Years ago, Bleach cemented its status as one of the biggest, most influential shonen titles out there. It ranks among the famed "big three" and helped lay the groundwork for spiritual successors such as Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. For the time being, the excellent Bleach anime still ranks above its successors, partly thanks to the success of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime. However, a few other anime still have Bleach beat.
Not many anime can stand up to the legendary Bleach and surpass it, but a few pulled it off, including a rather recent title. These anime either beat Bleach at its own game as a long-running action story, and/or they do something amazing Bleach doesn't or perhaps avoid Bleach's biggest pitfalls. For all its genuine strengths, Bleach also has some weaknesses and design blunders holding it back, making room for a few elite anime to narrowly eclipse it in quality.
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6 One Piece is the King of the Big Three
One Piece's Worldbuilding and Creative Fights Overshadow Bleach's Own
Just by being in the shonen "big three," Bleach is stronger than 90% of all shonen anime out there. Still, one of those three titles has to rank last, and that is Bleach. Meanwhile, One Piece is the top dog, and not just because of its famously huge count of anime episodes and manga chapters. Author Eiichiro Oda made good use of all that content and time, treating fans to worldbuilding and plots unrivaled in the anime sphere.
Almost everything Bleach does, One Piece does either a little or a lot better. At the very least, the aforementioned worldbuilding is leagues ahead of what Bleach and most other anime can offer. No one will ever forget the colorful islands of the Grand Line, nor will fans soon forget the stunning plot threads that span dozens or even hundreds of episodes. To this day, tantalizing mysteries such as the Void Century and Imu's true nature keep fans hooked, even if fans from the 1990s are now old enough to have kids who watch One Piece alongside them.
5 Naruto is the Middle Member of the Shonen Big Three
Naruto's Heart and Jutsu Surpass Bleach's Creative Flair
Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto is left as the middle child of the big three. It strikes even with Bleach in some regards, and Bleach even has the edge in a few ways, but Naruto is the stronger title overall. To begin with, the power of friendship, forgiveness, and redemption are truly astonishing in Naruto's story. It may be cheesy at times, but Naruto Uzumaki's ability to draw out the goodness in his enemies and redeem them is the stuff of legends.
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On top of that, the Naruto anime features smarter and even cooler action sequences than Bleach does. Some Bleach fighters have truly cool abilities, such as Gremmy Thoumeaux and Izuru Kira, but Naruto does that far more often with its jutsu-based combat system. Tricks and traps are the core of this combat system alongside sheer force, with techniques like transformation, illusions, and body swapping being the norm.
4 Vinland Saga is a Stunning Story of Grief, Revenge, and the Purpose of Life
The Best Seinen Anime Are Stronger Than Even the Longest Shonen Titles
Some seinen anime can easily compete with the most famed shonen titles, with Vinland Saga being one of them. This is an excellent historic anime that, pound for pound, has better themes of personal discovery and redemption than Bleach does. It's true Vinland Saga may feel more stripped down than a huge fantasy anime like Bleach, but that often works in Vinland Saga's favor. For one, that means Vinland Saga and its characters are more grounded and thus more resonant.
In far fewer episodes than Bleach, the story of Vinland Saga gives anime fans plenty to ponder about the meaning of life, revenge, and loss. Thorfinn Karlsefni's arc hits harder than Ichigo Kurosaki's can as Thorfinn grapples with his strange relationship with Askeladd. The latter may be the object of Thorfinn's vengeance, but he's also a wise man with valuable insights. Thorfinn must absorb those lessons and face his inner demons before he can become the kind of person capable of changing the world for the better.
3 Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is the Ultimate Fantasy Anime
Frieren's Theme of Embracing Life Resonated With Fans
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is a great example of how the power of emotions and everyday joy can compete with anything the shonen big three produces. Frieren may not have jutsu, the Grand Line, or the Soul Society, but pound for pound, it's actually superior. It's an anime where power levels and scale take a back seat to tender emotions and relatable struggles with the meaning and value of life. In that way, Frieren may appeal more to fans of Vinland Saga than to fans of the big three.
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At the center of all this is Frieren, the elf herself, who may be entertaining in battle as an OP wizard, but her spellbook isn't the best part. Critically, Frieren the elf is contending with her own elvish immortality in the wake of Himmel the hero's death. At last, Frieren fully appreciates the joy of spending time with others and values the short-lived humans around her. That, combined with an easygoing, open-ended adventure in a D&D-like world, makes Frieren a marvelous meditation of the meaning of life's journey.
2 Attack on Titan Was an Instant Classic With its Brutal Combat and Grim Characters
Attack on Titan's Plot Twists Are Superior to Anything in the Big Three
Attack on Titan made waves in 2013 as a bold and bloody shonen anime that's less about toppling demon lords and more about sheer survival. Attack on Titan pushed the formula to the max with constant character deaths and impossible odds against the Titans. That made the heroes' rare victories feel that much sweeter, and then later seasons showed another strength of Attack on Titan: its maze-like plot.
The first season had worthwhile plot twists with Eren's Attack Titan form and Annie's apparent betrayal, but far more lay ahead. With twists like the Marley Empire and the truth of Ymir, the founder, Attack on Titan enjoyed a plot much more suspenseful and gripping than Bleach's own. The anime is also more tightly plotted than Bleach is, maintaining remarkable momentum and pacing despite its dense story threads and twists.
1 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Perfectly Blends Action, Conspiracy, and Drama
This Anime's Plot Twists Are Some of the Finest in All of Shonen
To this day, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood remains the high water mark for shonen and even anime as a whole, even if Frieren: Beyond Journey's End competes with it for the top slot on MyAnimeList. Among other reasons, that is because Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has one of the best storylines in the medium, surpassing everything in the big three with a sprawling tale of conspiracy, revenge, humanity's woes, and betrayal.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is more efficient and denser than Bleach is, treating shonen fans to a better-paced story that feels shorter than it actually is in 64 anime episodes. The story also has smarter plot twists and cleverer action sequences than Bleach offers on average, with alchemy and science taking the place of predictable shonen-style power scaling in these clashes. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood does find ways to raise the stakes and scale of the conflict, but without resorting to "my power level is higher than yours" developments to keep things moving.
Bleach
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2004 - 2012-00-00
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
Cast
-
Masakazu MoritaIchigo Kurosaki (voice) -
Fumiko OrikasaRukia Kuchiki
WHERE TO WATCH
- Showrunner
- Tite Kubo
