It’s The End of an Era For Anime With Multiple Seasons
Long-running anime such as Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece have been the face of anime since they kicked off in the early 2000s. Before then, it was Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon. Anime fans of today have My Hero Academia. Despite the countless new series that release every year, these seemingly endless franchises with big episode counts continue to be the most well-known to date. Yet, nothing new is in the works to fill the spots they’re leaving behind as they reach their conclusions.
Anime with 100+ episodes are growing scarce, and for several very valid reasons. The industry no longer sees a point in extending a series runtime with needless filler, and there’s more money to be made in creating entertainment that is both well-written and concise. However, despite how overwhelmingly large multi-season anime can be, there are many reasons why anime that lasts several years should still be around. 100+ episode series have raised an entire generation of anime lovers, creating a community and culture that helps the industry prosper.
The Era of Long, Multi-Season Anime Is Ending After Years of Domination
There are no anime characters more recognizable than those that belong to the reigning royalty that are often referred to as The Big Three of anime. Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is iconic for the protagonist’s bright orange jumpsuit and intricate power system, becoming the flagship for ninja anime. Bleach, created by Tite Kubo, introduced a world beyond the land of the living and a stream of weapons as unique as their individual wielders. The legendary Straw Hats have made Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece the leading pirate anime to this day.
There are other anime franchises with outstanding episode counts. The Dragon Ball anime franchise has been going on since 1986, and the beloved Pokémon franchise since 1997. Both have stood their ground in the industry for decades, but in the modern era, the big shonen anime of the 2000s (Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece) have amassed communities that are practically larger than life. However, after decades of domination, that may not be the case much longer.
Why Have Long-Running Anime Been Losing Their Appeal?
Longer anime have always had the problem of filler arcs and episodes. While anime-only material isn’t always a bad thing, it often derails the storyline and amounts to little or no development in the narrative or its characters. Despite its enduring popularity, Naruto is a prime example of a series with pointless content seen only in the anime. Newer series have rectified this, however. Producers and animation studios have realized how important it is to stick close to the source material and not fluff up the episode count with needless filler. Of course, this has led to the lengths of recent anime drastically shrinking.
Another reason why 100+ episode anime are on the verge of extinction is because of the incline in newer anime fans. Anime has become more popular in the West, especially when so many celebrities have admitted to being fans themselves. Megan Thee Stallion, for example, continues to be a popular backer of Jujutsu Kaisen, and she has paid homage to the characters of numerous anime in stylish outfits that practically scream cosplay.
Although anime has gained more popularity than it ever has before, newer fans are unlikely to dive into existing series with an intimidating episode count. Because of the massive lore and amount of context needed in order to truly appreciate them, most people have little time to invest in catching up with these age-old anime, preferring series that are much more recent and less challenging to dive into.
There’s also the fact that anime fandoms tend to deter newer fans, especially when the dark side of nostalgia rears its head. As much as the fandoms of the larger anime have helped in growing the genre’s community, there’s a portion of older fans who can be quite toxic and unwelcoming. Many One Piece fans often gatekeep their own anime from those who’ve yet to indulge in the series’ 1000+ episodes. Some loyal fans of Dragon Ball adore it to the point of refusing to acknowledge any outdated or problematic tropes in its series, many of which could be unappealing or potentially offensive to newer generations of anime lovers.
The Last of the Big Shonen Anime is Coming to an End
Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia became an immediate hit after its anime debut in spring 2016, pulling in a generation of anime lovers with another underdog protagonist that audiences have seen rise from nothing. The series is among the last big shonen anime that spans over 100 episodes, currently totaling 159, with more on the way. With the manga completed at 430 chapters, the final season of the adaptation is set to premiere in October 2025
Since the My Hero Academia anime’s premiere, only two other big anime have garnered large enough fanbases to generate comparable momentum to other shonen giants. Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen are the two most popular shonen series among newer anime fans today, but despite having debuted after My Hero Academia, both series are already within striking distance of their finales. Jujutsu Kaisen’s manga ended only a couple of arcs after the events of Season 2, and Demon Slayer’s final installment is being released in the form of a film trilogy, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, the first of which has already hit theaters.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is the most recent multi-season series after My Hero Academia, serving as the continuation of Kishimoto’s legacy. The anime adaptation is currently on hiatus, but as of this moment, it clocks in at 293 episodes, with the manga still ongoing. However, it’s mainly served as nostalgia material to keep existing fans of his parent franchise. Even then, it hasn’t been successful. Because it’s an extension of an older series, it hasn’t drawn much of an audience composed of newer fans.
