One Piece Is a Global Hit, But This Dragon Ball Exec Doesn’t Get All the Hype

One Piece is unarguably a number one shōnen big, boasting a report of over 500 million manga copies bought worldwide, and a high-performing anime of 1,136 episodes as of this writing. The neck-breaking size of the sequence has precipitated followers and critics to query the standard of Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece, as no ending is in sight for the shōnen sequence.

At Japan Expo 2025 in France, Kazuhiko Torishima, the editor behind Dragon Ball’s manga performance, acknowledged One Piece’s success, however revealed that the standard has gone south from his perspective. The Shōnen Jump editor reiterates in the interview that One Piece’s underlying story options “technical shortcomings” that curtail the franchise’s true potential.

Kazuhiko Torishima Interview Implies That One Piece’s Story Has Notable Downsides

In keeping with Weekly Shōnen Leap’s Former Editor-in-chief, the Story is simply too Complicated for the Youthful Era

Kazuhiko Torishima is famously often called the editor behind the success of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga. Previously Weekly Shōnen Leap’s editor-in-chief from 1996 to 2001, Torishima acknowledged, in an interview on the 2025 Japan Expo in France, that he was at loggerheads with Eiichiro Oda, One Piece’s creator, over the title’s storyline.

Moreover, Torishima defined that they debated at size over the titular world of pirates, treasure-hunting, and escapades of freedom. In his phrases, One Piece’s plot is simply too heavy, and doesn’t unfold in a manner that readers can simply comply with.

He emphasised that Shōnen Jump’s publications have been geared in direction of the youthful technology, implying that the plot wanted an easy-to-follow overarching narrative that might be grasped on a single learn. Regardless of the solutions of the seasoned editor, Oda by no means adopted his recommendation and promoted his type nonetheless, resulting in the manga’s debut.

Kazuhiko Torishima admitted that One Piece’s characters have been “enjoyable” and that he initially thought the story had gotten higher. Nonetheless, it seems that the editor now maintains his unique stance on the sequence, lamenting that the sequence has eroded over time.

The veteran editor admonishes One Piece’s editor, stating that they’ve been received over by Oda, who now has unrestrained management over the story. In keeping with Torishima, an editor is the ultimate decide of a manga; it’s their responsibility to steer Oda again on target if his work is unsatisfactory. Nonetheless, for the One Piece story, the other is the case.

Regardless of Kazuhiko Torishima’s Feedback, One Piece Has Remained Profitable

Oda’s Success Could Distinction With Kazuhiko Torishima’s Opinions

From Kazuhiko Torishima’s structural standpoint, Oda’s masterpiece is sorely missing. Regardless, One Piece is going strong in terms of reception. The manga gross sales preserve rising, and the anime has obtained profitable live-action diversifications that attest to Oda’s success.

Oda might show Kazuhiko Torishima incorrect, as One Piece and shōnen typically now enchantment to a greater variety of viewers, not simply youngsters. On this regard, the complexity of the story’s plot is perhaps the franchise’s strongest go well with. Both manner, time will reveal the way forward for the shōnen franchise when it comes to reception and efficiency.

One Piece

Launch Date

October 20, 1999

Community

Fuji TV

Administrators

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)