The Big 3 of Anime Reveal a Harsh Truth About the Persistent Inequalities of Shonen’s Male Dominated Landscape

When we think about the Shonen genre, the Big 3 has dominated the scene. Be it One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, or Dragon Ball, the series has made waves over the years. But that is not all considering its major pitfalls.

The genre on the whole has brought certain discrepancies into light. While it is considered high-brow, its counterpart shoujo is often looked down upon. However, nothing compares to the genre’s biggest criticism of all time. 

In particular, fans have thoroughly criticized the male-dominated manga spaces. This also includes the genre with a recent discussion thread highlighting people’s perceptions and ideas of success and breakthrough works.

To add to the inequality angle, most fans have grossly overlooked women and their contributions to the genre on the whole. CLAMP, in this case, stands underappreciated for its contribution to both shojo, shonen, and seinen genres respectively.

Big 3 and the male-dominated anime industry

James Brown and Betty Jean’s song It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World is notoriously famous for its take on male-dominated society. Little did we know it would reflect on the narrow mindset seeping into anime spaces.

Over the years, though, shonen as a genre has been overturned in terms of storytelling and tropes. Many artists and mangaka have challenged and questioned problematic archetypes. This also sets a precedent for several new-age anime.  

One of the biggest misconceptions regarding the shonen genre is that of its readership. While it is catered to young boys and men, a fraction of the demographic also has women readers and viewers.

Some popular series that have set benchmarks in the genre are Dragon Ball, Hunter x Hunter, and One Piece. The commonality between them is their title of Big 3. While Akira Toriyama, Eiichiro Oda, and Yoshihiro Togashi paved the way for future generations, their stardom raises several questions.

On X @albesonico highlighted fans’ overlooking of women’s contribution to the shonen genre. This is how most users responded:

And no mention of the woman who’s consider the queen of manga and is japans richest woman https://t.co/tn9RjSyAEg pic.twitter.com/PTDWDSQxWp

— Lamusonico81 (@albesonico) January 9, 2025

Our actual queen. Any cultured anime fan knows she’s the goat. 3 remakes of older titles within a span of five years??? Name another writer???

— Momokun 🍑 (@peachygirlmomo) January 10, 2025

The creator of Inuyasha and the creator of Sailor Moon never get any love and they are legends I hate it. Both creators have 2 of the most iconic and recognizable characters in anime and nobody gives them their flowers. Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi thank you!

— Vłł (@Yosemitexsam) January 10, 2025

Her influence is easily as big as Toriyama. How is she not right next to him on that list?

— Sabrina 🔻 (@Rina_Likes_Tea) January 9, 2025

There's never a woman in their top 3 lists, I feel like I know the reason…

— Canadian Idiot (@CanadianIdiot7) January 9, 2025

Undoubtedly, Rumiko Takahashi and other female mangaka set a precedent for women in a male-dominated industry. From characters and plots to art and worldbuilding, they left no stone unturned in carving their stories into polished masterpieces.

Moreover, their works are a benchmark that deserves traction in every aspect. This also ties well with women and their overlooked labor in the shonen landscape.

Women’s contribution to the shonen landscape

One of the perfect examples of women and their contribution to the shonen genre, on the whole, is CLAMP. The group which is led by female artists has worked on a diverse range of anime and manga.

Some of their popular works include xxxHolic, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Chobits. While their art is often deemed exaggerated, it is remarkable nonetheless. Apart from long-legged characters, CLAMP contributed to the shonen, seinen, and shojo genres.

Interestingly, artists at CLAMP made the designs for the popular mecha series Code Geass. While majorly known for producing splendid and illustrious shojo series, the group overturned stereotypes in every possible way.

To this date, it is considered one of the most phenomenal manga collectives of all time. Over the years they have garnered awards and accolades for their groundbreaking contribution as wholesome artists. Regardless of that, they stand underappreciated for the most part.

While female-led manga collectives are refreshing, they offer a unique and novel insight into the world of art. On the whole, it is high time female get their due recognition and respect for their contribution as artists and changemakers.