As the final battle between the forces of Asta and Lucius Zogratis nears its ultimate conclusion, Black Clover author Yuki Tabata has announced that due to “the increasing demands of the schedule for a weekly serialization” clashing with his own “situation as a manga author”, instead of Weekly Shonen Jump, his series will close out its run in sister magazine Jump GIGA.
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This change in Black Clover‘s release plans was first announced at the end of the series’ 368th chapter, as featured in the August 20th issue of WSJ.
Kicking off the first of two messages informing readers of the news, the magazine’s editorial department confirmed that rather than continuing to abide by the weekly deadlines of Shueisha’s flagship magazine, the series would be closing out its final story arc in the publisher’s Jump GIGA, which instead publishes on a more lenient quarterly schedule.
“Thank you for your continued support of Black Clover,” wrote the WSJ editorial department. “This will be the final chapter in Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump, and it will be moving to Jump GIGA. The continuation of the story is planned to start this winter in Jump GIGA.”
Interestingly, despite Black Clover’s future serialization taking place in a different publication, the WSJ editorial department further confirmed that the series would still “be simultaneously published in English on Manga Plus by Shueisha and on the Shonen Jump platform.”
“We will share more details in the coming months,” the editorial team concluded. “We hope you will all continue to support the series through these changes. Thank you.”
Offering his own statement on the matter, Tabata explained to his readers, “The serialization of Black Clover has been going on for a long time, and do the increasing demands of the schedule for a weekly serialization have been clashing more and more with my own situation as an author.”
“So after discussing this with the editorial department for a while, we have decided to transfer the serialization to GIGA at this time,” he continued. “It’s a sudden move and so it may surprise readers. I would also like to apologize for not being about to finish the serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump. However, at GIGA I believe I can proceed with the climax of Black Clover in the most optimal condition which also also aligns with my personal situation as a writer.”
Unfortunately, with Jump GIGA serving as a home to one-shots rather than any actual series – the one lone exception being Gintama, which came to a close following back-to-back appearances across three issues in 2019 – concerns had arisen among fans that Black Clover would be forced into a rushed conclusion.
Thankfully, in his same message, Tabata would put those fears to rest by reassuring fans that “There are still quite a few stories I’d like to draw, that I also MUST draw” and asking that they “please look forward to them.”
“I’ll do my best to bring Black Clover to a successful conclusion!!” he concluded. “While the may need a bit of your patience, I will definitely power up in the upcoming Winter issue of GIGA, so I would be grateful if you could keep an eye on Asta and every else’s future. Thank you very much for your continued suppoooooort!!”
Though Tabata did not provide exact details as to how his “situation as a manga author” has changed, a glance at his recent entries for WSJ Author’s Comments section suggest both he and his family have been dealing with a slew of health issues in recent months, and some fans have come to speculate may have played a factor in the devoted husband and father’s request for a transfer to Jump GIGA.
Prior to Black Clover going on a sudden two week hiatus, Tabata told readers in WSJ 2022 Issue #46, “My daughter caught a bad cold and needed to be hospitalized for a week. Her dad is full of worry and loneliness.”
In WSJ 2023 Issue #29, Tabata shockingly announced, “My wife had to be admitted for emergency surgery. My mother in law came up to help me battle my toddler!”
In a follow-up updated shared for WSJ 2023’s #36/37 dual issue, the mangaka would confirm, “My wife had her gallbladder removed and has safely returned home after a week in the hospital!! I’m so happy she’s okay!!”
In terms of the series itself, this publication-swap comes just as Luccius finds himself descended upon by the combined forces of Asta, Yuno, and the revived Ultimate Black Bulls – the latter of whom charge onto the battle declaring “It’s not done yet!! We’re just getting started, dumbass!”
As the chapter comes to a close, Asta and Yuno, both as respectively bull-headed and stubborn as ever, finally reunite by each other’s side. With their swords drawn and at the ready, the two rush into their final clash with Lucius – the winner of whom will be crowned the next Wizard King.
