In July, Bleach had been on air for over a year, and Naruto reached its first anniversary.
In Bleach, the plot had moved to Aizen's real face being uncovered and Ichigo Kurosaki's decisive fight against Byakuya Kuchiki. After months of being teased, Ichigo's Bankai finally debuted.
During the week that episode aired, Bleach's popularity hit its highest peak since the premiere. If the explosion of the Demon Slayer anime's popularity owed itself to its nineteenth episode, then for Bleach, the single episode that pushed it into mainstream territory in Japan was the one with the protagonist's Bankai.
None of the classic shonen anime from Rei's previous life carried plots or settings too complex for a child to follow. Otherwise none of them could have become world-famous in the first place.
The same applied to Bleach. Simple as the story was, the audience couldn't help getting pulled into the atmosphere, sharing in the characters' joys and pains. The moment Ichigo's Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, hit the screen, whatever doubts were left in Bleach fans' minds were gone. The thought that this anime was the peak of Japanese works took root.
That week, Bleach's popularity was the strongest among the Big Three.
It held that position for one week. The following week, Naruto's plot reached the Chunin Exams match between Gaara and Rock Lee.
The strongest Taijutsu in Naruto, the Eight Gates, which would carry through the entire series, was shown to Japan's anime fans for the first time. Rock Lee only opened up to the Fifth Gate, but the hot-blooded sequence of him pummeling Gaara, combined with Guy-sensei's narration of the memories of Little Lee, the hardest-working ninja in Konoha...
Heat and tenderness moved through the audience at the same time.
Bleach fans and Naruto fans walked into the scorching July of Japan as both works hit the peaks of their early arcs.
The whole Japanese anime industry got swept up by it.
"Is Shirogane-sensei even human?"
"How can both Naruto and Bleach be this good?"
"One Piece is falling behind."
"The Usopp arc was good, and Luffy's fight against Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates got my blood up, but the gap is still wide compared to Ichigo's Bankai and Rock Lee opening the Fifth Gate."
"Both of those shows ran for a year before this kind of climax plot showed up. What do you actually expect to see now? Wait until next April to judge One Piece."
"Sometimes it's hard to picture how Shirogane-sensei's head is wired. How does he serialize the Big Three at the same time and keep the plots from tangling? Does his inspiration never run dry?"
"That's probably going to be the biggest unsolved mystery in Japanese anime for the next hundred years. His existence is its own justification, basically."
"Shirogane-sensei himself looks like he's leaning toward One Piece, but no matter how you look at it, Bleach and Naruto are both better than One Piece."
"We'll see tonight. The Usopp arc wasn't as strong as the earlier Buggy the Clown fight, but that one wrapped up last week. Going by the plot structure, this week should be a new arc. After Usopp, who's the next person to join the crew?"
"A musician? A doctor?"
"I can see One Piece's plot at a glance. Luffy said he'd recruit ten companions. Going by the length of previous arcs, he'll have ten companions by around episode fifty or sixty, enter the Grand Line, and finish with ten more adventure arcs at most. The whole series won't go past two hundred episodes."
"Are you reading Shirogane-sensei's mind? He's already said One Piece is a long-runner. You're insisting on two hundred episodes?"
"Just stating facts. Do you actually think this kind of sea adventure story, with no major shifts, just going from island to island, isn't going to get boring by episode two hundred?"
"Your theory has logic to it. The problem is you're underestimating Shirogane-sensei. Do you think he's going to write One Piece the way you imagine? You'd be lucky to guess even ten percent of tonight's One Piece direction, never mind two hundred episodes out."
"Enough. Ever since the Big Three started running at the same time, the hostility in the anime circle has gotten this high. The other two fanbases keep stirring up the comment sections. That guy up there is obviously baiting, and you're falling for it."
By evening, anime fans started getting active across Japan's major anime websites.
Tuesday nights were for One Piece, Wednesday for Naruto, and Thursday for Bleach. After this many months on air, Japan's anime fans had long since locked the habit in.
And the competitive instinct between the three fanbases was unavoidable.
The author was Shirogane in every case, but no side was going to yield to the other two.
The conflict between Bleach and Naruto fans had only sharpened over the past year, but in this period, both sides shared one position. They didn't want One Piece's popularity climbing higher.
"Come on, One Piece. Don't make me lose face."
Haruto's fingers clattered on the keyboard as he argued hard with a Bleach fan.
He didn't see the point of debating something like whether Zoro's swordsmanship could beat Ikkaku if Zoro stepped into the Soul Society.
Power-level comparisons across different anime were ridiculous on their face.
Even so. The post had thousands of comments, and he had already spent two hours in the comment section trading shots with a handful of Bleach fans.
"This is tiring." Haruto shook his fingers out.
Slacking off at work to fight online during the day was one thing. Continuing once he got home was another. He knew the behavior was childish, and he couldn't accept defeat all the same, and he couldn't put the laptop down.
"All I can do is hope the new One Piece arc has something to shock people with. Charge ahead, hold Bleach and Naruto back." Haruto drew a long breath.
The three fanbases looked like they were at each other's throats, but in truth, fans of the Big Three followed all three works. Everyone liked all three. The order, first, second, third, was where things shifted.
Time on online arguments always slipped past fast. When Tokyo Television's screen blinked on, Haruto put the laptop aside, killed the living room lights, cleared his head, and turned to the TV.
He had seen the opening introduction of One Piece more than a dozen times by now: the silhouette of the mustached man who only existed in the narration, Gol D. Roger, flashing past, followed by the lively One Piece theme song.
"Why is finding Gol D. Roger's treasure the requirement for being the next Pirate King? What kind of setup is that? Isn't the Pirate King supposed to be the king of the sea? Shouldn't that come down to strength? What's the point of finding treasure?" Haruto grumbled to himself before the episode began.
His attention shifted onto the animation right after.
Usopp, who had just joined the Straw Hat Pirates, was tinkering with the cannons on the ship.
As for Zoro, sleeping took priority.
The camera moved in on Zoro's face.
"Huh." Haruto froze when the screen cut to the face of a small boy with green hair. "Oh, this episode is a flashback."
In all his years in Japan, Rei had never produced "filler" plots or padding flashbacks. In the future, he wasn't going to let Naruto get hit with the kind of endless flashback criticism it had received in his previous life.
So neither Haruto nor any other Japanese anime fan had a problem with the flashback arc at this point.
"Zoro's memories. Here we go." Haruto narrowed his focus.
The character was a mystery in his own right.
Why Three Sword Style?
Why set out to sea with the goal of becoming the world's greatest swordsman?
And Nami. What was the reason for the greed?
And why did she hate pirates?
"I'm guessing there are going to be quite a few flashbacks in One Piece later."
Haruto's thoughts drifted for a moment, then his eyes pulled back to the TV.
At a swordsmanship dojo somewhere, a little boy with green hair walked in to challenge them.
Zoro wagered that if he lost, he would join the dojo.
The dojo master called his daughter out, Kuina, a pretty girl not much older than the young Zoro, to take the duel.
What? You're not my opponent?
Kuina is a girl, but she's stronger than most of the adults here.
The plot was simple. Why a child like Zoro, who didn't know any real swordsmanship, came to challenge a dojo wasn't important.
What mattered was that Zoro, charging at Kuina with a bundle of swords, was put down by her in a single beat.
Through the exchange, the master and Kuina also caught that Zoro had a real natural feel for swordsmanship.
That crushing loss was what drew Zoro into the swordsmanship dojo for real.
Once inside, because Kuina had beaten him, Zoro made it his goal to train hard and beat her back.
Watching this, Haruto frowned.
"What's going on? He's not setting up a romance subplot for Zoro, is he?"
Demon Slayer had carried a small thread of romance, and with Demon Slayer's art style and themes, that kind of setup had felt right to Haruto.
If the members of the main One Piece crew started getting tangled up in romance, though.
That would be jarring.
Haruto kept his eyes on the screen.
A loser should keep his mouth shut. The louder you howl, the uglier you look. Kuina said after beating Zoro again.
The plot kept moving.
In a conversation between Kuina's father and other dojo teachers, he made his intent clear that he wouldn't be passing the dojo down to Kuina.
The reason was simple.
A female swordsman has a fatal flaw.
Haruto blinked.
Kuina was set off the instant she heard her father's words, but he didn't scold her for listening at the door.
He gave her a single line.
A girl can't become the world's strongest swordsman.]
Kuina ran out wounded and found Zoro on a moonlit hillside.
The boy, not yet ten, had tracked her down carrying real swords meant for adults.
I'm here for our 2001st duel. This is the final one, and we settle it with real blades.
Kuina took him up on it and pulled her own sword from the attic.
Rei added a layer of flair to this fight, making it stretch out richer than the original manga.
The result was still locked in. Zoro took a crushing loss under the moon and cried in frustration.
The duel with Kuina ended with his 2002nd consecutive defeat.
Watching this, Haruto still didn't see why Shirogane-sensei would drop a Zoro-and-this-girl flashback right as One Piece's popularity was on the rise.
The plot answered the question right after.
Kuina had won, but her face was tight with pain.
Because girls carry a structural disadvantage against boys.
As they grow up, the strength gap opens wide.
Even if she could beat Zoro at their current age, she was going to lose to him by the time they were grown.
Zoro didn't follow any of it, but Kuina told him everything, resentment riding her face.
I get it. I've known for a long time. I don't accept it. Zoro is lucky because he's a boy. I want to be the world's strongest swordsman too. If only I'd been a boy.
Haruto's expression softened.
The character of Kuina, built up across half the episode, had reached straight into the bottom of his chest.
Don't complain to me after you've already won. You're my goal. Man or woman, what does it matter? If I beat you one day, are you going to use that as an excuse? It sounds like I cheated. Doesn't that make every desperate hour of training I've put in look like I'm an idiot? Zoro shouted.
Promise me. One day, either you or I will become the world's greatest swordsman.
Haruto's hand shook. In that beat, he understood why Zoro's reason for going out to sea was to be the world's strongest swordsman.
Was it the vow with Kuina?
Had they each already set out to sea, both pushing toward becoming the strongest?
The rich and irreplaceable sense of romance in One Piece rose in Haruto's chest again.
Haruto read it as the two having made this vow and now each driving toward the goal.
The plot that followed turned heavy.
One Piece is built on a number of famous memes.
Luffy's indestructible straw sandals. They never break, no matter the fight.
And Kuina, who at the same age kept Zoro behind her and whose swordsmanship had been the stronger of the two, died because she slipped and fell down the stairs.
This was something Rei could not accept when he watched the One Piece anime in his previous life.
After arriving in this Japan and turning it over in his head a number of times, he did not change the setup.
The "staircase" meme was still ridiculous on its own, but inside the context of the story, the moment carried a weight of fate.
She didn't die at the hands of pirates or bandits. A slip and a fall took Kuina's life.
The plot then spent several minutes on Zoro almost coming apart at the news of Kuina's death.
His lifelong goal, the person he wanted to surpass, gone for a reason like that.
Where could Zoro go from here?
At the end of the episode, Zoro walked up to his master and asked for Kuina's sword.
Why are humans so fragile? Zoro. To keep from losing to you, that child also trained hard, pushing past the obstacles and weaknesses of being a female swordsman. the master said.
A tear-streaked Zoro said the coolest and most moving line he would deliver in the entire series.
Master. Give me that sword. Give me Kuina's sword. I'll become strong enough for the both of us. Zoro shouted.
In that moment, Haruto's chest took the impact of a cannonball.
I'll become so strong that my name reaches the heavens. I will become the world's greatest swordsman!
His nose stung, and his eyes turned red.
A simple vow, carried on a wave of feeling.
He had promised Kuina that one of them had to become the strongest swordsman in the world.
Kuina was dead, so Zoro had to keep the promise for her.
If his fame didn't climb high enough to reach the heavens, then Kuina would have no way of knowing he had kept the promise to her.
Zoro's simple words drove that sense of fate and romance straight into Haruto's heart.
The dream of being the world's number one, the one Zoro had clung to in adversity and refused to let go even in his lowest moments across the previous episodes.
Found its origin in this scene.
The episode closed on Zoro's cry and the shot of the master handing Kuina's sword across to him.
Haruto waited until the ending theme finished before he noticed the goosebumps standing on his arms. The tears in his eyes were almost past his control.
The character writing here. Shirogane, you are a god.
His recognition and love for the Zoro character in the One Piece anime hit its peak in that moment, past even his attachment to the protagonist Luffy.