Dragon Ball Editor Says Publishers Must Be Able to Disagree Big Manga Creators

No person is an island, and that is especially true in creative endeavors. While talent provides a powerful spark, every artist and writer needs community in some way to reach their peak. In the manga community, this fellowship is found at publishers as even the best manga artists have editors. And in a recent interview, a legendary manga editor stressed how important it is for even big-name creators to war back and forth with editors.

The information comes from Kazuhiko Torishima who is considered one of the most important editors to ever grace Shueisha. After joining the publisher in 1976, Torishima worked on everything from Doberman Deka to Wingman. The editor is known best for overseeing Dr. Slump with Akira Toriyama and his first steps with Dragon Ball. So when Torishima has something to say about the manga industry, fans tend to listen.

During his chat with Weekly Ochiai, Torishima spoke about modern manga, and he admitted it was a pity that editors nowadays are unable to dissent with their creators. To be specific, Torishima pointed out editors on One Piece in regard to this issue. This could be a recipe for disaster, but as Torishima notes, Eiichiro Oda is talented enough to manage One Piece without too much input.

This update from Torishima is definitely a changed tune. After all, the editor was somewhat famous for dismissing One Piece back in 1997. The editor critiqued Oda's story as boring. Oda and Torishima made a bet on sales the following year, and the editor ended up admitting defeat as One Piece sales rocketed to the top of the charts. So after all of these years, it seems Torishima is confident in Oda's skills.

However, not every creator is as talented or tested as Oda. Editors are very much needed to guide stories and challenge ideas to forge them in steel. Torishima may come from a bygone age in manga, but his advice still stands. So as Shonen Jump pushes forward with new series, we can only hope its editors are ready to push back on their series. 

What do you think about this curious manga update? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!