Apparently, the current editor-in-chief of the magazine Weekly Shonen SundayKazunori Oshima, believes that “Sousou in Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)” will overcome “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” in popularity over the next five years.

According to an interview with veteran manga editors and former rivals Kazuhiko Torishima (left) of Weekly Shonen Jump and Katsuya Shirai (right) of Weekly Shonen Sunday, Shirai stated that current editor Oshima recently told him that “Sousou no Frieren” will surpass “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” by 2028. It should be noted that Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump and Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazines have been rivals since their creation in the late 1960s.

Torishima and Shirai, the veteran editors mentioned above, maintained a fierce competition during the 1970s and 1980s, when magazines were just beginning to gain prominence in Japan. Weekly Shonen Jump eventually surpassed Weekly Shonen Sunday and its other competitors in popularity, becoming the best-selling manga magazine of all time in Japan. and serializing many of the country's best-known series, such as “One Piece,” “Dragon Ball,” and of course, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.”

In contrast, Weekly Shonen Sunday has seen a fairly steady decline since 2007. However, it still maintains several notable titles, such as "Call of the Night", "Komi Can't Communicate", "Detective Conan" and "Sousou no Frieren". The magazine also remains a familiar title among manga fans and is among the ten most popular manga magazines, although surpassed by Weekly Shonen Jump in circulation volume.

Given the numbers and history of both magazines, Oshima's claim that "Sousou no Frieren" will surpass "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" may be wishful thinking. Frieren has been one of the most popular manga series of 2023, especially since the debut of Madhouse's anime adaptation in late September, quickly receiving praise for its animation quality and intricate plot. Both Demon Slayer and Frieren are historical adventure fantasies that quickly gained popularity in Japan and became international hits after receiving an anime adaptation. The same can be said of “One Piece,” “Naruto,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” “Shingeki no Kyojin,” and many other series. The fact that Oshima uses Demon Slayer as a benchmark for success instead of other series is proof that Demon Slayer is not only a modern classic, but also one of the most financially successful franchises of all time.

In the interview with Torishima and Shirai, both editors also referenced Demon Slayer on several occasions, to further underscore how rare the success of a series like this is. Shirai stated that Oshima's assertion that Frieren could surpass her meant that the editor must have a "competitive spirit". Comparing the two titles, Demon Slayer consists of 23 volumes and has over 150 million copies in circulation, making it the ninth best-selling manga series of all time. Frieren has 13 volumes published to date and just over 21 million copies in circulation.

In addition to manga sales, for Frieren to surpass Demon Slayer, it would need to gross millions of dollars as a media franchise. This means the former would have to produce a film that rivals Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, currently the highest-grossing Japanese and anime film in history, and the highest-grossing worldwide film of 2020. Furthermore, to surpass Demon Slayer in popularity, in addition to the massive fan base and countless accolades, Frieren would also technically need a themed airline, an attraction at Universal Studios, and a protagonist that Japanese children admire more than their own parents.

Oshima gave this goal a five-year deadline, so it is entirely possible that in five years all of the above-mentioned objectives will be achieved. Given how much Demon Slayer's popularity skyrocketed following the release of Ufotable's anime adaptation in 2018, the coming years will offer significant insight into the future projections for Frieren's success.

Source: Thunder Faminicokema