My Hero Academia Creator Kohei Horikoshi Returns With New Horror One-Shot

Kohei Horikoshi is returning to Weekly Shonen Jump with his first new manga since My Hero Academia ended, and it appears to fulfill a creative ambition he first revealed while wrapping up his iconic superhero series.

Titled Warawanaide yo Shijima-san (“Don’t Laugh, Shijima-san“), the 61-page one-shot is described as a “boy-meets-girl horror” story. It is scheduled to be published in the combined 37/38 issue of Weekly Shonen Jump, releasing on Aug 10.

A promotional illustration depicting the story’s protagonists was revealed alongside the announcement.

Although Warawanaide yo Shijima-san has been announced as a standalone one-shot, Horikoshi’s history of expanding one-shots into serialized works suggests that it could eventually develop into a full series.

For instance, My Hero Academia originated from his 2008 pilot one-shot My Hero before launching as a full serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2014. Horikoshi also serialized the fantasy science fiction manga Barrage in 2012 after first publishing it as a one-shot.

The announcement marks Horikoshi’s return since My Hero Academia concluded in August 2024 after a decade-long serialization.

The return also aligns with comments the manga creator made during the final arc of My Hero Academia, when he revealed an interest in exploring the horror genre.

“I have a small desire to draw a horror manga,” he wrote. “[A] very small [desire].”

Following the release of My Hero Academia‘s final volume in December 2024, Horikoshi also revealed that he intended to return to serialization quickly, stating, “I’m planning to start a new manga as soon as I possibly can.”

Source: Oricon