Original manga began in 1972, inspired anime adaptation

This year's 30th issue of Akita Shoten 's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine announced on Thursday that Shinji Mizushima 's Dokaben : Dream Tournament-hen baseball manga will end in the next issue on June 28. It will be the final chapter for the overall Dokaban series, which began 46 years ago in 1972.

The original Dokaben manga about a high school baseball club serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion and inspired a 163-episode anime and a live-action film. Mizushima followed the manga with the sequel Dai Koshien , which also featured characters from Mizushima's other manga. This was in turn followed by Dokaben Pro Yakyu-hen (Pro Baseball Arc), Dokaben Superstars -hen, and Dokaben : Dream Tournament-hen .

Dokaben : Dream Tournament-hen , the final arc, began in 2012. Akita Shoten published the 32nd compiled volume — the series' 203rd volume overall — on May 8 and will release the 33rd volume on August 8.

Mizushima received the Japanese government's Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette award for contributions to entertainment and culture in 2014.

Source: Comic Natalie