Why is Dragon Ball not from 'The Big Three'?

Anime fans have spent countless hours debating every aspect of their favorite shonen series, from power levels to plot details. However, one of the most common debates centers on why "Dragon Ball," and its various spin-offs, are not considered part of "The Big Three" of anime. This term, originated in Western fan circles in the mid-2000s, refers to "One Piece," "Naruto," and "Bleach." Not only were these series extremely popular, but they were also of considerable length, allowing them to frequently appear on the cover of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and dominate conventions, merchandise, and forums.

Despite being one of the most widely used terms to describe the most popular and ubiquitous properties of anime, "Dragon Ball" is not listed among these legendary giants. The reason behind this exclusion is largely due to the date of publication. While "The Big Three" had scattered release dates for both its mangas and anime in Japan and North America, "Dragon Ball" debuted much earlier. The original "Dragon Ball" manga was released in Japan in 1984 and concluded in 1995, years before the other titles appeared.

In North America, "Dragon Ball Z" premiered in 1998, which means that many anime fans were already familiar with this series before "The Big Three" hit the public. "One Piece" was released in 2002, "Naruto" in 2003, and "Bleach" in 2007 in the American version of the Weekly Shonen Jump, so these series were present in the public consciousness simultaneously, marking a new era for anime fans.

The term "The Big Three" was created by fans during their heyday and has no official endorsement, meaning it doesn't necessarily reflect the sales or quality of "One Piece," "Naruto," and "Bleach." The term simply represents their perceived popularity within the shonen fandom at a specific time. With this in mind, there's no denying that "Dragon Ball" was a long-running series, part of the shonen genre, and that it's still extremely popular with fans around the world.

The "Dragon Ball" series is considered to be from an era before that of "The Big Three". "Dragon Ball Z" began airing on North American television in 1996, quickly gaining a dedicated fan base, but its broadcast of new episodes ended in 2003, before any of "The Big Three" appeared on screens. "One Piece" was the first to be released in North America in 2004, followed by "Naruto" in 2005 and "Bleach" in 2006. By the time these anime began streaming in the West, viewers had already seen the entire "Dragon Ball" saga, "Dragon Ball Z," and the non-canon sequel, "Dragon Ball GT."

Today, the "Big Three" franchises are still in place in some way. One Piece" is still going strong in both manga and anime, "Naruto" has continued with the sequel series "Boruto," and "Bleach" is adapting the last part of its story with the series "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War." In parallel, "Dragon Ball" has evolved with the manga and anime of "Dragon Ball Super", replacing the now non-canonical "Dragon Ball GT". In Fall-2024, a new series titled "Dragon Ball Daima" will be released, one of the latest projects that creator Akira Toriyama worked on.