One Piece card scalpers wipe out Weekly Shonen Jump across Japan

Weekly Shonen Jump sold out across Japan this week — not because of a blockbuster story, but because scalpers swept up every copy they could find to get at an exclusive One Piece Card Game promo bundled inside. Social media filled with frustrated readers reporting it was the first time in years, or even decades, they couldn't find a copy of the magazine.

The shortage hit especially hard because this particular issue contained the final chapter of Blue Box, Kouji Miura's romance-sports manga that has run in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2021. With fans unable to buy the magazine, Miura posted on X acknowledging the situation and apologizing to readers who missed the chance to experience the ending in print.

The incident is the latest flare-up in a years-long trading card speculation boom that has reshaped how limited promos are treated at retail. The Pokémon TCG explosion during the pandemic — fueled in part by high-profile collectors and influencers like Logan Paul — pushed rare and graded cards into mainstream investment territory. Since then, limited promos tied to Pokémon, Disney Lorcana, Magic: The Gathering, and Bandai's fast-growing One Piece Card Game have routinely triggered long lines, purchase limits, and steep resale markups. The problem has grown serious enough that Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa addressed Pokémon TCG scalping directly at the company's latest shareholders' meeting.

What makes this week's situation stand out is that the collateral damage landed on a general-audience manga magazine with a readership far beyond the card game community. Weekly Shonen Jump effectively became packaging for a single sought-after card, and longtime readers paid the price. Whether Bandai adjusts how it distributes future One Piece Card Game promos remains to be seen.