Former Jujutsu Kaisen editor joins One Piece's staff

Modified Jan 23, 2025 22:30 GMT

Former Jujutsu Kaisen editor joins One Piece's staff (Image via Toei Animation)

It was revealed on Thursday, January 23, 2025 that mangaka Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga series will soon get a new editor in former Jujutsu Kaisen editor, Junya Fukuda. The information was revealed by X (formerly Twitter) user and reputable general news source for Oda’s franchise, @pewpiece (Pew).

Fukuda is likewise set to become the 15th editor of Oda’s One Piece manga series, and will replace Anayama Kaito in the role, who started in February 2023. As of this article’s writing, it’s currently unclear why Katsuhi is stepping down. While fans have their theories, they’re likely to remain just that considering a reason for the upcoming switch wasn’t revealed at the time of its initial announcement.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s former editor to join One Piece’s staff soon, already knows how series ends

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Per Pew’s tweet, the news comes from “Eiichiro Oda’s latest comment,” which likely comes from the upcoming issue of Weekly Shonen Jump which One Piece chapter 1137 will be in. This would also track with Pew sharing the info rather than it coming from a verified source, such as one of the franchise’s various official social media accounts. Likewise, the news should be officially announced in the coming days once the next Weekly Shonen Jump issue is released.

Fukuda also makes sense as a potential editorial replacement for several reasons. For one, he previously revealed on a Japanese television show that he knows what the series’ titular treasure is and how it ends. The former Jujutsu Kaisen editor likewise becomes a natural fit for Oda, who needs a replacement and would likely prefer to avoid revealing the series’ ending to another person if he can do so.

Fukuda’s history as an editor on Gege Akutami’s beloved battle shonen series also further highlights why the choice makes sense considering where One Piece is at in its lifecycle. Sooner or later, Oda’s promised war arc will come, and he’ll need all the help he can get to deliver what he told fans he would years ago. With Akutami’s artwork in battle being hailed as some of the best in recent years, Fukuda could offer key help for Oda in this regard.

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Oda’s manga series originally began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in July 1997, where it is still ongoing today with regular serialization. However, the series is currently progressing through its final saga, and is expected to end sometime in the next few years.

Oda’s manga was adapted into a television anime series by Toei Animation in October 1999. The anime is currently on hiatus, but is set to return in April 2025 with a new timeslot, updated animation and pacing, and other qualitative improvements. Oda’s manga was also adapted into a live-action series by Netflix, with a second season set to premiere sometime this year.