It’s no secret thatShonen Jumpis heading into its most precarious era in decades. WithMy Hero AcademiaandJujutsu Kaisenboth recently ending and evenOne Pieceset to end soon,Shonen Jumpis running out of big franchises to draw in readers, and before long, it could be facing its biggest drop in readership since the back-to-back endings ofDragon BallandSlam Dunkin the 1990s.
With so many majorShonen Jumpmanga having ended or on the verge of ending,Shonen Jumpneeds something to prop up as their next big thing.Kagurabachiand2024’sIchi the Witchhave both proven to be critical and financial successes, so either one of them getting an anime would be an easy way to maintain readership. Both of those stories are fairly new, however, so for something a little older than them,oneShonen Jumpmanga has been more than deserving of an anime for years, and it might be closer to reality than one might think.
Why Akane-Banashi Deserves To Be Shonen Jump’s Next Big Anime
Out of everything inShonen Jump’s current lineup, few are more deserving of an anime right now than Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue’sAkane-banashi. While the focus on the art ofrakugomakes it unconventional,the expressiveness and often surreal nature ofAkane-banashi’s art always does wonders to make every performance as engaging as possible, especially when it begins to reflect Akane’s growth as an artist. A good anime could do a lot to make those scenes look even better, and it would surely bring a lot of needed attention toAkane-banashiandShonen Jump, as a whole.
The biggest selling point ofAkane-banashi, of course, is the characters. Every character inAkane-banashiis given an incredible amount of depth that makes everyone engaging, even the antagonists, and Akane especially stands out thanks to how great a job the manga does highlighting her growth both as an artist and as a person at every turn.Akane-banashihas some of the best character writing of any modernShonen Jumpmanga, and if it got an anime, that strong writing could reach an even wider audience.
Akane-Banashi’s Anime Might Be Coming Sooner Than People Think
Is Akane-Banashi Already Getting An Anime?
Akane-banashigetting an anime would be great to see, and it might already be in the works. Netflix Japan recently posted a video to theirXaccount highlighting all theShonen Jumpanime they stream and the manga that inspired them, and in the section showing manga images, the video notably showed a panel fromAkane-banashi. Everything in the video was for an anime Netflix is either currently streaming or will stream, soNetflix Japan’s video highlightingShonen Jumpanimethey license suggests that anAkane-banashianime is in development and will be streaming on Netflix.
Netflix Japan has an exclusive deal with Shueisha to bundle subscription services for Netflix andShonen Jump, thus explaining Netflix’s recent and future involvement with so manyShonen Jumpanime.
Naturally, there’s been no official word on it getting an anime, not even at the recent Jump Festa 2025, but it’s still exciting to think about.Akane-banashi’s masterful way of making something likerakugointeresting through its great artwork and writing does a perfect job of helping it stand out against more action-packed manga, so if it is getting an anime, it’s sure to be a great one, no matter the streaming service it calls home, and the sooner that happens, the sooner it can help revitalizeShonen Jump’s gradually declining brand.
Shonen Jump
Shonen Jumpis one of Japan’s most successful manga anthology franchises, published by Shueisha. Launched in 1968, it is the source of some of the most beloved and popular anime and manga series, such asOne Piece,Dragon Ball, andNaruto. The franchise has extended into multiple adaptations across various media, including anime, films, video games, and merchandise.
