While some modern anime and manga fans try to reclassify what "The Big 3" are and where that particular era of anime occurred, the term has a clear and factual origin.
It is factually correct to assert that the "Big Three" refers to a specific period in the mid-2000s when three massive shonen titles dominated the world of anime and manga: One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach.
The term describes a very specific moment in manga history when these three franchises were the undisputed kings of Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and also dominated anime airwaves and Western fandom.
While the One Piece manga is still going strong, both Naruto and Bleach have concluded their original stories, marking a bittersweet end of an era of shonen that was defined by the classic themes of "friendship, effort, and victory."
Now, for the first time since 2012, all three original members of the Big Three will release new episodes in 2026.
Although Naruto has a sequel manga and anime series in Boruto, the original series is set to make a return of its own, with four long-delayed Naruto 20th Anniversary special episodes finally slated to air in late 2026.
These won’t be a full remake or an entirely new series, but instead four all-new episodes set during the original pre–time skip era of Team 7, when Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were still training under Kakashi.
Initially planned for a 2023 release, Studio Pierrot delayed the episodes in order to “improve quality.” New reports now indicate that production is complete and the specials are finally expected to arrive in 2026.
Bleach is also returning in 2026, with the last cour of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War adaptation. The anime will return in July 2026 as part of the Summer anime season as confirmed at Jump Festa, a few weeks back in Japan.
The Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War premiered in October 2022, over a decade after the original anime series was left unfinished. The series is simulcast by Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in other international territories outside of Japan.
Lastly, One Piece made major waves this Holiday season by announcing that the anime would no longer air new episodes on a continual basis, opting to align with modern shonen anime and the seasonal format.
Back in the heyday of the Big Three, One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach would air lenghty filler arcs whenever the anime would catch up to the manga. To let the source material gain some runway, the anime studios would just produce an original story (filler arc) to keep new episodes dropping on a weekly basis.
Today, in lieu of costly and polarizing filler arcs, popular shonen anime just go on hiatus and take a season or two off before returning.
With the Egghead arc now concluded, One Piece will be taking a break before returning in April to kick off the Elbaph arc. Going forward, One Piece will only release "1 season" each year to allow series creator EiichiroOda the time and space he needs to end the manga.