Weekly Shōnen Sunday was first published on March 17, 1959, as a response to its rival
Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The "Sunday" in the name was the creation of its first editor, Kiichi Toyoda, who wanted the title to be evocative of a relaxing weekend.
Weekly Shōnen Sundays distinctive "
pointing finger" that appears in the lower corner of every page on the left side of the magazine made its subtle debut in the 4/5 issue from 1969. This understated feature, ever present but easily overlooked, was referenced as a plot element in
20th Century Boys.
Sundays more noticeable mascot, a helmeted fish, debuted in the 1980s. Prior to the 1990s and 2000s no serial in
Weekly Shōnen Sunday had run over 40 volumes, but that began to change with series such as
Case Closed,
Major,
Inuyasha,
Karakuri Circus,
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple,
Hayate the Combat Butler,
Zettai Karen Children, and
Be Blues!, which maintained a high level of popularity. In a rare event due to the closeness of the two magazines' founding dates,
Weekly Shōnen Sunday and
Weekly Shōnen Magazine released a special combined issue on March 19, 2008. In addition, other commemorative events, merchandise, and manga crossovers were planned for the following year as part of the celebrations. The book
Shonen Sunday 1983 was published on July 15, 2009 to celebrate the anniversary and the magazine's heyday. It reprints manga from 1983, such as
Urusei Yatsura and
Touch, and has interviews with their creators as well as artists who were inspired by the series from that period, such as
Gosho Aoyama. To celebrate
Weekly Shōnen Sundays 55th anniversary, 55 new manga series were launched in the print and online magazines
Weekly Shōnen Sunday,
Shōnen Sunday S,
Ura Sunday, and
Club Sunday throughout the year beginning in March 2014. ==Features==