Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc manga goes on hiatus - what to expect when it returns

Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc is now officially in another publishing hiatus, although not as it had earlier been with indefinite breaks. On November 4, 2025, the Jump SQ announced that the manga was to restart being serialised in March 2026. The Hokkaido Arc, an extension of the classic samurai story of Nobuhiro Watsuki, has been running in Jump Square since 2017 and has already released nine volumes of its collections. The combination of historical fiction, sword fighting, and post-Bakumatsu politics has made the sequel arc a lasting favorite of long-time Rurouni Kenshin readers.

By the time Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc reappears in March 2026, readers will have a direct continuation of what the story has been, and they will continue to read it with the same pacing and tone. The break has been explained by health-related problems of Watsuki, who needed more time to recuperate, which made Jump SQ suspend the monthly serialization of the series. As Shueisha had clarified, the editorial has already begun the next chapter, and the series will take up its usual monthly position when it is published again. The announcement makes the appearance of Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc structured and time-limited, unlike the open-ended uncertainty of previous breaks.

First serially published in September 2017, Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc is the first significant storyline of the franchise since the conclusion of the so-called Jinchu Arc. The series has had its peaks and valleys of suspension, but overall, it has built its narrative over the eight years of its operation with nine volumes. The next March 2026 return will be a continuation of Chapter 57, which ended with Kenshin against the new Hokkaido government faction, and the subplot about Asahi Kujiranami. The following stage has been proposed by editorial sources to be a narrative transition towards the final arc of the manga.

The extended scheduling is justified by the production history of Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc. Breaks in the past, such as 2018 and 2021, were succeeded by a steady, balanced pace, an interest in historical detail, and a high level of art finesse. Such a practice demonstrates that Shueisha prioritizes the well-being of authors and the quality of publications. Therefore, by March 2026, when the manga will be published again, it is likely to resume its monthly serialization pace in Jump SQ, with one chapter per issue, and will continue to follow the same publication pattern.

In addition to timing, the reappearance of Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc is consistent with Shueisha's overall approach to maintain legacy properties and introduce new flagship properties. According to industry reports, serialization will resume in March 2026, and promotions held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Rurouni Kenshin franchise, including a special gallery of illustrations and interviews with Watsuki on the creative process of the Hokkaido storyline. These memorialistic attempts suggest that the following chapters will hold thematic weight and will probably arrive at the supposed final destination of the arc.

Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc — What the Readers Have to Look Forward to with the 2026 Return

The March 2026 sequel to Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc is expected to start right after the events of the ongoing arc and will follow Kenshin Himura, Kaoru, Yahiko, and the reunited Kamiya dojo group on their way across northern Japan. According to industry commentary, the next several chapters will focus on the ultimate battle between the group of Kenshin and the remaining pro-imperial forces, indicating that the Hokkaido Arc might be entering its final two days. The continuity of tone, pacing, and character development will likely be maintained with Watsuki at the helm once again.

Moreover, volumes 10 and 11 of Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc are already under editorial preparation and should be released sometime in mid-2026, just before the serialization is restarted. Shueisha has also stated that the digital releases of the manga in Jump Plus will keep pace with the magazine publication, so that international readers can read new chapters at the same time as Japan. The return window will provide the author and the publisher with sufficient time to complete storyboards and production plans so that the same visual quality present in the earlier volumes is achieved.

Alongside the re-emergence of the manga, the new exposure of Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc is accompanied by discussion on the possibility of adopting the storyline of Hokkaido into anime in other preceding volumes. Although no production has been confirmed, the studio has reportedly read storyboarding of the ninth volume of the manga to determine its adaptation possibilities. Nevertheless, the actual March 2026 reissue of the manga is the center of attention for both fans and publishers.

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Finally, Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc will continue serially in March 2026, starting Chapter 57 in Jump Square. The hiatus has been used mostly to recover authors and rebalance the editorial, and its return is meant to restore the manga to its monthly release staple. Readers should anticipate a linear continuation of the plot, uniformity of the art, and a plot that probably leads to the final stages. With Rurouni Kenshin: Hokkaido Arc heading into the last act, both Shueisha and Nobuhiro Watsuki seem determined to see the series to the end with the same level of discipline and craftsmanship with which it has been written in its permanent record.

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