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One Pieceis likely at the peak of its global popularity right now. The series has never garnered as much attention as it has in the past few years. However, during his visit to Japan Expo Paris 2025 in France, formerShonen Jumpeditor Kazuhiko Torishima stated that he believedOne Piecehas gotten worse over time.
Torishima is one of the most important editors in the manga industry, and he worked atShonen Jumpfor years. He is mostly known as the editor ofDragon Ball, but he wasShonen Jump’s editor-in-chief from 1996 to 2015 (he was appointed when the sales suddenly dropped sharply following the ending ofDragon Ball), and he initially opposed the serialization ofOne Piece.
Torishima Believes Oda Won Over the Editors
Torishima gave an interview with the French website France Info, where he was questioned aboutOne Piece. Before delving into his answer, it’s important to provide some context regarding Torishima’s relationship withOne Piece.In 1997, before the manga began serialization, Torishima wasShonen Jump’s chief editor, and he describedOne Pieceas boring and wasn’t sure if it should be published. He probably had never imagined the mangawould last for almost 30 years.
Therefore, France Info asked him to tell more about the reasons why he didn’t thinkOne Pieceshould be approved. Torishima then clarified that he had nothing against the story or its characters. In fact, he thought it was a good manga, but he saw many technical problems in the way the story would be developed. His answer suggests that he thought that Eiichiro Oda’s drawing and writing styles were confusing for children and that he needed to fix a lot of things. There was an internal debate onShonen Jumpabout whether to give it a chance or not. After a long, divisive debate, he decided to publish it, believing the series had a lot of potential.
France Info then asked if he thought that Oda’s work evolved over time, to which he answered thathe first thought it improvedbut then deteriorated:
At the time, I thought it had improved, but then it deteriorated. I think his editors can no longer tell him anything. The author won over the editors.
While his answers will surely spark heated debate, many are impressed by how honest Torishima was compared to what we usually get from Japanese executives. This might be related both to his personality and the fact that he retired from Shueisha. In any case, some fans appear to agree with his views:
I’m impressed. It’s rare for Japanese people to be this bland. They usually speak with vague words. I haven’t read everything, but the One Piece part resonates well with me.
The Role of an Editor in Manga Production
In the interview, Torishima also mentioned how he sees the work of an editor. In his opinion, the editor is the first reader of the story, so they should be able to decide whether the series is interesting and if it is delivering what it intends to deliver. After that, in cases where they judge that things aren’t good, they should be able to understand why the story isn’t working to give authors a few suggestions to adjust the story.
Even though authors might not take the feedback very well, it’s the job of the editor to fix everything they can before the story is out, at least according to Torishima’s opinion and experience.
One Pieceis available to read on MANGA Plus, in English and many other languages.
One Piece
Cast
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
