Naruto is a very long, average series.

Also, if you say the newer bleach characters are boring, you have not seen Charlotte Cuulhorne. Here is a picture of him. Bleach 320 page 19 | One Manga

Bleach is a series that follows Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenage boy who can see and communicate with ghosts. It follows his story as he has a run in with Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki, and learns of the existance of bad spirits called hollows. When Rukia is injured, Ichigo takes up her job in defeating hollows before they cause damage.

The series starts off average, but I find that it picks up really quickly at the Soul Society Arc. Also, the end of the Soul Society arc has a HUGE plot twist that is completely unexpected.

Bleach is popular because it is a very well written series