Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, Tite Kubo's Bleach, and Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto are the classic "big three" of the 2000s and early 2010s, towering over the competition in terms of sales, popularity, and sheer influence in the shonen world. Even today, they are landmark shonen titles that helped inspire Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and more.
Fans will have their own opinions on which of the big three is the best, and compelling reasons can be made for each title. Naruto fans, for their part, can think of countless reasons why Naruto is the big three's best title, from the character designs and combat system to its timeless themes.
10 Naruto Features Lots Of Ninja
Ninja are immensely popular not just in shonen anime, but everywhere, and Naruto has an exciting variety of ninja in its main cast of characters. These ninja are true shinobi, relying on stealth, trickery, cunning strategies, and assassination to get the job done.
One Piece and Bleach each have a few ninja-style characters like Yoruichi Shihoin, but for ninja lovers, Naruto can't be beaten. The series does take liberties with the concept of ninja, but the essentials are all there.
9 Naruto Has The Best Time Skip With Shippuden
All of the "big three" anime series have interesting time skips in them, such as the Straw Hat crew getting back together after two years or the 17-month time skip after Captain Sosuke Aizen's defeat. Meanwhile, Naruto has the best time skip, with Naruto Shippuden taking over after Naruto.
Giving the series a new name is just the start. Naruto Shippuden depicts the main characters as noticeably older, more powerful, and more confident. Also, the main plot really takes off in Shippuden with the rise of the Akatsuki.
8 Naruto Has The Best Training Sequences
Most shonen series have training scenes, such as My Hero Academia's Izuku Midoriya practicing with One For All. Among the big three and perhaps all of anime, Naruto has the best training scenes, and they always feel exciting instead of obligatory to watch.
Naruto's training scenes give Naruto Uzumaki a chance to show his clever, resourceful thinking as he overcomes unique challenges while training. He devised a way to use Sage Mode with shadow clones, for example. He also used wind-based chakra with the Rasengan, previously thought impossible.
7 Naruto Has The Best Villain Speeches
Anime villains always have cool dialogue when they intimidate the heroes or explain their master plan, and Naruto does this better than Bleach, One Piece, or any other shonen anime. When Naruto's villains deliver a speech, such as Pain's lecture about the cycle of hatred, fans are mesmerized.
Pain may be brutal, but he made compelling points about the cycle of hatred, though Naruto later talked him out of it. Then there's Itachi Uchiha, who, during his time as an antagonist, said some truly chilling things about his fading eyesight and his intent to make Sasuke his "light."
6 Naruto Has The Best Underdog Story Arc
Shonen stories usually star underdog heroes who have everything to prove in the face of serious adversity, and Naruto does it best. Naruto Uzumaki began as an unwanted troublemaker orphan who dreamed of becoming Hokage, and fans adore him for that.
Ichigo Kurosaki has a stable family and no one ever hated Monkey D. Luffy, which makes them a bit less sympathetic than Naruto's own protagonist. It truly feels like Naruto started with nothing, which makes his achievements even more impressive.
5 Naruto Has The Best Rivalry Between Naruto & Sasuke
Naruto's main rivalry between Naruto Uzumaki and his teammate Sasuke Uchiha is legendary, and it's better than any rivalry found in Bleach or One Piece. These two anime rivals are at once teammates, "found family" brothers, and bitter enemies.
That makes Naruto's and Sasuke's relationship emotionally deep as the heart of Naruto, and the rivalry keeps evolving over time. It compares well to Ichigo and Uryu being token rivals, and it's more emotional than Luffy and Blackbeard being rivals, too.
4 Naruto Has Clever, Unpredictable Fight Scenes
Of all the fight scenes among the shonen big three, Naruto's are the cleverest, most unpredictable of all. Naruto is all about ninja, so as expected, its characters rely on deceptive and resourceful tactics to win their battles. This is also what makes the combat system so exciting.
Most swordfights in Bleach are straightforward, and Luffy tends to just punch his foes into submission in One Piece. But there's no telling what the genius Sasuke might do, and Shikamaru Nara is a tactical genius even by shinobi standards.
3 Naruto Has Iconic Duels
Bleach and One Piece have their own iconic battles such as Ichigo Kurosaki vs Byakuya Kuchiki and Luffy vs Doflamingo, but Naruto has the most memorable, legendary battle scenes of all. This includes several emotionally charged, jutsu-packed duels between Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto's great battle against the Six Paths of Pain is a standout among the big three anime. Also, Naruto fans cheered wildly when the stubbornly optimistic underdog Naruto somehow defeated the talented, seemingly unbeatable Neji Hyuga in the chunin exam.
2 Naruto Has The Best Villain Group, The Akatsuki
While Bleach has the ten Espadas and One Piece has the Blackbeard Pirates, neither of those can top Naruto's own villain gang, the Akatsuki. This mercenary organization is a terrifying and exciting threat for the heroes to face, especially since they aim to capture both Naruto and Gaara.
The Akatsuki's motives ran deeper than fans first expected, and the Akatsuki soon dominated the narrative in Shippuden in fascinating ways. Fans also love this group's stylish black robe outfit and its members' wonderful designs.
1 Naruto Has Themes Of Revenge & Forgiveness
The Naruto anime has concisely written, thought-provoking themes from start to finish, mainly the themes of forgiveness, revenge, and the cycle of hatred. This theme played a major role in the Pain story arc, but it's also personal for characters like Naruto, Gaara, and Sasuke.
Naruto could have hated everyone for viewing him as a monster, but he took the high road and forgave them, which was inspiring. Naruto and Nagato also joined forces to end the cycle of revenge and hatred across the continent, teaching everyone around the world to forgive and love one another regardless of national origins.