46th & final volume ships on July 23
Image via Amazon
© Chūya Koyama, Kodansha
The official X/Twitter account for Chūya Koyama’s Space Brothers (Uchū Kyōdai) manga confirmed on Wednesday that the manga will end in three chapters. The announcement does not clarify whether or not these three chapters include the manga’s new chapter in the most recent issue of Kodansha’s Morning magazine, which shipped on Thursday. If that number includes the latest chapter, and assuming there are no delays, the manga will end on April 2. If it does not include the latest chapter, the manga will end on April 9.
The manga’s 46th and final compiled book volume will ship on July 23.
Koyama previously reported in January 2022 that he planned to start the final arc of the manga that year. In December 2022, Koyama reported that the manga was now in its final stage, with the ending planned soon.
The manga’s story follows two brothers, Mutta and Hibito, who made a vow as kids to travel to space. The younger brother Hibito did become an astronaut, but not Mutta. However, Mutta’s life changes one fateful day.
Koyama launched the manga in Morning magazine in 2007. The manga won the General categories in both the 56th Shogakukan Manga Awards and the 35th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2011.
The manga not only inspired a 2012-2014 television anime series, but also a 2012 live-action film starring Shun Oguri and Masaki Okada. The 29th manga volume bundled a special edition DVD of the Space Brothers #0 (Uchū Kyōdai #0) anime film. Koyama wrote the original scripts for the “origin story” film.
Crunchyroll streamed the television anime as it aired in Japan, and also published new manga chapters as Kodansha published them in Japan, until Crunchyroll pulled its Kodansha titles in January 2023. Kodansha USA Publishing is releasing the compiled volumes digitally in English. Sentai Filmworks released the television anime in North America. Sentai Filmworks also licensed the Space Brothers #0 film.
Source: Space Brothers X/Twitter account
