Weekly Shonen Jump axing Astro Royale proves fans don't need another Delinquent manga after Tokyo Revengers

As manga readers must have found out by now, Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has axed Tokyo Revengers creator Ken Wakui's supernatural delinquent manga Astro Royale.

The manga only began serialization last year, but is set to be axed right after releasing its 50th chapter. Fans suspected the axe after Shueisha released information about the series' fifth volume, however, the manga's leaks further confirmed the theory.

As per manga readers, Astro Royale was never so bad as to receive an early axe. So, are fans done with the "delinquent" manga after Tokyo Revengers?

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinion.

Tokyo Revengers mangaka's new manga getting axed could be a sign of a dying genre

Hibaru Yotsurugi as seen in Astro Royale manga (Image via Shueisha)

As anime and manga readers would know, the delinquent manga genre was previously huge with big titles such as Great Teacher Onizuka, Banana Fish, Angel Densetsu, Rookies, Beelzebub, Worst, reigning the manga industry with high ratings and great receptions.

However, as time passed, the genre has slowly started dying, with only a few titles like Tokyo Revengers and Wind Breaker becoming mainstream, while other series struggle to survive in their magazines.

Mikey and Takemichi as seen in Tokyo Revengers manga (Image via Kodansha)

The same was the case for Ken Wakui's Astro Royale. While fans disliked Tokyo Revengers' ending, they had enjoyed the series for quite a long time. Hence, despite some loss of love near the end, they had faith in the manga creator, hoping he would create another compelling story when Shueisha first announced Astro Royale's serialization.

Unfortunately, the manga never worked out as well as fans had hoped. While it gained some traction in the early weeks, it seemed obvious they were only following the manga due to the nostalgia that came with reading a Ken Wakui manga.

Haruka Sakura as seen in Wind Breaker manga (Image via Kodansha)

While having some differences, the characters looked very similar to those in Tokyo Revengers. Unfortunately, the hype did not last long, and Shueisha seemingly forced the mangaka to create a rushed ending to finish the series as soon as possible.

While fans can blame Astro Royale's story for its rushed ending and axe, the fact that only a few delinquent series have made it big in recent years proves that fans don't need another delinquent manga.

One cannot pinpoint why the genre isn't doing well in recent years, but it could be that fans no longer find it compelling to read stories about misfits in society. Too many manga cater to such characters in their style; hence, reading a series filled with such characters might no longer feel interesting.

Otherwise, there is always the possibility that manga readers still like the genre. It's just that the manga creators haven't been able to bring a good modern twist to it to make it interesting to the majority of fans.