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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,
Dragonball Z,
Yu Yu Hakusho,
DNA²,
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 Dragonball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu Yu Hakusho, One
Piece, Naruto, Shaman King and
Sandland. Starting in January
2004, Shonen Jump replaced Sandland with Hikaru no Go in
their line-up.
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