Fans of Shonen Jump anime and manga who live outside of Japan can celebrate early this year, as the magazine's ultimate convention is finally opening up to international fans for the first time via livestream.

Each year in December, Shonen Jump's publisher, Shueisha, puts on a show known as Jump Festa, where they hype up all the upcoming events and series that will be seen in the coming year. The event is often used for major announcements; big news from last year's event included the announcement of a new Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, a Black Clover film, and the long-awaited adaptation of Bleach's Thousand-Year Blood War final arc. Release dates and trailers for anime that were already known about, such as Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero or Spy x Family were also shown at the time. Jump Festa 2023 is set for December 17 and 18, and promises to be just as packed with exciting news.

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In a press release from Shueisha, it was announced that the Jump Festa 2023 show would be livestreamed on Shonen Jump's Youtube channel, known as Jumpchannel, specifically for international audiences. The livestreams will cover each of the three main stages at the event, with two of the streams promised to have English subtitles, while the events on the main stage will also feature live English-language interpretation of the goings-on. Events will stream from 4PM to 4AM Pacific time, a fact which may make some events difficult to watch live, although it's simply a consequence of Jump Festa taking place on the other side of the world. The move towards embracing international fans is no doubt in response to the massive surge in popularity of anime and manga series outside of Japan.

What to Expect at Jump Festa 2023

Shonen Jump Festa 2023 banner depicting many Jump heroes.
©SHUEISHA Inc. All rights reserved

Jump Festa 2023 will feature events covering 28 different series currently or originally published in Shonen Jump magazines. The event's schedule has already been made public for attendees. Main stage events on Saturday, December 17 include panels focused on Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaizen, Naruto, Prince of Tennis, and My Hero Academia. The Black Clover panel is known to have a focus on the upcoming film, while Naruto has teased a big announcement without further detail. Main stage events on Sunday, December 18 include panels on Demon Slayer, Dr. Stone, Spy X Family, Chainsaw Man, and One Piece. Demon Slayer's panel is likely to include information on its upcoming third season, a fact which is also true for Dr. Stone. There hasn't been any news or rumors regarding the contents of the other panels, but for shows like My Hero Academia and Chainsaw Man which are currently airing, a trailer for the back half of the season seems like a safe bet. Conspicuously absent is Dragon Ball Super, which has been on hiatus in recent months but is set to return soon.

Shonen Jump's Jump Festa 2023 is shaping up to be an awesome event for anime and manga fans, and it's very exciting that international fans will finally be able to watch the event directly rather than rely on sometimes dubious social media posts from those in attendance.

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