Is anime surpassing One Piece just a rumor? As new numbers from Netflix reveal, anime surpassing One Piece is no longer speculation but a clear reality. According to the first half of 2025 report, there are at least a few new series that have outperformed One Piece's viewership. Are Luffy and the Straw Hats losing their status as "king of anime" when facing names like Sakamoto Days or Naruto? Hobiverse will analyze the reasons, trends, and anime that have done what One Piece has to be wary of.
Which anime surpassed One Piece?
One Piece in the first half of 2025 only reached 24.8 million views, while other anime have very impressive numbers.
Source: Reddit
Naruto
A surprising news: Naruto has surpassed One Piece in the ranking of most-watched anime on Netflix in the first half of 2025. With about 42 million viewing hours, Naruto is ahead of One Piece because One Piece has not been fully updated with episodes on Netflix.
Sakamoto Days
“Sakamoto Days” is the first name that comes to mind when discussing anime that has surpassed One Piece. According to Netflix, in the first half of 2025, Sakamoto Days reached about 24.4 million views, a number that far surpasses many long-standing series.
Demon Slayer and Dandadan
Demon Slayer and Dandadan are also dominating in terms of views and followers. Demon Slayer's recent arcs have maintained a good release rhythm and attracted a large fan base (Red Light District arc 19.4 million views), while Dandadan's recent release has reached 27.1 million views, attracting new viewers with its fast-paced plot and development.
Check out One Piece merchandise at Hobiverse:
One Piece Collectible Figure Toy MF9101
Going Merry Pirate Ship and 10 One Piece Characters
Why do these anime surpass One Piece?
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Fast, consistent release schedule: Anime fans today have little patience for waiting. One Piece often has a delayed release schedule, especially on international platforms. In contrast, series like Sakamoto Days or Demon Slayer have a consistent release schedule, helping to maintain high viewer engagement.
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International parallel release and quick access to viewers: Synchronized distribution, subtitles/dubbing – increasingly important. If fans have to wait, they can easily move on to other anime with better service. One factor that makes anime surpass One Piece is its ability to meet the immediate needs of global viewers.
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Rookie effect and fresh content: Sakamoto Days is a new series, without the big brand pressure like One Piece, easily attracting attention because of its novelty. The loud noise from fans "accidentally checked it out, got hooked" is helping it surpass the super veterans.
In short, the main reason is: Fans can conveniently watch anime released at the same time, but One Piece has to be watched later.
Also, this is just the Netflix ranking.
Should One Piece fans be worried?
So, should One Piece fans be worried? Hobiverse thinks that One Piece needs to change its strategy like updating faster, supporting better release platforms, or speeding up production to avoid being left behind.
The shift in viewer tastes to new, fast-paced, engaging series is a trend. And the anime that surpassed One Piece is the clearest proof that reputation alone is not enough, but innovation and meeting the needs of viewers' tastes are needed. If you love Luffy but also want to explore the explosive anime, now is the time to try and update your watch list.
Looking back at the classic anime that fell off the top of the most watched anime list, each franchise has its own fan base and there’s no reason not to catch up when the show is late. The most watched anime doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the highest rated, it’s just that people want to watch it and there’s something to watch.
2025 is the year that marks the new trend of anime fans when the crunchyroll anime awards caused a lot of controversy about the voting method and Solo Leveling became the center of attention when it won the anime of the year. There is nothing to worry about when the new trend comes and loyal fans still love their own anime whether it is on the top view list or not.
See also:
So One Piece fans, what other anime titles are on your list? Do you love One Piece less because there are other anime that surpass One Piece ? The answer is obvious, you are loyal to the Straw Hats but you also don't want to miss out on other great anime! That makes sense, let's watch them all.
