Weekly Shonen Jump - Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)
Weekly Shonen Jump is a comic book magazine originally founded by Shueisha in 1968 to compete with other popular comics magazines like Weekly Shonen Sunday and Weekly Shonen Magazine. Today, it is known for publishing some of the most popular manga series of all time and serves as the "gold standard" for many fans worldwide. Some of the series published in the magazine include Captain Tsubasa, Fist of the North Star, Slam Dunk, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, Naruto, Bleach, and more recently, My Hero Academia, The Promised Neverland, Black Clover, Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) , and Dr. Stone. While Weekly Shonen Jump is largely based in Japan, the magazine has been translated and published in various countries around the world, including Mexico, Spain, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
History
The very first issue of Weekly Shonen Jump (then simply Shonen Jump) was published on August 1, 1968, and, like its competitors, attempted to appeal to a young male demographic. After publishing twenty issues every two weeks, the publication changed its name to Weekly Shonen Jump and released issues weekly. The first issue featured manga such as Kujira Daigo, Chichi no Tamashii, and Harenchi Gakuen, the latter being one of Go Nagai's (the creator of Cutie Honey, Mazinger Z, and Devilman) early successes. The magazine would go on to spawn several other publications, such as Shonen Book, a monthly publication that eventually morphed into Monthly Shonen Jump (now Jump SQ). Jump Next! was originally a seasonal special that featured one-shots created by fledgling manga artists, sometimes also featuring one-shots by established artists. This special became its own bi-monthly anthology in March 2014. Super Jump is another special series from Weekly Shonen Jump that originally ran from 1968 to 1988, after which it became its own publication specializing in seinen manga.
In September 2014, Shueisha launched a website and mobile app called "Shonen Jump+," which allowed manga fans to purchase digital versions of Weekly Shonen Jump and volumes of specific series published under the Jump imprint. It also features exclusive series not published in the physical magazine, even if they do not necessarily fit the standard Shonen Jump demographic. Shueisha later released an English and Spanish version of the site in early 2019, though it is called Manga Plus. All versions offer the latest chapters of each series available for free in their respective languages for a limited time.
Currently Featured Series
Although it is published weekly, there is a chapter for 21 different series (excluding Hunter x Hunter, which is released irregularly) that is published in the standard Weekly Shonen Jump magazine:
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Act-Age
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The Agravity Boys
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Black clover
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The Chainsaw Man
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Doctor Stone
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Witch's Guardian
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Haikyuu!!
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Hunter x Hunter
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Jujutsu Kaisen
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Mashle: Magic and Muscles
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Mission: The Yozakura Family
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Mitama Security: Spirit Hunters
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My Hero Academy
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One piece
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Unlucky Undead
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The Promised Neverland
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Samurai 8: Hachimaru's Story
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We never learn
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Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs
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Zipman!
Legacy
From its first publication in August 1968 until fifty years later in 2018, Weekly Shonen Jump sold an average of over three million copies each week, but peaked at just over six and a half million copies per week in 1995. In total, nearly 7.6 billion individual copies of the magazine were printed and sold over the years, generating approximately $20 billion in total revenue. During these years, many incredibly popular manga series were published in the magazine. Manga series like One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach drove the magazine's sales through the roof, leading some fans to refer to this trio as Weekly Shonen Jump's "Big Three," as they were once the magazine's three most popular series. During this time, the publication essentially became the precursor to manga for younger audiences.
Awards
Weekly Shonen Jump and its parent company Shueisha have also created several newcomer awards that allow young manga artists to submit their one-shots for a chance to win various prizes. The two main awards are the biannual Tezuka Prize and the Akatsuka Prize, both named after well-known manga authors. The Tezuka Prize focuses on narrative manga, while the Akatsuka Prize is specifically for comedy manga. Another newcomer competition also takes place monthly, although its name has changed several times throughout the year. It is currently called the Jump New World Manga Award, after its most popular series, One Piece. Several aspiring manga artists make their debut here. The author is one example. Koyoharu Gotouge , who published a one-shot titled Kagarigari for the contest (then called the "Jump Treasure Newcomer Manga Award") and was awarded an honorable mention in 2013. This one-shot shares several similarities with their later work that was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) None
