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Hiatus for the Manga "The New Prince of Tennis"

On January 29, 2025, the official X account of Jump Square magazine announced that the next chapter release date of Takeshi Konomi's The New Prince of Tennis will be postponed.

The March issue of the magazine, originally scheduled for release on February 4th, will be published without the new chapter of the series. "We apologize for the short-notice change," the official statement said.

Historical Context

Takeshi Konomi's "Prince of Tennis" manga series has been running since 1999, making it one of the longest-running sports stories in the genre.

The plot follows Ryōma Echizen, a middle school student who fights his way through tennis competitions to the national championship.

Until 2008, the series ran in Weekly Shonen Jump, then in 2009 it was continued as The New Prince of Tennis in the sister magazine Jump SQ.

The success of the manga has spawned a veritable franchise, with anime series, feature films, and stage musicals.

The Prince of Tennis II: U-17 World Cup, the latest TV anime adaptation, premiered in July 2022 and was simulcast by Crunchyroll with an English dub.

The plot revolves around the U-17 World Cup semi-final between Japan and Germany.

Cultural Impact

In addition to the main series, numerous spin-offs have also been created, such as the BEST GAMES!! OVA series, which re-edited iconic matches. Three episodes were released from 2018 to 2019. In 2021, the two-part anime project Hyotei vs Rikkai Game of Future, specifically aimed at streaming services, was released.

The series is also very popular internationally, as reflected in various international collaborations.

Summary

Even though the franchise has been quiet for a month, the future looks bright. Shueisha confirms that Konomi is continuing to work on the series, while focusing on his health first. As we learned from the media on February 25, 2023, Konomi can no longer walk and relies on a wheelchair. But in June 2023, he apparently recovered, as he said he attended the Tenipuri Festa and even posted a photo on social media of him standing without assistance.

With the continuation of the U-17 World Cup anime in October 2025 and planned merchandising campaigns, the fanbase's interest remains high.

Source: AnimeNewsNetwork [1], 01/29/2025, Original quotes from the X account of Jump Square [2] magazine.