On July 28, 2026, the Taiwanese edition of the U.S. men's fashion magazine "GQ" published an article titled "Did 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' redefine an era? Deciphering the golden rule of Japanese manga through 'Friendship, Effort, Victory'." The article explained, "The greatest legacy 'Weekly Shonen Jump' left its readers are the three values that run through the core of its works: 'Friendship, Effort, Victory'. These three principles are often spoken of as the golden rule for 'Weekly Shonen Jump's' success, but is that really true? For about 10 years from its launch in July 1968, very few works published featured all three principles. In works from the 60s and 70s, many protagonists were solitary figures, born with immense power or gaining special abilities through curses. Therefore, depictions of acquiring power through effort were few." It then introduced, "Sports manga that were popular at the time might appear to depict 'Effort' and 'Victory' at first glance, but what readers sought was not victory itself, but rather the sight of the protagonist sweating and shedding tears. Its essence lay in 'guts' (grit/tenacity), and what best highlighted this grit was the protagonist's stance of fighting through everything, sacrificing all. Even friendship, romance, and smiles were sometimes considered obstacles in depicting guts. Tokihiro Nakajima's 'Astro Kyūdan', which gained popularity in '72, can be said to be a representative work of this genre." It also argued, "What greatly changed the direction of 'Weekly Shonen Jump' was likely Masami Kurumada's 'Ring ni Kakero', which began serialization in '77. This work featured a boy who inherited his late father's will and underwent rigorous training to become a world champion. However, the style of the work completely changed midway. It transformed from realistic boxing into psychic battles featuring special moves, and became the origin of the now standard trope of 'shouting out the name of a technique and defeating enemies with a special move'. What was important was not the logic of the technique, but giving conviction to the character who used it. As enemies grew stronger, the protagonist would suffer defeat and grow through new training. Here, 'Effort' strengthens the protagonist and becomes their qualification for 'Victory'. And 'Friendship' is depicted, with comrades risking their lives to support the protagonist and buy them time for training. Thus, the cyclical structure of the three principles was completed." Furthermore, it analyzed, "In works that inherited the flow of sports manga, the more players there were, the easier it became to depict friendship. 'Captain Tsubasa', which began serialization in '81, is a prime example of this, and the leadership-filled figure of Tsubasa Ozora revolutionized the image of protagonists up until then. In '82, Kurumada serialized 'Fuma no Kojiro', once again depicting the three principles. On the other hand, Nakajima's new sports 'guts' manga, 'Yoroshiku Shun'ichiban', was canceled. Readers were already seeking new Jump works, not traditional, gritty 'guts' works." It further stated, "'Dragon Ball' in '84, 'Sakigake!! Otokojuku' in '85, 'Saint Seiya' in '86, and 'Dragon Quest' in '89 also became works centered around 'Friendship, Effort, Victory', and by the 90s, these three principles had become synonymous with Jump works. However, in 2020, the official X (formerly Twitter) account for the 'Shonen Jump Manga Award' responded that it had never espoused the three principles. Readers reacted against this, but in reality, whether officially recognized or not, for them, friendship was Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli's final Ripple entrusted to Joseph Joestar in 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure', effort was the training in the Room of Spirit and Time in 'Dragon Ball', and victory was the silent high-five exchanged by Hanamichi Sakuragi and Kaede Rukawa after the Sannoh Kogyo match in 'SLAM DUNK'." It then stated, "Japanese society itself was supported by the value of 'if you make an effort, you can succeed' during the bubble economy of the 80s. However, circumstances are different now. It is no longer an era where effort guarantees success. In response to this change, works such as 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba', 'Dr. STONE', and 'Jujutsu Kaisen' began to depict more realistic, harsher, and darker worldviews, while still retaining the three principles of 'Friendship, Effort, Victory'. Art reflects reality, and reality, in turn, changes through art. Ten years from now, a new golden rule symbolizing 'Weekly Shonen Jump' might be born." (Translated and edited by Iwata)

あってもなくてもどちらでもいいです。少年ジャンプ編集部が公式に三原則として掲げたことは一度もないので。 #Peing #質問箱 https://t.co/EiZGnTs3pi

— 少年ジャンプ漫画賞 (@jump_mangasho) November 2, 2020