Manga enthusiasts eager for Yūgo Kobayashi’s next major series will need to exercise a bit more patience, as the launch of his new manga has been delayed from its originally planned spring 2026 debut. However, fans of his popular soccer series Aoashi have a silver lining to anticipate, with the Aoashi Brotherfoot spinoff manga scheduled to resume serialization in April 2026.
The announcements came via the official X/Twitter account for Kobayashi’s Aoashi manga on Saturday, November 22, 2025. Kobayashi indicated that his “completely new series for Weekly Spirits will take a little more time,” deferring its launch beyond the initial spring 2026 window. Details about the delayed new series will be provided once available.
Aoashi Brotherfoot Returns to Weekly Big Comic Spirits
Amidst the delay of the new project, the beloved Aoashi Brotherfoot spinoff is confirmed to return to Shogakukan’s Weekly Big Comic Spirits magazine around April 2026. This spinoff, which centers on Ashito Aoi’s older brother, Shun Aoi, originally ran for five chapters in 2021 and was compiled into a single volume in August of the same year. Its resumption offers a welcome return to the expanded universe of Aoashi for readers.
Yūgo Kobayashi’s Impact on the Manga World
Yūgo Kobayashi is widely celebrated for his critically acclaimed soccer manga, Aoashi. The main series, which concluded its decade-long run on August 29 with its 40th volume, was serialized in Weekly Big Comic Spirits starting in January 2015. It garnered significant recognition, including winning the Best General Manga award at the 65th Shogakukan Manga Awards in 2020.
The success of Aoashi extended to an anime adaptation by Production I.G, which premiered in April 2022. A second season of the anime, produced by TMS Entertainment, is already slated for next year. Furthermore, Titan Manga is preparing to release the manga in English in an omnibus format, beginning in May 2026.
Beyond the Pitch: Fermat no Ryōri
In addition to his work on Aoashi, Kobayashi is also the creator of Fermat no Ryōri, a unique manga that blends cooking with logical puzzles. This series, which launched in Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Magazine in September 2018, is also inspiring a television anime adaptation set to debut on July 5, 2025.
The sequential announcements highlight Kobayashi’s ongoing prolific career and the anticipation surrounding his creative endeavors, even as fans await further details on his latest original work.
