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The story
A comment from the creator of the manga ‘Chi.’ — that “if you lose sight of your ending and just keep readers buying volumes out of habit, you’re finished as an artist” — became a hot topic on a 5ch thread. Reactions spread from the remark itself into the long-running debate over how One Piece, the poster child of never-ending serializations, should end, pitting the view that “if people keep buying out of habit, that’s a commercial win” against the counter that “this isn’t about money — it’s about an artist’s pride.” Some pointed out that it’s now been eight years since Eiichiro Oda declared he’d “wrap it up in five more years,” while others suggested that so many people’s livelihoods now depend on One Piece-related work that it may be impossible to end it easily. The discussion grew into a broader debate about how a single hit manga can end up shaping a publisher’s business and even a magazine’s survival.
What people said
What even is this…
No way anyone finds this interesting to read
Well, the diehard fanboys are busy dancing for joy
It's about an artist's pride not allowing that, right
This guy's saying there's something more important than money — he's talking about an artist's integrity
Some article had Oda-sensei saying it'd end in five more years
Not sure how many years it's been since then though
It's year 8 since that declaration now
He never said it followed "Earth's cycle of renewal," so technically he's in the clear (mocking vague prophecy-speak)
What were they even going for with that incomprehensible finale?
I mean even if the original protagonist had survived, best case he just ends up a madman anyway
Too many people's jobs now depend on One Piece continuing
Same goes for Detective Conan
They wouldn't actually lose their jobs though
Not my problem
Why should readers have to support the people who work on it
It'll end once it stops being profitable
Wait, does the manga ending mean nobody draws manga anymore, even as a hobby?
That makes no sense
It's year 8 since he declared he'd draw that within the next 5 years
One Piece doesn't have that kind of pull anymore
A company that bets its entire fate on a single manga deserves to go under
Seems like Oda has more power than the editors though
If Oda flat-out insisted on ending it, I don't think Shueisha could argue
Because no new masterpiece is coming up to replace it
Other publishers aren't relying on some One Piece-level masterpiece anyway
Conan over at Shonen Sunday
Baki over at Champion
Baki doesn't have that kind of pull lol
Only Demon Slayer, really
Isn't it exactly that mindset that's left that magazine unable to raise new talent?
If anything, it's because One Piece rakes in sales that there's still a little room left to nurture new talent
Everywhere else is seriously dead
I will never forgive them for cancelling Yaiba no Me 😡 (a Jump series)
At this point Jump+ is probably about even with it
A few years ago Jump+ might've had a shot, but back then the main magazine still had My Hero Academia and the like
Getting people to keep buying no matter the reason, habit or not, is the ultimate win for a manga artist
Just look at Jump's current lineup — outside of One Piece it's an absolute wasteland
Guess it comes down to whether someone set for life plays the artist or just owns up to being a businessman
That's a quote from back when Parasyte was still running — sure, he wrapped Parasyte up nicely, but sensei, what's happening with Historie?
The author will probably just die first
At least he's merciful enough to have declared it unfinished while still alive
Background and Key Points of This Debate
“Chi.” is a manga by Uoto published by Kodansha that already wrapped up in 2022. The Eiichiro Oda quote cited in the thread — that he’d “finish it in five more years” — traces back to a 2017 interview, meaning this year marks the eighth year since that declaration. Part of why these long-running series keep going is structural: the surrounding industry of collected volumes, anime, and merchandise has grown so large that the series can no longer end on the creator’s will alone, and that tension was exactly what split the thread. A results-focused view that “selling out of habit is still a commercial win” clashed with an ethics-focused view that “it’s about artistic integrity, not money,” and neither side settled the argument. Demon Slayer is cited as one of the rare series to start after One Piece began and actually reach a conclusion, but that’s raised as a critique of the long-running-magazine structure, not as commentary on Demon Slayer’s own merits — a distinction that’s easy to miss.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Live News General) thread “The creator of manga Chi. says: “If you lose sight of your ending and just make readers buy out of habit, isn’t that the end for you as an artist?”“.
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