Summary
- There are many great manga that have gone on hiatus with no sign of ever returning.
- Some manga go on indefinite hiatus due to the health issues of their creators.
- Other manga go on indefinite hiatus because of creative burnout or other personal reasons.
Over the years, hiatuses have become increasingly common in the manga industry. The taxing schedules mangaka are subjected to have long since become common knowledge, so if they feel that they need to take an extended break to preserve their physical or mental health, it’s far better than expecting them to hurt themselves trying to keep to strict deadlines.
Short hiatuses are always good for a story in the long run, but they don’t always stay that way. Sometimes, health issues and creative burnout can cause a manga to go on hiatus for months and years with no sign of ever returning, often leaving some incredible manga forever unfinished.
The authors of these stories can hardly be blamed for not wanting to overtax themselves, but regardless, there are still a lot of amazing manga that are essentially canceled at this point, and a few, in particular, are especially worth highlighting.
10 Longest Manga Hiatuses That Left Fans on the Edge of Their Seats
Long hiatuses are an unfortunate part of the grueling manga industry, but these 10 series tested their readers' patience like no others.
10 School Zone Girls Was A Fun Take On Yuri Manga
Written by Ningiyau; On hiatus since 2022
Ningiyau’s School Zone Girls is a slice-of-life manga focused on comedy and same-sex relationships. The main focus of the story is on the developing relationship between Rei Yokoe and Kei Sugiura, but the series often switches perspectives to focus on the lives and relationships of other characters, with all storylines often overlapping with each other.
With great comedy, character writing, and a pleasing art style, School Zone Girls was quick to establish a fanbase and was slowly gaining popularity during its run. However, School Zone Girls abruptly went on hiatus in 2022, and with no word from the author or publisher in the two years since it went on hiatus, it’s unlikely to return anytime soon. There are few yuri manga as unique as School Zone Girls, so with any luck, it will come back someday soon.
9 Hellsing’s Prequel Will Never Be Finished
Written by Kouta Hirano; On hiatus since 2008
Kouta Hirano’s Hellsing: The Dawn is a prequel story to Hellsing that was published concurrently with the original manga. The story was meant to explore the battles of Walter C. Dornez in World War II alongside Alucard in his female form, and it was supposed to explain why Walter would eventually betray the Hellsing Organization numerous times before eventually becoming a vampire for Millennium.
Kouta Hirano is infamous for his inconsistent schedules, and Hellsing: The Dawn is the biggest victim of that. While the series first began serialization in 2001, numerous hiatuses and magazines going out of print have left Hellsing: The Dawn unfinished after over 20 years, and there hasn't been a new chapter since chapter #6 in 2008. Kouta Hirano is still working on Drifters on and off, so unfortunately, it's unlikely that Hellsing: The Dawn will ever continue.
8 Freezing Was A Truly Standout Action Manga
Created by Dall-Young Lim and Kwang-Hyun Kim; On hiatus since 2019
Dall-Young Lim and Kwang-Hyun Kim’s Freezing is set in an alternate future where Earth is at war with alien beings called Novas. The only ones who can battle the Novas are genetically engineered women called Pandoras and their male partners called Limiters, and the pair that ends up taking the most focus is the Limiter Kazuya Aoi and Satellizer el Bridget, the Pandora who mysteriously resembles his sister.
Freezing was quick to make a name for itself with its stellar artwork, unique power system, and overall engaging writing, and with a twelve-year run and two anime, it was certainly a success. However, in 2019, it was suddenly announced that Freezing would go on hiatus so the creators could focus on new projects, and while they've remained active, Freezing has yet to return to serialization. It's unknown why they decided to abruptly stop working on the series, but at the very least, they haven't given up on delivering quality content in the slightest.
7 Gangsta’s Unique Take On Crime Drama Made It A Major Hit
Written by Kohske; On hiatus since 2020
Kohske’s Gangsta takes place in Ergastulum, a city full of corruption that serves as an internment camp for superpowered beings called Twilights. Two of these Twilights are the mercenary duo Worick Arcangelo and Nicolas Brown, and when a job they undertake ends with them taking in ex-prostitute Alex Benedetto, they slowly end up being involved in one major conflict surrounding the mafia families of Ergastulum after another.
Gangsta’s storytelling and character writing do a great job of selling it as a crime drama, and with great action and artwork to go along with it, Gangsta was quick to become a hit with fans and critics alike. However, the series has repeatedly gone on hiatus since 2015, and as of now, Gangsta has yet to return from hiatus since its most recent one in 2020. That same year, Kohske’s announced on X that they were diagnosed with lupus, so unfortunately, they’re probably in no condition to return to a consistent schedule anytime soon.
6 Snow White With The Red Hair Was A Great Classic Romance Story
Written by Sorata Akiduki; On hiatus since 2023
Sorata Akiduki’s Snow White with the Red Hair stars Shirayuki, a girl with beautiful red hair who unintentionally catches the eye of Prince Raj of Tanbarun and has to run away to avoid becoming his concubine. In the kingdom of Clarines, Shirayuki ends up saving Prince Zen Wistaria from a poisoned apple and decides to become a court herbalist in Clarines immediately after, and as she grows more accustomed to her new home, a romance slowly begins to develop between her and Zen.
Snow White with the Red Hair’s execution of classic romance manga tropes always served to help it feel fresh, and with almost 20 years of serialization and an anime adaptation, its popularity is hardly in question. Unfortunately, Snow White with the Red Hair officially went on hiatus in June 2023, and almost a year later, there’s been no news about its return. This isn’t the first time the series has gone on hiatus, so it’s sure to return soon enough, but as always, there’s no way of knowing when that will be.
5 xxxHolic’s Sequel May Never See A Proper Conclusion
Written by Clamp; On hiatus since 2017
xxxHolic is a manga by the writing group Clamp starring Kimihiro Watanuki, a boy plagued by his ability to see spirits who stumbles upon a shop that can allegedly grant wishes. Yuko Ichihara, the witch who runs the shop, agrees to rid Watanuki of his powers on the condition that he becomes her employee, thus leading to Watanuki ironically becoming even more involved with the supernatural than he was before.
In 2013, following its initial conclusion in 2011, xxxHolic received a sequel series titled xxxHolic Rei, but it’s had far less progress than its predecessor. xxxHolic Rei has repeatedly gone on hiatus before going on an indefinite one in 2017; in 2022 it was announced that the series would return in spring 2023, but for some reason, nothing came of that and it remains on hiatus to this day. It’s unfortunately common for manga by Clamp to go years and years without updates, and xxxHolic Rei is looking to be no different in that regard.
4 Nana Is The Ultimate Shojo Manga That Will Never Return
Written by Ai Yazawa; On hiatus since 2009
Nana stars two women both named Nana—one Nana Osaki, the other Nana Komatsu—who meet by chance one day when they both move to Tokyo, Nana O. to make her band professionals and Nana K. to move in with her boyfriend. The two Nanas are very different in personality, but they strike up a friendship, regardless, and said friendship is repeatedly grown and tested by the tumultuous events of their intersecting lives.
Nana’s incredible dramatic stylings and character writing have made it one of the biggest shojo manga of the past 20 years, but unfortunately, it’s only been in serialization for a fraction of that time. Nana went on hiatus in 2009 when series creator Ai Yazawa fell ill, and while she was released from the hospital in 2010, Nana has yet to resume serialization in the 15 years since it went on hiatus. Yazawa has still been releasing new work on occasion, so it’s unclear why Nana remains on hiatus, but an answer will hopefully be given sooner, rather than later.
3 Bastard!! Is One Shonen Jump Manga That Will Never End
Written by Kazushi Hagiwara; On hiatus since 2010
Kazushi Hagiwara’s Bastard!! takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the villainous Dark Rebel Army is making plans to revive the demon Anthrasax and destroy the world. To counter the threat, the high priest of the kingdom of Metallicana revives Dark Schneider, the world’s most powerful dark wizard sealed inside an unassuming child, to stop them, but Dark Schneider’s violent tendencies and womanizing ways make that easier said than done.
Bastard!! is one of the oldest Shonen Jump manga still in serialization, even if it’s switched magazines several times during its run, and the artwork and themes that combine the best elements of Dungeons & Dragons and heavy metal music have made it a major hit. However, the series has always been plagued with hiatuses, and eventually, Bastard!! stopped publishing new chapters altogether in 2010. With a recent anime and a remake of the first chapter, the franchise is still very much alive, so hopefully, there may come a day when it finally returns.
2 Dragon Ball Super Might Have Reached An Abrupt Conclusion
Created by Akira Toriyama & Toyotaro; On hiatus since 2024
Dragon Ball Super
Cast
Hisao Egawa-
Koichi Yamadera
-
Masako Nozawa
-
Ryo Horikawa
WHERE TO WATCH
- Release Date
- July 5, 2015
- Showrunner
- Tatsuya Nagamine
- Directors
- Ryota Nakamura, Masanori Sato, Kenichi Takeshita, Takao Iwai, Hideki Hiroshima, Masato Mitsuka, Kazuya Karasawa, Ayumu Ono, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Nagamine, Kôjiro Kawasaki, Kouji Ogawa
- Writers
- Ryu King, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
- Franchise(s)
- Dragon Ball
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Akira Toriyama and Toyotaro’s Dragon Ball Super is the first canonical continuation of Dragon Ball that sees Goku and his friends going on more adventures between the end of the Buu saga and the original epilogue. While the manga started as just an alternate take of the anime, following the Universe Survival saga and the end of the anime, the manga started telling original stories and became the primary source of new content for the franchise, worldwide.
Dragon Ball Super Officially Enters Hiatus After Akira Toriyama's ing
Since the ing of mangaka Akira Toriyama, the fate of Dragon Ball Super has been unknown, and the series is officially going into hiatus.
Dragon Ball Super’s great writing and artwork that perfectly evolved Akira Toriyama’s signature style made it a great series and a worthy addition to Dragon Ball’s legacy. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Super officially went on hiatus following Akira Toriyama’s tragic ing, and despite initial reports of it returning in May, there’s no definitive word of when it will return, or if it even will. Toriyama’s ing took the entire world by surprise, of course, so if any manga has the right to take a lengthy hiatus, it would be Dragon Ball Super.
1 Vagabond Is One Of The Best Manga That Will Never Be Finished
Written by Takehiko Inoue; On hiatus since 2015
Vagabond is a fictionalized of the life of Musashi Miyamoto, a man from the 17th century often regarded as the greatest swordsman in the history of Japan, if not the world. Vagabond chronicles Musashi’s growth from a cocky man wanting to prove himself at all costs into a wise and contemplative figure always seeking the meaning of strength on a philosophical level, all of which is paired with the growth of various other characters, most notably Musashi’s destined rival Sasaki Kojiro.
Thanks to its gorgeous art style and masterful storytelling, Vagabond has often been called one of the greatest manga of all time, if not the greatest, but even it isn’t immune to hiatuses. Vagabond has repeatedly gone on break for months and years at a time, and at the time of writing, Vagabond has been on hiatus since 2015 with no sign of ever returning. At this point, it makes sense to assume that Takehiko Inoue is done with Vagabond, and as such, it unfortunately stands as the best manga to go on indefinite hiatus.
