The ToC or Table of Content is no more than the index page of the magazine, it include thing like the page of the corresponding serie in the given issue (obviously), some comments of the author, if a given chapter have some special things like some color pages, results of characters popularity poll, anime announce, and whatever extra the given issue may have. Of all that, the only thing of interest for this topic is the page number of the serie, in other words the order in which the series are arrange in the magazine.
The Table of Contents look something like this:
(each year the layout change)
As you may notice from the examples, they are not the same, each issue of the magazine features its series in an order that is different from the previous one, said order is determined by a variety of reasons like popularity, sales, special events, maximize enjoyment, etc. The exact criteria is unknown. But something is for sure, the popularity of the serie play a role on it, as it have been notice by fan after many year of observation, in other words: the more popular you're the closer to the top you would be and vice versa.
Is speculated that if a serie fall in the last 5 spot of the magazine for too long and/or too early in its life, the higher the chance that its days are numerated, this is especially true for new serie as I would show you in a moment. Is also speculated that the ToC position of the first 8 chapter of a serie aren't a good indication of its popularity, but after that the first speculation is in full effect.
Bellow is a full list of all the series features in the Weekly Shounen Jump Magazine since issue 1 of 2016 until issue 33 of 2018 (from last week) ordered by arrival date, linked is a picture of their evolution as see it through the ToC.
(dates in term of year and issue of the magazine)
| Manga | Premiere | Ending | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kochikame | 1976, 42 | 2016, 42 | Longest manga ever |
| One Piece | 1997, 34 | present | Best selling manga ever, also best selling manga of 2018 |
| Hunter x Hunter | 1998, 14 | present | Currently appearing in irregular fashion |
| Bleach | 2001, 37 | 2016, 38 | |
| Gintama | 2004, 2 | present | |
| Toriko | 2008, 25 | 2016, 51 | |
| Nisekoi | 2011, 48 | 2016, 37 | |
| Haikyuu!! | 2012, 12 | present | 4° best selling manga of 2018 |
| Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan | 2012, 24 | 2018, 13 | |
| Assassination Classrom | 2012, 31 | 2016, 16 | |
| Shokugeki no Souma | 2012, 52 | present | |
| World Trigger | 2013, 11 | present | Currently in indefinite hiatus since (2016,49) |
| Isobe Isobee Monogatari | 2013, 47 | 2017, 46 | |
| Hinomaru Zumou | 2014, 16 | present | The only one in this table that is still alive and without anime, but one is coming next season |
| My Hero Academia | 2014, 32 | present | 5° best selling manga of 2018 |
| Black Clover | 2015, 12 | present | 7° best selling manga of 2018 |
| Straighten up! | 2015, 24 | 2017, 11 | |
| Mononofu | 2015, 42 | 2016, 34 | |
| Samon the Summoner | 2015, 43 | 2017, 27 | |
| Buddy Strike | 2015, 51 | 2016, 10 |
From here all arrive since 2016, and constitute my primary focus
| Manga | Premiere | Ending | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san | 2016, 10 | present | |
| Kimetsu no Yaiba | 2016, 11 | present | |
| Boruto | 2016, 23 | present | monthly serie |
| Takuan to Batsu no Nichijou Enmachou | 2016, 24 | 2016, 44 | |
| The Promised Neverland | 2016, 35 | present | 8° best selling manga of 2018 |
| Love Rush! | 2016, 38 | 2016, 50 | |
| Red Sprite | 2016, 39 | 2016, 52 | |
| Ibitsu no Amalgam | 2016, 45 | 2017, 12 | |
| Seishun Heiki Number One | 2016, 46 | 2018, 14 | |
| Demon's Plan | 2016, 51 | 2017, 12 | |
| Ore Golazo | 2016, 52 | 2017, 13 | |
| We Never Learn | 2017, 10 | present | |
| U19 | 2017, 11 | 2017, 28 | |
| Demon Prince Poro's Diaries | 2017, 12 | 2017, 29 | |
| Hungry Marie | 2017, 13 | 2017, 46 | |
| Dr. Stone | 2017, 14 | present | |
| Robot x Laserbeam | 2017, 16 | 2018, 30 | |
| Shoudan! | 2017, 28 | 2018, 6 | |
| Cross Account | 2017, 29 | 2018, 7 | |
| Tomatoypoo no Lycopene | 2017, 45 | 2018, 26 | moved to Shounen Jump+ |
| Full Drive | 2017, 47 | 2018, 12 | |
| Golem Hearts | 2017, 48 | 2018, 12 | |
| Bozebeats | 2018, 7 | 2018, 20 | |
| Act-Age | 2018, 8 | present | |
| Jujutsu Kaisen | 2018, 14 | present | |
| Noah's Note | 2018, 15 | present | |
| Ziga | 2018, 16 | 2018, 30 | |
| Momiji no Kisetsu | 2018, 24 | present | |
| Invade You! | 2018, 25 | present | |
| Seiji Tanaka | 2018, 30 | present | |
| Alice to Taiyou | 2018, 31 | present |
Did you notice somenthing interesting there?
All the new series (2016+) that passed the bottom 5 line and never go up ended and more likely than not they were axed, likewise those that stay above it are doing great, also those series which chapter 8 was above the bottom 5 line have a longer life that those that not, and of those unfortunate ones all lasted less than 30 chapters.
Series such as Ibitsu no Amalgam and The Promised Neverland are the ones that give the chapter 8 speculation its lasting power among fan, the first one got some high position in its first few chapter while the second was mostly free fall, but after that, one goes to the bottom and eventually meet the unforgiving axe and the other goes to the top and fan are eagerly waiting for its anime adaptation. Demon's Plan is another example of this, first few chapter have a good position, but arrive chapter 8 and it goes to the bottom where it die soon enough.
Look and behold Kimetsu no Yaiba and The Promised Neverland are getting an anime next year, Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san got an anime this season, Boruto already have one, and it would surprise nobody if We Never Learn and Dr. Stone get an anime sometime in the future.
Of the most recent addition to the roster that are still alive: Act-Age look like that at least is going to pass the 30 chapter mark, but is close to the danger zone. Jujutsu Kaisen appear to be doing moderately well. Noah's Note is in the danger zone so I would no be surprise if it end in less than 10 chapters but then again its chapter 8 was above the danger zone, so perhaps 20 chapters. Momiji no Kisetsu have a good start, but is entering the danger zone. Invade You! is starting bad, if it not recover is also going end soon. And for the others is too early to tell, and more soo only looking at the ToC.
what about the rank you promise in the title?
This data I present here, is also know among fans as the rank of the serie, though there are some other speculation added to it which determined if a given position in a given issue constitute a legit rank or not for the serie, but I don't find enough merit in them and therefore I would not mention them. In any case the real rank of any given serie is unknown for everyone except the editorial staff of the magazine, but as show, through the reading of the ToC fan manage to get a reading of the popularity/rank of a given title within the magazine.
In conclusion
Is my believe, that the speculation of the fans here presented hold true for the evidence I have collected and show here, I also believe that the real rank is hidden somewhere in the average position of a serie through time.
sources:
The ToC data, by surfing the mangahelpers forum
Best selling manga of 2018
List of series run in WSJ