The Shonen Trinity

When Dragon Ball hit Shonen Jump back in 1984, readership increased by a very large amount. When it ended in 1995, people weren't as inclined to go out and buy the magazine anymore.

Fortunately, the inspiration had sunk in and a new wave of authors had risen. Taking important aspects of Dragon Ball and integrating it into their work, the most popular of these people are Eiichirō Oda (One Piece), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), and Tite Kubo (Bleach). Many fans label these three series as "The Shonen Trinity". Whether they like it or not, people cannot deny the worldwide popularity and success each of these series has been met with.

One Piece was the first of these series. Starting in 1997, a young boy wishing to become the pirate king eats a mysterious fruit that turns his body into rubber. What starts out as a goofy adventure quickly turns into a serious, high action quest that slowly brings itself up to DBZ levels. Just take a look at this (action starts around 1:00)



The fight gets even more ridiculous later on. Having been running for 12 years and barely (if at all) being half way done, One Piece continues to be the most popular series in Shonen Jump at the moment. Unfortunately, the series never really took off in America due to the horrible 4kids dub. Funimation tried to fix this later, but the damage had already been done and the series was quietly cancelled. Of course, many fans outside Japan exist, fans that know the "real" One Piece. It may not be well known by the mainstream but it is still one of the top known animes in existance.

2 years after the start of One Piece, a worldwide phenomenon would begin. Naruto, the story of a young boy with a demon trapped inside his body, would quickly become known as the "Next Dragon Ball Z". While it's popularity in Japan wasn't anywhere near that of One Piece, the recognition worldwide was staggering. Many of my friends describe it as "Dragon Ball Z with ninjas". While I don't know if I truly agree with that, there are definitely some big parallels to make. Just take a look at the end of the Naruto vs Neji fight.



While some say Naruto has gone way downhill since part 2 has started, I still like it quite a bit. The story telling could use some work, but the high action and great character designs still exist. With Naruto currently at the equivalent of Super Saiyan, it seems like the end of the series is approaching. It will be interesting to see Kishimoto wraps things up.

The most recent series with possibly the highest level of action is Bleach. Many people call it "Dragon Ball Z with swords", which I agree with 100%. The level of action has surpassed Naruto and One Piece in almost every way at this point. Just take a look at the Ichigo vs Grimmjow fight.



If that isn't DBZ with swords, I don't know what is. While many people are in it for the action, fans consider the story to be less than stellar. As many have said, it's good to just turn your brain off and let the insanity unfold when watching Bleach.

I am a huge fan of all three of these series. While I will be sad to see Naruto go, I'm interested to see which series takes up the torch as the third in the trinity. Perhaps Katekyo Hitman Reborn.