The story of Yuji Itadori and the gang may end within the next year, according to Jujutsu Kaisen mangaka Gege Akutami.

As initially reported by Anime News Network, the news was revealed during this year's Jump Festa event. In a written statement, Akutami cryptically told his fans and manga readers that "if you accompany me for up to one more year (probably), I will be very happy." Many have taken his words to mean that the final chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen will be published sometime in 2023.

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Akutami's wildly popular manga series first appeared in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in March 2018 and so far, it has produced 21 volumes worth of content. Jujutsu Kaisen tells the story of high school student Yuji Itadori. After ingesting one of the withered and cursed fingers of Ryomen Sukuna, he finds himself recruited by a group of Jujutsu Sorcerers, aiding their effort to defeat the undisputed King of Curses once and for all. As of August 2022, the series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga of all time alongside Kōhei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia and Ken Wakui's Tokyo Revengers.

The first season of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime adaptation by MAPPA premiered in October 2020. Directed by Sung Hoo Park (Banana Fish) and written by Hiroshi Seko (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt), the season ran for a total of 24 episodes and went on to win Anime of the Year, Best Ending Sequence and Best Antagonist at the 5th Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

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The Future of the Jujutsu Kaisen Franchise

While Akutami's manga series may come to an end in the near future, there have been other recent developments in the Jujutsu Kaisen franchise that fans can get excited about. Most notably, the second season of MAPPA's anime adaptation has been confirmed and will premiere in July 2023. Furthermore, a striking but very expensive figurine of Satoru Gojo, Jujutsu Kaisen's most powerful sorcerer, is now available on Sideshow. Retailing for an astonishing price of $710 and standing approximately 20" tall, the figure depicts the high school teacher as he appeared in the prequel movie, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, with a single eye uncovered and powerful red energies gathering in his hand.

Volumes of Akutami's manga are distributed in North America by VIZ Media and the series is also available in English on the Manga Plus online platform. The Jujutsu Kaisen anime series is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Source: Anime News Network