One Piece vs. Naruto vs. Bleach: New Official Power Ranking Settles the Big 3 Debate

by

As a huge anime and manga fan, I’ve always loved hearing people debate which of the “Big Three” – Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece – is the best! It’s a conversation that always heats up. But honestly, I think a new ranking system has finally put some of that debate to rest. It really looked at which series had the biggest impact worldwide and just dominated the market, and the results were pretty clear!

For years, the title of “Big Three” in manga has belonged to One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach – three incredibly popular series from Weekly Shonen Jump that were huge in the early 2000s. But as tastes change and new fans emerge, people have started to question if those three are still the most dominant. Recently, the Manga Research Institute released data showing which series are currently the most popular worldwide.

A survey by the Manga Research Institute analyzed 300 popular manga titles from MyAnimeList, looking at factors like how well-known they are, their fanbase size, social media buzz, the popularity of the original source material, and how much money they’ve earned. The study focused on manga fans and markets around the world, excluding mainland China, to understand general international trends.

New IP Power Ranking Result Settles the Big 3 Debate for Anime & Manga Fans in 2026

According to recent data from the Manga Research Institute’s IP Power Ranking, here are the eight most popular manga titles:

  1. One Piece
  2. Naruto
  3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
  4. Jujutsu Kaisen
  5. Dragon Ball
  6. My Hero Academia
  7. Solo Leveling
  8. Blue Lock

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece remains the most popular series, topping the power rankings for the second year in a row. It continues to be incredibly successful in both printed books and animated form, solidifying its position as the leader among the three most popular manga series. Naruto holds steady in second place, despite its original anime finishing years ago and its continuation, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, currently being on break.

The biggest surprise in these rankings is that Bleach isn’t in the top eight at all. Although Bleach has become popular again recently, it couldn’t compete with the worldwide success of newer series like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling, and Blue Lock.

Demon Slayer Stakes Claim to Be Part of the Big 3

In recent years, Demon Slayer has become incredibly popular, now ranking as the third highest-performing franchise. This success is largely due to its success in theaters. The Mugen Train movie remains Japan’s highest-grossing film ever, earning 40.7 billion yen, and the 2025 release of Infinity Castle broke records internationally. The Demon Slayer manga is also a huge hit, with over 220 million copies sold worldwide.

Last year, Jujutsu Kaisen was ranked third in our power rankings. However, with the manga now finished and few new releases, it has likely fallen to fourth place in the 2026 rankings.

Both Solo Leveling and Blue Lock have become incredibly popular recently, jumping into the top eight from their previous rankings of 14th and 21st last year. However, Solo Leveling‘s popularity might not last, as there’s news about…

Read More

2026-02-26 04:39