>>280476775 (OP)
>>280480624
The Big Three refers to a group of manga that achieved immense critical and cultural prestige/acclaim at around the same time heralding a greater interest in anime globally, but particularly within the United States.
Toriko could NOT be a part of that because its anime started in 2011. That's the big factor.
Hunter x Hunter actually COULD have been part of it, but nobody grabbed the license for its anime. In the west it kind of went like this:
>One Piece anime begins in October 1999
>Hunter x Hunter anime begins in October 1999
>Naruto anime begins in 2002
>Bleach anime begins in 2004
>One Piece begins airing under 4kids in 2004
>Naruto begins airing in America in 2005
>Bleach begins airing in America in 2006
[PEAK OF POPULARITY STARTS HERE]
>Pain invades Konoha in 2008
>Marineford begins in the OP manga in 2009
>the unending Arrancar arc of Bleach seems to be approaching a conclusion with Ichigo finally facing off against Ulquiorra and the battle against Aizen ramping up
>Hunter x Hunter's 1999 anime, now severely outdated, begins airing in 2009 in America
>the Arrancar arc finally concludes in 2010
>Naruto's Five Kage Summit arc concludes and the War arc begins at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011
>One Piece continues on into its timeskip in the 2010s
>the 1999 Hunter x Hunter anime concludes on a cliffhanger as all of this happens
[PEAK OF POPULARITY CONCLUDES]
That was the issue.
Had HxH99 been brought over about 5 years earlier with the additional 30 episodes of OVAs, it probably would've received the same popularity- especially since the peak of popularity point aligns with the Chimera Ant arc nearing its conclusion (and it would in 2011, followed by Election immediately after).
But nobody really cared to license it, likely since it wasn't a digital anime like One Piece, Naruto, or Bleach.