Kazuhiko Torishima, former editor of “Dragon Ball,” has once again criticized modern manga and has not spared some of the currently most successful titles. We summarize below.
Criticism of modern manga
After Torishima recently targeted “Dragon Ball DAIMA” in particular with his criticism, he now directed it generally against modern manga series during a panel at Comicon Napoli 2026, which, in his opinion, have developed in a very problematic direction.
Above all, he complained that today’s works are often far too text-heavy and overloaded. According to the ex-editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, a manga page should ideally be comprehensible within three seconds – but modern titles would hardly follow this approach.
In this context he particularly mentioned “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”, “Chainsaw Man”, “Jujutsu Kaisen” and “Blue Lock”.
But in his opinion, “One Piece” and “Naruto” have also become too complex over time and are now hardly aimed at children.
Praise for “Dragon Ball”
In contrast, Torishima once again praised the style of the late Akira Toriyama, whose stories, according to him, were characterized by a particularly clear and easy-to-understand narrative style. It is precisely this simplicity that has made “Dragon Ball” accessible to a broad audience over many decades.
In the past, the former editor has repeatedly sparked discussions within the community with critical statements about well-known manga and anime franchises. However, according to a statement from his agent, these statements were often misunderstood or taken out of context.
Accordingly, Torishima often sees criticism of works that he fundamentally appreciates as a form of “tough love” or as a consciously provocative motivation for improvement. According to the statement, he would not even publicly discuss works that he really rejected.
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