Kohei Horikoshi, the celebrated creator of the massively popular My Hero Academia manga, has released a new standalone work titled Quit Laughing, Shijima. This surprise venture into the horror-romance genre marks a significant departure from his previous superhero narratives and is now available in English.
The 61-page one-shot centers on Azumi, a second-year high school student harboring a crush on his upperclassman, Shijima. The story takes an unexpected turn from a conventional romantic encounter into darker territory. Quit Laughing, Shijima was originally released in Japan on August 10th as part of Weekly Shonen Jump's 37th and 38th combined issue, with a simultaneous digital release on the Shonen Jump app.
This release signifies Horikoshi's return to Shonen Jump after the conclusion of My Hero Academia, which ran from 2014 to 2024. Prior to his most famous work, Horikoshi authored Barrage and Oumagadoki Zoo for the magazine. My Hero Academia has achieved immense success, surpassing 100 million sales globally and joining the ranks of top-selling manga like Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and Attack on Titan.
The My Hero Academia anime concluded its run in December 2025 with its eighth season, followed by a bonus special epilogue titled “More” in May 2026, and a short mini-episode adapting final bonus manga material. Despite the anime's conclusion, fans have continued to follow Horikoshi's artistic output, noting his detailed illustrations released in conjunction with the anime's broadcast.
With the release of Quit Laughing, Shijima, Horikoshi has demonstrated his versatility by exploring a different genre. It remains to be seen what his next serialized project will entail following this successful foray into horror romance.