6 Anime Series Longer Than One Piece

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When people think of anime with a huge number of episodes, One Piece immediately comes to mind. It’s one of the most popular and well-known anime series ever made, currently boasting over 1155 episodes after finishing the Egghead Island Arc in December. Maintaining such high quality across so many episodes is a remarkable accomplishment.

Although One Piece is a lengthy anime, it’s not actually the longest one around. Many other Japanese anime series are just as long, or even much longer. Considering these other shows, One Piece might even feel relatively short, particularly with the recent changes to how often new episodes are released, which will likely affect its overall length.

6. Detective Conan: Case Closed

  • Number of Episodes: 1190+
  • Status: Ongoing

Most of the anime series that have been running the longest are comedies or shows that focus on everyday life. While popular action series like One Piece are exceptions, they aren’t the only ones that have achieved such long runs.

While many think of One Piece as the longest-running shonen anime, that title actually belongs to Detective Conan, also known as Case Closed. Debuting in 1996, this mystery series has maintained a strong following both in Japan and internationally thanks to its engaging story. With the manga still being published, Detective Conan’s story is far from over, and it looks set to remain the longest-running shonen anime for quite some time.

5. Crayon Shin-Chan

  • Number of Episodes: 1300+
  • Status: Ongoing

Crayon Shin-Chan is a hugely popular and well-known anime series in Japan. Based on the manga created by Yoshito Usui, the show centers around the lively and often mischievous everyday experiences of its main character, Shin.

Crayon Shin-Chan is primarily a comedy series that follows the everyday life of Shin and his family. It’s become one of the longest-running anime series ever made, even surpassing popular shows like One Piece. Still airing since 1992, the series has released over 1300 episodes, each roughly the same length as those of One Piece. Currently, Shin-Chan ranks as the 12th-longest-running anime series of all time.

4. Soreike! Anpanman

  • Number of Episodes: 1700+
  • Status: Ongoing

While Anpanman isn’t widely known outside of Japan, it’s incredibly popular there – practically everyone, from kids to adults, recognizes it. Interestingly, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, was a big fan of Anpanman and even drew inspiration from it when creating his own series.

Anpanman has been a beloved anime for generations of Japanese children, largely due to its incredible length. With over 1,700 episodes and counting, it’s a remarkably long-running series. It now seems unlikely that even One Piece, created by Oda, will ever reach the same number of episodes. Anpanman appears destined to continue entertaining viewers for many years to come.

3. Doraemon (1979)

  • Number of Episodes: 1787
  • Status: Concluded

Doraemon is a hugely popular series, well-known in Japan and across the globe. It’s one of the most iconic anime characters, right up there with Luffy, Naruto, and Goku. Considering its popularity, it’s no surprise that Doraemon has been running for so long. The original anime series, which began in 1979 and ended in 2005, was particularly long-running.

The original Doraemon anime had a whopping 1,787 episodes, significantly more than One Piece. It’s important to note that this isn’t the only Doraemon anime; a new version started in 2005 and is quickly approaching One Piece’s episode count with nearly 900 episodes, and it’s still being made! When you add the episodes from both series together, Doraemon has an even larger total.

2. Nintama Rantarō

  • Number of Episodes: 2500+
  • Status: Ongoing

Nintama Rantarō (also known as Ninjaboy Rantaro) is one of the longest-running anime series in Japan. This funny ninja show has been around since 1993, and was incredibly popular before other ninja stories like Naruto became well-known.

Believe it or not, Nintama Rantarō is the second-longest-running anime series ever made. It’s already aired over 2500 episodes, which is more than double the number of episodes of One Piece (which has over 1100). However, there’s a difference: Nintama Rantarō episodes are only 10 minutes long, while One Piece episodes are typically 20 minutes. Even taking this into account, Nintama Rantarō still boasts a greater total runtime and more content.

1. Sazae-San

  • Number of Episodes: 2839+
  • Status: Ongoing

Many anime fans assume One Piece is the longest-running anime ever made, but that’s not quite right. The actual titleholder is Sazae-San. While One Piece has over 1100 episodes, Sazae-San is rapidly approaching 3000, making it the longest-running anime by a significant margin.

The high number of episodes isn’t because each one is short. Sazae-san episodes are about the same length as those of One Piece. Like many long-running anime in Japan, it’s a slice-of-life series, focusing on the everyday experiences of Sazae, a housewife, and her family. The anime began in 1969 and is still being made today, making it unlikely that any other anime will have more episodes in the foreseeable future.

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2026-02-14 14:35