Manchuria Opium Squad resumed serialization in issue 45 of Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine, on sale October 5, 2026, and an anime adaptation was announced, according to a Comic Natalie report. The anime's official site confirms a TV series and says the manga has passed 3 million copies in circulation.
The crime suspense series is written by Tsukasa Monma and was drawn by Shikako, who died on November 8, 2025 of choroidal malignant melanoma. It was reported then that the series would be carried through to its conclusion under a new arrangement, in line with Shikako's wishes. The new artist is Tsurushima, who, according to Natalie, worked as an assistant alongside Shikako under Shikako's mentor, Kingdom creator Yasuhisa Hara. Shikako is credited for the original art concept.
Issue 45 carries two chapters, chapter 216 drawn by Shikako and chapter 217 drawn by Tsurushima, along with messages about the new arrangement from Tsurushima, Monma and Shikako's family. To mark the return, Yanmaga Web is offering every chapter free to read through October 11.
Monma and Shikako began the series on Kodansha's Comic DAYS in April 2020 and moved it to Young Magazine in September 2021. Set in Manchuria during the Shōwa era, it follows Isamu Higata, a timid Japanese soldier who ends up involved in the illicit manufacture of opium.