Shonen Jump Has Its Next Mega Hit On Its Hands With New Series Debut

Videos by ComicBook.com

The latest issue of Shonen Jump saw the debut of Kinato’s Magic, from series creator Kento Amemiya. There are a few notable things about this latest release as well as not only is this Amemiya’s second major effort following a previous cancellation years before, but it seems much different in tone and scope than compared to that first series. Kinato’s Magic introduces fans to a magical world of action and adventure, and it’s clear that it’s what Shonen Jump has been looking for.

Kinato’s Magic Debuts With Shonen Jump

Kento Amemiya first had a chance at serialization with Shonen Jump with their prior effort, Shadow Eliminators, back in 2023. The series only ran for under 20 chapters before it was cancelled, and that was a clear sign that whatever the creator had planned for that effort clearly wasn’t working. Fans have seen cancelled Shonen Jump series creators return to the magazine with new efforts years later, only for those new projects to be cancelled as well (under the same brutal circumstances). So there’s a hope that Kinato’s Magic will be able to avoid sharing that same fate. It’s first chapter seems to indicate this.

Kinato’s Magic introduces fans to the titular Kinato, a mage who lives in a small town and works as a physical therapist. Using “Seitai Magic” techniques taught to him by his grandmother, he’s able to see the flow of mana in living beings (and objects) and restore them in various ways to heal them. After being tricked by a group of adventurers who turn out to be shady slave traders, Kinato runs into Jien, the Captain of an Adventurer’s Guild named the Iron Fangs. And thanks to Kinato’s magic, Jien is freed and takes down all of the crooks with ease.

Kinato’s Magic has everything Shueisha is looking for in a future Shonen Jump classic. It’s got an easy to follow and digest art style that still has its own personality, it has a main character who has an ability that’s clearly going to scale higher and higher as the series continues, and it introduces a wacky mentor who is clearly a strong fighter but will likely only get truly serious when it calls for it. It’s not taking itself too seriously, but makes sure to emphasize that this is a dangerous world. But importantly, it’s still fun.

Does Kinato’s Magic Have a Chance With Shonen Jump?

Courtesy of Shueisha

Kinato’s Magic is one of the breeziest debut chapters with Shonen Jump in quite some time. It didn’t have as epic of a debut with fans as say Kagurabachi, nor does it have the aesthetic appeal of something like Ichi the Witch (which are cementing their places as future pillars of the magazine), but this series has the potential to outperform the two of them. It falls perfectly in line with what you would expect a Shonen Jump series to be, and scratches a nostalgic itch that isn’t really covered in any of the other current hits.

There’s the question of whether or not it will actually resonate with fans, however. Much like the other creators who have returned with new efforts only to be cancelled in a short time, Kento Amemiya is unfortunately facing an uphill battle. Fans will be comparing Kinato’s Magic to the other Shonen Jump series, but will also be comparing it to Amemiya’s prior work. It’s already a very competitive environment, and it’s just going to be that much harder for this one to make its mark. But as an action heavy series, this does have a better chance at success.

Shonen Jump is sort of missing a series like Kinato’s Magic. It’s clearly not going to be as heavy as some other works, and that’s going to be a blessing considering how many dark and heavy works we’re already getting in the magazine every single week. There’s a ton of potential for scaling and growth with future chapters, so definitely keep an eye on this to see how it continues to develop in what is hopefully a very long future to come.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!