On Monday, April 7, 2025, the 49th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards revealed its list of nominees, featuring prominent works from acclaimed mangaka. Among these, Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi and Satoru Nii’s Wind Breaker made significant impressions. This year’s awards showcase a total of 16 nominees spanning across three distinct categories, with the winners set to be unveiled on May 12, 2025, in Japan.
A Competitive Battle for Best Shonen Manga
The highlight of the nominations is undoubtedly the intense competition within the Best Shonen Manga category, where Hokazono’s Kagurabachi will go head-to-head with Nii’s Wind Breaker. This clash reflects the high stakes, as only one will emerge victorious. Additionally, the awards include two other categories: Best Shojo Manga and Best General Manga, each featuring five nominees.
The Contenders of Best Shonen Manga
Kagurabachi and Wind Breaker are not alone in their pursuit of the Best Shonen Manga title. They join four other notable nominees: Saka Mikami’s The Fragrant Flowers Bloom With Dignity, which previously received nominations in both 2023 and 2024; Versus by ONE, Kyotaro Azuma, and BOSE; Naoshi Arakawa’s Orion’s Board; and Yugo Kobayashi’s Fermat no Ryori. Interestingly, Kagurabachi stands out as the only nominee not published by Kodansha, as it originates from Shueisha.
Exploring Best Shojo and General Manga Nominees
The Best Shojo Manga category boasts a diverse array of five titles, including Anashin’s How I Met My Soulmate, Midori Yuma and Mamenosuke Fujimaru’s The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride, and Coco Uzuki’s Fall in Love, You False Angels. Additional selections include the collaborative effort of Eiko Mutsuhana, Yugiri Aika, and Gin Shirakawa with Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me and Ammitsu’s Gazing at the Star Next Door. Notably, all these titles are published by Kodansha, with the exception of Mutsuhana’s work.
In the Best General Manga category, the nominees include Kengo Hanazawa’s Under Ninja, Yama Wayama’s Onna no Sono no Hoshi (a repeat nominee from 2023), Inuhiko Doronoda’s Spacewalking With You, Riku Oseto’s Nezumi no Hatsukoi, and Hitoshi Iwaaki’s Historie. Similar to the Shojo category, all nominees are published by Kodansha except for Wayama’s title, which is from Shodensha.
Current Status of the Nominees
Satoru Nii’s Wind Breaker has been captivating audiences since its serialization began in January 2021 on Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket website. The manga was recently adapted into a television anime, which premiered its second season in April 2025. An exciting development for fans is the rapid English release of the manga volumes, set to commence in July 2025 with the 10th compilation volume.
On the other hand, Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi began its serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in September 2023. Quickly climbing the ranks of popularity, it’s generating buzz within the industry, bolstered by rumors of a forthcoming anime adaptation, possibly in production at Cygames Pictures. Remarkably, executives from Shueisha were reported to have stated that Kagurabachi has the potential to “carry the next generation of Jump” as early as June 2024.
As the awards approach, the excitement surrounding these nominees continues to build. Fans eagerly await the results, hoping for their favorites to take home the coveted titles.