How To Overcome The 3 CHAPTER RULE In Your Comic, Manga, Or Webtoon Series

in today's video I am going to be going over the THREE CHAPTER RULE, a common action many avid anime, manga, TV, and comic fans use when absorbing episodic media. The 3 Episode Rule is a harsh judgment of an entire series after ONLY 3 episodes. In this episode, I explain everything that should go into each of your 3 chapters by examining and analyzing Shounen/Shonen Jump's Big 3 manga series, Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece. By the end of this video you will know what MUST be in your initial three chapters.

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#Comics #Manga #Webtoons

[Catthepunk]

Chapter 1: the Protagonist does something relevant to their character. A one shot with full resolution at the end.
Chapter 2: begin an arc.
Chapter 3: create a climax or something of significance.

[Shka_maru]

I usually use this rule as well...but for one of the GOATs of shonen manga/anime, I was fortunate to push through the 10-12 episodes of HunterXHunter and my goodness, I am forever glad that I did.

[Millicomics]

I think this one shot idea inside a chapter is great for shonen manga, but in other genres that are more mature it isn’t necessary. You have very good points in your videos.

[ThatRandomEncounterGuy]

Personally speaking, I’ve had a very rough time trying to figure out how to introduce my world. I’ve certainly got no shortage of ideas on characters, the world, settings, powers, villains, but I’ve had a very rough time figuring out how to *introduce* this story.

*Chapter 1)* We’re introduced to our main character, Katie Andrews, and we meet the Sanchez Clan: powerhouse assassin Lacey Alexis, her precocious eager baby sister Skylar, Lacey’s idiot boyfriend Charlie, and magical prodigy Marcy. Their leader/father Zander Sanchez announces that a new member will be coronated soon (implying that it’s Katie) and the chapter ends with Katie ending up in the Sanchez homeworld, the Dream Realm.
*Chapter 2)* Katie gets whisked away by Charlie, who Katie gets a crush on, and runs afoul of Lacey Alexis on more than a few occasions. After her coronation, and a fight with her new sister, Katie feels like she doesn’t belong here and admits to Zander she just wants to go home but Zander convinces her to stay. However, in private, Zander demonstrates his faith in Katie by betting Lacey she can decide what to do with her if she hasn’t proven herself by September.
*Chapter 3)* We’re introduced to Zander’s wife/Lacey’s mother Stacey, and as punishment for what happened last night, Lacey Alexis has to make things up to Katie. This one, as written, is a bit light on plot since we get to see what the Dream Realm actually looks like outside the Palace, Lacey buys Katie a new wardrobe, and we get of a bit of character development for the other kids like Marcy’s inability to make friends or Charlie’s serial flirting.
Chapter 4 is meant to build things out more by introducing Zander’s brother and Katie’s new cousins, but I haven’t figured out that much, let alone Chapter 5 (of 5) of this opening story. And this is probably like the 6th or 7th attempt at an introductory arc—and those are just the ones I wrote down too.

[jodel]

You did a great job of breaking down each of the first 3 chapters. But at the end of the day the goal should be to hook your readers as quickly as possible because not everyone will be willing to give the series the time to read the first 3 chapters. That's why as you said you dropped some series because they took too long to grab you and get you interested.

[trasdenuniverse]

Well I don’t have chapters for it yet, but I have like some notes of how the 1st part of the series well go, here it is tho if your all interested or anything:
*Beginning and tournament but to introduce the audience to the characters and to the world
*the travel to take down kinp after learning that kinp was the host of the tournament from before and sent 3 hitman to kill the main cast
*kinps scientist wants revenge so he creates androids to fight the main cast (note, the scientist well survive and this part might be put later on in the 1st part of the series)
*kinda a introduction to the main casts sensei’s master and to a new world in a sense and introduces to a set of new and future villains (a.k.a prison escape arc)
*the main team stays on the island so they can train under there sensei’s master and fight with 2 other villains on the island as a two more arcs deal
*after they returned home from training with sensei’s master, they’ll encounter pablo’s brother (pablo’s the son of kinp and was introduce during the travel to take down kinp)
*and after they take down pablo’s brother this is were I’ll add a time skip to the main cast becoming adults
I have names for some of these characters, but i didn’t bother much on names since nobody’s going to care about this series am making

[Staj]

Thanks a lot for the advice. It'll help me start off with my Manga.

[sirduke]

I can't wait to get started actually drawing my first 3 chapters; though I'm still writing out the script and page layouts for chapter 1😅

[warrenbradford]

I'll remember these tips to beyond three chapters. Thank you for informing me!

[aidansthoughts]

I really appreciate these videos.
I have only chapter planned out. I do have a general outline of the series. It is called “Survivor School” and the main plot is a rebellion of students standing up against their tyrannical dictator, Vega. The protagonist is a very lucky student with a talent for luck, named Kai Mishima. The series is like if you mixed My Hero Academia and Danganropa together.

[mcawesomeytyo]

I heard the best way to hook a reader into your manga is by introducing some of the character’s internal conflict, that way we can be attached to the character and relate to them.

[someguywithabirdface]

Nice drawing, they reminded me of elric brothers

[MidnightComics]

This was an awesome video. We're currently working on a manga called "The Unbeloved". we have 3 books out for this and I believe we almost hit everything you said. The first chapter definitely served as a one shot. The second set up the story arc. However the third book ended on a cliff hanger with the fourth one going to be the climax of this first bit.

[cheerseveryone]

So, the first chapter is like a prologue with a beginning, a middle and a resolution. The second chapter looks like the real first chapter. Great job. This works for writing as well. I followed a similar method in writing and it showed results.

[gamingnetwork]

I am currently working on a manga introducing the main character as the focus of my first chapter and then leading into new characters in the next chapter and arc.

[fraeofficial]

I wish i listen to this before i started endlocke. Most of it didn't follow this path at all 🤣🤣🤣 great vid!!

[DyssomniacKillian]

*me legit having to hold my manga realizing that I need to do much more studying after 6 months😂*
*also me* but you just finished your first chapter. Not fair. 😅

[carverkain]

I agree but instead of having a resolution at the end of chapter 1 I want to do a reveal that gives you more questions then answers

[helge]

First part of JoJo (not just three episodes) is really hard to watch. It’s not even that long, but still feels like eternity. However it’s worth watching, if you want to watch the rest of JoJo, because it’s a great setup for later parts

[Murimz]

Had to do this with SEL anime lol. Intro kept me watching each episode tho tbh lmao