The current editor-in-chief of Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Kazunori Oshima, reportedly believes that Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End will surpass Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba in popularity within the next five years.
According to an interview with veteran manga editors and former rivals, Kazuhiko Torishima of Weekly Shōnen Jump and Katsuya Shirai of Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Shirai said that current editor Oshima recently stated to him that Frieren will defeat Demon Slayer in 2028. Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump and Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday have been rivals since their inception in the late 1960s.
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Torishima and Shirai, the veteran editors mentioned above, competed fiercely in the 1970s and 1980s when the magazines first made a name for themselves in Japan. Weekly Shōnen Jump eventually surpassed Weekly Shōnen Sunday and other competitors in popularity, becoming Japan’s best-selling manga magazine of all time and serializing many of Japan’s most popular series, including One Piece, Dragon Ball and of course, Demon Slayer.
In contrast, Weekly Shōnen Sunday has faced a fairly steady decline in numbers since 2007. However, it still holds a number of notable titles, including Call of the Night, Komi Can’t Communication, Detective Conan and Frieren. The magazine also remains a familiar name to manga fans and is in the top 10 most popular manga magazines, although it was greatly outsold by Weekly Shōnen Jump in its most recent regular release. most recently (April 30 to June 30, 2023), at 1.1 million to 160,417 copies. .
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Given the volume and history of both magazines, Oshima’s claim that Frieren will surpass Demon Slayer may be wishful thinking. Frieren is one of the most popular manga series of 2023, especially since Madhouse’s anime adaptation debuted in late September, quickly receiving acclaim for its animation quality and intricate plot. . Both Demon Slayer and Frieren are historical adventure fantasy films that quickly gained popularity in Japan and became international hits after being adapted into anime. However, the same can be said for series like One Piece, Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan and many others. Oshima using Demon Slayer as the foundation for its success rather than the other parts is a testament to Demon Slayer’s position as not only a modern classic but also one of the most successful franchises. financially at all times.
During the interview with Torishima and Shirai, both editors also mentioned Demon Slayer several times, further emphasizing how rare the success of such a series is. Shirai says that Oshima’s claim that Frieren can surpass it means that the editor must have a “competitive spirit.” Comparing the two games, Demon Slayer includes 23 volumes and has more than 150 million copies in circulation, becoming the 9th best-selling manga of all time. Frieren has published 12 volumes to date and has just over 17 million copies in circulation.
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In addition to manga sales, for Frieren to surpass Demon Slayer, it would have to rake in more than $8 billion in media franchises. This means that the studio will probably first have to produce a film that rivals Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, currently the highest-grossing Japanese anime and film in history and the highest-grossing film in history. highest grossing globally in 2020. Furthermore, to surpass Demon Slayer in popularity, in addition to its huge fan base and countless awards, Frieren would also technically need a themed airline, a attraction at Universal Studios and a main character that Japanese children admire more than their parents.
Oshima made this request with a duration of 5 years, so it is entirely possible that within 5 years, all of the above goals can be achieved. Based on Demon Slayer’s popularity skyrocketing following the premiere of Ufotable’s anime adaptation in 2018, the next 10 months will provide significant insight into future predictions of Frieren’s success .
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is now streaming on Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Source: Thunder Famicokema: Den Faminico Gamer
