A Jujutsu Kaisen hiatus began in June 2021 due to JJK manga creator Gege Akutami’s health problems. So, what does that mean for the Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 153 release date in Weekly Shonen Jump?
It was originally hoped by the Jujutsu Kaisen author that the JJK hiatus would be “around a month” since the health condition is not considered serious. Unfortunately, the indefinite break lasted longer, which meant the Jujutsu Kaisen 153 release date was pushed back to August 2, 2021.
Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 153 will release as part of Weekly Shonen Jump 2021 Issue 35.
Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump announced Jujutsu Kaisen’s return in July 2021 once the JJK creator had recovered enough. When the hiatus began the exact release date was originally not specified, which is why this break was considered an indefinite hiatus.
“To our readers. Thank you for always reading Jujutsu Kaisen,” wrote Weekly Shonen Jump. “Due to the poor physical condition of Akutami Gege, Jujutsu Kaisen will be absent for some time from the next issue onward. Akutami wanted to continue writing, but after several discussions with the editorial department, it has been decided that it’s better for Akutami to take a break for a certain period of time. We determined it was the best decision for the mangaka to recover their physical condition.”
The Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 152 release date in Weekly Shonen Jump No. 28 will not be impacted by the JJK hiatus. Weekly Shonen Jump says that Jujutsu Kaisen 152 is still coming out as originally planned on June 14, 2021 (or June 13, 2021, in North America).
Assuming the Jujutsu Kaisen hiatus only lasts a month as originally stated, the Jujutsu Kaisen 153 release date should be in the first half of July 2021.
Note: This news story will be updated over time with more details about the Jujutsu Kaisen hiatus and Gege Akutami’s health problems.
- Updated July 16, 2021: Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 153 release date confirmed.
JJK hiatus plans explained: JJK creator wants to focus on manga’s ending
Like many manga authors, Gege Akutami suffers from health problems. Other creators have suffered health problems only to find themselves needing to take year-long breaks.
For example, the Tower of God hiatus was originally planned to be short, but then it was extended multiple times into weeks and then many months. The Hunter x Hunter hiatus is also infamous and an anime fans have been waiting on Hunter x Hunter Season 7 for years.
In Spring 2021, Akutami was asked by the Weekly Shonen Jump editorial department to take a break from the manga series. But the creator didn’t want to slow down the weekly serialization so that the Jujutsu Kaisen manga’s ending could be drawn as soon as possible, so the JJK author just put a hold on an answer.
In a February 2021 interview, Akutami updated the progress on the JJK manga by saying that the manga series was more than halfway done. Before the 2021 hiatus began, Akutami stated that the intention was to finish the manga in less than 2 years, which means the final chapter should be released in 2023.
By June 2021, Akutami realized that compared to other mangaka taking a single break would not be enough to recover the schedule.
“If nothing is done about this [health problem], the same thing will be repeated over and over again, so I decided to accept the proposal from the editorial department. The hiatus period should be about one month,” Akutami wrote. “Even if I say I’m sick, it’s not any serious illness. My mental health is completely fine, so do not worry about it. I’m really sorry I’ll have to keep you waiting. Once I come back, I’ll do my best with the serialization.”
As of June 4, 2021, the manga series was up to Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 16. If the creator sticks to the current plan then the final chapter’s ending could be contained in Jujutsu Kaisen Volume 25.
Gege Akutami’s health problems publicly started in 2021
In early 2021, Akutami suffered from an unspecified sudden illness that required a short Jujutsu Kaisen hiatus after finishing Chapter 137.
In the past, Akutami did not have a history of taking breaks and this was the first time any health issues were mentioned publicly.
In March 2021, a second week-long break was announced for Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 18, 2021. That meant Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 145 was delayed.
The Jujutsu Kaisen author’s health problems have not been detailed publicly.
The Jujutsu Kaisen hiatus had originally been announced as an “indefinite hiatus” by Weekly Shonen Jump. Let’s just be glad there is not a long wait for the JJK manga’s return.