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One of the most pervasive and timeless legacies in all of anime and manga history stems from the Big 3 shonen manga series, better known as One Piece, Bleach, and Naruto. These three series from creators, authors, and illustrators Eiichiro Oda, Tite Kubo, and Masashi Kishimoto, respectively, have stood the test of time even roughly 25 years after their collective debuts.
The Big 3 shonen manga’s namesake feat is also one which is unlikely to ever be replicated. The trio are referred to as the Big 3 due to their running concurrently with each other for several years, and the financial and critical success all three franchises saw. This also applies to international regions outside of Japan, where this popularity translated very well for each of the three series.
Another major reason why the Big 3 shonen manga are considered as such stems from the fact that each series ran for several hundred chapters with long, overarching, and developing storylines. Ironically, however, this serves as a major reason why this trio likely wouldn’t last if they had started each of their runs in the current manga landscape.
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Cutthroat nature of contemporary Shonen Jump is an environment the Big 3 shonen manga would not thrive in
Why they wouldn’t survive, explained
Before diving into why the Big 3 shonen manga would have a hard time lasting if they debuted today, it’s worth addressing the elephant in the room that is One Piece’s ongoing serialization. The series is clearly not at risk of being canceled, given its status as the world’s best-selling manga series and being the poster child of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine.
However, it would be an entirely different story if the series was beginning serialization today rather than the relatively low-stakes era in which it did debut. Most contemporary series are given roughly 25 to 30 chapters before being either axed or continued within Shueisha’s magazines. 30 chapters into Oda’s series would be the midpoint of the Syrup Village arc, which is quite far from what many consider to be the first major positive turning point for the series.
For further perspective the Big 3 shonen manga’s fortuitous situation, the entirety of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man manga series’ first part concludes before Naruto finishes its beloved Chunin Exams arc. These two examples are a far cry away from the pressure modernly debuting series are given, with one great example being Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen series.
While fans know Jujutsu Kaisen as a globally beloved and enjoyed series, the manga was at risk of being canceled quite early at just under a dozen chapters in. While keeping the series was obviously a profitable choice, it speaks to how much emphasis is placed on immediate success from series debuting in the modern era.
In this way, the Big 3 shonen manga are extremely fortunate for having the privilege to slowly go through their humble beginnings at their own paces. This is also what led to their meteoric rise in popularity and commercial success, with fans being able to tell that each of the trio was meant to be a long-term, slow-burn story.
Similarly, Shueisha’s contemporary approach to newly debuting series even deters fans from getting invested in anything early. There are several examples from recent years of promising series with respectable viewership numbers which were nevertheless axed by Shueisha. Eventually, fans lose motivation to emotionally invest in a series early for fear of its eventual cancellation despite the early success it seemingly has.
This would be especially true for each of the Big 3 shonen manga series, which all move much too slowly to realistically survive today’s brutal standards. Ironically, this cutthroat approach to contemporary serialization is what is limiting Shueisha from finding the next One Piece, Bleach, or Naruto. Likewise, if they’re unable to replicate the success and status of even one of the three series, it’s seemingly impossible for another Big 3 to ever debut again.
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