Weekly Shonen Jump by Shueisha is the most iconic Japanese manga magazine, and it has seen the birth of the most popular IPs of all time, such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and many other stories that fans will never forget. While many of Shonen Jump’s biggest hits are stories filled with mystical powers and unforgettable power-ups, the magazine is also well known for having featured some of the absolute best sports series of all time.
In 1999, Weekly Shonen Jump saw the birth of the best tennis manga of all time, the Prince of Tennis. The Prince of Tennis ended in 2008, but right after, The New Prince of Tennis debuted in 2009 in Shueisha’s Jump Square. Sadly, the story is now ending with Volume 48, and it will mark the end of this popular Shonen Jump story forever, with only the anime remaining for the fans to enjoy.
Legendary Shonen Series ‘The New Prince of Tennis’ Is Ending With Volume 48
When it comes to sports anime and manga series, many think of Slam Dunk for basketball, Blue Lock for Football, and Haikyu!! For volleyball. Specifically for tennis, however, no series is as popular as The Prince of Tennis. The Prince of Tennis is a story by Takeshi Konomi, who first started this manga in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32 on July 6, 1999. The series would become a huge hit and went on to be serialized for a few years after, racking up 42 volumes before ending in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #14, on March 3, 2008. In Japan alone, this original series managed to amass 40 million sales, as reported by Shueisha.
With so much to back it up, nobody was surprised when the franchise would make its grand return just a year after its end with a new sequel — The New Prince of Tennis. The New Prince of Tennis is a direct sequel, and it made its debut in Jump Square Issue #4 on March 4, 2009. While the series switched magazines to be able to run in a monthly schedule, the story’s true origins still trace back to Weekly Shonen Jump. It’s not unusual for authors to do this switch, as a weekly schedule is very hard to maintain.
The New Prince of Tennis has been running since 2009. Right now, the story has 47 volumes in total, but sadly, the author, Takeshi Konomi, himself, has confirmed the story will be ending soon with the next volume, The Prince of Tennis Volume 48. This was confirmed via an X post on June 29, 2026, on his account (@konomi_takeshi). This post shows a sketch with the sad reveal.
The Prince Of Tennis Sequel Story Will Establish A Great Legacy For The Series Forever
We’re all extremely sad to hear that a story with such a legacy is ending soon. At the moment, we don’t know when exactly this new volume will be released. However, based on the pace and release schedules of previous volumes, we can anticipate the end to be sometime around October 2026, with the final manga chapter dropping long before that in the magazine around August 2026. At the moment, it is unclear as to which chapter the manga will end on, but more information is expected to be revealed soon enough by Shueisha.
The Prince of Tennis final volume will mark the end of the manga IP as a whole. After a run of 27 years, its overall sales figures are estimated to be over 60 million, with 89 volumes out at the moment, with one more on the way. The Prince of Tennis’ story is very big in Japan, but it hasn’t caught on overseas as much. With the story fully ending, it might be time for fans from outside of Japan to give it a shot, both for the original series, The Prince of Tennis, as well as its longer sequel, The New Prince of Tennis.
The Prince of Tennis Story Continues Through the Anime for Now
The manga by Takeshi Konomi is officially ending, as confirmed by the author himself. Unless he decides to return with a new sequel yet again, the series is officially wrapping up. Due to the author having dedicated a significant part of his life to the manga, he likely wants to read. As such, a return for the Prince of Tennis manga isn’t on the cards for now. That said, we still have the anime to look forward to, at the very least. The New Prince of Tennis anime is scheduled to return in late 2026, and it covers the U-17 World Cup Finals Members Decisive Match. We can’t wait to receive more information on the project in the upcoming months.
