10 Long Anime Series That Take Forever to Complete
Ahmed Riaz
Some anime are perfect for a weekend binge, while others are massive commitments that can take months or even years to finish. With hundreds of episodes, multiple story arcs, movies, and spin-offs, the sheer amount of content can be intimidating, but expansive worlds and unforgettable characters make them worth it and reward fans for investing in the long haul.
Many long anime have earned their longevity by consistently captivating fans across generations. For newcomers, starting one of these series is a major undertaking, while longtime fans know the satisfaction of working through every arc. Whether they’re action-packed shonen epics, beloved adventures, or just comedy that’s still funny decades later, long anime series can be worth the watch.
One Piece’s Adventure is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Monkey D. Luffy runs full speed ahead in his iconic outfit from the One Piece Elbaph ArcImage via Toei Animation
One Piece Luffy is ready for a fightImage via Toei Animation
Gear 5 Luffy with a shocked expression on his face in One Piece Episode 1151.Image via Toei Animation
With well over 1,000 episodes, a live action adaptation, and a new remastered series on the way, One Piece is one of the longest anime series ever produced. Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventure, sailing down the Grand Line in search of legendary treasure, has captured the attention of millions of fans since it began airing in 1997, and only now is it entering into its final arc.
One Piece‘s enormous episode count is matched by an equally expansive world with intricate lore and the promise of memorable characters coming back at any moment. While catching up requires serious dedication, the series’ consistently engaging storytelling and rewarding long-term character development makes it a journey fans consider worth the investment.
CBR Exclusive · One Piece Quiz WHICH ONE PIECE LEGEND ARE YOU? Set sail — Quiz sequence initiated ⚓ The Grand Line stretches endlessly before you. Across its treacherous waters, legends are born — forged in Devil Fruit power, unbreakable will, and the fierce loyalty of a crew that would sail into any storm. Twenty questions. One legendary result. Your adventure begins now. 🌊
🍖Luffy
⚔️Zoro
🗺️Nami
📖Robin
🍳Sanji
01
The Going Merry is ready to leave port. What’s your first move? 🚢 How you set sail says everything about who you are at sea.
02
A Marine warship is blocking your route. You: 🏴☠️ Crisis response reveals your true pirate nature.
03
You find a Devil Fruit on the table. What do you hope it is? 🍈 The fruit you crave is the power you were always meant to have.
04
What is your one, unshakeable dream? 🌟 Every great pirate sails for something deeper than treasure.
05
The Thousand Sunny docks at a new island. First stop? 🏝️ What you do first in port reveals your deepest priorities.
06
Your greatest weapon aboard the ship? ✨ Every Straw Hat has one thing that makes them irreplaceable.
07
What’s your natural role when things get tense? 🪝 The pressure moment is where your true function reveals itself.
08
Honest confession — what is actually your biggest flaw? 😬 Even the greatest pirates have one thing they’re still working on.
09
A crewmate is in serious danger. You: 💪 How you protect the people you sail with is who you truly are.
10
Halfway across the Grand Line. What keeps you going? 🌟 Not the crew’s reason. Yours. The private one.
11
You lost the fight. The crew is watching. Now what? 😳 How you rise after falling is what separates legends from passengers.
12
Your bounty poster just went up. What’s on it? 💰 The World Government describes you the way your enemies see you.
13
Free day on a peaceful island. What actually happens? 🌴 How you rest is a window into what drives you when no one’s watching.
14
What does your crew actually say about you behind your back? 📋 The people who sail with you see the version you can’t.
15
Which Haki do you feel most aligned with? 🔮 The Haki you master reflects the deepest truth of who you are.
16
What does it truly mean to you to be a pirate? 🌊 Not Garp’s definition. Not the Marines’. Yours.
17
In a hundred years, what will they say about you? 🎬 The Void Century has room for one more name. What does yours mean?
18
A Warlord of the Sea is blocking the path forward. You: 👀 Warlords don’t intimidate legends. They reveal them.
19
The crew celebrates a big victory. Your contribution? 🎉 How you celebrate says as much as how you fight.
20
You reach Laugh Tale. The One Piece is real. What do you do? 🔥 Twenty questions. One truth. No turning back now.
⚓ The Grand Line has made its judgement ⚓ YOUR ONE PIECE LEGEND
Your scores are revealed below! The character with the highest number is your One Piece counterpart. Read their profile to discover your true pirate destiny. 🌊
🍖 Luffy
⚔️ Zoro
🗺️ Nami
📖 Robin
🍳 Sanji
You don’t understand the word impossible — not because you’re naive, but because you genuinely never accepted that it applied to you. You charge into every situation with the full force of your personality, your body, and your heart, and somehow the universe rearranges itself to accommodate you. You don’t lead through command; you lead through being so completely, recklessly yourself that everyone around you becomes a better version of who they were. You eat too much, feel too loudly, and care too deeply. The world calls it recklessness. Your crew calls it home. 🍖
You have made exactly one promise and you have organised your entire existence around keeping it. Stoic to a fault, terrifying in combat, and somehow always facing the wrong direction — you are the immovable foundation that the whole crew leans against when everything else shakes. You don’t ask for recognition. You don’t need it. The work is its own reward. The sword is the path and the path is the sword. You will lose a thousand times before you reach the top, and you will get back up every single time. That is not stubbornness. That is who you are. ⚔️
You are sharper than anyone in the room and you know it — but you also know exactly when not to show it. Pragmatic, resourceful, and carrying more than you ever show on your face, you are the reason the ship reaches anywhere at all. Every route was planned by you. Every impossible weather reading, every near-catastrophe avoided — that was you. The world tried to take everything from you once, and you built something extraordinary out of the wreckage. You love the people you’ve chosen fiercely, quietly, and without much ceremony. The map isn’t finished. You’ll get there. 🗺️
You spent so long being hunted for what you know that you forgot — briefly, painfully — that you were also worth loving for who you are. You carry the weight of erased history in your memory and the quiet certainty of someone who has survived what should have been unsurvivable. Calm where others panic, perceptive where others miss everything, and in possession of a dark humour that still catches people off guard. You don’t trust easily, and when you do, it is the most complete and devastating loyalty imaginable. You want to know the truth. You deserve to live to read it. 📖
You have principles carved so deep they function like a skeleton — invisible, structural, and the thing holding everything else upright. You cook for people because food is love expressed at its most honest. You fight for the crew because protecting them is the most natural thing in the world. You are elegant, occasionally absurd, capable of extraordinary tenderness and absolutely terrifying combat in the same five-minute span. You came from darkness and chose light so deliberately and so completely that it became your defining act. The sea called and you answered. All Blue is out there. You’ll find it. 🍳
Bleach’s Thousand-Year Story Keeps Expanding
Ichigo Kurosaki with a confident smirk ahead of battle in Bleach; Thousand-Year Blood WarImage via Studio Pierrot
While the original Bleach anime ended in 2012 with 366 episodes, the series returned with Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War in 2022, adding dozens of new episodes and finally bringing the manga’s final story arc to life. Bleach‘s supernatural action following Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager who gains the powers of a Soul Reaper, includes many memorable battles, allies, and rivals.
Between the original series and the revival, completing Bleach isn’t an easy feat. However, its dedicated fan base that allowed it to ascend into the shonen ‘Big Three’ is indicative of the investment being worth it. The action sequences are stylish, the mythology is complicated and ever-evolving, and with its long-awaited conclusion finally on the horizon, Bleach is still worth getting into now.
Detective Conan Has Been Solving Crimes for Decades
Detective Conan looking inquisitive in Case Closed: The Darkest Nightmare.Image via TMS Entertainment
Conan and The Detective Boys Case Closed Detective Conan The Bride Of Halloween Conan and The Detective Boys Case Closed Detective Conan The Bride Of Halloween
Conan Edogawa really has his work cut out for him, as with 1,000 episodes and counting under Case Closed‘s belt, there seems to be a never-ending supply of cases for the detective to solve. Detective Conan has become a national treasure in Japan since the series’ inception in 1996, and his transformation into his child self is often cited as the first use of the age reversal trope in anime.
Case Closed involves episodic mysteries with an overarching conspiracy of the Black Organization, the mysterious group who turned Conan into a child again, making the anime easy to digest no matter which episode is chosen. However, there is something charming about going back to the beginning and watching Conan’s story unfold in all its ’90s animation glory.
The Fairy Tail Guild Never Stays Out of Trouble For Long
The main cast of the Fairy Tail anime in 100 Years QuestImage via A-1 Pictures
Fairy Tail follows Natsu Dragneel and the members of the Fairy Tail Guild as they take on dangerous missions, battle powerful enemies, and forge unbreakable bonds. Across more than 300 episodes, the series delivers a steady mix of action, comedy, and heartfelt moments while introducing an ever-growing cast of mages and rival guilds.
Although Fairy Tail is shorter than some of anime’s longest-running giants, finishing the anime is still a major undertaking. Its large cast and repetitive arc structure requires dedication to get through, especially Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest. However, its fast-paced battles and colorful world make the lengthy journey an enjoyable one for fans of fantasy shonen anime.
It Takes Time to Appreciate an Anime as Influential as Dragon Ball
Mystic Gohan is charging towards Super Buu in this flashback to Dragon Ball Z from Episode 1 of Dragon Ball Daima.Image via Toei Animation
Yamcha fighting Saibaman in Dragon Ball ZImage via Toei Animation
Goku kicks at Frieza in Dragon Ball Z.Image via Toei Animation
As one of the most influential anime of all time, Dragon Ball has transformed the shonen genre with its iconic battles, transformations, and villains. There have been several installments of the Dragon Ball series, starting way back in 1986 and finishing in 2025 with Dragon Ball Daima. Across every series, there are a total of 826 episodes detailing Goku and the Z fighters’ story.
The most popular installment of the Dragon Ball franchise, Dragon Ball Z, spans nearly 300 episodes across the Saiyan, Frieza, Cell, and Buu sagas. While its influence on battle shonen anime is undeniable, completing the entire series can be tough thanks to its lengthy fights that span multiple episodes, extended training arcs, and deliberate pacing. Even so, Dragon Ball is nothing short of legendary.
Pokémon Continues to Reinvent Itself in the Modern Era
Ash tries to get Pikachu to enter a Poke Ball in PokémonImage via OLM
Beginning with Ash Ketchum and Pikachu’s journey through the Kanto region, Pokémon has expanded since its debut in 1997 to span over 1,000 episodes, multiple movies, and even an entirely new main cast since 2023. The anime is now one of the most recognizable worldwide, and Pokémon Horizons: The Series has refreshed the familiar story with the addition of Liko and Roy.
Most anime fans who grew up with Pokémon will have watched new episodes as they aired, but the idea of starting the series from scratch now would definitely be daunting for a newcomer. Across decades, Ash travels through multiple regions, competes in countless battles, and meets hundreds of Pokémon and trainers along the way. Despite its enormous scope, Pokémon is still a comforting journey to go on.
Gintama Turns Odd Jobs Into a Massive Comedy Epic
Gintoki, Kagura, Shinpachi, and rest of Gintama cast make peace signs in Gintama.Image via Studio Sunrise
Gintama cast in The Very Final Dragon Ball Parody.Image via Bandai Namco Pictures
Sakata Gintoki waving and smiling in GintamaImage via Studio Sunrise
Gintama is the kind of anime that requires vast knowledge of anime and Japanese culture to fully appreciate. The samurai comedy is packed full of references to pop culture and other anime series, and once fans are armed with the knowledge to attempt to watch it, there are over 350 episodes and three movies to get through. Naturally, the prospect seems daunting for many fans.
Set in an alternative version of Edo-era Japan where aliens have descended, Gintama follows Gintoki Sakata and his freelancing crew as they stumble into bizarre adventures and unexpected battles. While its episodic structure and absurd humor can make early episodes feel like a slow commitment, patience is rewarded by surprisingly heartfelt moments and well-written character development.
Naruto’s Journey From Student to Hokage Takes Time
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are confronting each other with aggravated expressions during their first fight in Naruto.Image via Studio Pierrot
Following Naruto Uzumaki from a lonely young ninja to a powerful shinobi determined to protect his friends takes over 700 episodes, including Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. When including Boruto in the mix, it adds another 293 episodes to complete the iconic series. However, Naruto‘s die-hard fans will attest that the journey is completely worth it, if only to watch a core piece of anime history.
Along the way, Naruto offers intense battles, emotional character arcs, and a constantly expanding ninja world filled with rival clans and powerful enemies. While the series’ extensive filler episodes and slower pacing can make watching Naruto feel longer, fans have retroactively written filler lists that make the viewing experience way more streamlined.
Sazae-san is a Family Comedy That Has Been Airing for Generations
Sazae, her husband, kids and parents standing outside their home in Sazae-san animeImage via Eiken
Sazae-san and family sit down around the table.Image via Eiken
Sazae-San and family walk along next to the beach.Image via Eiken
Sazae-san holds a unique place in anime history as the longest-running anime series ever made, with thousands of episodes released since it began airing in 1969. Unlike action-heavy shonen epics, Sazae-san focuses on the everyday life of Sazae Fuguta and her family, turning ordinary moments into charming and relatable stories, even though the setting remains unchanged by modern technology.
With decades of Japanese cultural history behind it, Sazae-san is literally a lifelong commitment. Its episodic format makes the series digestible, but clocking in at 9,000 episodes and counting, most fans would have no hope of finishing the series. Sazae-san was previously unknown internationally due to a lack of distribution, but as of 2026, the series is finally seeing some global expansion.
Chiikawa is a Bite-Sized Anime With a Huge Episode Count
The adorable Chiikawa and friends are getting their very first movie based on a crazy fan-favorite story from the manga.Image via Doga Kobo
Despite having a short runtime per episode, Chiikawa is a surprisingly lengthy anime commitment thanks to its frequent releases and growing episode count. Since the series began in 2022, it has amassed 356 episodes and an upcoming movie, barely stopping in 2025 to take a short hiatus. While each episode is easy to watch individually, catching up on the entire series takes serious patience.
Based on the popular manga series by Nagano, Chiikawa tells the adorable story of three cute yet anxious creatures, Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi, as they navigate everyday life, work, and unexpected challenges. Watching the tiny animals work at weeding and hunting in their forest world is the perfect way to unwind, and there’s no danger of running out of content to watch.
