Akira Toriyama’s editor onDragon Ball,Kazuhiko Torishima, recently confirmed thatOne Pieceis the only reasonShōnen Jump Magazineis still alive today, which confirms the incomparable impact of the series on Japanese entertainment. Despite being known for originally doubting the value of Eiichiro Oda’s manga, Torishima has clearly changed his mind, as revealed in a recent post from@pewpiece on X.
One Piece’simpact on the anime industry is no secret.This year, to commemorate the series’ 25th anniversary, Eiichiro Oda’s series became the very first anime to appear on the largest screen in the world, the Las Vegas Sphere. From June 10-16, fans of all ages were able to enjoy a 90-second display of the anime on a monstrous array of LED lights. Furthermore,One Piecealso made history at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2023. At 50 feet tall, 43 feet long, and 39 feet wide,Luffy was the widest balloonin the Parade’s lineup.
While these monumental achievements will always be remembered, an additional credit was recently added toOne Piece’sresume.Weekly Shōnen Jump, one of the most popular publications in Japan (and now, the world), has one series to thank for its success, and it isn’t what fans may think. Former manga magazine editor, Torishima, stated thatOne Pieceis the only reasonShōnen Jump Magazineis still alive and well today, providing further confirmation of the impact of Oda’s masterpiece.
One Piece Saved Shonen Jump During One of Its Toughest Times
According to Torishima’s recent interview, afterDragon Ballended,Weekly Shonen Jumpsuffered from poor sales and a lack of new talent. Toriyama’s style and work were so revolutionary that it took some time for a new generation of artists to come out, who had learned the lessons of the master. That’s when Eiichiro Oda andOne Piececame along, in 1997, before Kishimoto made his debut in 1999 withNaruto, and Tite Kubo withBleachin 2001.
Many fans believe that afterDragon Ballended its serialization,NarutobecameShōnen Jump’ssaving grace, but according to Torishima, this is far from the truth. In a recently released interview withImaginez with Discovery,legendary manga editor Torishima mentioned thatOne Piecealmost didn’t make it to serialization. While it is hard to imagine a world without Oda’s masterpiece,higher-ups atShōnen Jump(including Torishima) initially doubted the potential ofOne Piece,but, after seeing the passion that Oda held for the series and the lack of available talent at the time, they decided to give the series a shot.
Torishima’s Harsh Comments Towards Dragon Ball and One Piece
Torishima Has Made Some Brutal Comments Over the Years Toward Shonen’s Most Popular Series
WhileDragon BallwasShōnen Jump’scrown jewel beforeOne Piececame along, its editor, Torishima, made some seemingly harsh comments about the series in a previous interview. In a discussion with the CEO of Japanese game company, CyberConnect2, Hiroshi Matsuyama,Torishima pointed out the lack of life lessons in Toriyama’s series.According to Derek Padula, he stated thatDragon Ballis“a work without substance”:
Torishima: “That’s when I decided to make Dragon Ball a work without substance.”
Matsuyama: “Without substance?”
Torishima: “That’s right, Matsuyama-Kun, have you learned anything by reading Dragon Ball, that you may remember?”
Matsuyama: “Well, of course, um…”
Toriyama: “No, there’s nothing you can learn by reading Dragon Ball. It’s not a lesson in life, it’s useless in our lives; it’s just a funny comic. And that’s fine!”
In addition to his controversial statements about the belovedDragon Ballfranchise, Torishima also claims thathe was one of the editors atShōnen Jumpwho turned downOne Piecemultiple times.Onw popular manga artist, Yasuaki Kita, briefly quotedon his X accounta conversation that he and Torishima, who was editor-in-chief at the time, had whenOne Piecefirst made its way intoShōnen Jump Magazine:
Kita: “One Piece will be a pillar of Shonen Jump.”
Torishima: “There is no way One Piece will become a popular manga! Don’t talk nonsense!”
Despite the initial hesitancy towards Oda’s masterpiece,One Piecelater proved to be the best thing that could’ve happened toWeekly Shōnen Jump.Eiichiro Oda began working for the magazineat 17 years old. Since then, his manga series has become the best-selling piece of literature written by a single person of all time, outselling the Batman comics and J.K. Rowling’sHarry Potter.
Confronted with such success, it’s perhaps understandable that Torishima has now changed his tune, and also presents himself as someone who, as editor-in-chief of the magazine, believed in the editor behindOne Piece, Takanori Asada. While he previously doubted the series’ potential, Torishima has confirmed once and for all thatOne Piece’simpact onShōnen Jumprivals only that ofDragon Ball.
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
