhira, a young man who aspires to be a katana smith like his father. His life changes when the sorcerer organization Hishaku attacks his home and steals six enchanted swords capable of altering the fate of a nation. Chihiro survives and takes up the seventh sword, Enten, to begin his revenge.

The series began in September 2023 in Weekly Shonen Jump and marked the debut of Hokazono, born in Osaka in 2000. The first chapter became the most-read in the world on the English edition of MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA during its debut week. In August 2024, the manga won first place in the comics category of the Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Taishō award.

"The chapter planned for issue 42·43 has been postponed due to a sudden illness of the author. He has already recovered and the continuation will be published in issue 44."

The collected volumes have over 4 million copies in circulation. The anime adaptation is scheduled for April 2027.

The magazine has not specified the nature of Hokazono's illness. The team only confirms that the author is doing well and that the pending chapter will arrive two weeks later than planned.