Masanori Morita's Japanese manga series, Rokudenashi Blues (ろくでなしBLUES), kicks off with delinquent Taison Maeda joining the boxing club, then explodes into epic school battles. Its realistic character designs and heart-pounding action have cemented its status as a timeless classic.
Back in January, it was announced that a spin-off titled ">Rokudenashi Blues Gaiden: Onikazura (ろくでなしBLUES ─鬼葛─) would begin serialization this summer. However, today, August 19, the official announcement dropped: the series is now delayed until this winter. The official team issued an apology to eager fans and, in a surprising twist, revealed that Yuki Yoshimoto will take over as artist, replacing Boichi.
When the spin-off was first announced in January, Masanori Morita was set to handle the original story, with South Korean manga artist Boichi, known for his work on "Dr. Stone" and "The Marshal King," on art duties.
Now, in August, the reins have been passed to Yuki Yoshimoto, who previously worked on "Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm." This unexpected change has certainly left many fans scratching their heads.
Regarding the delay, the editorial department of Grand Jump posted on their official X account:
"The 'Rokudenashi Blues Gaiden: Onikazura' series, originally slated for this summer, will now be relaunched with new artist Yuki Yoshimoto-sensei. Consequently, the serialization start date will be postponed to this winter. We sincerely apologize to all readers who have been eagerly awaiting this work. Please bear with us a little longer!"
Original author Masanori Morita also took to X to explain, offering his own apology:
"The 'Rokudenashi Blues Gaiden: Onikazura' series, originally scheduled for this summer, will now be restarted with a new artist, Yuki Yoshimoto-sensei, replacing Boichi-sensei. This means the serialization start date will be delayed until this winter. To all the readers who have been looking forward to this work, I am truly sorry! Please wait just a little bit longer!"
This new spin-off, "Rokudenashi Blues Gaiden: Onikazura," aims to fill in the gaps not covered in the main story, focusing on the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Shibuya's Onizuka and Ikebukuro's Kasai, chronicling their journey up to their fated showdown.
So, this "Rokudenashi Blues" spin-off, making its comeback after nearly 30 years, is now being re-worked with a new artist. While the reasons for the change haven't been disclosed, it's officially set to kick off this winter.