Kadokawa's Da Vinci magazine will come to an end in 2026 after 32 years of publication. The final issue will go on sale October 6.

Although Da Vinci began in 1994 as a literary magazine, it has morphed over the years to focus more generally on popular culture. Recent editions have focused on the evolution of Netflix, Junji Ito and trivia group Quiz Knock, as well as J-pop duo Yorushika. Each issue usually spotlights a famous actor, singer, or voice actor on the cover, alongside an interview.

Perhaps most famously, the magazine's editorial department produces annual lists of the best books each year, including manga and light novels. It remains to be seen if this tradition will continue, but the press release confirmed that the Da Vinci website will stay online for the foreseeable future. In fact, there are plans to strengthen this online content in place of the magazine going forward.

As for why Da Vinci is going away, Kadokawa cited "drastic changes in the publishing industry" as well as the "diversification of information-gathering methods" among readers. Much like the rest of the industry, it seems like physical media simply can't beat digital distribution, even if there are several problems inherent within that.

Media Factory initially published the magazine from 1994 to 2011 before being acquired by Kadokawa from parent company Recruit. Da Vinci then passed to Kadokawa as part of an 8 billion yen deal that included Comic Flapper, Monthly Comic Alive, as well as several light novel titles.