The original shonen big three is made up of Tite Kubo's Bleach, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, and Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, all three of which were once inspired by Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball and now influence a new generation of shonen aciton.

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Based on sheer popularity and length, it's easy to see that One Piece is in the lead, and it hasn't finished serializing yet. That leaves Naruto and Bleach as rivals for second-best, and while they each have serious merit, a case could be made for Naruto being #2 and Bleach coming in last at #3.

10 Naruto's Protagonist Is Much More Charming

Naruto happily smiles in Shippuden

In all fairness, most of the things Naruto does well, Bleach does almost as well, and the gap can be small at times. But even so, Naruto definitely does some things better, and that includes making its shonen protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, more likable.

While Ichigo Kurosaki is a tsundere jerk at times, Naruto Uzumaki is a lovable himbo troublemaker who charmed viewers/readers right away with his free-spirited ways, his carefree goofiness, and his prankster ways. Naruto can also be a jerk at times, but overall, he's more likable than Ichigo is.

9 Naruto Has Better Worldbuilding Than Bleach

leaf village

While One Piece does worldbuilding best in modern shonen, Naruto still has Bleach beat in this department. Though Bleach does some servicable worldbuilding with the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, Naruto takes it several steps forward with this multinational world of shinobi intrigue.

The Naruto world feels alive with history, old grudges, cool geography, wild natural/manmade features, and plenty of tense and exciting politics as well. This is a world built on both endless bloodshed and the optimistic spirit necessary to build the Hidden Villages. Those villages were built on hope and cooperation, and it shows.

8 Naruto Uzumaki Has A Better Goal Than Ichigo Kurosaki

naruto hokage

Every shonen hero needs a goal. Izuku Midoriya strives to become the symbol of peace, Luffy wants to become pirate king, and most of all, Naruto Uzumaki aims to become Hokage so he can gain much-needed recognition and respect. And in the end, he did it. That was an outstanding way to end Naruto's story.

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Ichigo's goal is noble, but hardly exciting. He wants to protect all his friends from harm, but such a defensive goal is based on keeping things the way they are, giving Ichigo little incentive for personal growth or adventure unless his enemies make a move. On his own, Ichigo won't do much of anything.

7 Naruto Has Better Mentors Than Bleach Does

jiraiya the toad sage

Most shonen series feature mentor characters, ranging from All Might to Satoru Gojo and Izumi Curtis, just to name a few. Naruto and Bleach also both feature mentor characters for their heroes, such as Jiraiya the Toad Sage and the zanpakuto spirit Zangetsu.

While Ichigo got along with his mentors and learned much from them, Naruto's mentors are much more substantial. Kakashi is Naruto's unforgettable team leader, and most of all, Jiraiya was Naruto's mentor and his unofficial substitute father figure. That emotional bond added some much-needed depth to that student/master relationship.

6 Naruto Has A Better Timeskip

Naruto Uzumaki Brandishing a Kunai knife against a blue background

Many shonen series feature a timeskip of a few months to a few years. Naturally, things should be bigger, better, and generally different after some time has passed. Naruto's timeskip is one of shonen's best, with Naruto Shippuden setting a new standard for timeskips.

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Bleach has one too, but aside from introducing new foes such as the Sternritter, things don't feel different enough. It's really just round two of the same thing with a handful of isolated twists and developments thrown in, so it's hardly Bleach Shippuden.

5 Naruto Has More Worldly Themes

naruto, sasuke and pain from naruto shippuden

Shonen series aren't just an excuse for magic and monsters. These stories need some cool themes to explore, and that can add a lot of philosophical and even emotional depth to the plot. Bleach, explores some solid themes such as hope vs despair and how the risk of death gives life meaning. But Naruto does more.

Naruto's story has deeper themes such as the cycle of hatred and how to stop it, which is quite relevant to the real world on all levels. This story also explores the more personal theme of love vs hatred, with Naruto overcoming hate as an otracized jinchuriki. He chose hope and love instead despite his dire circumstances.

4 Naruto's Fights Are More Creative

naruto vs neji

Many elements must come together to form a great combat system in shonen anime, and all three members of the big three deliver. Devil Fruits, zanpakuto, and jutsu all make for great fights, but in the end, Naruto's battle scenes have the edge on Bleach.

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Unfortunately, some of Bleach's fights are too straightforward or forgettable, and they often rely on last-minute power-ups that feel contrived. Meanwhile, Naruto's fights richly reward the characters for employing creative, unpredictable, and resourceful strategies, including Naruto himself and certainly the genius Shikamaru Nara. Bleach should take notes.

3 Naruto Has More Impactful Character Deaths

Naruto anime Neji's death

Bleach featured some impactful deaths such as the deaths of Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen, but overall, Naruto's character deaths hit much harder, and Naruto is much more willing to kill off its heroes. This can really drive up the stakes and tension, which Bleach often seem afraid to do.

Jiraiya's tragic death in his fight against Pain will always be remembered, and the same is true of Neji's sacrifice in the Fourth Great Shinobi War. This anime also killed off the Third Hokage in his fight against Orochimaru, and Asuma Sarutobi lost his life to the villainous Hidan.

2 Naruto Has A Better Villain League, The Akatsuki

All of the main members of the Akatsuki in Naruto Shippuden

Many shonen and seinen anime feature elite villain groups such as Aogiri Tree, Blackbeard's pirate crew, the League of Villains, and the Twelve Demon Moons. Bleach's version is the Espadas, the ten strongest Arrancars who are a match for Soul Reaper Captains. They're cool and powerful, but also expendable.

Naruto's villain group, the famed Akatsuki, are more compelling. Power levels aside, they are more intriguing in their jutsu, their personalities, their appearances, and certainly their goals and role in Naruto. The Akatsuki is far more than a collection of expendable boss enemies for the heroes to fight.

1 Naruto's Combat System Is Fleshed Out Better

naruto and sakura

Both Naruto and Bleach feature outstanding combat systems, and they are roughly on the same level. Ultimately, though, Naruto's combat system is a bit better, mainly because author Masashi Kishimoto went into so much detail about how it all works. Bleach's system is based on spiritual swords, or zanpakuto, and their transformations. Not to mention kido spells and the strange abilities of Hollows.

That's pretty great, but Naruto's jutsu-based combat system is shonen's best. This combat system is thoroughly fleshed out, from the names of jutsu to how they are created, modified, classified, and more. This system ranges from the Chidori and Sharingan to the use of the Byakugan to seal chakra points, summoning animals, creating illusions, martial arts, exploding tags, and far more.