Does anime's 'Big 3,' Naruto, Bleach and One Piece need to be replaced?

In the wake of the spectacular episodes from Attack on Titan and Demon Slayer this Sunday, anime fans have gotten into a heated debate about whether it is time to move onto a new set of “Big 3.”

The term indicates Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach, and it has been that way for more than two decades. More than the question of which anime deserves a place in the venerated group, what plagues the anime community is if there is a need for a new “Big 3” at all.

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Fans are debating whether the anime world should move on from Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach in favor of a new “Big 3”

Firstly, it must be remembered why the Big 3 are so popular. They are not the first popular anime to have made it globally like Dragon Ball or Pokémon, and other anime also have sizable cult followings, like YuYu Hakusho, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and so on.

Of course, there are critically acclaimed anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nana, Cowboy Bebop, Monster, and so on.

So then, why are these three so special? Well, to be brief, each of the Big 3 brought something unique to the table which appealed to the worldwide audience while still keeping to their distinct manga roots. They had what Dragon Ball lacked, a coherent plot backed by a linear structure and systematic world-building.

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One Piece, Bleach and Naruto

One Piece is arguably the best of the three in terms of world-building and plot continuity, with Eiichiro Oda paying special attention to structure and plot-holes. What differentiates One Piece from the other two is the setting. One Piece is set in a world of pirates, which is a universal concept.

It does not exoticize Japan’s two world-renowned warrior-classes: the Ninja and the Samurai. Naruto became popular because, apart from spectacular jutsus and cool villains, Naruto himself had a universal look. On top of that, it made ninja lore and Japanese mythology accessible to the world outside.

Bleach did the same thing with the concept of Shinigami and the Japanese Sword lore. Additionally, Tite Kubo expanded his territory to the Spanish and German folklores via Hueco Mundo and Wandenreich. It must also be noted that all three of these anime belong to the action-adventure genre and the Shonen demographic.

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The need for new champions

The Big 3 is how most people outside of Japan get into anime. They are not flawless and there are many anime that are critically and technically superior to them. However, they occupy a position in the otaku community that cannot be matched or overthrown.

However, it has been two decades since these anime became popular. Both the manga and the anime of Naruto have been completed. Bleach manga has ended, and while the Thousand Year Blood War Arc is getting an anime adaptation, it is not new content.

One Piece is still ongoing, but it has 1009 anime episodes and 1039 manga chapters at the time of writing. In fact, all three series are incredibly long, thus discouraging a lot of new fans to get into them.

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Top contenders

In this light, the newer generation of anime fans demand a new Big 3. The top contenders for this are Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and My Hero Academia.

All of these series have significantly better quality animation and a seasonal structure that is more suitable to today’s binge-ready audience. If nothing else, the visual superiority of all these anime tower over the old three. However, that only applies to the anime as every mangaka has their own style.

Out of these four, Attack on Titan falls under Seinen or mature demographic. While Seinen has always been popular, Death Note and One Punch Man for example, it has never been universal. The others are certainly three of the most popular ongoing Shonen anime right now.

Both My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen present complex central questions and feature a more ambiguous moral scale than Naruto or One Piece, perhaps even Bleach.

While Demon Slayer is visually superior to every anime mentioned in this article, apart from Cowboy Bebop, it doesn’t offer anything new or layered in its content.

However, none of these have managed to become a universal phenomenon like the Big 3. With complex plot and complicated morality, the easy relatability of a simple narrative goes away.

It is one of the reasons why Naruto and One Piece are more popular than Bleach, and why Hunter X hunter never became a part of this group despite getting more critical acclaim.

The three behemoths remain in their positions by virtue of getting there first and capturing everyone’s attention through complicated characters engaged in a simple, linear story.

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Final thoughts

So, is there a need to replace the Big 3? While the answer is subjective, the logical answer is no. A classic remains a classic even after years; changing them nullifies the purpose of their title.

There is a reason why Boruto is not considered a part of this triad, even as a sequel, and it is not because of the debatable quality of its plot or the asinine number of fillers.

Is Attack on Titan the biggest anime right now? Is Ufotable’s animation in Demon Slayer setting an unbreakable standard with every episode? Did Jujutsu Kaisen take the world by storm? The answer to all of these questions is yes.

But while each of these series has carved out a place for itself, they cannot replace a beloved anime.

It is likely that in five years, fans will remember one of the new names more than one of the old ones. Perhaps the term "Big 3" would become obsolete at a certain point, but it will always be Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.

The anime world is ever growing, and there will always be a place for a new anime in it without having to replace an old one.

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