Hunting demonic spirits across Japan takes a toll that even experienced authors need to pause from time to time. Shueisha confirmed via Jump SQ.’s official channels that the popular horror manga Dark Gathering, created by Kenichi Kondo, will not publish a new chapter in the September edition, taking a one-month break.

The editorial department apologized to readers awaiting the story’s continuation, asking for their continued support while the series resumes its regular pace. Unless last-minute changes occur, the manga will return in the October edition, scheduled for September 4. This brief hiatus comes after the release of the twentieth compiled volume on July 3, showing the publication’s consistent success since its debut in March 2019.

For those unfamiliar, the story follows Keitaro Gentoga, a college student naturally drawn to malevolent spirits who tries to escape the occult. However, things spiral out of control when he starts tutoring Yayoi Hozuki, a prodigy obsessed with catching Japan’s most dangerous ghosts in hopes of finding the entity that took her mother’s soul. The story’s popularity led to an anime adaptation in 2023 and a second season confirmed for October 2025, bringing back the original production team and voice cast.

With the manga at a tense point and a second anime season underway, do you think this month off will help the author prepare for the franchise’s darkest and bloodiest arc?