In a surprise announcement today on Shueisha's "Tonari no Young Jump" manga website, it was confirmed that the One-Punch Man manga will be going on hiatus.
The popular superhero manga will be on hiatus for two months with a return set for August 22, 2024. Volume 31 will be released on July 4, 2024.
There was no reason given for the hiatus, although it's possible that artist Yusuke Murata just needs a break. He is, after all, one of the hardest-working artists in the industry.
One-Punch Man is the latest manga to go on hiatus. Dragon Ball Super has been on an indefinite hiatus since the passing of Akira Toriyama with no return date set yet. It was announced just a few days ago that the Black Butler manga is also going on hiatus next month following the release of the August issue.
Thankfully, we already have a date for when One-Punch Man will return and it's not too far off. A two-month break is certainly warranted, especially for someone as hard-working as Yusuke Murata.
Created by One and illustrated by Yusuke Murata, the One-Punch Man manga tells the story of Saitama, a superhero who can defeat any opponent with just a single punch. The manga began publication on Shueisha's Tonari no Young Jump website in June 2012. Its chapters are periodically compiled and published into individual tankobon volumes of which there have been 30 released thus far. Volume 31 arrives on July 4. Viz Media has licensed the manga for English language release and has serialized it in its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.
There's also an anime adaptation that is equally as popular as the manga which first aired in 2015. Season 1 was originally made by Madhouse, although production for the second and upcoming third season of the series shifted to J.C. STAFF.
Unfortunately, the manga's break comes at a time when One-Punch Man fans are already eagerly awaiting the announcement of a premiere date for Season 3 of the anime series. For the past couple of months, J.C. STAFF has been releasing visuals for key characters in the anime as part of its "Hero Visual Project," but the studio has yet to announce when the series will return. Many believe that the highly anticipated third season could debut this Fall, although some speculate that it could be pushed into Spring 2025.