There was a time when the Big Three reigned supreme on Shonen Jump. Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece were three of the most popular manga that was signed on to the magazine for the longest time, but only the last name is still going strong as of this day. Meanwhile, both Bleach and Naruto ended their runs on rather mediocre notes, although one might argue that the latter's conclusion was still more warmly received than the former.
However, that hasn't stopped fans from comparing both these shows in a bid to figure out which one is superior. There are several points that have been made in this regard from both sides that have certainly been quite convincing indeed. For a person who is new to this ongoing debate, here are five points as to why Naruto is better than Bleach, coupled with five more points that imply otherwise.
10 NARUTO: Exploring A Well-Realized Shinobi World
One of the biggest selling points of Naruto is the brilliant world that Kishimoto has created, which is intricately detailed and awe-inspiring to behold in every possible.
This makes it easy to understand why the story of the Shinobi is still going strong in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations — the world is still ripe with unfound potential, and Kishimoto will certainly find it in his best interests to explore this landscape as much as possible.
9 BLEACH: The Concept Of Shinigami Fighting With Oversized Swords Is Simply Awesome
Bleach made the Gods of Death more than just something to be scared of — in Kubo's world, Shinigami are awesome swordsmen who wield some truly massive and awe-inspiring weapons.
Couple this with some of the most high-octane fighting scenes in shonen, and the recipe for success is right there.
8 NARUTO: Naruto Is An Infinitely More Interesting Character Than Ichigo
When one compares Naruto to Ichigo, it goes without saying that the former has just way more of a likable and well-developed personality.
The fact of the matter is that Ichigo is just way too bland and cliched as a protagonist, and can't even hold a candle to the brilliance of Naruto's character and how he pretty much coerces viewers to cheer him on in his quest to become Hokage.
7 BLEACH: Watching Ichigo's Powers Unfold Is An Absolute Treat
That being said, one can't deny that Ichigo has some of the coolest powers in the entirety of shonen. Kubo might've gone a bit too far when it came to powering up Ichigo, but one can't deny the fact that the end result is nothing short of breathtaking.
Of course, that is not to say that Naruto's powers aren't amazing in their own right. Watching a bumbling student turn into one of the most powerful shinobi of all time will never cease to amaze fans either.
6 NARUTO: Exploring The Dynamic Of Naruto And Sasuke's Friendship
The beating heart of Naruto is easily the complex relationship between Naruto and Sasuke, and how the former would do everything in his power to bring the latter over to the side of good after his descent into darkness.
Watching these two budding shinobi grow as individuals before meeting together in a climactic fight — widely considered to be one of the greatest battles in shonen history — is an incredible feeling, and completely justifies the sheer amount of time spent watching this show.
5 BLEACH: The Soul Society Arc Is Enough Of A Selling Point
However, it would be impossible to talk about great story arcs without mentioning the absolute masterclass that is the Soul Society arc in Bleach. Not only does it establish a world that Ichigo and his friends will frequent more often, but it also features some of the greatest battles of all time.
Watching Ichigo come into his own as a shinigami, unlock his Bankai, and unleash a world of hurt upon the people who would seek to hurt Rukia is truly amazing to watch.
4 NARUTO: The Anime Ended With A Fitting Conclusion
Whatever issues fans might've had with the final arc of Naruto, it certainly needs to be said that the anime ended exactly like how it should've — with a final showdown between Naruto & Sasuke and the crowning of Naruto as Hokage.
This was exactly what fans were waiting for throughout Naruto, and the series definitely didn't disappoint in this regard.
3 BLEACH: There's A New Anime That's Coming Very Soon
One exciting thing about Bleach is that it's finally getting a new anime adaptation after the previous one ended its run oh-so-long ago. The act of leaving Ichigo's story incomplete didn't really sit well with fans, so this announcement was definitely a blessing indeed.
However, one might argue that a sequel to Bleach's first anime might not be a great idea after all. The major reason for this is that...
2 NARUTO: Bleach's Quality Went Downhill After The Soul Society Arc
We've already talked about the brilliance of Bleach's Soul Society arc. Well, the sad part about this is that the Soul Society arc is pretty much where Bleach — as both a manga and an anime — peaked.
After this arc, we got another rehash of the same story beats in the Arrancar arc, a Fullbring arc that could've been skipped over and nothing major would've happened plotwise anyway, and a Quincy arc that had potential but was so rushed that any chance of it being good was completely nixed.
1 BLEACH: Naruto's Final Arc Is Widely Reviled By Many
However, Bleach isn't the only show that squandered all the goodwill it had built up in a few chapters. The same can be said for Naruto as well, although this dip in quality was for a shorter time. It also helped that Naruto has only one bad arc, while Bleach had several.
That being said, one can't deny just how much of a slog the Fourth Great Shinobi War really is. Everything that made Naruto great was thrown away for a bog-standard war arc that was nothing more than an excuse for some admittedly impressive fights... even though the setting itself was quite mediocre.
Thankfully, this arc did end with the final showdown between Naruto and Sasuke, which made the entire slog worth it... to an extent.