Anime like One Piece and Detective Conan have been airing for decades and have episode counts in the thousands. Which series have been around longest?
As long-running favorites such as One Piece and Case Closed (also known as Detective Conan) sail past the thousand-episode mark, viewers marvel at the staying power of such anime. These are series that have been on the air for longer than some of their viewers have been alive, racking up episode counts into the hundreds or even thousands, to the point where it would take weeks to marathon just one of them.
Whether these series and franchises are some of the most famous of all time, such as One Piece, or obscure but still fresh like Crayon Shin-chan, they all have something that has kept audiences coming back to them for decades. Other anime come and go, but these have stood the test of time.
Gintama - 367 episodes, 12 years airing
Former swordsman Gintoki Sakata has left his life of bloodshed behind, and now gets by doing odd jobs around Japan alongside straight-man samurai Shinpachi, outrageously powerful alien girl Kagura, and Kagura's giant dog Sadaharu. Together, they are the Yorozuya Gin.
The show being set in a world where aliens were the primary cultural influence over Edo Period Japan means that any ridiculous thing that could happen, will happen. These include a character turning into a gorilla after being bitten by one, a four-way swordfight over toilet paper, and one of the best beach episodes in anime.
Dragon Ball - 639 episodes, 32 years airing
An absolute cornerstone in shounen anime, Dragon Ball is based on the long-running manga by Akira Toriyama, which in turn is based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West. It follows the life of Son Goku, one of the only survivors of the alien warrior race called Saiyans, from childhood to adulthood.
Through the three series that directly adapt the manga and the anime-only Dragon Ball GT, Goku not only becomes stronger but gains friends and family as well. He fights through several tournaments and apocalyptic threats to the Earth. Since death is rarely permanent in this universe, stories often feature recurring Dragon Ball characters fans think should have stayed dead.
Naruto - 720 episodes, 15 years airing
Even without counting sequel series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which currently has 247 episodes, Naruto is one of the longest-running series of all time, with its second part Naruto Shippuden making up the bulk of its runtime. Naruto Uzumaki starts off as a lonely orphan with untapped potential and ends up majestically coming into his own as a great hero.
Of course, some could say that Naruto cheats a little in this category: much of its episode count is built up by filler episodes. While this filler is often maligned, some arcs have produced some of Naruto's best villains.
Gundam - 857 episodes, 39 years airing
Gundam is one of the most famous and prolific anime franchises of all time. Even without counting specials and OVAs, the canon TV series keep coming and coming. They tell the stories of brave pilots commanding powerful flying mecha called Gundams, in order to win wars and protect loved ones across dozens of alternate universes and timelines.
Some of the most famous Gundam series are the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. They can all be considered formative shows for the mecha genre of anime.
One Piece - 1,014 episodes, 23 years airing
An all-time favorite worldwide, One Piece is based on one of the longest-running manga ever. It is a faithful adaptation with very little filler. Just before his execution, the world's most notorious pirate, Gol D. Roger, declared that he has hidden his ultimate treasure, the One Piece. Whoever completes the impossible quest and finds the treasure will become the new Pirate King.
As Eiichiro Oda's manga is still ongoing with no signs of stopping yet, it may well overtake some currently longer anime in the near future. Time will only tell how far Luffy and the Straw Hats' story will have stretched when it finally ends.
Pokémon - 1,115 episodes, 25 years airing
So long as Pokémon games keep getting made, the new seasons of the anime will keep on coming. The young Trainer Ash Ketchum and his partner Pikachu travel through region after region, catching new Pokémon, making new friends, and winning battle after battle in hopes of becoming a Pokémon Master.
The show continues to be a hit worldwide among audiences of all ages, with Pikachu being a favorite in many countries. While its stakes aren't exactly high, it's bright, optimistic, and more than fun enough to keep viewers coming back for more.
Case Closed - 1,043 episodes, 26 years airing
Shinichi Kudo is a brilliant young detective, already assisting seasoned police on big cases with his lightning-fast analyses. However, with success comes enemies: two criminals attack Shinichi and force-feed him experimental poison. Instead of killing him, the poison turns him into a child, forcing him to adopt a new identity as he continues to try and solve crimes.
It's a testament to the strength of the show's writing that viewers are still tuning into Shinichi's latest cases even as they number in the hundreds. While a running thread is Shinichi's attempts to return to his old body, Case Closed is largely episodic.
Crayon Shin-chan - 1,122 episodes, 30 years airing
A slice-of-life anime with some of the most ridiculous character designs in anime, Crayon Shin-chan follows five-year-old Shinnosuke Nohara. A typical troublemaking kid, Shin causes untold amounts of mischief around his hometown with his friends.
It is still airing in Japan, and multiple attempts have been made to dub it in English, though it's mostly incomplete. All the English dubs take considerable liberties with the source material, such as the Vitello Productions dub adding in even more dirty jokes to an already lewd show.
Chibi Maruko-chan - 1,329 episodes, 27 years airing
Chibi Maruko-chan is a must-watch single-season anime, but it may be harder to marathon than the average 12- or 24-episode season. With an episode count well into the thousands, it would take just over three weeks to finish the whole thing.
An adaptation of one of the most famous shoujo manga, the children's show follows Momoko "Maruko" Sakura and her family and friends. It is lighthearted and cute, and is good for both older viewers who are feeling nostalgic and younger viewers who want something simple.
Sazae-san - 7,881 episodes, 53 years airing
Sazae-san doesn't just outstrip every anime in history in terms of library and longevity, but it is one of the longest running TV shows of all time, soundly beating heavy hitters like The Simpsons and Doctor Who. It holds the Guinness World Record for longest-running television animated show ever.
The show chronicles the daily lives of housewife Sazae Fuguta and her family, and it is beloved in Japan for its portrayal of a wholesome Japanese lifestyle, with many families still tuning in every Sunday night. It is such a cultural staple that "Sazae-san syndrome" is the recognized term in Japan for depression caused by the end of the weekend and impending start of a new workweek.
NEXT: 10 Best Anime With Adult Protagonists, According To Ranker
