Ichi the Witch Wins Next Manga Award 2025
Like Kagurabachi last year, Ichi the Witch is also a major success story and this award guarantees an anime announcement is coming up next.
On September 18, 2025, the winners for the 11th Next Manga Award have been announced.
For the Comic category, Ichi the Witch has won first place.
In second place is COSMOS by Beelzebub creator Ryūhei Tamura and in third, Super Psychic Policeman Chojo by Shun Numa.
All three are from Weekly Shonen Jump.
Other notable placers include 7th place: Gokurakugai by Yuto Sano, 14th place: Phantom Busters by Neoshoko, and 16th Place: Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi by Shoichi Usui.
First released on September 9, 2024, Ichi the Witch is written by Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun author Osamu Nishi and illustrated by Act-Age illustrator Shiro Usazaki for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump.
The series currently has 5 volumes and has sold one million copies as of October 1.
In the previous year, Kagurabachi had won the award and the anime was confirmed to be greenlit as part of a production by CyGames but there has been no trailer or any update.
Nonetheless, this means the same will happen for Ichi the Witch, which has broken multiple records, including surpassing One Piece in maintaining the top 1 spot in Weekly Shonen Jump in less than 10 chapters.
Digital Category
Meanwhile, in the Digital Category, Strikeout Pitch by Kyu Sumiyoshi (Shonen Jump Plus) won first place.
In second place for the Digital Category is another Shonen Jump Plus title, Centuria by Tohru Kuramori, who happens to be a former assistant of Chainsaw Man author, Tatsuki Fujimoto, who has also raised successful mangaka such as Spy x Family author Tatsuya Endo and Dandadan author Yukinobu Tatsu, with Fujimoto and Tatsu recommending the manga.
The manga was previously nominated for the 2024 Next Manga Awards in the Best Web Manga category and ranked seventh out of 69 nominees.
Centuria is the story of Julian, who receives immortality from a sea god, and currently has 6 volumes as of October 3, 2025.
In third place is Omotome Itadaita Bōkun Heika no Akujo Desu by Tenichi.
Notable placers include MAD by Yusuke Otori and Drama Queen by Kuraku Ichikawa.
Source: Twitter
“Ichi the Witch” ranked 1st Place on the Next Manga Award 2025
-Print Category-Action Fantasy by Shiro Usazaki (Act-Age) & Nishi Osamu (Iruma-kun) about a hunter boy who lives alone in the mountains. In this world witches fight with the power of nature spirits. However… pic.twitter.com/U70Q3PZpwy
— Manga Mogura RE (Anime & Manga News) (@MangaMoguraRE) September 18, 2025
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ANIME EXPLAINED WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT NOW!