The two manga giants Eiichiro Oda and Gosho Aoyama put up a new light on a crucial moment in the history of Weekly Shonen Jump. Oda disclosed how his series saved Japan’s premier manga publication house in the mid-1990s following the end of its two most iconic franchises.
The end of Dragon Ball in 1995, followed by the cessation of Slam Dunk has put a period of uncertainty for the publication house. Oda’s recount was marked by widespread speculation regarding Jump’s future viability in the absence of its major series.
A Fluctuating Period of Shonen Jump
OVER 100 Miracle Talk, which was featured in Weekly Shonen Jump 2022 issue #34 via Tumblr, Eiichiro Oda offered something that has been muffled for years. The end of two major manga series in 1995 left the publication in a precarious position.
Oda recounted:
It was a time in which both ‘Dragon Ball’ and ‘SLAM DUNK’ ended right after the other, and lots of people thought Jump would be in huge trouble.
The period of uncertainty set the stage for fierce competition among newcomers who were trying to fill the gap left by those series. Oda found himself at the center of this struggle as he began his serialization of One Piece in 1997. He reflected that for 2 years everyone would get their series compared with those two and get completely crushed. However, only his series survived among all the others.
The shifting landscape of the manga industry put huge pressure on the young mangaka. Oda remembered the day his series was debuted.
I remember the cover of the Jump issue in which my series started appeared on the front page of a newspaper, showing the cover of ‘ONE PIECE’ next to the headline ‘Jump is overtaken by Magazine’.
One Piece was given the opportunity to demonstrate its worth during the Jump’s vital time. That eventually helped it move back to its former glory.
Eiichiro Oda Setting Up a New Era
One Piece established itself as a key part of Weekly Shonen Jump. Oda revealed that he even thought of other successful Shonen manga as a competitor. He admitted that he considered Gosho Aoyama’s Detective Conan series as his enemy.
Oda reflected:
I won’t really hesitate saying this, we were proud our seniors led the shonen manga world with battle-focused manga, so we honestly thought “mystery manga shouldn’t be at the top of shonen manga”
One Piece kept getting better and better, even though it had a rough start. The nature of its blended narrative style helped it to stand out among its peers. And paved the way for a new generation to move beyond the already-established patterns.
The series has been running for more than 25 years. Its manga volumes are over 100 and the anime episodes crossed 1000. Its long-standing success also proves how significant was One Piece in helping to make Weekly Shonen Jump popular again.
One Piece is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll and read the manga on Viz.
