Oda, Togashi & Other Prominent Mangaka Face Intense Backlash For Involvement In Rurouni Kenshin’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
As the 30th anniversary of Rurouni Kenshin approaches on Oct 4, 2024, 38 prominent manga creators, including Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Yoshihiro Togashi (Hunter x Hunter), Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen), and Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), will contribute color illustrations to mark the occasion.
The list of manga creators that are contributing to Rurouni Kenshin‘s 30th anniversary celebrations are as follows:
- Eiichiro Oda (One Piece)
- Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
- Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen)
- Takehiko Inoue (Slam Dunk)
- Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto)
- Yoshihiro Togashi (Hunter x Hunter)
- Kohei Horikoshi (My Hero Academia)
- Yusuke Murata (One Punch Man – as illustrator)
- Yoichi Takahashi (Captain Tsubasa)
- Yūki Tabata (Black Clover)
- Hideaki Sorachi (Gintama)
- Takeshi Obata (Death Note)
- Naoya Matsumoto (Kaiju No. 8)
- Takeshi Konomi (The Prince of Tennis)
- Sui Ishida (Tokyo Ghoul)
- Daisuke Ashihara (World Trigger)
- Yūsei Matsui (Assassination Classroom)
- Tenya Yabuno (Inazuma Eleven)
- Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King)
- Kaiu Shirai & Posuka Demizu (The Promised Neverland)
- Tsukasa Hojo (City Hunter)
- Kazue Kato (Blue Exorcist)
- Kentaro Yabuki (To Love Ru)
- Yasuhiro Nightow (Trigun)
- Tadatoshi Fujimaki (Kuroko's Basketball)
- Katsura Hoshino (D.Gray-man)
- Shinya Suzuki (Mr. Fullswing)
- Haruto Umezawa (Hareluya II Boy)
- Takeshi Okano (Jigoku Sensei Nube)
- Yoko Kamio (Boys Over Flowers)
- Jigoku no Misawa (Tenshi no Drop)
- Sho Makura (Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne – as writer)
- Katsunori Matsui (Neko Majin)
- Daisuke Moriyama (Chrono Crusade)
- Takayuki Yamaguchi (Shigurui)
- Mikio Ito (Normandy Secret Club)
However, the event has sparked widespread controversy, as Nobuhiro Watsuki, the series’ creator, was convicted for possession of child pornography in 2017.
Criticism has not only been directed at the participating manga creators but also at Shueisha.
Fans have called out Shueisha for continuing to promote Watsuki’s work, despite his criminal past. The fact that the publisher organized the celebratory event has further fueled outrage, with many seeing it as an implicit endorsement of Watsuki’s continued presence in the industry.
Social media has been flooded with disappointment, as many prominent manga creators are now being scrutinized for their involvement.
Fans are particularly troubled because some of the most influential figures in the manga industry are willing to overlook Watsuki’s history.
Despite arguments that some creators may have felt pressured to participate, many fans pointed out that several notable names, like Tite Kubo (Bleach) and Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man), were not a part of the list.
Ruroni Kenshin manga was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from April 1994 to September 1999. The complete series originally consisted of 28 tankobon volumes, and was later republished in 22 kanzenban volumes.
In 2017, Watsuki began publishing a direct sequel, Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arcin Jump Square.
Source: X
