Shueisha is launching a new manga competition for its Shonen Jump+ digital platform called Shonen Jump+ Villain Manga Award. Participants are encouraged to submit manga with a strong emphasis on the villains. Shonen Jump+ seeks a new series with “captivating villainous characters” rather than a great protagonist. Participants can send their manga either through the Jump Rookie submission platform, the web for submission, or by postal mail. The deadline for entries is Monday, September 15th. The Grand Prize for the campaign is the “Best Villain Award,” which includes prize money and a chance for publication. The runner-up award is called the “Outstanding Villain Award.”
Shonen Jump+ Villain Manga campaign defines villainous characters as fearsome, morally ambiguous, and compelling, regardless of whether they are with or against the protagonist. The campaign encourages fans to submit their work even if the villain isn’t a main character. As long as the bad guy is central to the manga’s premise, then the story is fair game. Shonen Jump+ is one of the most popular digital manga platforms, serializing several extremely popular manga franchises, including Spy x Family, Kaiju No. 8, Hell’s Paradise, and Dandadan. The winner of the Villain Manga award may become Shonen Jump+’s next big franchise.
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Shonen Manga are Only as Good as Their Villains
While the most iconic characters from manga are often the protagonists, like Goku and Luffy, a good villain can make or break a story. Well-written protagonists are only as good as they could be if they have someone equal or greater to go against. Antagonists, by nature, are figures that push the main characters into action, serving as a narrative counterpoint to the protagonists’ core beliefs. Sometimes villains serve as dark counterpoints to the heroes, reminding readers of the main characters’ virtue. Other times, villains share the same morals as the heroes, yet execute their plans in a separate manner that goes against the leads’ faith.
Ultimately, villains and heroes serve to convey the author’s overall message. If the message is about good perseverance and saving the day, then the antagonist needs to be the opposite of that and be pure evil. Even though a Shonen series like Dragon Ball Z is often criticized for its superficial plot without depth, the villains do help convey Akira Toriyama’s message of hard work and pushing past your limits. Villains like Frieza and Cell challenge Goku’s and the other heroes’ mindset of working hard by being the opposite of that. Frieza never worked hard in a day of his life, whereas Cell stole power by absorbing people. The battle between Frieza and Cell was never only about saving the world; it was also about showing how hard work can overcome great odds.
Shonen Jump+’s Villain Manga Award would hopefully find the next great bad guy on par with Frieza or Light Yagami from Death Note. Villains play a crucial role in a manga’s success, overshadowing the protagonists with pure charisma. Some of the best manga contain the greatest villains in all of media, so it makes sense for Shueisha to find the next great manga by looking for the next best villain.
H/T: Oricon, Anime Corner
