Will Terra Formars be canceled or axed in the future? Some readers are concerned about the series due to several ongoing issues.
In this article, we break down the main factors that could affect Terra Formars’s future.
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Was Terra Formars Canceled or Axed? Reasons Explained
Terra Formars first began serialization in Miracle Jump in 2011 and is currently ongoing in Weekly Young Jump, so it has not been canceled.
“Terra Formars 1” began serialization in the inaugural issue of “Miracle Jump” in 2011 and ran through Issue 6 of that year; in 2012, the series “TERRA FORMARS” began serialization in “Weekly Young Jump.”
It ranked first in the 2013 “This Manga is Amazing!” Men's Edition and second in the “2013 Recommended Comics Selected by Bookstore Employees Nationwide.” As of November 2021, the series has surpassed 22 million copies in cumulative sales.
It was adapted into a TV anime and OVA in 2014, and into a live-action film in 2016.
Although the series has been on hiatus since 2018, it resumed serialization in the 18th issue of Young Jump in 2024.
Since it had been on hiatus for a long time
Since “Terra Formars” had been on hiatus for a long time from December 2018 to 2014, it was widely believed that the series had been canceled.
このたび原作・貴家悠先生の病気療養のため、次号１号（12/6発売）より、しばらく休載させて頂くことになりました。お伝えするのが遅くなり申し訳ありません…！昨日２９日発売のヤングジャンプにはこちらの巻頭カラーで載っています…！復活するその日までどうかお待ちを…！！！ pic.twitter.com/FqHk6cYZbW
— 橘 賢一 (@k_tachibana) November 30, 2018
In December 2018, it was officially announced that the series would be on hiatus for a while as the author, Yu Kika, took a leave of absence to recover from an illness.
At the time, since the author, Yu Kika, had appeared in good health in magazine interviews and official guidebooks, the extended hiatus became a hot topic online.
Furthermore, since the nature of the illness was not disclosed, the resumption date remained undecided, and the hiatus lasted for five years, it seems many people assumed the series had simply been canceled.
Rumors of the Author's Death
Rumors began circulating that the author of *Terra Formars*, Yu Sasaga, had passed away, leading to speculation that the series would be canceled and that readers would no longer be able to enjoy the work.
The author, Yu Sasaga, had put the series on hiatus to recover from an illness, but the nature of the illness had not been disclosed.
Furthermore, there had been almost no mention of Yu Sasaga since the hiatus began, and he had not made any public statements since December 20, 2019.
Consequently, concerns arose that the author’s condition might be serious, leading to the false rumor of his death.
And because of this false rumor, it seems people mistakenly believed that “Terra Formars” had been canceled and left unfinished.
テラフォーマーズてっきり打ち切りだと思って、5年半ずっと絶望してたから再開してくれるのマジで嬉しい
— ぱんいち (@Lm7y7C) March 27, 2024
The artist is currently working on another series
There were concerns that since Kenichi Tachibana, the artist for *Terra Formars*, had taken on another manga project after *Terra Formars* went on hiatus, the series might not resume and could end up being canceled altogether.
作画担当が新連載始めるんじゃテラフォーマーズ打ち切りか？ pic.twitter.com/VYrzkm41eH
— 雲子 (@TERRAEVOLUTION) August 4, 2021
たまたま好きな作家いてグランドジャンプ買ったけど、テラフォーマーズの漫画担当さんが別漫画書いてた。
テラフォーマーズって実質、打ち切り？？
面白かったのに……— シン・赤坂 (@akasaka006) September 20, 2022
Kenichi Tachibana, the series’ artist, serialized “GIGANTIS” in *Grand Jump* from Issue 17 of 2021 to Issue 15 of 2023, following the hiatus of “Terra Formars.”
Consequently, with no official announcement regarding whether author Yu Sasaga was ill—combined with the long hiatus due to his recovery—concerns grew that the series would be canceled, as the prospects for “Terra Formars” resuming seemed hopeless.
Allegations of pressure from China
Because *Terra Formars* depicted China as constantly committing misdeeds, there was speculation that the series was canceled due to pressure from China.
テラフォーマーズ。 中国が裏切者になってるけど変なクレームきて打ち切りとかにならないか心配…
— 天才TADACy (@TADACy_com) November 21, 2013
In the Chinese version of *Terra Formars*, the Chinese characters were depicted as backstabbing others on Mars and engaging in underhanded schemes, and there were portrayals of extreme poverty—apparently reflecting the reality of China—in the harrowing backstories of the Chinese crew members.
Consequently, given that *Terra Formars* is a popular manga, it’s possible that it elicited sensitive reactions regarding China.
In particular, rumors spread that depicting China’s misdeeds and past realities within the work raised politically sensitive issues and led to pressure being applied.
It is also thought that such depictions sparked debate in the media and publishing industry, ultimately affecting the serialization.
However, there is no clear evidence regarding the exact reason for the cancellation, and it is possible that various factors were intertwined.
Allegations of Running Out of Story Ideas
One reason often cited for the cancellation of *Terra Formars* is that the creators ran out of ideas.
While the Mars arc was particularly well-received and expectations for the subsequent Earth arc were high, the story’s pacing reportedly slowed down, making it difficult to maintain readers’ interest.
テラフォーマーズもフェードアウトして行方不明になるくらいなら打ち切りで強引に終わらすべきだったろうな。というか火星編で終わっておくべきだった
— PAKI (@paki_tweet) September 5, 2019
テラフォーマーズって終わってたの、、、？あれほど戦いは火星だけにしとけって言ったのに、、、
地球に持ち帰った瞬間面白くなくなってしまったから打ち切りだろうなぁ、、、
— WEED (@FyUx74HPF5XRUmN) November 25, 2021
Many viewers felt that the series peaked with the Mars arc and that the subsequent developments fell short of expectations; it is believed that this gradual decline in the show’s appeal ultimately led to its cancellation.
Live-action movie flops, sparking rumors that the sequel has been canceled
The live-action film adaptation of *Terra Formars* was a massive flop, and as a result, plans for a sequel that had already been greenlit were ultimately scrapped.
At the time, *Terra Formars* had ranked first in the 2013 “This Manga is Amazing!” Men’s Edition and second in the “2013 Recommended Comics Selected by Bookstore Employees Nationwide,” and it was extremely popular following its anime adaptation.
Riding that wave of popularity, a live-action film was released in 2016. The distributor’s box office target was 3 billion yen, and it was screened on 327 screens nationwide, reflecting high expectations.
However, the first-week box office revenue was a mere 150 million yen—far short of the target. The final box office revenue failed to reach 1 billion yen, resulting in a massive flop that fell short of even one-third of the original goal.
As a result, although a sequel to the live-action film had already been greenlit, it appears the sequel was canceled in the wake of this massive flop.
How far does the final episode of the *Terra Formars* anime cover? Where does the original manga pick up from there?
The “Terra Formars” anime aired for two seasons and covered up to Volume 12.
Therefore, if you want to follow the story after the second season of the anime, you can start reading from Volume 12.
By the way, the “anime” is progressing as shown in the table below.
| anime | Manga |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Volume 2, Chapter 1–Volume 7, Chapter 53 |
| Season 2 | Vol. 7, Chapter 54–Vol. 12, Chapter 108+ Part of Vol. 14, Chapter 132 |
| OVA: Encounter with the Known | Volume 1: Part 1 |
| OVA: The Undefeated | Volume 1, Part 2 |
| OVA: The Reason to Fight | Volume 18: Part 1 |
| OVA: The Sad Creatures | Volume 18, Part 2 |
⇒アニメ「テラフォーマーズ」をAmazonプライムビデオで見る
Final Thoughts on Terra Formars
In conclusion, Terra Formars has not been canceled, and there are currently no strong signs of it ending early.
Because the author’s condition remained unclear and the series was on hiatus for more than five years, many readers believed Terra Formars had effectively been canceled, especially after the artist began working on other manga.
However, the series resumed serialization in 2024, and with new anime content also being released, it may be able to regain the popularity it once had.
It may still be worth checking out for yourself.
⇒アニメ「テラフォーマーズ」をAmazonプライムビデオで見る
