Kuroko's Basketball Extra Game Manga Nearing Climax

Sequel to Tadatoshi Fujimaki's Kuroko no Basuke manga launched in December 2014

This year's fifth issue of Shueisha's Jump Next magazine is announcing on Tuesday that Tadatoshi Fujimaki's Kuroko no Basuke Extra Game (Kuroko's Basketball Extra Game) sequel manga enter its "climax" in the magazine's next issue, whichShueisha will publish at the end of December. (Note: In Japanese, the word "climax" written in the phonetic katakana alphabet often refers to the final chapter of a manga.)

The manga is a sequel to Fujimaki's earlier Kuroko no Basuke(Kuroko's Basketball) manga. In the beginning of the originalseries, Taiga Kagami has just enrolled at Seirin High School when he meets Tetsuya Kuroko of the school's basketball team. Kuroko happens to be the shadowy sixth member of the legendary "Generation of Miracles" basketball team. Together, Kagami and Kuroko aim to take their team to the inter-high school championship — against Kuroko's former teammates.

Fujimaki launched the Kuroko's Basketball Extra Game manga in Jump Next in December 2014, and Shueisha published the manga's "First Half" volume (pictured at left) on September 4.

Fujimaki launched the original Kuroko no Basuke manga series inWeekly Shonen Jump in 2008, and he ended it in September 2014.Shueisha published the 30th and final compiled volume in Japan in December 2014.

The original manga inspired three television anime adaptations and anupcoming anime film. Viz Media announced on Friday that it will releasethe original manga in 2-in-1 omnibus editions in North America starting in summer 2016.