Exclusive Report: Kohei Horikoshi’s Next Move – The Successor to My Hero Academia Revealed

The final chapter of Kohei Horikoshi’s seminal work, My Hero Academia (MHA), has officially concluded its extraordinary decade-long run in Weekly Shōnen Jump. While the manga’s finale brought a bittersweet but conclusive end to Izuku Midoriya’s journey to become the greatest hero, the inevitable question lingers in the air of the global anime and manga industry: What comes next? The void left by a cultural behemoth of MHA’s stature is immense, but sources close to the creator indicate that Horikoshi’s next manga project is already in development, hinting at a fascinating, and potentially darker, shift in thematic focus.

For dedicated fans, the conclusion of the main series does not signify a total cessation of the My Hero Academia franchise. The author has confirmed that the MHA universe will continue to receive supplemental content, including epilogue chapters in the final collected volume, a new fan book, an art exhibition, and the highly anticipated final season of the MHA anime. However, the true long-term replacement for the flagship title lies in a completely new IP, for which Horikoshi has already begun the conceptual process, shifting the focus of shonen manga investment into a fresh, unproven IP.

From Superheroes to the Supernatural: A Genre Shift is Imminent

The tremendous global success of My Hero Academia placed an unprecedented level of pressure on Horikoshi for his follow-up. In recent interviews, the celebrated mangaka admitted to feeling the weight of these expectations but reaffirmed his commitment to returning to the drawing board as soon as possible. Crucially, Horikoshi revealed a tantalizing interest in exploring a drastically different genre: Horror.

While no official title or plot details have been formally announced by Shueisha, the publisher of Weekly Shōnen Jump, Horikoshi’s long-standing desire to dabble in the spooky and macabre suggests his next major serialized work could pivot away from the traditional superhero shonen format he mastered. This potential move aligns with a broader industry trend of darker, more mature shonen titles—a movement successfully spearheaded by contemporaries like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man.

The key details that have emerged, according to the author himself, are as follows:

• Horikoshi initially considered solely providing the artwork for his next project but was ultimately convinced by his editor to maintain full creative control over both the story and art, a significant vote of confidence in his storytelling ability.
• He has already begun crafting initial thumbnails (rough sketches and layouts) for the new series, confirming that the creative process is actively underway.
• The recurring theme in his oblique hints is a fascination with horror elements and dark fantasy.

This shift represents a significant development in the competitive landscape of the Japanese comics market. The high-stakes environment demands continuous innovation, and Horikoshi’s move from the brightly-colored world of Quirks to a potentially grim setting underscores a calculated risk to cement his legacy as a versatile creator. This also presents a massive opportunity for investors in the manga publishing sector, eager to identify the next global hit manga.

The Legacy of MHA and the Pressure on the Follow-Up Title

The departure of My Hero Academia leaves an enormous financial and cultural gap in Shōnen Jump’s lineup. The series was a cornerstone of the magazine’s recent golden age, generating billions in revenue from anime merchandise, video games, and global licensing deals. The successor will not merely be another new series; it will be burdened with the expectation of becoming the next generational battle shonen to anchor the entire magazine’s future, a colossal Intellectual Property (IP) development challenge.

The immediate manga successors currently vying for the vacant top spot include titles like Kagurabachi and Nue’s Exorcist, which offer their own unique blend of action and supernatural elements. However, none carry the immediate brand recognition or proven long-term appeal of a creator like Horikoshi. His return with a new, original concept will be the most anticipated new manga series debut in years, guaranteed to drive massive traffic and interest from the moment of its first announcement.

Key Areas of Impact for Horikoshi’s New Project:

• Digital Platform Performance: The new series is expected to immediately surge as a top performer on digital platforms like Manga Plus, driving premium subscription and ad revenue.
• Anime Production Demand: Competition among major anime studios for the adaptation rights will be fierce, potentially leading to record-breaking production budgets and streaming service acquisition costs.
• International Publishing Rights: Global graphic novel sales will be projected to outperform nearly all other new IPs in its first two years, an attractive prospect for international manga licensing companies.

The speculation is already mounting across major pop-culture news sites and social media platforms. Will Horikoshi’s new protagonist face Cthulhu-esque cosmic horrors, or perhaps a more grounded, psychological terror? The pivot to horror, even a light shonen-friendly version, would allow the author to explore themes of societal fear, decay, and the limits of heroism from a fresh, non-superhero angle, offering a compelling critique of modern society through a different lens—much like he utilized the hero genre for commentary in MHA.

The industry is now on high alert, with publication dates and official announcements being meticulously tracked. The immediate replacement for the MHA flagship might be a new title from a rising star, but the long-term inheritor of the spotlight is poised to be the next stroke of genius from Kohei Horikoshi himself. The countdown to the next chapter in the shonen manga renaissance has officially begun.

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