Naruto Joins One Piece and Bleach for a Big Three Comeback

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For some time, the “Big Three” of Weekly Shonen Jump included the likes of Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece, as this trio premiered around the same time period and rose to new heights as some of the publication’s biggest series, but over time, Bleach and Naruto were forced to make some changes. Bleach came to an end due to its dwindling popularity at the time, and Naruto transitioned from its original story to that of the next generation with Boruto taking the lead, but it would seem that the Big Three has returned in full force.

The latest special chapter of Bleach, from creator Tite Kubo, returned to the world of Soul Society twelve years following the conclusion of the original series, bringing back Ichigo and his friends with a new threat coming straight from the underworld. While there has been no confirmation that Bleach will be making a permanent return with new stories in Weekly Shonen Jump, an upcoming event with the Shonen’s creator is set to take place later this year that might just reveal that the third part of the Big Three will return once and for all with new stories that further explore the Shinigami and the terrifying Hollows they face.

For the most part, One Piece and Naruto as anime franchises have continued to move forward at a steady clip, with Eiichiro Oda’s pirate series easily being the biggest of the three properties. With the journey of Monkey D. Luffy consistently being one of the highest-selling manga series and spending decades at the top of the heap, Oda himself has stated that the series is set to come to a close within the next five years, as the journey of the Straw Hat Pirates across the Grand Line is looking to reach its finale.

While Bleach’s return to the manga hasn’t been confirmed, the series will be returning to the world of anime with its upcoming adaptation of the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, which has yet to reveal its release date. With this new chapter in Shonen Jump introducing entirely new elements and characters to Soul Society, the anime series might just be making a permanent return as well.

What do you think of the return of the Big Three in Weekly Shonen Jump? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Shonen.