Years ago, Whiten cemented its status as one of the biggest, most influential shonen titles around. It ranks among the famous “big three” and helped lay the foundation for spiritual successors such as Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. Currently the excellent Whiten anime still ranks above its successors, thanks in part to the success of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime. But some other anime still have Whiten beat.
Not many anime can stand up to the legendary Whiten and surpass it, but some succeeded, including a fairly recent title. These animes beat either Whiten in its own game as a long-running action story, and/or they do something amazing Whiten not or perhaps avoid Whitenbiggest pitfalls. For all its genuine strengths, Whiten It also has some weaknesses and design flaws that hold it back, making way for some 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 world-building and creative fighting overshadows Bleach's own
Just by being in the “big three” Whiten is stronger than 90% of all shonen anime out there. Nevertheless, one of these three titles must be ranked last, and that is Whiten. In the meantime, One Piece is top dog, and not just because of its famously huge number of anime episodes and manga chapters. Writer Eiichiro Oda made use of all the content and time, giving fans world-building and intrigue unmatched in the anime realm.
Almost everything Whiten do, One Piece do either a little or a lot better. At least the aforementioned world building is leagues ahead of what it is Whiten and most other anime can offer. No one will ever forget the colorful islands of the Grand Line, nor will fans soon forget the amazing plot threads that span dozens or even hundreds of episodes. To this day, tantalizing mysteries like the Void Century and Imu's true nature keep fans engaged, even if fans from the 1990s are now old enough to have children watching One Piece next to them.
5
Naruto is the middle member of the Shonen Big Three
Naruto's heart and Jutsu surpass Bleach's creative style
Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto is left as the middle child of the big three. It also works Whiten in some respects, and Whiten even has the advantage in some ways, but Naruto is the stronger title overall. To begin with, the power of friendship, forgiveness and reconciliation is truly astounding Narutos story. It can be volatile at times, but Naruto Uzumaki's ability to bring out the good in his enemies and redeem them is the stuff of legend.
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On top of that Naruto anime has smarter and even cooler action sequences than Whiten do. Some Whiten fighters have really cool abilities, like Gremmy Thoumeaux and Izuru Kira, but Naruto does so much more often with its jutsu-based combat system. Tricks and traps are at the core of this combat system along with sheer force, with techniques such as transformation, illusions and body switching being the norm.
4
Vinland Saga is a fantastic story about 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 famous shonen titles, with Vinland Saga be one of them. This is an excellent historical anime that, pound for pound, has better themes of personal discovery and redemption than Whiten do. It is true Vinland Saga can feel more pared down than a big fantasy anime like Whitenbut it often works in Vinland Sagas service. First, it means Vinland Saga and its characters are more grounded and thus more resonant.
In far fewer episodes than Whitenthe story of Vinland Saga gives anime fans a lot to ponder about the meaning of life, revenge and loss. Thorfinn Karlsefni's arc hits harder than Ichigo Kurosaki can as Thorfinn grapples with his strange relationship with Askeladd. The latter may be subject to Thorfinn's revenge, but he is 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 who can change the world for the better.
3
The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End is the ultimate fantasy anime
The suitor's theme of embracing life resonated with fans
The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End is a good example of how the power of emotion and everyday joy can compete with anything that the big three shonens produce. The Suitor may not have jutsu, Grand Line, or Soul Society, but pound for pound, it's actually superior. It's an anime where power levels and scale take a backseat to tender emotions and relatable struggles with the meaning and value of life. In that way The Suitor can appeal to fans more Vinland Saga than to fans of the big three.
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At the center of all this is the Friar, the elf herself, who might be entertaining in battle as an OP wizard, but her spellbook isn't the best part. Critically, the elf Frieren struggles with his own elvish immortality in the wake of the hero Himmel's death. Finally, the Frieren fully appreciates the joy of spending time with others and values the short-lived people around her. That, combined with a light-hearted, open-ended adventure in one D&D-like world, do The Suitor a wonderful meditation on the meaning of life's journey.
2
Attack on Titan was an instant classic with its brutal battles and cruel 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 gory shonen anime that's less about overthrowing demon lords and more about sheer survival. Attack on Titan pushed the formula to the max with constant character death and impossible odds against the Titans. It made the heroes' rare victories feel that much sweeter, and later seasons showed a different strength Attack on Titan: its maze-like action.
The first season had worthwhile plot twists with Eren's Attack Titan form and Annie's apparent betrayal, but much more lay ahead. With twists like the Marley Empire and the truth about Ymir, the founder, Attack on Titan enjoyed a plot that was much more exciting and gripping than Whitenhis own. The anime is also more tightly plotted than Whiten is, maintains remarkable momentum and pace despite its dense story threads and twists.
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, though The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End competing with it for the top spot on MyAnimeList. This is, among other things, due to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has one of the best plots in the medium and surpasses anything in the big three with a sprawling tale of conspiracy, revenge, human misery and betrayal.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is more efficient and denser than Whiten is to treat Shonen fans to a better paced story that feels shorter than it actually is at 64 anime episodes. The story also has smarter plot twists and smarter action sequences than Whiten offers on average, with alchemy and science taking the place of predictable shonen-style effect scaling in these clashes. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood finds ways to raise the stakes and scale of the conflict, but without resorting to “my power level is higher than yours” development to keep things moving.
Whiten
- Release date
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2004 – 2012-00-00
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
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Tite Kubo
- Directors
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Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Shige Kawanish, Niko Hatami, Taiji, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano
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Masakazu Morita
Ichigo Kurosaki (voice)
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Fumiko Orikasa
Rukia Kuchiki
