Manga's end in March to coincide with graduation season in Japan

This year's 12th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is revealing on Monday that Yusei Matsui's Assassination Classroom manga will end in five more chapters. The issue states that the manga will end in Weekly Shonen Jump's 16th issue, which will ship in March. The manga's end is coinciding with the end of the academic year in Japan and Japan's graduation season. Weekly Shonen Jump is also starting a "graduation countdown" for the manga in the 12th issue.

The 12th issue will also feature a comment and an illustration by Matsui regarding the manga's ending.

The magazine's 11th issue had teased that the 12th issue would feature the manga's "final mission climax" and the "conclusion of the fated battle." The 11th issue had also teased that the 12th issue would include a "super important announcement" for Assassination Classroom.

Matsui launched the manga in July 2012, and Shueisha plans to ship the 18th and 19th compiled volumes on March 4 and April 4, respectively. The manga's 17th volume (pictured at right) shipped on December 28. The series has more than 20 million copies in print.

Viz Media is publishing manga in North America, and it describes the story:

A humorous and action-packed story about a class of misfits who are trying t o kill their new teacher – an alien octopus with bizarre powers and super strength! The teacher has just destroyed the moon and is threatening t o destroy the earth – unless his students can destroy him first. What makes things more complicated is that he's the best teacher they've ever had!

The first television anime series premiered in Japan last January, and Funimation streamed the series as it aired. A second series premiered on January 7. Funimation is streaming the series as it airs in Japan.

The first live-action film adaptation opened in Japan last March, and a second will open in Japan on March 25. The Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal hosted the first film's international premiere last July. The Fantastic Fest film festival, held in Austin, Texas from September to October, screened the film's U.S. premiere.