What Anime Has The Most Episodes? Top 10 Longest Anime Series!

If we ask you what anime has the most episodes in history, which names will appear on your mind immediately? If your candidate has several hundreds of episodes, it is unfortunately still far from being one of the longest series ever.

You might find some names familiar, the rest as strange as it possibly can be because they have been around before you grow a passion for anime or they weren’t made to attract international fans. Let’s get it!

What Anime Has The Most Episodes?

Not One Piece, Naruto, or any other internationally acclaimed anime, the Guinness World Records officially recognized Sazae-san as the longest-running anime of all time. From 1969 to the present day, 7881 episodes have been aired, and the number is promised to increase, as Japanese fans enjoy the dynamics and the vibes of this series so much.

As of 2022, the series is on a break due to the pandemic, but fans are excitedly waiting for a comeback! Although it is not a bomb in the industry, the adoration Sazae-san receives in its homeland Japan is unwavering, as the producers of the show have their eyes fixated on the Japanese audience mostly.

Top 10 Longest Anime Series Of All Time

1. Sazae-san (7881+) – The longest-running anime in the world

With the first broadcasted episode in 1969, the Sazae-san series might have celebrated its birthday many more times than most of us have. The plot was as simple as it can be: we will follow the steps of Mrs. Sazae and take a look at her daily life with her parents, siblings, spouse, and son.

Instead of action-packed episodes,  the series contains small, heart-warming stories and gracefully depicts the traditional lifestyle in Japan.

We also realize that the anime has the most episodes in one season, as the producers never divided it into various seasons.

2. Nintama Rantarō (2321+)

Before Naruto, Nintama Rantaro was the most popular series about the ninja. The story revolves around three main characters – Rantarou, Shinbei, and Kirimaru – and their journey to be real ninjas.

Rantarou was born into a family with ninja tradition, Kirimaru whose parents have passed away in the war, and Shinbei being the son of a rich merchant – they are different in origins and similar in goals: keep up with the classes and pass the exams. It is tough, though school life remains fun and meaningful to them.

You will see the simplistic art styles from the 90s along with humorous situations in each 10-minute episode, which makes the experience very pleasant.

3. Ojarumaru (1857+)

Time travel seems to be a favorite concept of Japanese authors, and they surely nail it! Ojarumaru tells us the story of Ojarumaru Sakanoue, a baby prince from the Heian period. He finds the magical stick of Enma king of demons and unintentionally transfers himself to modern time.

A boy named Kazuma befriended him and invited him to be part of the family. Aside from his endeavors to adjust to the new world, the hilarious attempts of Enma’s minion devils to get the stick back also keep the young audiences excited.

4. Oyako Club (1818)

Almost 20 years had passed before Oyako Club reached the end of its long journey. The focus of the series is on two aliens – Rompa and Lun – who end up living with a human family.

Each episode lasts only 5 minutes, but the interaction between the aliens and the humans is still heart-warming enough to melt you down.

5. Doraemon (1787)

Oh, it’s a childhood memory for many of us. You probably haven’t forgotten that very moment when the earless cat robot named Doraemon appeared in clumsy Nobita’s bedroom. He stays and uses miraculous items from the future world to help Nobita do better in life, which either succeeds or puts them in even more trouble.

We have seen the influence Doraemon has, but not everyone knows the first version of the anime in 1972 only included 26 episodes and ended one year later. The series was rebooted in 2005 and is still thriving.

6. Kirin no Monoshiri Yakata (1565)

In exactly 5 years, from 1975 to 1979, the Japanese audience got to watch 1565 episodes of this educational series. In summary, it was simply about a cat named Cathy trying to make friends with a mouse, nothing complicated.

However, it did such a brilliant job in delivering knowledge to children and definitely deserved parents’ approval.

Unfortunately, we have lost all data about Kirin no Monoshiri Yakata, only 2 episodes exist today. It’s saddening to see a meaningful TV show gone with so little remaining.

7. Soreike! Anpanman (1525+)

Another one of the longest anime series that is still running! The star of the show is Anpanman, a superhero with an ‘anpan’ head. (Anpan is a Japanese bread, filled with red bean paste!)

The fights between Anpanman and his archenemy are loved by young viewers, and they even inspired the famous series One-Punch Man. The characters are featured on various merchandise along with multiple spin-offs, side stories, and cinematic movies.

8. Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi (1494)

Also known as Japanese Folklore Tales, the series lives up to its name by taking inspiration from old stories for every episode. The most unique detail about Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi is each episode is produced by a different artist.

The idea came from none other than Sugii Gisaburo, a true legend in the film history of Japan. With a new look and a unique feel in the visionary, the show remained refreshing to watch even if it had been aired for nearly 2 decades.

9. Hoka Hoka Kazoku (1428)

In 1976, the first episode of Hoka Hoka Kazoku was presented to the Japanese audience. The episodes were broadcasted on a daily basis and finished in 1982, six years later. By then, the accumulated number of episodes had reached above 1428.

The series doesn’t have a specific storyline. Instead, it focuses on delivering educational messages via the most slice-of-life situations.

10. Kirin Ashita no Calendar (1306)

Last but not least on our list of the longest anime ever, Kirin Ashita no Calendar, or “Kirin Tomorrow’s Calendar” in English! The main characters are a cat and a mouse, using mini-games to teach children about historical facts and events.

It is another show that many people don’t know about since it is a partially lost animated anime series. The producers never mentioned airing it again, all we have left is the opening credit.

FAQs

1. What shonen anime has the most episodes?

While One Piece didn’t get a spot in the list of the longest anime series ever, it is currently winning in the shonen category with 1013 episodes. Both the original manga and the animated anime receive love and attention worldwide, for the story is about the main character who never stops trying to reach the top, and it never gets old.

Are you also following Monkey D. Luffy and his friends on their journey to find the ultimate treasure named One Piece and become the new Pirate King?

2. What anime has the most filler episodes?

When we mention filler episodes, we are referring to episodes that didn’t appear in the manga or lead the main story forward. In terms of number, Case Closed (Detective Conan) ranked 1st with 440 fillers out of 1014 episodes in total. However, the fillers are distributed quite frequently, so it doesn’t feel like the series is packed with fillers.

If we are talking percentage, Trigun will take the win with 65% of the series being fillers. Moreover, Naruto owns the longest filler arc with 83 episodes (136 – 219).

3. How many episodes does Naruto have?

Based on popularity, many people must have considered Naruto one of the mainstream anime series that have the most episodes, but it only has 220 episodes for the original series and 500 episodes for Shippuden, hence 720 episodes in total – far less than our thousand-episode series up there!

Final Words

What anime has the most episodes is a question with surprising answers for sure! The truly amazing thing about them is they all have a solid fanbase consisting of people who want to connect to a series and make it part of their life instead of finishing the entire show in one sitting.

Several mentions in this list have reached a happy ending, some of them are still releasing new episodes, but we are certain they have inspired a whole generation back in their prime days.