Aka Akasaka Planned Oshi no Ko Ending From the Start

In an interview from Shueisha, mangaka Aka Akasaka stated that he planned the ending for Oshi no Ko from the start of serialization. Unfortunately, fans have not been too happy about how the hit manga series ended.

Akasaka stated that while he had thought of the ending for Oshi no Ko when he started drawing it, he also “allowed” for the characters to breathe. He stated that his experience on Love Is War changed him. Instead of planning out everything, he occasionally changed the story to incorporate new subplots or make certain characters more important. Mem-cho, for example, was supposed to be far less important than she ended up being.

Akasaka considers these unexpected changes part of the character’s personality, and he wanted to become an author who could love and appreciate that. So while he decided on how Oshi no Ko would end, he wanted to draw the manga as a series that treats the characters well. Writers may be familiar with this sensation of a story or characters seemingly taking on a life of their own.

There are many reasons as to why online reactions to the Oshi no Ko ending has been largely negative. Some have stated that it feels rushed and that a lot of plot threads were just abandoned. This second criticism might stem from Akasaka sticking to a planned ending after pantsing character-driven subplots. Others have stated that the ending doesn’t seem congruent with established themes and characterizations, especially revolving around Ruby.

Now that he’s done with Oshi no Ko, Akasaka plans on taking a brief break and focusing on his life. He mentioned that he wants to work on a farm for a bit. His new manga will be a fantasy manga in Weekly Young Jump and it’ll start serialization in Spring 2025.