One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. Three anime/manga that have dominated the anime/manga world for several years. If you asked a random person if they’d ever heard of these anime, most people would recognise at least one of them, even if they wouldn’t consider themselves an anime fan. These anime/manga are called ‘The Big Three’, also known as ‘Shonen Big Three’, since they were the most popular anime/manga in the early 2000s and still remain popular and influential to this day.
The nickname ‘The Big Three’ came about due to their immense worldwide popularity and also their sheer length. The characters from each series were almost always featured on the front covers of Shonen Jump: Luffy (One Piece), Naruto (Naruto) and Ichigo (Bleach). All three series ran for about 15 years, or longer, and their publication overlapped between 2001 to 2014, which is the when the term ‘The Big Three’ was originated.
All of ‘The Big Three’ are shonen series, which usually focus on topics such as adventure and action. This genre normally has one main, overarching plot but also a myriad of subplots to entertain their readers and viewers. Fighting is also a key part of most shonen series: the protagonists almost always have a superpower and are very keen to brawl it out.
Over the years many fans have tried to create a list of their own ‘Big Three’ but none of these have lived up to the original three. The current list of the most popular anime and manga according to fans are My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer and Jujitsu Kaisen. However, both My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer have finished their manga run and are set to finish their respective anime this year, leaving Jujitsu Kaisen on its own.
Everyone has their own opinion about what should be classified as ‘The Big Three’, and in my opinion narrowing it down to just three is just impossible! So here are my various categories of three:
The Legendary Three: Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing and Fist of the North Star
The Classic Three: Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Pokémon
The Big Three: One Piece, Naruto and Bleach
The Middle Big Three: Attack on Titan, Hunter x Hunter and Sword Art Online
The Current Big Three: Black Clover, My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer
The Future Big Three: Chainsaw Man, Jujitsu Kaisen and Spy x Family
Honourable mentions go to: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Full Metal Alchemist, Fairy Tail, One Punch Man, Haikyuu!!, Tenchi Muyô!
‘The Big Three’ will never truly be replaced, especially when One Piece is still being published as a manga and anime. For as long as that continues the legend of ‘The Big Three’ will never fade.
Published: 2025.06.11