Modern Anime and Manga Face Criticism Amid Evolving Audience Tastes
By Published May 10, 2026, 9:21 PM EDT Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Dragon Ball editor Kazuhiko Torishima criticizes modern anime and throws jabs at world-famous titles like , Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man. Much like Akira Toriyama’s masterpiece, Eiichiro Oda’s epic focuses on the infectious joy of adventure and the unbreakable bond of found family, anchored by a pure-hearted protagonist. Dragon Ball and One Piece both follow endlessly escalating challenges, where each new antagonist provides a platform for the heroes to surpass their previous limits through sheer willpower.
Despite its massive success, regarding its gargantuan length and the increasingly sluggish and inconsistent pacing of its animated adaptation. The sheer volume of One Piece's source material now exceeds a thousand chapters, which inevitably creates a nearly insurmountable barrier to entry for new viewers. This issue is compounded in the television series, where the need to avoid overtaking the source material often leads to stretched-out scenes, excessive flashbacks, and a minute-to-minute progression that can feel agonizingly slow.
Audiences and die-hard fans aren't the only ones pointing out these kinds of weaknesses when it comes to immensely successful titles like One Piece. Industry veterans also join the discussion with their own hot takes.
Kazuhiko Torishima Criticizes Modern Manga & Anime, Including One Piece & Jujutsu Kaisen
Dragon Ball's Kazuhiko Torishima Explains Why He Believes Modern Manga & Anime Don't Reach The Heights Of Their Golden Age
Dragon Ball editor and close Akira Toriyama friend Kazuhiko Torishima, who played a key role in , spoke at large about the current state of anime and manga at Comicon Napoli 2026. X user @XmathemagicianX provides a quick summary on Torishima's comments, meaning that many subtleties may be lost in translation. According to this summary, Torishima criticized the manga industry's current overreliance on written text, its decreasing focus on young audiences, and its limited artistic composition.
[SITEURL] | Grand Line Log Interactive Quiz ScreenRant/ Anime/ One Piece/ Trivia Grand Line · Pirate Adventure Edition The One Piece
Anime Quiz ⚓CrewNakama ⚡PowersDevil Fruit 🌊ArcsAdventure ☠VillainsEnemies 🌎WorldBlue Sea SET SAIL! → QUESTION 1 / 8CREW 01 Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. He gained his signature stretching abilities by eating a Devil Fruit as a child. What was this fruit originally believed to be called? AMera Mera no Mi BGomu Gomu no Mi CBara Bara no Mi DHana Hana no Mi ✓ Correct! The Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-Gum Fruit) was what Luffy’s Devil Fruit was believed to be — a Paramecia-type fruit that turned his body into rubber. Luffy accidentally ate it from the treasure chest of the Red Hair Pirates when he was a child in Foosha Village. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Gomu Gomu no Mi. The Mera Mera no Mi is the Flame-Flame Fruit eaten by Ace, the Bara Bara no Mi is Buggy’s Chop-Chop Fruit, and the Hana Hana no Mi is Robin’s Flower-Flower Fruit. NEXT → QUESTION 2 / 8WORLD 02 The One Piece world is divided by a massive geological formation that runs around the entire globe, separating the oceans. What is this continent-like structure called? AThe Grand Line BThe Red Line CThe Calm Belt DReverse Mountain ✓ Correct! The Red Line is a massive continent that circles the globe vertically, dividing the world’s oceans into four seas: North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue. It intersects with the Grand Line at two points, including the holy land of Mary Geoise. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Red Line. The Grand Line is the ocean route where pirates compete, the Calm Belt is a windless sea surrounding it full of Sea Kings, and Reverse Mountain is the entry point to the Grand Line. The Red Line is the massive continent dividing the world. NEXT → QUESTION 3 / 8POWERS 03 In the One Piece world, there is a spiritual power that allows users to sense others’ presence, predict attacks, and even exert their willpower over others. What is this power called? AChakra BNen CHaki DKi ✓ Correct! Haki is a mysterious power that exists in every living being in the One Piece world. It comes in three types: Observation Haki (sensing), Armament Haki (invisible armor), and the rare Conqueror’s Haki (dominating willpower), which only one in a million people possess. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Haki. Chakra is the energy system from Naruto, Nen is from Hunter x Hunter, and Ki is from Dragon Ball. Haki is One Piece’s unique power system with three distinct forms: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror’s. NEXT → QUESTION 4 / 8VILLAINS 04 The Seven Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai) were powerful pirates who worked for the World Government in exchange for pardons. Which of these characters was NOT one of the original Seven Warlords? ADracule Mihawk BCrocodile CDonquixote Doflamingo DKaido ✓ Correct! Kaido was never a Warlord — he was one of the Four Emperors (Yonko), the most powerful pirates ruling the New World. Known as “the Strongest Creature in the World,” Kaido ruled over Wano Country with the Beast Pirates. Mihawk, Crocodile, and Doflamingo were all Warlords. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Kaido. Mihawk (the world’s greatest swordsman), Crocodile (the desert king of Alabasta), and Doflamingo (the Heavenly Demon) were all Warlords. Kaido was a Yonko — an Emperor of the Sea — a rank above the Warlords entirely. NEXT → QUESTION 5 / 8ARCS 05 The Marineford War arc is considered one of the most emotional and pivotal arcs in One Piece. Luffy desperately fought to save someone important to him from execution. Who was Luffy trying to save? ANico Robin BPortgas D. Ace CRoronoa Zoro DSabo ✓ Correct! Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s sworn older brother, was captured by the Marines and sentenced to public execution at Marineford. Luffy broke into Impel Down prison and then stormed Marineford itself in a desperate attempt to save Ace, leading to one of the most heartbreaking moments in anime history. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Portgas D. Ace. Nico Robin was rescued during the Enies Lobby arc, Zoro is rarely in that kind of danger, and Sabo was believed dead at the time. Ace’s execution at Marineford triggered an all-out war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines. NEXT → QUESTION 6 / 8CREW 06 Roronoa Zoro is the first member to join Luffy’s crew and serves as the Straw Hats’ swordsman. He has a unique fighting style. How many swords does Zoro wield in his signature technique? AOne BTwo CThree DFour ✓ Correct! Zoro is famous for his Santoryu (Three Sword Style), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. This unique fighting style makes him one of the most distinctive swordsmen in all of anime. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is three. Zoro’s signature Santoryu (Three Sword Style) involves wielding one sword in each hand and gripping the third in his mouth. While he can fight with one or two swords, his three-sword technique is his most iconic and powerful combat form. NEXT → QUESTION 7 / 8WORLD 07 The World Government in One Piece is controlled by a mysterious group of individuals who sit at the very top of its power structure, above even the Admirals and the Fleet Admiral. What are they called? AThe Five Elders (Gorosei) BThe Celestial Dragons CThe Revolutionary Army DThe Yonko ✓ Correct! The Five Elders (Gorosei) are the highest-ranking leaders of the World Government, residing in the holy land of Mary Geoise. They command all military and political power, including the authority to order a Buster Call. Their true nature and abilities have only recently been revealed in the series. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Five Elders (Gorosei). The Celestial Dragons are descendants of the founding kings but don’t rule directly, the Revolutionary Army opposes the government, and the Yonko are pirate emperors outside government control. The Gorosei sit at the absolute top. NEXT → QUESTION 8 / 8POWERS 08 It was revealed that Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not actually the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but a mythical Zoan-type fruit with a much more significant true name. What is the fruit’s real identity? AHito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika BTori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix CUo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu DInu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami ✓ Correct! The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika is a Mythical Zoan-type fruit that the World Government had been hunting for 800 years. When Luffy awakened it during the Wano arc, he unlocked Gear 5 — gaining the power of “the most ridiculous ability in the world” with limitless imagination-based combat. ✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika. The Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix belongs to Marco, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu was Kaido’s dragon fruit, and the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami was Yamato’s fruit. Luffy’s true fruit is the legendary Sun God Nika. REVEAL MY SCORE → Voyage Complete Your Pirate Bounty / 8 Are you King of the Pirates — or still swabbing the deck? ↻ SET SAIL AGAIN
Torishima specifically addressed massive hits such as One Piece, which he believes has become too wordy, difficult to follow, and "unapproachable to kids," (according to the translation.) This is the opposite of classic Dragon Ball, which Akira Toriyama synthesized heavily in order to make it accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Torishima also revealed he doesn't find any modern manga anywhere as good as the classics, and he also allegedly "called Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and especially Chainsaw Man crap."
This isn't . He previously lamented that One Piece's plot is too heavy and that Eiichiro Oda had too much control over the property.
That said, Torishima had plenty of positive points to bring up. Torishima praised Hirayasumi and Touch, as well as Naruto and Even though he heavily criticized One Piece, Torishima voiced his admiration for Eiichiro Oda's work on One Piece's character work, and allegedly described Oda as "a massive comic/manga nerd with a genuine passion for the medium." Torishima also took time to admit Dragon Ball DAIMA started off on the wrong foot, and revealed the transition from Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Z was the franchise's biggest challenge.
Modern Manga & Anime Is Inevitably Different From Classic Shonen
Anime Like Demon Slayer & Chainsaw Man Would Never Be Similar To Dragon Ball
With a few exceptions, classic shonen anime was guided by the marathon model, characterized by hundreds of episodes, extended training arcs, and a visual style that favored clean, bold lines, limited visual effects, and a vintage color palette suited for television broadcast. Manga was straightforward and action-focused, with no abundance of text. Modern hits are created following a seasonal high-fidelity model that prioritizes breakneck pacing and cinematic art styles that incorporate complex lighting and digital effects. This major shift has left behind the full-throttle, episodic world-building that allowed older titles to play with their pacing.
Related
If the One Piece live-action continues to be a success, then these actors would be the perfect fit for the remaining One Piece characters.
Posts By
This evolution is fueled by a significant change in audience targets, where viewers now demand more immediate emotional gratification. While focused on the straightforward pursuit of strength and the clear triumph of good over evil, contemporary series like Chainsaw Man embrace a more cynical worldview. The aesthetic trends have followed suit and moved toward more stylized, unconventional character designs and a much bigger focus on dialogue. Producers today are no longer creating content solely for a Saturday morning time slot but building brands designed to dominate social media trends and global streaming platforms.
Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper anime industry context
Looking for clearer context on modern manga debates? Subscribe to the newsletter for thoughtful analysis, industry perspective, and curated viewpoints that unpack controversies like Torishima's critique and broader shifts in shonen storytelling. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our and . You can unsubscribe anytime.
Naturally, this radical pivot has created a tangible friction between the architects of the old guard and the innovators of the new wave. Producers and artists who cut their teeth on the traditional Shonen Jump formula may find current obsessions to be distractions from the fundamental lessons of simple heroism. After all, disagreement is an inevitable byproduct of a medium that has matured from a niche hobby into a hyper-competitive global industry.
What do you think about Kazuhiko Torishima's comments about modern manga and anime like One Piece?
-
-
Follow Followed Like Share Close Trending Now
