Shonen Big Three will likely never have highly-anticipated reunion

❘ Published: 2023-09-13T09:23:57

Crunchyroll

Shonen Big Three was supposed to air together this month, but the recent delay canceled the highly anticipated reunion.

Shonen Big Three includes Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, and Tite Kubo’s Bleach. These series’ are well-received for keeping fans engaged with the recurring fighting scenes. During the golden era of Shonen – in the early 2000s – these three stood at the pinnacle, and no other series has managed to dethrone any of them. Shonen Big Three isn’t an official title but simply a nickname that became popular back then.

September was supposed to be a memorable month for anime fans, when all the Shonen Big Three episodes were scheduled to air in four consecutive weeks. Following the unexpected announcement of Naruto episodes, it was the first time in 11 years that each Shonen Big Three series was expected to air in the same week.

One Piece is already a long-running anime series that drops new episodes each Sunday. And we also have the ongoing Bleach TYBW Part 2, with new episodes coming each Saturday. Lastly, with Naruto’s new episodes being scheduled for 3 September, this month was supposed to be more exciting than ever. However, Naruto’s episode delays also put an end to the highly-anticipated reunion.

Naruto’s indefinite delay could forever cancel the Shonen Big Three reunion

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the anime debut, the official website of Naruto announced four all-new episodes. The news came out in March without much information about the series. The suspense continued until it was finally postponed about two or three days before its official release date.

This news wasn’t too shocking, considering there were no trailers, posters, promotions, or announcements regarding the new episodes. The delay is due to improve the episodes’ overall quality. There’s no confirmation about when we will get any update regarding this. However, this could’ve been the only chance to have all three series’ air together for four consecutive weeks.

One Piece will continue to air for a few more years. The manga is still ongoing and more popular than ever. However, Bleach ended years ago. The anime returned with its final arc more than 10 years after being canceled. Bleach TYBW is divided into four parts, with the second one not too far from its finale. It would be too good a coincidence if the new Naruto episodes were scheduled around the same time as Bleach TYBW Part 3 or 4. However, that’s less likely to happen.

How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023

Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen – and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.

If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:

Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world
Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica
Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched

Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference; for example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.

You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan, or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.

In the meantime, check out our other anime coverage below:

Please note that if you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.