The manga
publishing world has just suffered an earthquake that few saw coming and that
promises to change the rules of the game. Publisher Shueisha made official the
cancellation of its outsourcing contract with Mix Green, the company founded
and directed by Shihei Lin, the legendary publisher responsible for
powering some of the most massive phenomena of the Shonen Jump+ platform such
as Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family, and Dandadan.
Through a
statement, Shueisha confirmed that the working relationship with Lin officially
ended at the end of July 2026. The publications that the publisher oversaw on
the digital platform will be restructured under a new internal team. However,
Lin did not sit idly by and immediately launched an announcement that left the
industry frozen: the creators of several of the most profitable series decided
to sign direct contracts with his company to keep him at the forefront of their
works.
Tatsuya
Endo, author of Spy x Family, and Yukinobu Tatsu, the mind behind Dandadan,
along with the creators of Centuria and Witchriv, sealed their
alliance with Mix Green independently. This move demonstrates the gigantic
weight that Lin's vision has within the creation of contemporary stories, to
the point that authors prefer to maintain the creative formula that led them to
success rather than submit to the corporate changes of the big publisher.
Shihei
Lin's trajectory easily explains the blind support of its authors. Since
joining Shueisha in 2006, Lin has shown a keen eye for spotting diamonds in the
rough at publications such as Jump Square, discovering the talent of Tatsuki
Fujimoto and guiding projects such as Blue Exorcist and Kono Oto
Tomare!. In 2022 he decided to go independent to found Mix Green,
maintaining his work with his star authors while preparing new terrain in
entertainment. Currently, his firm promotes competitions for new talents with
high-level juries and even plans to launch its own digital platform to publish
content independently.
Shihei Lin is one of the most influential and important publishers of the modern manga industry in Japan. Known for his ability to uncover groundbreaking stories and accompany authors in building true global franchises, Lin was the key player behind the massive success of the Shonen Jump+ platform. His creative vision was instrumental in the consolidation of iconic works that redefined manga consumption around the world.
