An Era Ends in CoroCoro Magazine: Doraemon Bids Farewell While Duel Masters Moves to Digital
Monthly CoroCoro Comic, one of Japan's most beloved children's magazines, literally closed an era in the manga world with its May issue published on April 15, 2026. Doraemon, which has been an inseparable part of the magazine since its founding in 1977 and is even considered the reason for the magazine's existence, bid farewell to its readers with the final chapter of the "Fujiko F. Fujio Masterpiece Theater Doraemon" series. This development marks the beginning of a period in which, for the first time in the magazine's nearly 50-year history, its pages will not feature Doraemon content.
The winds of change did not stop there. Another heavy hitter of the magazine, the Duel Masters series, announced that it would be leaving the physical magazine pages to continue its publication life on the digital platform called Weekly CoroCoro. This move by Duel Masters, which has been making waves with its card games and manga since 1999, reveals the determination of publisher Shogakukan in the digitalization process and how reading habits are evolving. Current series like Duel Masters Win are now aimed to meet their followers in a more dynamic way in the digital environment.
So, why is this news so important? CoroCoro Comic was actually founded in 1977 specifically to publish Doraemon stories in a collected format. Even after the passing of legendary creator Fujiko F. Fujio in 1996, the series continued to be the heart of the magazine with the "Masterpiece Theater" selections that began in 2002. The departure of this blue robot cat, which is identified with the magazine's iconic logo and identity, feels like the official end of a piece of childhood for many manga lovers in Japan.
What should we expect next? The Doraemon brand is certainly not disappearing; it will continue to live on through anime films, games, and special projects, but Monthly CoroCoro will now have to make room for new heroes. Duel Masters fans, on the other hand, will now be able to follow the series digitally every week. This change will go down in history as one of the greatest proofs that while physical magazines are turning into collectible items, the actual storytelling is shifting to faster and more accessible digital media.
