The original shonen "big three" is made up of the most popular, influential, and arguably best shonen manga/anime franchises of their time: Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, Tite Kubo's Bleach, and Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. Each of them is packed with legendary characters, combat techniques, weapons, and key plot points that fans still talk about to this day.
The big three all have memorable scenes that helped define not just their own storylines, but the entire world of shonen anime. These iconic scenes helped set a new standard for shonen-style storytelling. When these scenes unfolded, the anime community witnessed shonen history. Particular scenes from across Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece stand out as must-watch events that helped usher in a new era of shonen greatness. Some first aired years ago, and others are far more recent.
10 Naruto Used Talk Jutsu to Redeem Gaara
Protagonist Naruto Uzumaki already used his famous "talk jutsu" against a few characters in Naruto by the time he and Gaara of the Sand fought, but Naruto's talk jutsu with Gaara was his best and most memorable instance of that "technique." The chunin exam was over, and the Leaf Village's ninjas were desperately fighting off united Sand and Sound ninjas.
Naruto fought Gaara to a standstill as a fellow jinchuriki, and then Naruto tearfully opened up about his own agonizing experiences as a living vessel for Kurama. Just when it seemed Gaara was an irredeemable monster, Naruto's words reached his heart, and shonen fans knew right away that something truly special had just happened.
9 Nami Asked Luffy to Help Her
Early in One Piece, the tsundere navigator Nami went rogue so she could buy back Coco Village from Arlong, and she abandoned Luffy's crew to do it. Nami thought she could only count on herself, but when Arlong betrayed Nami's trust, Nami knew that there was nothing more she should could.
Shonen fans still remember the moment when a tearful Nami implored Luffy to help her, and Luffy lent her his hat as a wordless "Yes." That moment was a turning point for Nami, who went from a selfish burglar to a trusting friend who had become a Straw Hat at heart.
8 Ichigo Kurosaki Gained Bankai
Bleach's famous Soul Society arc reached its long-awaited climax when protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki confronted his nemesis, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, to decide Rukia's fate once and for all. They fought with shikai at first, and then Ichigo wowed the entire shonen community with his very own bankai, Tensa Zangetsu.
Bleach's anime savored the moment as Ichigo's spiritual powers reached new heights, complete with fancy visuals and even a new outfit for Ichigo. Anime fans knew right away that Ichigo was now ready to win for real, and Ichigo hit the ground running with that bankai when he nearly slashed Byakuya's throat to prove his strength.
7 Naruto & Sasuke's First Real Fight
Plenty of exciting fights unfolded in the Sasuke retrieval arc, such as Rock Lee's and Gaara's battle against Kimimaro Kaguya. However, Naruto and Sasuke's first real fight defined this arc and, the entire Naruto anime. By then, the bond between them had broken, but Naruto stubbornly refused to accept that fact.
Naruto and Sasuke both went all out and clashed in a thrilling but also tragic battle of teammates turned enemies. In the end, Sasuke narrowly won, and he wandered off into the unknown. Symbolically, he left his Leaf headband behind, which had a big scratch on it from Naruto's attacks.
6 Ace's Death
The Summit War saga in One Piece ended with a massive bang, with the Marines and the Whitebeard pirates clashing at Marineford to decide Portgas D. Ace's fate once and for all. Luffy raced ahead to rescue Ace and nearly succeeded, but then Admiral Akainu showed up and delivered a fatal lava punch.
Ace jumped in to save his younger brother and died happy in his arms, but Luffy was traumatized. He could only cry out in shock and grief as Ace died, and it would take some time until Luffy pulled himself together and remember that he still has his crew. Ace's death also reinforced the running theme that those with the Will of D always die smiling.
5 Captain Sosuke Aizen Betrayed Everyone
When Ichigo fought Byakuya to a draw, he thought the day was won, but then Captain Sosuke Aizen returned from the dead and took center stage. He put one final twist on the Soul Society arc and outed himself as a traitor, the mastermind who had orchestrated this entire arc's events. He easily defeated everyone who got in his way, then declared that he would rule the heavens.
That dramatic turn of events helped define an entire era for not just Bleach, but all of shonen anime. Sosuke Aizen became an iconic and unforgettable traitor-villain, shedding his falsely kind persona and declaring war on the entire Soul Society. That ended the Soul Society arc on a tense and ominous note, setting up the entire Arrancar saga to follow.
4 Sasuke Uchiha Witnessed His Clan's Massacre
One of the most important moments in the Naruto anime actually took place in a flashback, which ranks among the most dramatic and impactful anime flashbacks there ever was. Sasuke Uchiha clearly remembered the night when he returned to find his entire clan slaughtered by his brother's hand.
Sasuke didn't know why Itachi betrayed the Uchihas that night, but that iconic scene did spark hatred in Sasuke's heart and set him on the path to destroy his brother as revenge. Much later, Naruto fans learned the truth of why Itachi massacred his family but spared Sasuke.
3 Luffy Activated Gear 5
For many story arcs now, Luffy has used his mighty Gears to get stronger and defeat the likes of Rob Lucci, Donquixote Doflamingo, and general Charlotte Katakuri. However, not even Gear 4 was enough to defeat the draconic Kaido, and all seemed lost. Luffy's heartbeat became the drum of freedom and Gear 5 awakened.
Luffy's final form embodied the sun god Nika, who would free all people with the drumbeat of liberation. With that astonishing new power, Luffy defeated Kaido with cartoon physics, and a new era of shonen power-ups began. Luffy has yet to fully master or understand this new form, but he knows he likes it.
2 Captain Kenpachi Zaraki Activated Shikai
Plenty of Bleach characters powered up their zanpakuto in every story arc, to the point it almost stopped being special. However, there was one major exception in the Thousand-Year Blood War story arc. For a long time, Kenpachi was someone who used sheer strength to make up for his lack of shikai, but after killing Captain Unohana in a training duel, that changed.
Kenpachi thrilled shonen fans when he finally used his shikai, Nozarashi, against a seemingly unwinnable fight against the limitless power of Gremmy Thoumeaux's imagination. It was a major step forward for Bleach's strongest but stalest character at the time, and when Kenpachi hacked apart that flaming meteor, the resulting carnage was like a brutal fireworks display celebrating Kenpachi's newfound shikai.
1 Pain Questioned Naruto About the Cycle of Hatred
One of Naruto's best moments arrived not just with jutsu, but also worldly dialogue that explored serious topics. Naruto was determined to defeat the Six Paths of Pain to avenge the Leaf Village's destruction, but that meant Naruto was playing into Pain's hands. The shinobi world suffered because of the endless cycle of hatred, violence, and revenge, and it seemed no one could stop it.
Pain stopped Naruto with his words alone, challenging the idealistic Naruto Uzumaki to find a solution to that cycle. Pain also pointed out that he and Naruto weren't so different, because in that cycle of hatred, everyone was a righteous hero in their own eyes because they only focused on avenging what they had personally lost.