Seriously, trying to find the “Modern Big Three” is missing the point.
Summary:
Naruto, Bleach and One Piece were originally the Big Three, and people have been trying to find a new trio of shows to modernize the term.
Originally, the Big Three referred to popularity in Shounen Jump charts, something that is much more contested nowadays.
The Big Three are still relevant to this day, and there’s nothing that compares to them in scale.
The original (and only) Big Three consists of One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. Referring to the three manga that started and rose to popularity all around the same time, with all three being published in Shounen Jump, it heavily influenced the battle shounen genre onwards. That, and the fact that all these manga are over 20 years old nowadays, is why people try to find the modern alternative for the Big Three. Except it might be completely impossible, as the very idea of the term itself was unique to its time.
There are way more different shows competing for chart tops
On the one hand, trying to find new shows that will be influential in the future might sound appealing to new fans. However, this is where the problems start. Originally, Big Three referred not to being influential — that came way later — but consistently topping the popularity charts in Jump. The influence they had on the genre came exactly from this. Nowadays, the Jump charts have much more competition in them, making it nearly impossible to choose only 3 manga/anime that would make the hypothetical “Modern Big Three”.
Manga is usually shorter nowadays
Moreover, there has been almost nothing since Naruto and Bleach ended that could realistically be compared to them in scale. A part of what makes the Big Three iconic is how long and grandiose they are — and these days, most manga just don't run for that long. There would just be no point since in a few years, any 3 manga fans decide on would probably be finished anyways. And don’t forget that one of the Big Three is still running — One Piece — and technically, Boruto is running as well, although it should arguably be considered its own thing.
Big Three is still relevant
In the end, there is no actual reason to find the new Big Three — the original is perfectly fine. It is still relevant — Bleach anime is adapting its last arcs, One Piece is still going strong, and Naruto is still getting discussed to this day despite having ended years ago (also, it is getting a special in 2024). They are still as relevant and popular as ever — yes, sure, they have to compete with the new shows, but the fact that they can actually retain their popularity is a testament to how iconic they are. Perhaps there will never be anything like them again. That is totally fine, though — just because they are older doesn’t mean they are worse.
Seriously, trying to find the “Modern Big Three” is missing the point.
Summary:
Naruto, Bleach and One Piece were originally the Big Three, and people have been trying to find a new trio of shows to modernize the term.
Originally, the Big Three referred to popularity in Shounen Jump charts, something that is much more contested nowadays.
The Big Three are still relevant to this day, and there’s nothing that compares to them in scale.
The original (and only) Big Three consists of One Piece, Naruto and Bleach. Referring to the three manga that started and rose to popularity all around the same time, with all three being published in Shounen Jump, it heavily influenced the battle shounen genre onwards. That, and the fact that all these manga are over 20 years old nowadays, is why people try to find the modern alternative for the Big Three. Except it might be completely impossible, as the very idea of the term itself was unique to its time.
There are way more different shows competing for chart tops
On the one hand, trying to find new shows that will be influential in the future might sound appealing to new fans. However, this is where the problems start. Originally, Big Three referred not to being influential — that came way later — but consistently topping the popularity charts in Jump. The influence they had on the genre came exactly from this. Nowadays, the Jump charts have much more competition in them, making it nearly impossible to choose only 3 manga/anime that would make the hypothetical “Modern Big Three”.
Manga is usually shorter nowadays
Moreover, there has been almost nothing since Naruto and Bleach ended that could realistically be compared to them in scale. A part of what makes the Big Three iconic is how long and grandiose they are — and these days, most manga just don't run for that long. There would just be no point since in a few years, any 3 manga fans decide on would probably be finished anyways. And don’t forget that one of the Big Three is still running — One Piece — and technically, Boruto is running as well, although it should arguably be considered its own thing.
Big Three is still relevant
In the end, there is no actual reason to find the new Big Three — the original is perfectly fine. It is still relevant — Bleach anime is adapting its last arcs, One Piece is still going strong, and Naruto is still getting discussed to this day despite having ended years ago (also, it is getting a special in 2024). They are still as relevant and popular as ever — yes, sure, they have to compete with the new shows, but the fact that they can actually retain their popularity is a testament to how iconic they are. Perhaps there will never be anything like them again. That is totally fine, though — just because they are older doesn’t mean they are worse.
