The manga industry in Japan can be very hard to survive in. Publications will often end serializations if they think that the work is unpopular or not selling well. This is why mangaka will often try to make their serializations last as long as possible. This is especially apparent in shonen manga, where publications like Weekly Shonen Jump will cut unpopular series even if they've barely been running for a few months.
However, all works eventually must come to an end. Whether it's because of cancellation or because the story has come to its natural conclusion, here are some of the best shonen manga that have ended this past year.
10 The Hunters' Guild: Red Hood
When a tiny hamlet is suffering from a werewolf attack, the village chief decides to hire a hunter named Grimm to take down the beast. When a young boy named Velou helps her to defeat the werewolf, Grimm invites him to become a hunter like her and hunt down various supernatural beings.
The Hunters' Guild: Red Hood had a short run, but in that time, it came up with a lot of interesting concepts for possible stories. It's a shame that it never got to explore those opportunities, but it did feature some imaginative ideas.
9 Hitman
Ryunosuke Kenzaki is a newly hired editor for Weekly Shonen Magazine. While struggling with the ropes thanks to his cutthroat seniors ignoring him, he happens upon aspiring mangaka Tsubasa Takanashi. The two of them work together to make Tsubasa the number one mangaka in Japan.
Hitman is another rom-com by veteran artist Koji Seo, and it doesn't stray too far from his usual works. However, the unique setting of an editor and an author working on a manga gave it a fresh spin that other romance stories don't have.
8 The Tale Of The Outcasts
An orphan girl named Wisteria lives a poor, lonely life in 19th century England. Her only joy is meeting with Marbas, a powerful yet sentimental demon whom only she can see. One day, she makes a contract with Marbas to always be together, and they decide to spend their days traveling the country to find a place for themselves.
The Tale of the Outcasts is generally a mellow series, but it has plenty of action as well. The historical setting is also very interesting, and includes references to both classical demons and literary characters like Sherlock Holmes.
7 Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
Superhuman ninja Gabimaru is set to be executed, but no one can manage to kill him. Seeing this, executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri offers him the chance to be pardoned for all of his crimes. However, he'll need to find the elixir of life on a mysterious island that has killed multiple expedition teams.
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku is a dark, thrilling tale that combines horrific supernatural phenomena with gripping action. The art is excellent and the characters all have their own unique quirks. It's darker than the usual shonen, but it's a riveting story that will have any shonen fan turning page after page.
6 Smile Down The Runway
Chiyuki Fujito wants to become a top model and participate in the Paris Fashion Week, but she is held back by her short height. Meanwhile, Ikuto Tsumura wants to be a fashion designer, but he needs to support his impoverished family. Together, the two muster the willpower to break through these barriers and achieve their dreams.
Shonen manga has always been about achieving dreams, so while Smile Down the Runway might not seem like the usual shonen story, it certainly counts. There's not much action, but the intensity in which Chiyuki and Ikuto follow their dreams is certainly admirable.
5 Nine Dragons' Ball Parade
When Tamao Azukida and Tao Ryudo try out for Hakuo's baseball team, only Ryudo makes the team despite Azukida's analytical contributions. Instead of joining the team, Ryudo looks for Azukida and declares that the two of them will make an unbeatable baseball team.
Nine Dragons' Ball Parade's run was extremely short, which is a shame since its characters were so interesting and quirky. The series had a lot of heart, and it's possible that it could have become one of Shonen Jump's top sports manga had it lasted a little longer.
4 Switch
Riku and Raimu Tachibana are twins who both love basketball. However, while Riku is a basketball star who plays on a team, Raimu secretly practices by himself since he's afraid he can't catch up to his brother. However, one day, Raimu decides to take the plunge and become a basketball player just like Riku.
Switch is a fun basketball manga with all of the usual shonen sports tropes included. However, it still has a lot of heart, and is a great underdog story.
3 Rokudo no Onna-tachi
Tosuke Rokudo wants to live a normal, peaceful life, but since he is attending a school full of delinquents, that seems like an impossible dream. However, one day he receives a package from his deceased grandfather containing a ritual to ward against demons. Unfortunately Rokudo soon discovers that the ritual does not protect against demons, but instrad makes bad women fall in love with him.
Rokudo no Onna-tachi is an extremely funny story, but it also has moments of emotional resonance that really make readers root for Rokudo. While the art style is a bit unconventional, it adds a lot to the manga's atmosphere.
2 Platinum End
Isolated at school and abused by his aunt and uncle, Kakehashi Mirai decides to end it all by jumping off of a high building. However, he is saved by an angel called Nasse, who gives him wings to fly faster than sound and divine arrows that will make anyone struck by them fall in love with him. He soon learns that this makes him a God candidate, entering him into a competition that will determine the fate of the world.
Platinum End was created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata of Death Note and Bakuman fame. It is an extremely suspenseful thriller, and the characters are always in danger of losing their lives.
1 Agravity Boys
Four young men sent on a space expedition to find planets inhabitable by humans land on A-Jumbro, a strange planet light-years from Earth. However, to their dismay, Earth has apparently been destroyed by nuclear war As possibly the last four humans left in the universe, the four make the most of their new life on A-Jumbro.
Agravity Boys is one of the funniest manga to come out of Weekly Shonen Jump. Though its run did not last long, it took advantage of each chapter to deliver unbelievable laughs with each page.