The Big Three anime, namely One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach are an indispensable part of the Shounen world. By taking inspiration from their predecessors and evolving into beautiful creations on their own, they have a lot to offer. With this article, let’s take a look at what these anime do the best and the worst individually.
The worst and best parts about the Big Three Anime
Naruto
Best – Fights
Among the Big Three, Naruto’s fights are probably the best. In Naruto, the objective is clear and always in sight. The characters hardly stray off. Examples of amazing fights include Gaara vs. Lee, Itachi vs. Sasuke, and Shikamaru vs. Hidan.
- In all these fights, there are emotions, exciting techniques, and a pay-off.
- It doesn’t matter if the end makes you bawl your eyes out.
- Even in the fourth great ninja war, when everything was subpar at best, the Kakashi vs. Obito fight sends chills down your spine at times.
Worst – Character Development
Masashi Kishimoto makes characters who are either worshiped (coughs in Itachi) or hated (smh in Sakura), there’s no in-between.
- It’s no news that Naruto Manga is extremely inconsistent when it comes to character development.
- Besides a few main characters, most characters are left without getting a satisfying conclusion.
There were so many characters in Naruto who displayed immense potential such as Lee. There are inconsistencies with Naruto’s character as well in the end, when everything comes down to destiny.
One piece
Best – Worldbuilding
Oda spreads out the world of One Piece like spreading melted butter on a table, smoothly (also unnecessary?).
- Nobody explores a fictional world like he does. The world gets explained convincingly and carefully.
- When we were back in the East Blue, the Grand Line seemed like the most threatening place in the world. As we get familiar with the Grand Line, the New World is menacing in every way possible.
Everything about the islands, their history, the citizens, and the environments is explained and broken down to the T. He incorporates different cultures and their practices brilliantly, to the point that Sky Island doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it is.
Worst – Pacing
One Piece Anime has the worst reputation for its pacing. Controversial opinion, but sometimes the manga is no different. Oda always follows a three-act structure.
- The first act includes the exciting parts, such as deciding on a new island, reaching there, interacting with the locals, and shopping (Nami with the heart eyes).
- The second act is built up, now the build-up is the part that is usually slow. Everything is stretched and dragged generously, there’s no hurry to reach the end. Everybody goes their separate ways.
- The good part is that all of it comes together in the most satisfying way possible in the end, the third act.
But no matter how you’re consuming One Piece, whether it’s the live-action, the anime, or the manga, the bad pacing will catch up to you.
Bleach
Best – Characters
From the designs to their quirks, Bleach characters are the epitome of badassery. If we start with Ichigo, he stands out from the Shounen MCs because of how grounded he is.
- You would not see him shouting his goal, every chance he gets.
- He is laid-back but his Shonen spirit seeps through, no matter what.
- There’s also a better balance between the female and male characters (barring Orihime).
- While Byakuya, Urahara, and Zaraki stand out among the Captains, Yoruichi, Matsumoto, and SoiFon are some of the best female characters.
- Even the side characters like Ichigo’s friends back in the human world are fun.
If we talk about the designs, everything comes down to their drips. Bleach characters might disappoint sometimes (Renji when he fights) but their drip could never be!
Worst – Fights
The fights in Bleach are a pain to go through, not always. When the characters scream out Bankai or the cool attack names, it’s exciting for sure but the fights in Bleach lack soul. The best example of this would be the Thousand-Year Blood War. All the fights between the Captains and the SternRitters are not as interesting as they should be.
- They are all stacked together, one after the other.
- There’s no room to breathe and there’s not much they offer.
- While most fights are lackluster, some fights easily rank among the best anime fights. Yamamoto vs. Yhwach’s fight was both visually and story-wise rewarding.
Conclusion
With that, we have what the Big Three anime do the best and the worst. But you know what we do best? String words together, to offer you something worthwhile like this newsletter!