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Among otakus, an unspoken guideline about anime exists - the "three-episode rule," as it's called. It is one of the many rules of the internet that is applicable mostly to anime, but this one has other applications. The rule has two definitions: the first and most common definition is that viewers judge whether or not to continue or drop a series after the first three episodes; the second states that any given show needs three episodes to hit major storytelling strides and keep going.
While that might apply to some series, using it as a hard rule for all anime is entirely shallow. The reasons are varied, ranging from longer shows that require more than three episodes to begin properly to fans deciding if a show is not worth watching within five minutes. Some shows even have a big twist halfway through, which is why it differs far too much between shows and fans to be a hard rule.
As such, this article will go over the many and varied reasons why the three-episode rule in anime doesn't make a lasting impression in judging shows.
Disclaimer: This article is subject to spoilers for various popular anime. Likewise, the opinions expressed therein are only those of the author.
An examination of why the "three-episode rule" in anime is insufficient and pointless
1) Shortening TV, shorter seasons, shorter attention spans
This is a complicated point to explain as the television series, anime included, have been shortening since the heyday of the 26-episode seasons. This means that many shows cannot have episodes where nothing plot-relevant happens, they have to hit the ground running by episode one to attract any kind of attention or risk cancelation in some cases. However, some series don't adhere to this newly emerging standard, as the first season has a complete story all on it's own.
Basically, the reason why the three-episode rule is invalid is that some anime will have things that happen past its first three episodes, and some need time to breathe in between big events with filler. This doesn't happen in some series, as will be expounded upon below.
An example of the three-episode rule being pointless is Magica Madoka, which had a big twist with Mami's death at the end of it's third episode. It became a completely different show from episode four onward. Naruto doesn't have its first arc, the Land of Waves, start until roughly episode 6 after the audience gets introduced to the main characters.
It's bad enough that a lot of anime are being shortened from roughly 25 episode seasons to 13 episode seasons unless they have Studio MAPPA or Ufotable levels of money. Moreover, some streaming services, such as Netflix, are cutting shows off that don't reach their exact popularity metric to continue onto a second season. Therefore, it's not good that people only get that first impression of a show and leave it afterward because they don't get to the good part fast enough.
2) First Impressions are not everything
The true way the three-episode rule would be valid is in first impressions only, but not much else. As stated above, first impressions can give the wrong idea of a series when it shifts gears later. Kill la Kill has several twists happening halfway through its story, including who killed Ryuko's father. Meanwhile, Death Note doesn't really start going until after the FBI gets involved, and Code Geass' big moments don't happen until a quarter of the way in.
To jump into the magical realm, the original Sailor Moon had approximately seven episodes worth of filler wherein Usagi was alone fighting monsters before any other Senshi got involved. While this was chalked up to annoying fillers back then, lots of old-school fans chided the reboot for its swift speed. This led to a lack of room for character development between the big events of the Senshi meeting and fighting the main villains.
Furthermore, a lack of patience tends to lead to the aforementioned shortening of attention spans with first impressions. Some people like having episode guides to give them the "filler less" version of the anime, which is sometimes helpful, but other times excludes a lot of fun episodes, as in where Goku and Piccolo drive out in Dragon Ball Z. Others like watching the entire anime, filler included, because it can give room for more character development, rest periods between big plot important details, and general fun after a whole serious arc.
Bleach was one of the 'Big Three' anime alongside Naruto and One Piece when it originally aired. One particular sticking point of the series was that fans would demand newcomers skip the introductory 50+ chapters, or 20 episodes, to get directly to the Soul Society arc. This means a newcomer will miss all the introductions to Shinigami and Hollows and why Ichigo and his companions are important. This is just one example, alongside Sailor Moon.
3) It varies too much between anime
Some shows are meant to be journeys that an audience goes on. In longer-running shonen anime, the first three episodes are akin to a single step like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, or One Piece, to name a few famous examples. One big example that some fans say has the entire skippable parts of the story is Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
A few of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fans have advised first-timers to skip the first two parts, Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, to get to Stardust Crusaders, which is where Stands comes in. If a newcomer were to do that, they'd be confused over the history regarding the Joestar family and Dio and miss out on a lot of great character drama and context. Moreover, the most exciting season or hyped arc usually takes precedence in many anime fans' minds, which is why some don't wish to wait.
Attack on Titan gets started almost right away with the Fall of Wall Maria. My Hero Academia gets started with introductions to Qurks, Deku, and All Might. Most Gundam series don't start with a giant robot battle, they build up to them.
Arcane, on the other hand, is a shorter show with three arcs and three episodes each and is masterfully done. Shorter shows can be masterfully done if the pacing is right, and sometimes longer shows tend to drag. The problem is expecting the hard "three-episode rule" of anime to apply to all series means that people will miss out on a lot of great stuff if they only dip their toes in the shallow end of the pool.
To conclude, it's perfectly fine to use the initial three episodes of any given anime as a first impression when it comes to a series. It's one thing for a person to use the first couple of episodes of an anime to see if they're interested or not, it's another for it to be a rule for everyone on the internet to use, especially when the series is more on the longer end rather than a one-shot season of 12 to 26 episodes.
