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Shonen Jump, volume 1, issue 1 (English version)
Weekly Shonen Jump (Shukan Shonen Jump in Japan), with a circulation of over 3 million, is
one of the longest-running, weekly manga compilations in Japan. The magazine is circulated in a monthly version in the United States.
The magazine in Japan has produced some of the most popular manga titles around, including Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, YuYu Hakusho, DNAČ,
Yu-Gi-Oh, One
Piece, Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Slam Dunk, Shaman King,
Kinnikuman (better known as Ultimate
M.U.S.C.L.E. in the U.S. or North America, Northern Europe, Oceania, and some regions), Hikaru no Go, Hunter x Hunter,
The Prince of Tennis and many others.
Weekly Shonen Jump is targeted towards the young, male demographic ("Shonen" means young boy or man). It features manga with lots of action and adventure, often featuring young, male
protagonists with special powers and/or abilities.
Weekly Shonen Jump was launched by Shueisha in 1968, to compete with the already-successful Shonen Magazine and
Shonen Sunday. At its highest point, Weekly Shonen Jump
had a regular circulation of over 6 million. Weekly Shonen Jump manga titles have also been translated and redistributed
in South Korea, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Thailand
and also in Germany as the compilation magazine BANZAI!.
In 2002, Shueisha announced a partnership with Viz, a purveyor of anime and manga in the United States to
distribute a monthly version of Shonen Jump in that country. In its first issue (January 2003), it sold almost 300,000 copies, making it the top-selling comic book of any kind in the U.S. for that time
period. The titles featured in the American version include Dragon Ball
Z (The second part of Dragon Ball, named Dragon Ball Z to eliminate confusion for the American audience),
Yu-Gi-Oh, YuYu Hakusho, One Piece, Naruto, Shaman King and Sandland. Starting in January 2004, Shonen
Jump replaced Sandland with Hikaru no Go in their line-up. In October 2004, they will start publishing the manga Whistle!.
Shonen Jump also runs a line of graphic novels, including
those that have run in the American Shonen Jump, but also other titles that ran in the Japanese Shonen Jump but
not the American version, like Rurouni Kenshin, Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya), Ultimate M.U.S.C.L.E., The Prince of Tennis and Bleach.
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