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When the very first episode of One Piece aired back in the 1900s, most viewers never expected it to last for more than a thousand episodes. Now, here we are in 2023. They still haven’t found the One Piece. As jaw-dropping as that length might be, there are many anime series that are longer than One Piece. For reference, One Piece has 1088 episodes (and counting).
If you want a good way to spend your Holiday weeks entranced by the pleasures and contentment of autopilot — with the TV on where you distract yourself sporadically while still paying attention to the show, we recommend watching these anime series. As we said, they are even longer than One Piece. They are also enough to last you a lifetime or several if you want your great-grand-offsprings to catalyze a family couch potato marathon tradition.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
We’re cheating a bit here, but hear us out. While Yu-Gi-Oh! has several anime series with different characters and different protagonists, they’re all tied together in one continuous universe. This is evident in the cards themselves and the constant presence of KaibaCorp in each entry.
Thus, this edgy card game of life and death where the kids get sent to the Shadow Realm and banished from existence as the stakes go higher is, by technicality, longer than One Piece. If you sum up the episodes, they come out at nearly 1,200. The hairstyles, by the way, become progressively more impossible and structurally unsound with each fresh iteration.
Pokemon
Similar to Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Pokemon anime is one continuous story of Ash trying to be a champion and Pikachu trying to be as stubborn as possible. For the record, Ash did become a champion after 25 years of the Pokemon anime run through several iterations.
Pokemon also took place in one universe and one timeline, though some of Ash’s original friends moved on with their lives. It’s no doubt longer than One Piece by technicality again and with a sum of more than 1,200 episodes. We do imagine that One Piece might someday surpass this count.
Case Closed (Detective Conan)
Now, here’s an anime that One Piece might never surpass. Case Closed, otherwise known as Detective Conan, is about a teenage detective prodigy named Shinichi Kudo, whose biological body was forcibly reverted back to his six-year-old self. That didn’t stop him from being a crime detective and assisting a less competent police officer.
Case Closed has now run for 1,107 episodes with no plans of stopping, which is why One Piece might not be able to catch up. Originally, the whole goal was to get Shinichi back to his old self again, and he has come close many times. But the anime tends to switch between serialized and episodic formats, with each episode typically involving one case. This has been going on since 1996.
Crayon Shin-chan
Another anime that is still in production and ongoing is Crayon Shin-chan, which has been around since 1992, seven years before One Piece first aired. To date, Crayon Shin-chan has had 1,200 episodes and counting. These are full anime episodes of 20-26 minutes in runtime each.
Crayon Shin-chan is about the titular character who, in every episode, ends up annoying his parents and his teachers. Quite relatable for most people. Despite being a morning cartoon, Crayon Shin-chan is a treat for people of all ages, with the occasional innuendos and some humor that only adults might catch.
Chibi Maruko-Chan
Chibi Maruko-Chan began its air date in 1990, took a break in 1992, and returned in 1995, and has been ongoing since then. Now, as we approach the middle of the decade, Chibi Maruko-Chan has aired 1,500+ episodes, and it’s safe to say One Piece won’t be able to catch up to that.
Chibi Maruko-Chan follows the story of the titular Maruko, and it’s one of the longest-running slice-of-life anime aimed only at a younger audience. Of course, to spice up every episode, they also made Maruko a troublemaker, and the episodic formula involves her friends and family getting her out of this trouble.
Soreike! Anpanman
Morning anime or cartoons tend to beat out One Piece in terms of length, and the legendary Anpanman is one of the most popular anime superheroes ever. He’s even more popular than One Punch Man if we’re going by legacy. 1,627 episodes all the way back from 1988 is tough to beat.
One of the reasons why Anpanman is so popular — even for a kid’s show — is how he’s a subversion of the superhero trope before it was a cool trend. Anpanman is an anthropomorphic red bean bread man and is considered the world’s weakest hero since he has no superpowers– and he’s a damn fragile pastry. Even so, he still finds a way to help those in need, particularly the hungry ones, giving a piece of himself to others as a symbol of altruism.
Doraemon
Now, here’s an international classic. Doraemon, or the futuristic robo-cat with weird anatomy that lets him store all manners of useful inventions in his belly pouch, goes all the way back to 1979. The premise is still the same. Doraemon joins Nobita in his daily life, acting as some kind of genie, often helping the human boy in his studies and dealing with bullies.
This morning anime has helped raise several generations by now, and the 3D films that are made commemorative to its legacy can be quite a tearjerker, even for adults. Doraemon is still going strong, with more than 3,000 episodes if you combine the old version and the new version.
Ojarumaru (Prince Mackaroo)
Ojarumaru swings in the other direction when it comes to imparting lessons and just wants to tell the misadventures of its titular spoiled and bratty Heian-era prince. The premise is that he found a magic stick from the demon king; he then got so bored in his royal feudal life that he transported himself to the modern era to make friends.
Meanwhile, the demon king’s minions still want the stick back. Ojarumaru’s shenanigans have been going on for more than 2,000 episodes since 1998 — a year before One Piece premiered. It’s still ongoing, though it’s kind of unfair since each episode is only 10 minutes long.
Nintama Rantaro
Long before Naruto redefined what ninjas meant in anime and pop culture, Nintama Rantaro had already set the groundwork. It’s a kid’s show and doesn’t compare, of course. But Nintama Rantaro practically primed and conditioned its young viewers to be ready for Naruto‘s relatively more mature ninja action.
The anime is about a trio of misfits in a ninja academy as they bumble about on their way to becoming fully-fledged covert agents. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s still ongoing with 2,321 episodes since 1993. Like Ojarumaru, each episode only ran for 10 minutes.
Sazae-san
All these ninjas, powerful princes, prodigy detectives, and superheroes still pale in comparison to the legacy established by the longest anime in existence, Sazae-san. Needless to say, it is longer than One Piece. It’s also a slice-of-life anime similar to Chibi Maruko-Chan but with less humor.
Sazae-san dabbles more in daily life in Tokyo, and it was a product of its time since it likely helped a lot of rural migrants settle into city life better. Such was the cultural shift back in the 1960s and 1970s. For the record, Sazae-san first aired back in 1969 and has had more than 2,640 episodes, each of them running for 20-26 minutes. More impressively, it’s not done yet.
