The original shonen "big three" titles are Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, and Tite Kubo's Bleach. These shonen titles are like Dragon Ball's three heirs. In terms of popularity, sales, and influence, they dominated the shonen scene of the 2000s and early 2010s. However, many fans view Bleach as the runt of the litter.

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Number-wise, it's true that Bleach didn't sell as well as Naruto and certainly not the still-ongoing One Piece. That being said, passionate Bleach fans know that their favorite shonen series can excel in a few ways the others never did. Fans who look past Bleach's iffy reputation will find a lot to love about it.

10 Bleach Has A More Unique Soundtrack

Ichigo Kurosaki as part of the Bleach OST

Most modern shonen anime series have pretty great music, from the exciting OST of Attack on Titan to the hit track "You Say Run" from My Hero Academia's soundtrack. Then, there's the Bleach OST, composed by Shiro Sagisu, which really stands out above the rest.

Naruto and One Piece have plenty of cool tunes, but Bleach's OST is more creative, memorable, and thematic. It features ethereal, experimental synth and choruses to match the series' supernatural elements, which are balanced by the hard rock battle songs and the stylish Spanish-inspired music of the later story arcs.

9 Bleach Has More And Better Representation Than Naruto And One Piece

kaname tosen in bleach

Representation and inclusion are tricky topics in the world of Japanese anime, and some creators simply do a sloppy job with it. The big three shonen series tried to have good representation, but arguably, Tite Kubo's Bleach did it better and more often than its competitors.

Bleach features several Black characters who are a joy to watch in the anime, from the visor-wearing Captain Kaname Tosen to the wily Yoruichi Shihoin to the monk-like villain Zommari Rureaux. Those characters are tastefully designed and all have major roles to play in Bleach.

8 Bleach Characters Have Cool Alternate Outfits

the main characters of the bleach manga

Bleach characters' cool alternate outfits are more of a fun bonus than a key part of the story, but cool extras like this can really push a shonen series to the next level, and they show how much the author loves their own creation. Plenty of manga/anime series have bonus art for their characters, but Bleach does it better.

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Unlike Naruto and One Piece, the Bleach franchise often depicts its characters in stylish, memorable outfits because Tite Kubo loves modern fashion so much. In the words of the anime community, these characters have some serious "drip," far more than Naruto or Luffy do.

7 Bleach's Protagonist, Ichigo, Doesn't Grate On Viewers As Much

Ichigo brave souls with sword

Anime fans will all decide for themselves how much of an annoying, loud character they can handle. For some fans, Naruto's and Luffy's loudmouthed ways make them more fun to watch. However, plenty of other fans disagree and find those characters pretty tiring, and it's easy to see why.

Ichigo Kurosaki may be a jerk, but he's also a cool tsundere who won't just gobble up everyone's food on impulse, shout all his dialogue, or indulge in toilet humor. Ichigo is more grounded and introverted than that, making him a welcome break from all those shonen himbos and shouting characters.

6 Bleach Has Cool Isekai Elements To It

The Soul Society Infiltration Team in Bleach.

A shonen series doesn't actually need an isekai sequence to be compelling, but Bleach found a way to naturally include isekai elements to its story without resorting to fillers or sidetracking itself. The series had substantial reasons to send Ichigo and his friends to supernatural realms like the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.

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The actual isekai subgenre feels oversaturated by now, but it may feel fresh and exciting all over again in Bleach, which avoids all the worst isekai clichés. Neither Naruto nor One Piece tried anything like this, though Luffy did visit some truly odd islands.

5 Bleach Has Cool Reverse Isekai Elements, Too

rukia kuchiki showing ichigo a drawing

Bleach is the only big three anime to include reverse isekai elements, and it handled that part of the story well. Rukia Kuchiki isn't just Bleach's version of Sakura or Nami. She is a reverse isekai character, and she had fun exploring 2000s-era Japan.

Rukia eventually returned to the Soul Society, this time with a few friends. Renji, Toshiro, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika also embarked on a reverse-isekai adventure, which was a blast to watch. Not even Soul Reapers know how vending machines or cars work, after all.

4 Bleach's Humor Isn't So Crude

Bleach Ichigo and Chad Prank Ishida Funny

The shonen big three anime series all have great humor, but for most viewers, crude and childish jokes can be overused or uncomfortable to hear. It's shocking how often Naruto, for example, used toilet humor in the pre-Shippuden days.

However, Bleach isn't so crude. This series has a better sense of humor, often using Ichigo's and Uryu's outrageous reactions to things to make viewers laugh, and their facial expressions are priceless. This humor doesn't always hit, but it's better than South Park wannabe gags.

3 Bleach's Worldbuilding Is Easier To Follow

Harribel posing in Hueco Mundo

For truly dedicated One Piece fans, it's worth the effort to keep up with Eiichiro Oda's expansive worldbuilding across 1,000+ episodes, but there is a formidable barrier to entry. It also takes some work to keep up with Naruto's world, and Naruto's major nations are only cosmetically different for the most part.

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However, Bleach smartly limits its worldbuilding to three worlds and makes them wildly different from one another. This is some efficient, memorable worldbuilding that any shonen fan can enjoy. They get real-life Japan, a feudal Japanese fantasy land, and a nighttime desert world to explore.

2 Bleach's Combat System Feels Like Three In One

Ulquiorra's Zanpakuto from bleach

All of the big three titles have great combat systems, and they are roughly on par in terms of quality and depth. What sets them apart is that Bleach's combat system is more like three in one, but in a good way. These three sub-systems are distinct but still play off each other well.

The first combat system involves zanpakuto, or spirit swords, and the kido spell that Soul Reapers use. The second system is that of the spiritual Quincy tribe, emphasizing bows and arrows along with unique equipment. The third system involves all Hollows and Arrancars and their natural monster-like abilities.

1 Bleach's Manga Has The Best Art

Ichigo swinging his zanpakuto Bleach manga
Ichigo swinging his zanpakuto Bleach manga

Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto all have great artwork, but Bleach has the best, especially since it borrows some of the gritty realism of seinen manga while still feeling distinctly shonen. Bleach feels and looks less cartoony, and that's a real boon for Tite Kubo's manga.

Bleach employs fantastic visual techniques that have become trademarks of the series. One major example is the spit-second timing between panels, with Bleach convincing readers that a character or item moved with lightning speed before other characters could react. The relative lack of gray also makes the Bleach manga pop, and the camera's angles and closeup shots are masterfully done.

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