The Big 3: Anime's Biggest Lie

[@chachase879]

When i first started anime i was told by a friend that the big 3 were Naruto, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z, only to later find out he just hated Bleach and replaced it with his favorite

[@GokuSolosAnime]

L friend

[@Mandom007]

What bleach has to do with anime?

[@mfrebel7831]

Lol typical anime fan

[@GokuSolosAnime]

@@dragonluck777 bleach is part of the big 3 dbz is the father of the big 3

[@mightysenju4535]

​@@dragonluck777 Big three actual term. Yet the friend gave misinformation....😐😐😐😐

[@CarthusDojo]

we're sending you to the anime/manga research gulag more often after this one

[@beef3442]

Nice to see you here!

[@Shadow-Astro69]

Go back to the what if gulag carthu

[@UltraPickleMan]

Speak to him Carthu

[@sai4998]

Carthu ask him about his opinion on ssj3

[@TotallyNotMark]

never again

[@hexon336]

The Big 3 is the equivalent of the Sannin from Naruto. It's a title given to 3 ninja from Konoha that were seen as the greatest of their time. There was no Sannin for any other village and when Jiraiya died, nobody replaced him as a next Sannin. That title is for Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru only and this is the same for the Big 3. It's a title given to 3 Shonen jump manga that were at the top during that era of manga. When Naruto and Bleach ended, no manga takes their place.

[@shorewall]

100%

[@Left_Rotation]

Well said

[@michaelwilliams4024]

But bleach was never the greatest of its time things like gintama, hxh, katekyo hitman reborn, and toriko out did it

[@Lucifer.Bear.117]

​@@michaelwilliams4024Then why is bleach have the title of the big three over that list of anime?

[@michaelwilliams4024]

@Lucifer.Bear.117 As he said because it stayed popular over its long running life span not the same way naruto and one piece did though. Cause although they would get passed in sales time to time one piece and naruto stayed running things in the west and Japan that's why if u look at cover spreads one piece and naruto are definitely present during 2002 to 2014 but bleach sometimes was outside of the front 3. Reborn from hitman reborn was always made small in a quiet noticeable spot because he is small. If shows like hitman reborn had a better studio also gearheading anime hype they would of easily did what toriko did. But the studio doesn't even exist any more

[@Seeyou45]

The Big 3 is effectively because the first large group of western anime fans popped up during the run of all three series and spent arguably much of their childhood and or teenage years on them.

[@afro025]

One Piece wasn't even popular in the west until recently though. There were dozens of other anime that were more popular than One Piece in the 2000s, mainly due to the terrible 4kids dub which pushed people away from getting into the series

[@mina-wp2tl]

If it's a western thing then I don't really understand why op is included instead of say, death note or fma, cause I feel like most people will agree that they were way more popular than op back in the 2000s

[@cooljo5881]

Why are people acting like the West only consists of the US. One Piece Was one of the most popular anime in the West. Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and many other countries where One Piece was easily in the top 3

[@eliezercardoso8009]

Not even in the west, mainly just in the US, in south america and and a ton of european countries, a lot of anime were already huge before Naruto, Bleach and even One Piece took off over there, anime like Saint Seiya, Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter were already insanely popular.

[@Aaronrules380]

It wasn’t even western anime fans, it was western manga fans, centering around sites like Onemanga. People forget this which is why the conversation has become so muddled

[@ilikestuff9250]

The Big 3 is a western centric notion. The lucky shonen to get noticed at the right time in the right frame of mind. In Japan the term arguably never truly existed.

[@marksalmoneussorcerersupreme]

Pretty much. Gikkuk pretty much said that "In Japan there is no big 3"

[@KingBrachion92]

Which is funny because if you wanted a "Big 3" in terms of "which shows had the biggest impact in Western pop culture," it would probably be Dragonball Z, Pokémon, and maybe Yu-Gi-Oh.

[@afro025]

One Piece wasn't even popular in the west until recently though. There were dozens of other anime that were more popular than One Piece in the 2000s, mainly due to the terrible 4kids dub which pushed people away from getting into the series

[@Mr.BluePants]

Not exactly true since you even have industry veterans like Gege and Horikoshi, on record in interviews, mentioning "the 3 pillars of jump" from the 2000s, specifically naming Naruto, One Piece and Bleach as those 3 pillars.

[@tomod4chi]

@@afro025 don't know about you guys in the US, but here in France One Piece was definitely poular in the early 2000s and the big three very much was a thing

[@stephenschneekloth1535]

Using sales numbers may seem like the best way to determine popularity until you realize how big pirating anime and manga is, especially in the early 2000s when getting them officially was way harder. The "Big 3" was made popular by the internet (like most things now days) and the internet was where you where reading your manga and watching your anime, all done by fan subbers like Dattabayo and Horrible Subs (both of which I believe are gone now that everything pretty much gets localized).

[@PresidentJackBauer]

This

[@AnimeAjay]

HorribleSubs are not a fansub group. All they did was rip official simulcasts. The sub groups you're thinking of are Kaizoku Fansubs, Hatsuyuki, Dattebayo, Taka, and ANBU.

[@milesatherton3886]

Piracy numbers, ironically, would have ensured One Piece was never in "The Big 3"

[@syferz]

Even at the time, you can read on subs for these mangas, that this was generally believed to be true. These subs had grown very big, I was on a Naruto forum that had I believe over 100k users and the biggest thread every week was the translated manga pirated thread. In fact, I'd argue that Naruto's 250M manga copies are just as impressive since it's run was from 1999 to 2014, peak pirating years for the internet, where as now you can much more easily legally watch and read the anime/manga of the series you like. I'd also point to Naruto and One Piece being so big for so long, just look at their continued relevance, whether you are looking at youtube channels, non-anime specific shops having Naruto merch, the way that these series have become popculture is very clear. Bleach had a similar run to Naruto in terms of years, but the fall off was much sharper, and so it's impact was best felt during the peak of pirating as well, it simply never reached Naruto and One Piece's sustained popularity, though it's peak was probably in the ball park of the other two especially in the first half of the series.

[@thechugg4372]

Piracy would have definitely made one piece the big one

[@Dowdy90]

I always thought of the big 3 as being the "children of dragonball" in a sense, the shonen battle anime inspired by dragonball taking up the mantle, the void left by dragonball.

[@trumanshow5782]

This is the answer fam

[@mr.protagonist5639]

Except even that doesn't work well, because bleach takes more after yuyu hakusho. I actually don't think naruto takes after db all that much either.

[@CupidSmurf657]

​@@mr.protagonist5639dude you are nitpiccing just took up the void left by dragon ball like he said

[@vergil5749]

@@mr.protagonist5639 Really? Explain why Naruto and Sasuke‘s clothes have the same color scheme as Goku and Vegeta‘s clothes. Not to mention that Naruto can turn into a monster like Goku did back in the day.

[@Jekiterio]

@@mr.protagonist5639 Kubo has never stated his influence is from Togashi, he said he got his influence from dragon ball, Saint Seiya and GeGeGe no Kitora despite the resemblance.

[@projectms205]

Im not even a Bleach fan but the disrespect to Ichigo is wild by putting Sukuna instead

[@suzeray87]

To be fair for Bleach. Jjk is literally a love letter to Bleach. Gege is Bleach’s biggest fan.

[@projectms205]

@@suzeray87true but then why not just put Bleach then instead?

[@eliteflite8395]

Bleach sucks who cares

[@MacShrimp411]

​@@eliteflite8395 bait used to be believable

[@suzeray87]

@@projectms205 because bleach as a demographic never really hit the market quite like Naruto and one piece. It deals with too much nuance and subtleties. Plus the anime is just the worst… and fails to adapt it properly. Jjk being a love child to Bleach was properly adapted by Mappa and while the art is no where close as good as Bleach. It was structured far better and properly spoon fed the narrative to audience of the demographic. It’s far more popular than Bleach.

[@TehMighty]

This completely ignores the underground pirate fansubs and fan translated manga. Bleach, Naruto , and One Piece absolutely dominated the conversation in those, and probably dwarf the actual sales in the west by an extremely large margin. There's not a single anime/manga that even comes close to being that influential in the west, except maybe Dragonball Z/Sailor Moon/Pokemon, but that was the late 80's/90's

[@PresidentJackBauer]

Exactly, Narutowire, kissanime and other sites are how many of us watched the anime weekly with terrible subs often. so they can't use English speaking numbers as a metric.

[@Dragonpuncher123]

Jep. The vast majority was not paying for anime (or manga) back then. Something anyone around at the time would know.

[@Kenos347]

Totaly agree

[@GodlyVicious]

W

[@INFERNO95]

Maybe DBZ? You can tell when someone was raised in the 2000s cause kids from the era are fools. All that crap you spewing out was done what dbz before those three came along. Dbz been reference in entertainment even to this day. There other anime also had a impact in the west like voltron and speed racer. The so-called big three just happened to come along when anime was finally popular in the west. Wonder if they had a impact if they were made pre 2000s?

[@gallem7029]

Anyone describing the big 3 as anything other than cultural relevance and overall popularity within the anime community as a whole because of longevity is just wrong.

[@HRDSalami654]

The problem with this thinking is that you can't MAINTAIN that cultural relevance without longevity. One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach are still considered to be the big three by many because they still have relevance within the culture, and two of them have been over for years now. Hell, Bleach ended before Naruto and is still brought up because it spanned so many years. An anime doesn't need to go on forever, but it needs to span a couple generations so people remember it. I would argue the only reason Naruto still gets brought up is because of Boruto, but that's a different discussion; also I really dislike where Naruto went after the Pain arch so it could just be me. New shonen anime ends so quickly that there isn't time to build societal cache no matter how popular they are. I am not saying this as a negative either because one of my personal criticisms with early shonen is that they overstayed their welcome long after they had fallen off.

[@thedead073]

That's not true. The big three isn't a position that you need to maintain. So it currently has nothing to do with popularity ​@@HRDSalami654

[@Dr.Mlieko]

dud, Americans hated One Piece back in the 2000s

[@Imoha-fz5nm]

@@HRDSalami654 Yeah that‘s kinda just you on the after-pain thing. I think there is kinda of a divide between newer and old Naruto viewers on this topic, as newer fans don‘t seem to understand most of the hate the older fans have on this subtopic and I’m one of them. And please let‘s not act like the recent bleach hype is not largely due to the bleach tybw anime, without which it wouldn‘t have been nearly as popular today.

[@TheMineA7]

Just because we had a big three doesn't mean we need to have one now

[@Zudovader]

I think forcing it into the conversation is absolutely degrative to the conversation. We should be pushing for a big 100 and never go backward.

[@joshiffy]

@@Zudovader ABSOLUTELY. too bad mark only sees manga as a business and not an artform. it's been this way for years now, i really miss his old stuff.

[@pasta1998]

@@Zudovader or we should not push for anything,, the big 3 had an impact and this became the big 3 later on, so if a show is popular it will get as high praise as its earned

[@iVorenus]

But its only natural for people to think (just for fun most of the time) what would be be "modern big 3". There is nothing harmful about it

[@ChrisTooCrisp]

@@joshiffythis a crazy statement he puts passion in all his videos bc he loves what he do have

[@Badalight]

You said I don't know what the big 3 is, and then you go on to describe exactly what I knew the big 3 to be. I'm sure a lot of younger people throw the term around without knowing its origins, but everyone knew what it meant back in the day.

[@seventhsorcerer2885]

I think he meant the people that view the big three as more of the 3 “greatest” anime’s that’s there rather it being about franchise sales and popularity.

[@LuffyDaGoat]

Naruto, OP and Bleach are considered Big Three because of cultural impact it had on western audiences to be honest.

[@INFERNO95]

The big three of the 2000s.

[@FLNG_]

Congrats you watched the video

[@Artista_Frustrado]

not even Western, just Toonami's audience. This was the point where most Toonami viewers discovered Shonen Jump

[@uknownada]

@@Artista_Frustrado You're not wrong, but just to be nitpicky: It wasn't "Toonami" exactly. Naruto was always on Toonami, while One Piece started on Fox Box and/or 4kidsTV before moving to Toonami on Cartoon Network. Bleach was only on Adult Swim's anime block which, back in the day, wasn't Toonami. Bleach was never on Toonami until the Toonami revival long after Bleach's popularity was over. If we're bringing these different anime networks & blocks into the mix from the time, I'd argue DBZ and Yu-Gi-Oh! had even more impact on American audiences back then. And I'm not convinced Bleach drew more viewers than FMA and Cowboy Bebop, which all aired around the same time.

[@aintthatapotofeffluck8926]

I always thought the Big 3 was kinda because of how big a series was in the area it was most popular. OP was a juggernaut in Japan. Naruto was a juggernaut in America. And Bleach was kinda like in the middle. Also all three had dedicated forums made towards them which would have started the term.

[@solidskullz5736]

To me what makes Naruto, bleach, and one piece the big 3 is how much impact they had in the early 2000s. I remember how me and my friend literally grew up watching Naruto and how it was our first anime. If not for Naruto, who knows if anime would’ve caught our interest or not later down the line

[@gilbertoflores7397]

Well it's odd when mention them, as One Piece wasn't popular in the went when Bleach and Naruto were big here. One Piece kept getting canceled whenever they brought it to the west. It's Status was propped up solely because it's popularity in Japan and how it dwarfed the other two over there. They all had different targeted audiences, naruto was for the not quite teen younger kids that matured over time, and Bleach was for the more mature audience such as well established teens. Then one piece was a weird category because it was so goofy and childish that did eventually have the serious moments every now and then. But in the beginning around the time before the story developed to the point it is now, one piece was a pretty slow burn and not as interesting as the other two when they hit their height of popularity

[@ambulancekun3142]

same reason i call SAO the isekai proginator despite not being an isekai he paved the way for all other isekai's to be pouplar and while l believe SAO is a solid 6/10 but he because he helped open such an amazing genre i will always give it a 8/10,

[@sdbzfan1]

@@ambulancekun3142 this so much this SAO wasnt anywhere close to the first of its own type, but it popularize its type of escapism, hense Kirito faces becoming a term after it people will naturally make connections and coin terms based on patterns that they notice, it doesnt actually mean people universally agree with the term it just means it was noticeable enough to become one

[@Flo_wwww]

@@gilbertoflores7397"The west" isn't just the US though. Europe also exist and OP was absolutely big in places like Germany, were we had a much more accurate dub.

[@afro025]

One Piece wasn't even popular in English speaking countries until recently though. There were dozens of other anime that were more popular than One Piece in the 2000s, mainly due to the terrible 4kids dub which pushed people away from getting into the series

[@akaneki7234]

As someone who was in the Anime Community (going to Cons and such) at the time of the Big 3, I can confidently say there is no "Big 2" and there will never be another Big 3 it's simply not possible. The Big 3 is a western term given to Bleach, Naruto and One Piece culturally, there's no objective metric you can find, whether it be from polls or sales data, none of that matters even if you could get an accurate look at the popularity of them from those metrics; you can't, this was during the height of fan-scans and piracy, official distribution/broadcasting was nowhere near as ubiquitous as it is now. The truth is that at the time, you simply couldn't escape the Big 3, EVERY conversation was framed around them even if you weren't talking about them directly, the Big 3 was the elephant in the room, it was the black hole that the western anime community had to bend and warp itself around. They always came up. If you asked someone what anime they were into, and they were Shonen fans, they would say one of the 3; if not they would talk about how this other Shonen series is actually better than them. If you asked some one who wasn't a Shonen fan about what anime they're into the would most likely say something along the lines of "I'm more into the ..... genre, I don't like series like The Big 3" or they would say "I'm not really into mainstream shows like the Big 3". The Big 3 was a universally shared point of reference for any and every conversation, they were like a canon event you couldn't escape, and anyone who was in the anime community at the time could probably tell you that they were never about sales or stats. The reason there will never be another Big 3 is because Anime/Manga is quite simply too big now, there's too much mainstream interest and it's too accessible to be held up by any 1, 2 or 3 series. Almost every year for the last decade, there has been a huge new show/series that's felt like a cultural event. Even the "Big 2" example doesn't really work, no one was talking about JJk in the interim between season 1 and 2/Gojo vs Sukuna(in the Manga), Demon Slayer season 3 came and went and no one cared. As much as I love JJK and am not a fan of Demon Slayer; neither series has dominated the Anime community mind-space outside of the times they have seasons airing. The Big 3 cannot be replicated, I genuinely don't think it's possible anymore.

[@faruquekhan3353]

Nicely put. You must live during that time to know the hype and importance of Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. Demon Slayer and JJK cannot compare. Though JJK had a chance, it blew it. Demon Slayer never did because it was a story you could not prolong much, so it could never reach it. One thing that made Big 3 so tremendous was the popularity and also the length of the stories. Demon Slayer never had that chance. JJK could have been much bigger, but it got stupid, kept on killing off characters, and got too far away from Shounen. I don't know the future but it is very hard to replicate the Big 3 influence.

[@tulcthered2292]

The other thing to consider is long running anime just doesn't exist anymore in the same vein. We're not going to have any anime that run for hundreds of episodes like the Big 3 (or others) during that time because everything is in seasons now, allowing for those lulls you speak of for jjk, demon slayer, and others such as MHA. Their constant air schedule kept them constantly in the public eye, even if stuck in filler hell

[@NeroPiroman]

That thumbnail hurt my soul

[@mfrebel7831]

Felt like a personal attack lol

[@Deity_devil]

Me to the bleach slander is crazy

[@kyurei4478]

It will send your soul straight up to the Soul Society.

[@ethio1931]

I laughed

[@FrancisL4D]

Not having ichigo in the thumbnail rubs me the wrong way... . Edit: Bruh, Yall really debating about bleach & big 3? Read a real manga like Berserk.

[@IsaiahWayne2104]

Bleach wasn't inspired by Dragon Ball. But still. Bleach is heavily underrated.

[@chazhartwayne6493]

facts

[@neinja66469]

​​@@IsaiahWayne2104my guy Bleach was part of the big three The exact opposite of underrated actually

[@joshiffy]

mark hates bleach but is too worried to mention it. the way he glossed over so many good storybeats in his bleach review, got stuff wrong, and simply saw reading bleach as a job rubbed me the wrong way ages ago.

[@eliteflite8395]

Bleach sucks who cares

[@shivanshsrivastava3744]

0:25 Tight Kubo 💀💀

[@MiniBean]

Bro 😭😭😭

[@MetalSolidCrisis]

I was ready for it and it still made me flinch lmfao

[@rupertpeasley5880]

That's actually how his name is pronounced lol it's "Taito" in katakana

[@marcioamaral7511]

​​@@rupertpeasley5880 Yeah, but Taito is nowhere near "Tight" 😂💔

[@JohnDoe-lp1ec]

​@@marcioamaral7511 he came out in an interview that tight was the right pronunciation. Taito is just a limitation of the Japanese language syllables not having an ending t sound.

[@MaxIronsThird]

Sukuna thinks he's part of the team.

[@worthyedge9307]

"Who invited bro??"

[@Kenos347]

Bro thinks his him

[@AhmadKazan-wk7ei]

Bro thinks we forgot the ass whooping.

[@rancorrage5646]

​@@AhmadKazan-wk7eiKing of Frauds-ass.

[@worthyedge9307]

@@AhmadKazan-wk7ei dude must've made a binding vow to even get in the thumbnail 💀

[@blackkuririn8420]

1:36 I just want to let y'all know I live for these early 2000 amvs y'all do for the intros. 😆

[@justanotheridiotplusultra3900]

Ikr, was not expecting a Linkin Park cover on the first video I watch today

[@kristopherwillis8075]

Same watching a AMV with linkin Park playing in the background is so nostalgic 😊.

[@zhcultivator]

You're sooo real for this ;)))).

[@Railgun18]

I think you are missing a big point regarding this argument: "piracy" or better call it "fansub" During the big 3 time, the vast majority of anime and manga fans enjoyed the media thanks to fansub and fanscans. In that community the popularity of the big 3 was HUGE and undisputed and ofc you can't get this data into consideration if you refer only to official statistic and such.

[@Zanador]

I honestly think the opposite is true. The reason the Big Three were the Big Three is because they were actually given official dubs and aired on Cartoon Network. Therefore giving them WAYYY wider reach than anything that required piracy to watch effectively.

[@Railgun18]

@@Zanador Your point is valid if you are considering only the USA, but the rest of the world didn't have cartoon network that aired anime. Anyway I didn't say that what's show in the video is untrue, but that the point I explained should have been taken into consideration.

[@TheoRae8289]

@@Zanador the underground popularity is what ultimately leads to a lot of series being dubbed.

[@J.Crime123]

Absolutely. If it weren't for Dattebayo, Vegapunk/yibis and later horrible subs i could have never enjoyed all the anime that were big at the time. Especially since the only other way to have watched the shows was in afternoon children program with the dub where you could only hope that they get the rights to show them years after they originally aired. Bleach wasn't even acquired and aired once back then. For people in the US it might be different, i don't know, but for us in the rest of the world, where the rights holder had to make a deal with every single station out there it was, without fansubs, not really feasible to be an up to date anime fan. Also lets not forget the chapter translation of the manga. There were specific sites that focuses only on them (plus eyeshield and htman reborn). It was a weekly event when new chapter got released of the 3.

[@Railgun18]

@@J.Crime123 oh man the weekly release of Naruto on dattebayo was RAW

[@alexandercastro-vera8641]

I was always under the impression that “The Big 3” was more of a metaphorical title of shows that increased the general popularity of anime (specifically) in the west after DBZ’s explosion of popularity in the 90’s. This led me to start referring to Bleach One Piece and Naruto as the “The Big 3 of the 2000’s”. I’m not sure what the big 3 of other decades would be.

[@carringtont7632]

If you had asked me before watching the video what "The Big 3" of anime/manga were, I would've probably said "Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Ranma 1/2". That "Big 3" would've then be followed by a "Big 2" of Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh. At least those were the animes that were big and easily accessible where I grew up.

[@Nitrogenic]

@@carringtont7632 Yugioh over Beyblade is kinda crazy although Blade did pop off later

[@afro025]

One Piece wasn't even popular in the west until recently though. There were dozens of other anime that were more popular than One Piece in the 2000s, mainly due to the terrible 4kids dub which pushed people away from getting into the series

[@alexandercastro-vera8641]

@@afro025oh Yeah One Piece was the least popular of the 3 at the time but it was still in that grouping for the time.

[@afro025]

@@alexandercastro-vera8641 And why was it apart of that grouping when there were dozens of other anime more popular than it?

[@thecriddle]

something that Mark has missed in his data is the CONSISTENCY for Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece. Looking at the data supplied - between 2004 and 2010, they are the ONLY three series to make the top 10 every year. After them, the closest is Nana and Gintama at 5 years of the 7 years, followed by Hitman Reborn, FMA, and Nodame Cantabile at 4 - but aside from Hitman, which was consitent from 2007 through 2010, FMA and Nodame weren't in consecutive years and i think that's an important part of the data to look at. Yeah, Bleach was pretty consistently not in that top 3 position, and it danced all over the place, but it stayed in the top 10 that entire time - something that a lot of these other series can not claim i would love to see more data spanning back to when all three started, and, honestly, the data from 2011 onwards in this same table format (i am too lazy to go look it up and collate it myself lol) but you can't deny that SEVEN consecutive years in that top 10 for all three series is incredibly impressive

[@mightysenju4535]

That is true. And he forgot about the english physical copy of weekly shonen jump where it all started the title big three in 2008 to 2011. Each of the copies woud show the three being featured on it. And as i saw as of march 2009 to september 2010 bleach was still in top 3 worldwide.

[@pablobuquet2534]

Thats true, even more amazing that One Piece made top 3 every year

[@ItzOnno]

He talked about it around 10:30

[@thecriddle]

@@ItzOnno except he doesn't. he talks about their consistency in the feedback cards, but is so focused on the '3' part of the Big 3 he ignores other factors. i rewatched from 10:00 - 11:30 and the only mention of consistency he mentions is the feedback cards

[@AussieDragoon]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I think the issue here is Mark was taking things way too much at face value and not seeing the forest for the trees. He was looking for one chart (or series of charts) he could point to as "the answer" ignoring that an answer was there, just not in the exact place he looked.

[@thelurkinglegend6354]

You looked at manga sales but in the US most people watched anime long before they ever knew what manga was. I started one piece in 2004, Naruto in 2005. I didn’t find out what manga was til around 2010 & even then most of us did not buy actual manga but we definitely brought attention to the series

[@Ash_Wen-li]

The Big 3 Era of Jump will never be replicated. Just like how the Golden Age Era of Jump will also never be replicated

[@afro025]

There wasn't even really a "big 3 era" of Jump to begin with

[@Ash_Wen-li]

​@@afro025 True, it's more of a subjective perception of the West when it comes to the Big 3

[@pablocasas5906]

The Big 3 concept is more of a U.S. fan concept, but you could argue that Shonen Jump had 3 iconic series in different eras: - The first Golden Age: Hokuto no Ken, Captain Tsubasa and Kinnikuman; - The Middle Golden Age: Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball and City Hunter; ‐ The 90s Golden Age: Slam Dunk, Yu☆Yu☆Yu Hakusho and Dragon Ball

[@bunsdarius9223]

@@pablocasas5906 I think Jojo and Slam Dunk should be included?

[@interdimensionalcommunicat9750]

Both Hokuto no Ken and Kinnikuman continued decently into Dragon Ball's run. Hokuto no Ken ended around the Piccolo Jr. fight, while Kinnikuman ended during the 22nd Tournament.

[@paulncindyhome]

Did any of these comments even watch the full video 💀💀💀

[@hungmyselfxD3951]

😅

[@crispkiller6701]

No people are so dumb

[@nahte123456]

The video literally came out less than an hour ago. No, people haven't all watched it yet.

[@callumrolston]

@@paulncindyhome why not then replace Naruto with demon slayer

[@gabetheguy1]

Most anime fans live in their own lil bubbles. Even if they watched it all,they'd still have the exact same opinion they had before...

[@komarunaegi7460]

0:24 “Tight??”

[@NoahToledo-xo5pj]

This felt like Mark going insane for an easy to answer question all because he made the mistake of consulting anime news articles first. Is a really easy answers, the big 3 where running at the same time, they where popular in the west and people talked about it. Yeah that's about it, everything else did came after as Mark said but as someone who was part of that culture, it is entirely a term that stuck because the 3 mangas where big and running at the same time. Toriko never became a part of it because it was never that popular in the west, same with Fairy Tail and there isn't a proper big 3 now because the entire thing was just a massive coincidence and is unlikely we are gonna get 3 more mangas running at the same time that will all be popular and talked about at the same time. The funniest thing is Mark not knowing what the Dark Trio was which was a way closer equivalent of the big 3 and funny enough, JJK is part of said trio.

[@MontySlython]

I would argue fairy tale was just ass but you right.

[@JDB51]

Nah bro that’s cap. I think he was onto something in the video. I think your logic is full of holes, and basically just goes with what you assumed at the time was the case, when in reality it wasn’t. As soon as the term “big three” starts circulating you assume it’s because they’re all super popular, but in reality they were definitely popular, but not in the way we think. He literally showed sales figures, also One Piece was definitely not that popular in America… I’d say Naruto was the most popular when it comes to America. But tbh that’s just my guess

[@DerMarcus_]

​@@JDB51We also need to consider the not-known numbers of people reading and/ or watching One Piece, Bleach and Naruto illegally. I can't say myself how popular each was in America and overall because I just don't have number sources but as a kid, everyone near me, who watched anime, watched at least one of the three. And since we were kids it wasn't always through watching TV

[@Jekiterio]

Also Toriko collab happened mostly due to Toei owning the right to that show and I believe also Oda knew the author too which is why it happened. It had nothing to do with sales other than toriko got a little bit popular in Japan for a short amount of time.

[@NoahToledo-xo5pj]

@@Jekiterio The Toriko author and Oda worked together as assisstants under the author of Rurouni Kenshin I believe.

[@suzeray87]

Not having Ichigo in the thumbnail makes me want to fly into a rage 😡

[@justsomeguywithamustache2901]

It was done on purpose, because thats how haters react, he's calling them out😊

[@suzeray87]

@@justsomeguywithamustache2901 yeah I know… I never liked Bleach being in the big 3 anyway. The anime is a very very very poor adaptation to a masterpiece of a manga. And typically gets ridiculed by fans of the other big 3. Getting left out of the big 3… is both a blessing & a curse.

[@justsomeguywithamustache2901]

@@suzeray87 cry more

[@suzeray87]

@@justsomeguywithamustache2901wtf are you talking about? I’m joking. I’m not even crying… unless it’s about the Bleach anime which is just a bad adaptation. And haters judge the series on the anime instead of the manga. And as for Jjk… gege is Bleach biggest fan, and you can’t be a fan of Bleach and not see the inspiration in every chapter of Jjk. If anyone should cry is you… you’ll never live up to the legend.

[@MuñeHaterNumber1]

It's because of the video's conclusion. People really need to start watching the entire fucking video before commenting

[@JoeFanik]

I consider the term Big Three as the main three popular shows that introduce people to anime. This includes the Golden Age (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece), the New Generation (Black Clover, MHA, JJK), the list goes on.

[@NinthShinigami]

Big Three will always undoubtedly be One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach 🔥 love all three so much. What the three of them accomplished together as they were each running was and still is generational, and really opened up the doors for anime and manga in the West and for all these newer series to hit so big too, like My Hero and Jujutsu. The authors of those series even admit their admiration and credit their inspiration to those series

[@dinogt8477]

stop lying

[@Yoshi-h4b]

Sad that some newer anime fans will never understand this

[@NinthShinigami]

@@dinogt8477 tis only the truth

[@neinja66469]

​@@dinogt8477hes only spitting facts lil bro sit down

[@I5g58]

neinja66469 Your being annoying

[@thencsmaster4343]

Miles definitely brought info that shined a whole new light on the topic, really appreciated. Only thing I'd disagree when he said the modern version Is "The Big 2". I agree with Demon Slayer and JuJutsu Kaisen, but I also think you have to include My Hero Academia. Especially when weighing on western perspectives that series is one of the biggest since the original big 3 by a wide margin. You see just as much of it as you do Demon Slayer out in public acknowledgement in the west. MHA, DS, and JJK are the closest we get to a revival of "The Big 3" name

[@mina-wp2tl]

I totally agree, mha was literally the first anime that got super popular after the big 3 iirc. Idk why he excluded that but included shows like jjk that came much later

[@Ash_Wen-li]

Imo if we're gonna do that I'd say it's JJK, Demonslayer and Attack on Titan.

[@silent_reaper999]

Who is Miles?

[@TheRealShunk]

Yeah I think MHA would need to be there. While It's not talked about nearly as much as DS and JJK nowadays, the impact It's had on the west has been huge for sure. Just as a small example, walking into any store with some type of Anime merch, at least In my experience, you see MHA stuff littered everywhere.

[@Zanador]

I agree generally, but the timing is a bit weird. MHA was insanely popular in the west when it was new but the hype had already kinda died down by the time JJK and DS got big.

[@colddekstar]

My biggest issue with this video is that it gives more ammunition to Luffy pfps on Twitter to say Bleach doesn't belong in the big 3

[@Kenos347]

Exactly

[@colddekstar]

I should mention, One Piece is easily better than Bleach To a degree that there's zero reason to go out of your way to make that point, if you do you just hate other people's enjoyment

[@GodlyVicious]

​@@colddekstarit's not easly better, this is subjective Kubo's writing isn't straightforward put for meatheads

[@colddekstar]

@@GodlyVicious Bleach is my favorite of the big 3 I'm just objective enough to know One Piece is a better series

[@FantasticEnigma]

@@colddekstarnobody asked, that was never apart of your original comment and it didn’t need to be.

[@Zakarith]

One thing I remember about the Big Three that wasn't touched upon, was the activity on piracy sites. Specifically OneManga. The Big Three dominated the "Most Viewed Manga" there. The spoiler forum threads for the Big Three were the most popular. The website is still up as a snapshot of its front page even showing as such in 2010. They would specifically do a front page update when all three of them had updated to let people know scans were up for them. That data though is kinda hard to track or out right non-existent, so I can see why it wasn't brought up. It was more about the experience at the time of the late 2000's for how much they dominated the online conversation.

[@Aaronrules380]

Yeah I think one manga was absolutely where the term actually originated, but one manga has been kind of forgotten by history since it was shut down

[@DoritosRojos-jr8xl]

What manga?​@@Aaronrules380

[@LDungeon]

The big 3 isn't about data and metrics, it's about feeling, you had to be there, they were the shows you and your three friends (who were the only people who even knew what anime was) would talk about in school, they were THE battle shonen you'd hear about even without watching them.

[@w1-w2-w3]

Big 3 is about the data and metrics. Not your head canon and favorites. And also Big 3 are mostly refer to the anime. When you talk about Big 3, it means they have the big influences around the world and loved by many. Not just in your small school and your country. When you talk about the biggest KZbinr, it mean MrBeast. If someone can beat MrBeast, they will be the next biggest one. It is all about data and influence they have, nothing else.

[@kenan-b]

​@@w1-w2-w3 both of you are right. The big 3 sold the most copies out of all manga in japan for approximately a 2 year stretch from 2008-2010. Bleach eventually got beat out by fairy tail and fma, but one piece and naruto stayed the top 2. So you're right in a sense that it is what the data says But the OP is also right in that it's just something you had to be there for. There's never going to be another big 3. You can't just pull the 3 best selling manga in any one stretch and call it the "new big 3" it simply doesn't work that way because they won't share the cultural impact and popularity, particularly in the west, that the og big 3 had. They put a lot of people on to anime. There were loads people that watched 1, or 2, maybe even all of the big 3, but didn't watch anime outside of those and DBZ because anime simply wasn't popular enough yet, but **those** shows were good enough to be watched and discussed by what were essentially non anime fans. Anime is mainstream enough now to where we will never see a phenomenon like that again in the anime community

[@CometX-ing]

@@w1-w2-w3​​⁠​​⁠ The big 3 are a case of right place right time and smart business deals.

[@deliii395]

It's neither about data, nor quality of work or feeling. It's just western fandom bullshit since they only knew 3 animes. It's a fake narrative saet by people who saw anime as some outside thing. When it comes to data Hunter x Hunter sold more than Bleach.

[@I5g58]

@TheOne11111 In that case, the original big three have long since been replaced, if they ever existed in the first place.

[@Yullenator]

"this was news" none of you read Bakuman?!

[@seancharran3332]

That was one of my favorite mangas

[@AussieDragoon]

Yeah, I'm not even into Manga that much and even I knew about the popularity cards.

[@matijamaksan4344]

@@AussieDragoon Like i know they exist but i never think of them. I remember them after somebody else mentions them.

[@Krikitey]

I honestly love the idea that "they're the big 3 because that's what we call them".

[@absolutionveil8632]

I love people shitting on "My Wife Became an Elementary School Student" because it shows they are literally judging a book by its cover. Its one of the most soul crushing and emotionally mature series made in recent years with a focus on loss, family, and the importance of acceptance. But no one will know that because its named a bit weird and everyone assumes its a series for "those" kinda weirdos

[@arilumani6194]

Sadly that's very common with anime nowadays, especially with old school fans. While there are anime that outright deserve to be judged by their cover there are some genuinely good anime that suffer the same treatment. Not just by the way they look but the they are produced. People constantly praise old anime for being incredibly mature, dark, ultra-violent, philosophical, mind-bending, varying in art styles, hand-drawn, atmospheric and vibe-esque. You won't see a single person online shutting up about them and shitting on today's anime. By comparison modern anime get heavily criticized for looking childish and generic as well as having clichéd and recycled stories. The production values also get criticized for looking plastic, artificial and bland just because they are made on computers instead of being hand-drawn. Shounen also fall victim to such criticism when they are not trying to subvert expectations. Another reason for this? An endless cycle of power fantasy isekai with some of the most recycled plot lines in recording human history. Isekai as well as high school anime and moe anime are 3 of the many reasons as to why modern anime get in so many old school fans' nerves. Honestly, I feel like Shrek getting annoyed by Donkey on their way to Far Far Way whenever I hear these people whine about anime today, even though I do find it understandable. It's important to give these shows a try before you trash them as there's more to them than meets the eye. Not every anime is perfect. I am sure there have been a lot of garbage anime in the old days only to be buried by superior ones. The same is in this day and age. there are great isekai and high school anime as well as enjoyably saccharine moe anime and that's thanks to good execution. There are also incredibly mature and violent anime as well like Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, Banana Fish, Inuyashiki, Re:Zero, Goblin Slayer, Parasyte-the maxim-, Gangsta. and Megalo Box. Just because anime today are drawn digitally doesn't mean they are not spectacularly drawn. Not to mention that thanks to seasonal schedules animators are allowed to have time to make some of the best animations ever or sakuga as we like to call it. Instead of saying which era was the best we should always discuss which are the ones that left the biggest impact to be considered the best and which are the ones that are considered the worst that deserve to be endlessly trashed.

[@NasirGiwa]

Maybe just maybe they could have chose a better name

[@absolutionveil8632]

@@NasirGiwa And I admitted it was a weird name, but people shouldn't base their entire judgement off of a weird title. Maybe things have changed at some point, but I was told for decades growing up to "not judge a book by its cover" and now it seems that's all we can do.

[@AQuaroyal_5Ds]

@@absolutionveil8632 there is only so much time people have, can you blame them for not giving a chance to every random piece of media?

[@absolutionveil8632]

@@AQuaroyal_5Ds I can understand not having time to read or watch something in order to properly understand what the story behind it is. I won't ever look down on someone for not having the time or for not knowing something. However, I do get upset over people attacking and insulting things from a place of ignorance they know nothing about. And I get it, it's got a weird name. But there are a lot of weird named anime out there that are genuinely good, like "I want to eat your pancreas".

[@ATRStormUnit]

Of course Today's Big three are Dandadan, Rose Garden Saga and Onani Master Kurosawa. The nice people with the white sneakers who gave me that neat apartment with the soft walls agree with me.

[@joaquis456]

Mark my dude, READ BAKUMAN. We know you have it, you've said it yourself. It would be so interesting for the guy who reviews manga to get in a story about making manga. A lot of the information in this video is referenced in that plot

[@KalleVilenius]

Yeah, he wouldn't have been surprised by the importance of reader survey cards if he'd read Bakuman.

[@Maxpain350]

Talking about shonen jump sales is errelevant, it's only natural when you enter the Internet era, not only shonen jump all papers and magazines sufferd the same fate

[@wildhogOW]

I still find it funny how Mark knows how to pronounce Japanese names, yet he still pronounces "Tite Kubo" as "Tight Kubo".

[@hellnaw7921]

In Japanese his name is pronounced as Taito Kubo

[@AnimeAjay]

Tight Kubo is the correct pronunciation.

[@imitationpitaya]

That’s because Mark actually knows how it’s pronounced, unlike so many other people

[@mr.protagonist5639]

It's the correct pronunciation I believe.

[@ShivSingh-io5eh]

Tight IS the correct pronounciation, earlier I used to think it was pronounced "tee-tay" but yeah, it's pronounced tight

[@GChezlynD]

RIP Chester. We miss you.

[@lindoo_]

I seen the thumbnail & thought I was about get mad 💀

[@Skiddull]

Ughh, that ending but motivated me beyond belief. I've been toiling over creating my manga for over three years already, with no plans to even start advertising for another two years at least. I cannot wait to see how, in six, maybe eight years I finally have the vindication of seeing people love my work as much as I do, as much as I love the work of Oda and Toriyama before me. I wouldn't have even remotely the amount of skill I do without deeply meditating on and enjoying both of these series all the way through. I sincerely hope to go onto be the next in this line, and even if I'm not... The next big mangaka; sparked with that same curiousity by my work will.

[@velar25]

Personally, i'd put One Piece, Naruto and Bleach on "The Big 3" spot just because of all the discourse those properties had, every time a new Episode/Chapter launched.

[@PorungaSan]

Or an easier to measure number at the time - the number of seeds on torrent sites (the was pre crunchy)

[@milesatherton3886]

@@PorungaSan by that metric, Bleach and One piece wouldn't even be part of a "Big 10"

[@IsidorHjelmRoman]

Nowadays One Piece is alot more popular then Naruto. ​@@milesatherton3886

[@kevinbailey4225]

Naruto Bleach One Piece is to anime, what the attitude era is to Wrestling. The influence through sales, longevity word of mouth, fansubs/scans, and making it cool to talk about freely can't be duplicated. Those 3 will always live rent free in our anime minds in a good way.

[@zenwuu]

The disrespect bleach gets is astonishing

[@carlsalba]

this video wasnt dissrespecting bleach

[@HypothermicIce]

Deserving, imo (I don’t like bleach)

[@jase276]

Bleach fell off after the whole Quincy arc started, but Ichigo is the REALEST MC in Shonen. He is him

[@ritacirocavalcante]

Eiichiro Lamar: Man, fuck the Big 3, shonen, it's just big me!

[@royalfun1031]

Fax every medium

[@themonarch620]

I think its about how long they have been around. A whole generation grew up watching the big 3. I remember talking about these 3 animes with my classmates everytime they dropped a new episode. Learning obito is madara, seeing ichigo become a monster agains ulquiora, talking about how luffy is gonna save ace.

[@minisaurproductionsaayanha6894]

Not gonna lie, this video made me realise how much I would love a video essay based on Katekyo Hitman Reborn, its a manga that was pretty popular back in the day and was top five in a few of those statistics you presented in the video. Though this is completely optional and probably won't happen unless some wild shenanigans ensue in your crew.

[@jvever4904]

The official stats probably weren't super illuminating, but I think part of the Big 3's status were due to online discussions/fansubs/manga scans. Since a lot of it was done by less than legal means, it'd be hard to track the data there. But the constant circulation of fansubbed episodes and new chapter fansubs kept the hype alive for those three series for YEARS online.

[@James11111]

For some reason I used to think the Big 3 were Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh.

[@tariqware6022]

Great video! If there was to be a Big Three of modern anime that came out in the last decade or so under, I'd have it be JJK, Demon Slayer, and My Hero. You could shoehorn Black Clover in there as well if you wanted to

[@Dmunster05]

Toriko's author and Oda are appearantly really good friens. That + both OP and toriko being both animated by toei is probably why they had multiple crossovers.

[@thelastgogeta]

It is 100% partly due to being animated by Toei with a run just minutes away from each other. Dragon Ball also had a crossover with both Toriko and One Piece. As much as a crossover between other series may be an easy sell, they don't happen Crossing over anime licenses even when everything is in Shonen Jump presumably gets harder when more hands are involved.

[@HyperGamer14]

I disagree that the big 3 wouldn't be Naruto, One Piece and Bleach in terms of popularity. Yes, in english speaking countries One Piece was not popular for example, but if you were able to go by popularity of each country, I bet things would look different. In the mid-late 2000s anytime people would recommend popular manga, those three were always in those recommendations, not only in, for example, german speaking online communities, but also often more international english speaking ones. I know because I was there, even though I wasn't as much into both mediums as I am now. That is hard to express in numbers though, especially since TONS of piracy sites and other community sites have completely vanished. Also there can't be a new big 3 and the idea that it's now a big 2 + One Piece couldn't be more wrong imo. Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen are big now, yes, but Demon Slayer got popular right before it ended and Jujutsu Kaisen also got popular shortly before it ended. While the big 3 were something akin to bright stars shining in the sky for years, JJK and Demon Slayer are more like stars that shine extremely bright, before flickering and dying the next moment. Once their anime are done, they will be remembered, yes, but they just don't have the active staying power Naruto and especially not One Piece got. (which the manga length and seasonal release structure of the anime, instead of the old, always running, weekly one, are the biggest reasons of) I also go as far and say that the way WSJ is now, there can't be a new "Big X". WSJ has and had tons of popular series in the last years, a bunch even with popular anime or anime that are in production now and instead of what feels like a few pillars carrying the magazine, WSJ has a very robust collection of series, that carry them. MHA, Demon Slayer, JJK, Chainsaw Man, Black Clover, Dandadan, Sakamoto Days, Undead Unluck, Mashle, Haikyuu, Elusive Samurai and more are all titles that make WSJ still the mainstay magazine that it is today, especially for the west.

[@natalimoina]

Both Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen were popular WELL before they ended. WAY before then. Also, if you don't think they have the same staying power and influence and impact series like OP, Naruto and Bleach have, then you are just tearing your eyes away from the facts tbh.

[@Bleachman-m4f]

​​​@@natalimoinaExactly,nowadays it is almost impossible to do something long-running.The Big 3 were lucky at that time. I think MHA,JJK,Demon Slayer after ending their anime-franchise just reboot(remake ) them or make Netflix-adaptation.And like how Kubo,Kishimoto,Togashi or Mashima after hiatus just do related story(which will be exact continuation)

[@deathgod517]

Love the in-depth research. Never saw the Big 3 as a sales or popularity thing just what the culture recognized. I didnt hear Toonami mentioned which is really the touchstone. I was pitched the big 3 the same as I explain them now to new fans. "If you like DBZ these 3 are the next steps forward". Death Note, Code Geass, FMA, and even Toriko (if you were a manga reader) came up in those conversations but they weren't the battle style shonen that would be the most natural recommendations

[@WitlessMass]

00:24 the way he pronounces Tite Kubo's name hurt my ears

[@SoulZERO15]

How?? Thats how kubo wants it to be pronounced?

[@britipinojeff]

12:00 While One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach don’t consistently hit the top 3 in those charts, they actually consistently hit the top 5 if you only consider Shonen Jump manga. The other manga that appear in these charts are manga from different magazines and demographics like Nodame Cantabile is Josei and Nana is Shojo

[@jaunzelmullins1508]

You mean while bleach didn't consistently hit top 3 because Naruto and one piece were in top 2 for a long time and in top 3 for a while after that.

[@Swoletaku]

Might be the Mandela effect, but I feel at one point, FMA was in this conversation calling this the “Big 4”

[@eliotesparza4147]

You had to be watching the Big 3 during their run to understand. You didn't experience it and are only looking at sales data. The Big 3 had a new episode and a manga chapter every week! Anime wise: When one of the Big 3 switched to a filler arc - another switched to a cannon arc. Didn't like a fight that week - the other of the Big 3 got you. JJK, Demon Slayer, & MHA aren't long-running anime that do weekly anime episodes - when many argue that filler arcs in JJK and MHA would have allowed more character development for the side characters and chill time between the never-ending fights that feel like a chore to wait weekly to finish. Especially if you are not a fan of the characters currently fighting. The Big 3 airing weekly as you grew up really is what made them a cut above the rest. Think back to when the first season of JJK, MHA, Demon Slayer, One Punch Man, and even Chainsaw Man were all released, and remember the wait for the next season. That feeling of waiting 1 to maybe even 2 years for a continuation as an anime-only watcher is what kills hype for a new show. AoT is a perfect example: the wait for season 2 for a monthly released manga... getting the complete story of AoT animated is a miracle, even with the ridiculous release of the final season part 82. The Big 3 didn't have any of that. The anime staff releasing filler was like a bonus story between arcs (love or hate them) that reassured you that you were not forgotten. The anime is ongoing and it is promising you that the cannon story is coming. It gave you a lot to look forward to. The animators had chances to experiment and practice animating fights and side characters you don't see often. So when they finally appear in the cannon story, they actually have a very well-animated part - it doesn't feel like the animators are half-assing this side character's frames just to get through it. MHA feels exactly like that with such a bloated cast and you can tell that a lot of characters get more animation frames and attention than others. JJK is the opposite - The animators are well-animating fights with characters that were barely expanded on - only to have the manga end in the same year season 2 wrapped - which feels weird. The Demon Slayer manga ended and the anime is taking its time. Ufotable is doing great but RIP all the other manga that only got one season and the manga wrapped up years ago and will never get another season. The Big 3 were nothing like all the other seasonal anime. The Big 3 had the balls to actually air an episode every week during the manga's run. There wasn't a wait for DVD sales to decide if they would even consider getting another season - they were going to air no matter what! Video game tie-ins, multiple movie releases, & all 3 ongoing in Jump during all of this!

[@mr.protagonist5639]

i disagree. I personally HATED having to wait months for nonsensical filler to end. The big 3 didn't have the balls to run for years, they were contractually obligated to. It's why one piece has such massive pacing issues. They can't take a minute to let the manga produce more content, they have to drop that episode every week. Even when there's like 2 chapters left to adapter. Besides a lot of what you said applies now too. Waiting for the next season season of demon slayer, go watch mha or jjk in the meantime. Now you have way more options too.

[@Bleachman-m4f]

​​@@mr.protagonist5639Agree,I rather wait 3 years than watch slow paced low quality episodes.(or fillers)

[@Kagiso22]

In South Africa out Golden Age was Dragon Ball, Yugi-Oh and Pokemon. Then we didn’t have a Big 3. Just a Big 1 which was Naruto. Many kids didn’t even know they were or identify as anime fans until Naruto started airing and some only after Dragonball Super. Then in like the late 2010s to now have people now become One Piece fans because the hunt for more Naruto and DBS episodes made us figure out how and where to stream anime, which eventually led us into the anime community where you then learn of the goat that is One Piece. Once you get past the early animation and art style and get hooked on the story, there’s no turning back. I grew up with a high level of love for Dragon Ball until I started One Piece then it felt like I’d graduated to something more than just “a cartoon” as we’d know anime to be in our country. Now I’m obsessed with world building and strong charter writing in media overall thanks to One Piece.

[@Fluttersniper]

I always knew them as the Holy Shonen Trinity, or HST, from the powerscaling community. A universe or character was considered strong if it could match or exceed the HST-they were essentially a benchmark for superhuman strength because they all had roughly the same feats as each other at that time.

[@NeroPiroman]

Its not up to any debate, there has only ever been one big three and allways will be only one

[@Eniggma39]

I would argue DBZ Pokemon and Sailor Moon but that’s just me tho ✋😃🤚

[@Ash_Wen-li]

​@@Eniggma39Those were different eras

[@sarcasticsuperjerk18]

If you really want to go that route then the ACTUAL big three would be Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Jojo’s. All three of which are far more influential individually than One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach combined. There will always be a “big three” for each era, it just depends on the level of impact they had on the industry and pop-culture. For now, I’d consider My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man the new “big three” due to their ever-growing influence on the industry and pop-culture now.

[@thegreatestoctopus9739]

There never was a "big 3" it's just a made yo title. In a few years or decades there's gonna be three new popular anime's and those are going to be referred to as the new big 3

[@Zanador]

@@Ash_Wen-li The anime for those three were brought to the US roughly around the same time. And "Big Three" is an inherently US-centric concept so it makes about as much sense as anything else.

[@gidro1998]

KareKano OST appreciator here. Good job Mark's editor(s).

[@FishyEditor]

Editor appreciates the appreciation.

[@JaxBlade]

Damn this video was eye opening, Also I love how Dragon Ball was one of the series that made so many Non regular Anime Watches get invested, Happy that happened to the late King Toriyama rest in peace, but also the modern big 3 take at the end I think I can agree with as well. It really is one of those things where if you only focus on you and your current surroundings its easy to think "Oh its clearly just this cause its all I ever see" but when you go outside the bubble its legit a whole new world of diff experiences. Great video!

[@carloskingdomh]

but the video is mostly wrog how did it opened your eyes?

[@upgradedbae8405]

@@carloskingdomh How is it mostly wrong? they explained in depth with cited sources and an expert to boot lol Just cause you dont like the answer doesnt take away what was said when you watch the full video. Also Doesnt negate that the Big 3 still gonna be the name of that trio at this point.

[@jb0258jr]

23:52 the answer is One Piece will take One Piece's place lol. By that I mean the anime remake in the works, by Studio Wit.

[@user-vm9lx1jg3v]

It should be called two piece

[@8ios]

"if you thought you already know the answer you're dead wrong" says the person that didn't knew about the feedback cards aaaah poor thing

[@BostonOtaku]

One Piece would’ve been more popular sooner in the west if it wasn’t for 4kids… fuck 4kids

[@WaterKirby1994]

4Kids made Yugioh drastically more popular than it was in Japan. The real problem was Toei packaged One Piece with the Magical Girl Series that 4kids wanted to dub because they had neglected the western distribution of it for 5 full years. Could you imagine if One Piece was dubbed by the studio who dubbed Digimon back in 2000? Toei dropped the ball possibly because they didn't want Dragon Ball competing against One Piece.

[@natalimoina]

4kids rules, stay mad

[@BostonOtaku]

@@natalimoina 4kids is trash

[@marcjigz9299]

One piece got a slow start to be popular like Naruto subbed/Dubbed or edited

[@dsranime3299]

Great video Mark, but I think beyond sales, rankings, and overall popularity, one of the key reasons for this 3 series being entitled as "The Big 3", was there similarity in term of storytelling and genre. Simply put, these 3 were the quintessential long running battle fantasy shonen of 2000s They all follow teenagers protagonists in a world with creative super power systems (Jutsus, Devil fruits, Zanpakuto,...) with unique fantasy places (Soul Society, Konoha, Skypiea, ...) and a multitude of fascinating organizations (Espada, Gotei 13, Akatsuki, Shichibukai, Marines,...). They even have Rescue arcs in their respective series. Series like Death Note and Code Geass don't fit, and other that fit this criterias were either to short or didn't have a anime running

[@ofekbenhamo8497]

In my eyes, the reason we can't have a modern big 3 anymore, is cause the way of consuming anime has changed, gone were the days of ongoing shows that had consistant airing for years, and i think thats what made the big 3 what they were, they were going at it together every week for more than 10 years, sure in terms of weekly manga sale something like Hunter X Hunter could take the 3rd spot, but in terms of the anime the HXH first run was comparitivly short and the 2nd run was towards the end of that era, its the fact the those 3 anime randitions run together for so many years side by side that the the world started seeing them as part of one entity, the more seasonal aproach to anime killed the way the big 3 got their fame

[@chaosgyro]

Because of Dragonball anime went from something you found next to the "adult" section at Blockbuster to something you could talk about in the light of day. Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece were the most similar things to DBZ in terms of length, story structure, character types, etc. to come along in the wake of it popularizing the medium. Still though, the Big 3 in terms of western pop culture in the 2000s would actually be Naruto, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh.

[@alexysbarrera2295]

As a bleach fan, I feel insulted

[@LookHearMeOut]

Let’s go TotallyNotMark!

[@wenm7081]

Bleach is probably the third anime I've watched, alongside OP and Naruto in 2007. It's definitely one of my favorites ever, and shaped some of my tastes in anime I guess. I knew about the Big 3 concept back in the day, so I was very surprised when I recently discovered it isn’t a well known franchise in the west. Considering it hasn't been broadcasted on TV where I live (contrary to the other two) it was probably a sign😅

[@musicaddict0724]

A mid piece fan not including Ichigo in the thumbnail but speaks about BIG 3 lol hypocrites are increasing these days asf AMEN!!

[@superliciousCA]

For a good look inside, read Bakuman. It's a manga about 2 guys who want to make it big in Shonen Jump

[@natalimoina]

Written by someone who despises women 💀

[@in-craig-ible6160]

Well this was a fascinating watch. Also, I'm really liking the shorter videos you've been doing. Thanks!

[@RastaGamesful]

For me, "The Big Three" are anime/manga that were very popular, not only in terms of sales from people who followed it. From the late 90s to the 2000s, when Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk were already finished, the title of the most recognizable and popular titles, so to speak, was taken by Naruto, Bleach and One Piece. That's why fans still call them "The Big Three" to this day. I don't think modern anime needs something like this. The new “Big Three” will never work the way it did before. Times have changed, and so have the anime and manga industries.

[@sinnermystic9363]

One Piece still hasn't surpassed Dragon Ball yet tbh.

[@shadowfall5278]

Only in Japan

[@frikifit]

Worldwide there's only a BIG 1, and its freaking Pokemon lmao which didn't even started as an anime. Other than that...Dragon Ball, Shingeki, Kimetsu...I think those are strong contenders.

[@Ghostsamurai22_]

Im up to 6:27 but the big 3 is a thing, everyone knew what it referred to. No one in the school yard considered them the big 3 because of magazine sales or for a supposed S.jump revival, it's what were popular anime at a point in time and in currently airing. You're going by an article's definition of big 3, but that's moving the goal posts. Redefining what big 3 means and then disproving it. The difference between big 3 and DBZ is that DBZ had finished it had a localised release in the 90s (? i think) a few years earlier, and to a teenage a few years seems a lot longer. The big 3 were what was currently being released, (initially) were not yet localised in English and were downloaded and subbed.

[@Ghostsamurai22_]

at 10:24 again focusing on sales numbers being the bases of the name "big 3" when the people in the west who called it that had no care about sales figures let alone Japanese sales figure. I don't even think the general public would have cared about anything's sales numbers at the time, it seem that's a more recent concern in the age of social media and views/ follow count. Also the goal post seemed to have moved again, the "big 3" name was based of feedback cards in the magazine that no one in the west knew about?

[@TheKiltedGerman]

Today, Mark removed any and all doubt that he has high-functioning autism. Don't quote me on this, but before he went crazy, I'm pretty sure Digibro made a video years ago about the Big 3 being defined by popularity polls.

[@Sjono]

Regardless of who the modern Big 3 are, they’ve already ended/will end soon while One Piece is still going on One Piece: “Once again there is no big 3, only the Big Me.”

[@lolsnez7542]

Why is ichigo not in the thumbnail

[@TheTyroofToriyama]

Cos him and your mum were dining at Dorsia

[@morgana4525]

its possible that the big three cant be viewed just from looking at manga sales or popularity polls but more importantly merch sales.

[@KosmischesWiesel]

Coming from germany: - Around 1999 a friend in school brought One Piece with him. And i read his Mangas every time he did get a new one. - 2003 after I finished school and started apprenticeship, a friend came with a bad DVD copy from the first Naruto arcs. It was a cool Setting with cool Fights. And still remember Rock Lee vs Gara. - And around 2005, another friend telled me about the edgy Bleach Anime with the best music of all three. For a long time, this three where all Mangas we talked about in the break in the apprenticeship. Every one had a different favorit. But only this three we talked about. There was a Yu-Gi-Oh, Neon Genesis, Golden Boy, Lupin, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne and other stuff. But not so big, like these threes. So I totaly understand, why they are called the big three.

[@piber_3927]

OK I HAVE BEEN LOKING FOR 24:16 SONG SINCE 2019 AND WHILE THAT I HAVE FOUND MOST SONGS I HAVE BEEN LOKING FOR EXCEPT THIS ONE PLEASE GIVE ME THE NAME OF THE TRACK PLEASE I BEG YOU

[@ungabunga696]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3fWhmOce8qbhpYsi=uvO2vcaE1Q_uwhse

[@Dkses1234]

Normally youtuber put the music use in their description did you check on there?

[@Dragon_Doom]

Same! Have been looking for that soft track at the very end for years

[@Pekara121]

Sounds like an OST from Dragonball / DBZ

[@piber_3927]

@@Pekara121 yeah i DIGGED that ost more then twice (found some really good unused music) BUT NOT THAT ONE

[@roxtechs]

Not a bleach fan but very bold of him not to include it in the thumbnail.

[@carloskingdomh]

very dumb not bold

[@6ix1six]

"The Big 3" were the 3 top manga on OneManga back in 05

[@thesketchartist6328]

Dragon ball z was the most popular in America on tv in the early 2000s. Then came the big 3 (Naruto, bleach, one piece) shows in America that were inspired by Dragon ball z. These were the 4 shows everyone at school knew at the time. The next big 3 won’t come until one piece ends

[@TheBluePhoenix008]

Imagine reading a game rant article💀🙏🏼

[@ajanis95]

CBR, Gamerant. See, thats where you went wrong Mark. You assumed that was journalism. Side note, this 'rudimentry journalism' is leagues beyond most journalism in the modern era.

[@FrMZTsarmiral]

Something that a lot of people are missing is that "The Big 3" were not only some of the most discussed and popular contemporary anime/manga in the west but that they were "The new Dragon Ball". You had anime like Death Note which were also massive at the time but since it was not battle-centric people would see it on a different category, despite being published in shonen jump and being insanely popular around the same time. Outside of the battle shonen-centric communities, the term wasn't really used often.

[@infectio88]

I'm from France and started to get scared my childhood was a lie, thank god he clarified it at 16:02 that we were giving One Piece the love it deserved

[@TeamTowers1]

My personal take is "Big Three" was just a nickname for the three modern Jump manga that everyone knew in the 2000s. Trying to teat like an official title is ultimately only ever going to reduce it to an arbitrary label.

[@demondoggo2768]

Bleach always catching strays bruh

[@thetele8646]

If we do go by sales, then bleach wouldn't probably be considered as the big three, if the sales are correct which was shown in the video, it was only in the top 3 once, whereas Naruto and moreso One piece were more consistent in the top 3.

[@killuazoldyk2727]

@@thetele8646 Atleast you gotta respect the impact of Bleach

[@thetele8646]

@@killuazoldyk2727 yeah, gotta respect it

[@ShivSingh-io5eh]

Agreed, bleach always does catch strays. Idk why the big 3 needs to be a debate. These videos do nothing but create arguments between op, Naruto and bleach fans. Can't we all just enjoy the animes we enjoy without there being a need for an argument? I don't even care about other's opinion on bleach, I'm just eagerly waiting for cour 3 😭 Can't wait for shunsui's bankai

[@1ordTakeo]

In my honest opinion? The big three just are the popular three anime that had an insanely long runtime around the same time. I personally can't recall any other anime during these years, that had 100+ episodes other than those 3, and the discourse that appeared from years of runtime, likely cemented their status. Cause when great anime came and went, they still were around, creating discourse.

[@WaterKirby1994]

Yugioh had 200+ Episodes during the Big 3 Era although it can be argued that it & the not Shonen Jump Pokemon started too soon. Still it's funny to think of Pokemon & One Piece as rivals because they overtook everything else in both length & popularity. Fairy Tail & Hunter x Hunter also fit the timeframe of the Big 3 with 100+ Episodes.

[@Bleachman-m4f]

​​@@WaterKirby1994Fairy tail(anime) started 2009 and Hunter x Hunter got remake in 2011.

[@Bleachman-m4f]

​One Piece sales is big ,but fandom itself isn't that big if we speak about worldwide fanbase.Also after 2019 One Piece sales lowering. What about Pokemon and Yugioh they were popular among kids,nowadays they are alive because of games@@WaterKirby1994

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@Bleachman-m4f One Piece Anime 1999-Current as of 2024, Naruto + Shippuden Anime 2002-2017, I have no clue what years Bleach Anime aired in Japan although I think the manga years would be more accurate because of the anime cancellation. Hunter x Hunter still fits the Big 3 timeframe.

[@Bleachman-m4f]

@@WaterKirby1994 HxH cause of hiatus can't keep up with big 3

[@stanislavzoldak2198]

"... we can see pretty clearly, that its sales were growing exponentially, ..." While showing an animation of a graph where data grows in a fairly linear fashion

[@hamlet1055]

It's a term that the anime fans from 🇺🇲 in the 2000s made up based on their shared experiences. It's not that hard to figure out.😮‍💨