Gintama creator Hideaki Sorachi debuts Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz in Shonen Jump

Hideaki Sorachi, the manga author best known for Gintama, launched his first new serialization in nearly seven years on April 20, 2026. Titled Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz (2-nen B-gumi Yusha Destroyers), the comedy series opened in Weekly Shonen Jump issue 21 with a 66-page lead color chapter from Shueisha.

First serial since Gintama ended

Sorachi's last long-running Shonen Jump serial was Gintama, the samurai-sci-fi comedy that ran from 2003 to 2018 in the magazine before finishing its final arc in the spinoff Jump Giga in June 2019. The franchise spawned two long-running TV anime blocks, theatrical films including Gintama: The Final, live-action adaptations, stage plays, and a library of games. Since wrapping it, Sorachi has stayed almost entirely out of serialized work, surfacing only for occasional one-shots and guest illustrations.

That makes Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz his most significant return to weekly publication in the intervening period. Shueisha flagged the debut with cover treatment and a full-color opening, a slot the magazine typically reserves for tentpole launches or anniversary chapters, underscoring the publisher's expectation that a Sorachi return is a major event for the brand.

What Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz is about

The new series is positioned as a school-comedy riff on classic fantasy tropes, promoted with the tagline that the legend of the demon lords begins here and now. Early coverage describes the premise as centering on demon lords rather than heroes, with the irreverent, slapstick sensibility that defined Gintama's ensemble comedy carried over into a modern classroom setup. The 66-page first chapter is unusually long for a Jump debut and gives Sorachi room to set up the full cast in one sitting.

Character and staff details beyond Sorachi himself have not been broken out in the debut issue's promotional materials, and Shueisha has not yet confirmed a tankobon release schedule, a digital English rollout window, or whether the series will be simulpublished internationally through Manga Plus.

Part of a wider April launch slate

The debut is one of several high-profile April 2026 manga launches from Shueisha and other Japanese publishers, with multiple established authors returning to serialization in the same window. For Weekly Shonen Jump specifically, the Sorachi launch headlines the spring refresh of the magazine's lineup, arriving as the publication balances long-running hits with a fresh rotation of new series.

What to watch next

The practical questions for readers outside Japan are the English simulpub window on Manga Plus and the Viz digital edition, neither of which has been confirmed alongside the Japanese debut. For Indian readers, Shueisha's Manga Plus app continues to offer free access to new Jump chapters in English shortly after Japanese release for most of the magazine's lineup, and Class 2-B Hero Destroyerz is widely expected to follow the same pattern once Shueisha confirms the international rollout. Chapter 2 is slated for the following Weekly Shonen Jump issue.