Logan Paul just doesn’t get it. The YouTuber-turned-crypto-bro has been flaunting graded manga on X (formerly Twitter), much to the chagrin of fans everywhere. Alongside the inflated grades of his manga, he has claimed they mark the first appearances of One Piece’s Monkey D. Luffy and Dragon Ball’s Goku. Even if that were true, this whole manga speculation market Logan is suddenly championing misses the entire essence of what manga is supposed to be.

The value of manga isn’t based on its physical condition or historical context, no matter how spotless or old those copies might seem. Series like One Piece and Dragon Ball didn’t become global phenomena because of pristine copies sealed in plastic. They did so through the impact their stories and characters had on fans.

Manga thrives on accessibility; it was built on it. It became a beloved form of Japanese entertainment because it was cheap and widely distributed, two fundamentals that run counter........

© Polygon