These Anime Series are the Next Generation’s New Big Three
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The American anime and manga fan community is more active and vibrant than ever, with millions of people heading online to read about and discuss the latest happenings in the industry every day. However, within this community, several debates rear their heads time and time again, to the point that it’s possible to see the argument restart within days of the previous thread dying down. One of the most common examples of a never-ending debate is which shows will be considered the “Big Three” by the latest generation of anime and manga fans who are getting into the medium today. But which series makes the cut, and why is this debate so hard to pin down?
Before suggesting what shows make up the new Big Three, it is essential to understand what the term Big Three means. The concept of the Big Three was created by American anime and manga fans in the early 2000s to describe the trio of One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. The manga versions of these franchises concurrently ran in the American version of Shōnen Jump. Plus, the anime adaptions of these shows were all being shown on American television, often as part of the same block. Because of this, the three shows felt inescapable and like they dominated the entire anime and manga industry. This means that if someone was getting into anime in the early 2000s, these are the shows they would likely discover first or end up watching, just because they were the most visible examples of the medium.
Whenever the Big Three is discussed, it is paramount to remember that it is a fan-made term based on vibes rather than a solid criterion. It does not reflect One Piece, Naruto, or Bleach’s quality or financial success. Instead, it represents how the American anime community felt at a specific moment in time in the early 2000s.
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