Summary
The original “Big Three” still has no competition even though the new series has been successful, reaching more than 900 million copies. Bias and exaggeration influenced the labeling of the various “Big Three” series, causing successful manga such as Kingdom to be left out. The “Big Three” label ignores many different great series, causing readers to miss out on the opportunity to choose diverse manga.
Anime and manga has become increasingly popular in North America and abroad beyond Japan over the past few decades. However, a classic mark of ultimate success is being labeled a “Big Three” series. Traditionally considered a trademark for Shueisha's immensely popular Weekly Shonen Jump, the popular popularity of One Piece, Naruto and Bleach have sold a combined total of over 900 million copies, but the world of manga is different. The term Big Three may become outdated in an increasingly saturated market where these successes are becoming increasingly common.
This means, none of the Big Three series are unrelated, but rather, The term is increasingly becoming an artificial standard to which new series are applied. It becomes increasingly problematic when other manga demographics are labeled the Big Three, and certain biases began to become apparent, despite the huge sales and critical acclaim.
Manga is meant to be accessible to everyone, but the desire to hype and identify the most popular series has created a troubling trend that needs to be eliminated.
The original Big Three still have no competitors
While other series have comparable sales, the legacy of these manga continues to resonate
Weekly Shonen Jump captured lightning in a bottle from the late 1990s to early 2000s with One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. Despite the Naruto sequel series and the phenomenal anime adaptation of Bleach, the One Piece continuity has created a disproportionate podium, with One Piece selling half a billion copies, more than both Naruto and Bleach total. Having these three series running concurrently has created an incredible opportunity for the brand to expand, and that's what Shueisha did, with key cases such as a bigger push in the West.
Despite the Naruto sequel series and the phenomenal final arc anime adaptation of Bleach, the One Piece continuity has created a lopsided podium, with One Piece selling half a billion copies, more than both Naruto and Bleach combined.
This is demonstrated by the founding of Shonen Jump magazine, a monthly periodical for manga fans in North America who can read the most popular series from Shueisha's flagship company. . Anime adaptations continue to create great success, and the enduring popularity of series like Boruto directly reflects the draw of fans to new series due to the legacy of the original Big Three. The new series continues to operate in the shadows of these stories despite, in some cases, having impressive or even groundbreaking successes.
The contemporary Big Three Shonen series exhibits a number of biases
Given Weekly Shonen Jump's origins, it's not surprising
Although One Piece is the only manga from the Big Three still running, although Boruto can technically be counted towards Naruto's sales, other series have met or exceeded the Big's standards of success. Three. The cases include 140 million copies of Attack on Titanas reported by Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, or more modest but more enduring hits like Hajime no Ippo and Baki the Grapper sold 100 million copies. However, the most recent Big Three titles include:
Jujutsu Kaisen Chainsaw Man Hell's Paradise Jujutsu Kaisen Demon Slayer My Hero Academia
This is certainly good news for Jujutsu Kaisen fans and is a necessary reminder of Demon Slayer's massive success, while also showing a tonal shift towards darker corners, the superheroes and wizards. While there are plenty of options here, there is still an undeniable bias, typically by fans, towards the hype of the Shueisha series, despite cases like Blue Lock being the best-selling manga of 2023 and Frieren outselling all but Jujutsu Kaisen so far this year. What's especially puzzling about this, though, is how quickly that trend changed as other demographics showed off their Big Threes.
The “Big Three” Seinen display clear biases
Greatly successful manga are often overlooked
Naturally, the hype trend in the manga world favors action series for the Shonen demographic, but the Big Three titles become more interesting outside of this bubble. Take, for example, the Seinen Big Three, the namesake of three revolutionary series that are all literary classics in their own right: Berserk, Vagabond, and Vinland Saga. All three are unfinished and even sales are not the final deciding factor, as Anime News Network shows Vinland Saga only sold 7 million copies. Vagabond's creator might as well be content with never finishing his series.
One could argue that the Big Three comic series are an amalgamation of frequently discussed, culturally relevant series with huge sales records, however this often leaves out one character important: Kingdom. Interestingly, Kingdom is the only Shueisha manga from this group, published in Weekly Young Jump alongside Oshi no Ko, and more interestingly, it has outsold all three series since its launch in 2006 with 100 million copies. million copies, with a much more stable release schedule. However, this is not a Big Three manga, and perhaps because of that kingdom comicswas not distributed in North America, despite its huge success.
The theme continues to unravel as other seinen series also perform strongly, with Oshi no Ko and The Apothecary Diaries both selling well in the current calendar year. While Vinland Saga deserves all the recognition, it's hard to deny its strangeness in being in the Seinen Big Three alongside Vagabond's 82 million copies and Berserk's 80 million copies when The Apothecary Diaries outsold it by nearly five times. However, the philosophical, cerebral aspects connecting these three characters may be a common factor, along with tortured male protagonists and undeniably excellent stories.
To assign three big labels ignores other great series
Exaggeration can blind readers to new experiences
It's important to note that although Demon Slayer is mentioned in the discussion of the Big Three, it is not nearly as widely recognized despite selling a staggering 150 million copies and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train generates half a billion copies at PO Boxes. However, fans don't need the “Big Three” label to recognize the greatness of the series. In many cases, they can see how its current cultural relevance has eclipsed the initial success of the Big Three. However, it might be interesting to decide which other demographics have similarly epic series.
After all, if sales are the only metric for the Big Three to consider, fans might miss out on Vinland Saga, which is a worrying premise.
For example, before the Shonen Big Three, similar contenders from previous eras included Dragon Ball, Slam Dunk, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Hunter x Hunter. Shojo fans may agree with the hierarchy of Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Fruits Basket/Ouran High School Host Club, but this depends on whether readers consider Nana to be shojo or josei. This exercise, while entertaining, will inevitably overlook a series that is as good or potentially better. After all, if sales are the only metric for the Big Three to consider, fans might miss out on Vinland Saga, which is a worrying premise.
Assigning the Big Three labels would put blinders in the mass to fall out of that umbrella. While Shonen action manga is everywhere, there are still huge critical and sales successes, like Blue Box in Shonen Jump, for which readers not interested in the series are guaranteed to enjoy the series. create that hype. At the same time, Kagurabachi seemed destined for the next Big Three. However, with so many series selling better than these and the fan community growing and diversifying even further. Jump ShonenThe important thing to remember is: manga is no longer relevant; it's for everyone and the Big Three collectively limit its incredible reach, when they should act more as a gateway.
Source: Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, Anime News Network