Anime fans think One Piece does one particular thing better than fellow ‘Big Three’ series Naruto and Bleach.
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, and Tite Kubo’s Bleach are some of the most popular and influential manga and anime series of all time. As a group, they’re known as the ‘Big Three’ of the anime industry.
As such, there have been countless comparisons between them over the years. Of course, each has its own strengths and weaknesses. However, one thing fans unanimously agree on is regarding the final villain of each series. According to popular opinion, One Piece comes out on top.
It may come as a surprise to many, as Naruto is known for its well-written antagonists. However, in the final arc, the main villain is revealed to be Kaguya Otsutsuki, a godlike being and the progenitor of chakra itself. Despite her immeasurable power, she fails to live up to the likes of Pain, Obito, and Madara.
Bleach, on the other hand, has Yhwach as the final antagonist. He’s the strongest character in the entire series and is so overpowered that having Ichigo defeat him was tough for the author himself. But, like Kaguya, Yhwach pales in comparison to Aizen, who’s undoubtedly the story’s best villain.
While Naruto and Bleach failed to impress fans with their final antagonists, One Piece is guaranteed to do the exact opposite. Though the manga is yet to be over, we already know Luffy is going to face Blackbeard in the final part of the story.
Blackbeard is a pirate like Luffy and dreams of being the King of Pirates. But unlike our protagonist, he’s evil. In short, he’s the antithesis of Luffy. What’s more, unlike Kaguya and Yhwach, Blackbeard doesn’t pop into the series in the final arc. Instead, he’s a villain who’s been crafted carefully for years.
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This gives Blackbeard and One Piece the edge over Naruto and Bleach’s villains. Many fans are pointing this out while criticizing how the final threats were handled in the other two anime.
“One Piece is gonna be the only Big 3 manga with a good final antagonist,” tweeted one such fan. Another added: “Kaguya is one of the worst I’ve ever seen in a manga.”
“Luffy and Blackbeard haven’t interacted in a quadrillion chapters. I’m crying, I think it’s intentional though, like, same goal just different routes, and meet in the end,” wrote a third.
Some are also pointing out that Naruto doesn’t stop with the heroes defeating Kaguya. In fact, the final fight is between Naruto and Sasuke. However, Sasuke isn’t considered an antagonist as he serves more as an anti-hero.
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