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Anime traditionally debut with 12-13 episodes in a season. There are a plethora of anime that exceed that amount by hundreds of episodes. However, not all of them are worth the time required to watch them. Below are the best long-running anime series to watch that are over 100 episodes.
Naruto
With 720 episodes, including Naruto(220) and Naruto Shippuden(500), the story of Naruto follows a mischievous young ninja on his quest to become the village leader, the Hokage. Naruto is shunned by his peers and other villagers as he hosts the Nine-Tailed Fox within his body. This demon is responsible for the death of the Fourth Hokage and many surviving villagers’ loved ones. As the Hokage is someone everyone respects, Naruto believes that people will stop despising him if he becomes this beacon for the village. Naruto’s growth as a person is shown throughout the series through death, denial, and war. Every episode is not canon, however, with nearly half of each series being filler. In spite of the overwhelming amount of filler, Naruto is worth the watch.
Bleach
Bleach is a series consisting of 392 episodes separated into 366 episodes for its original run and 26 for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc as of July 2024. Ichigo Kurosaki is a high school student with an unusual ability. The orange haired ruffian has the ability to see the spirits of the undead. One day, a shinigami named Rukia enters his room searching for a powerful “Hollow”. Trying to protect Ichigo, witnessing all of the events, she is gravely injured. Rukia transfers half of her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo to have a chance at survival for them both. This marks Ichigo’s transition into a Substitute Soul Reaper and the beginning of the long road ahead.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
In contrast to many other long-running anime, the story of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure doesn’t follow one protagonist. Hirohiko Araki, the manga artist for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, introduces a new member of the Joestar family as the main protagonist for each new arc. As of 2024, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is 190 episodes long, spanning across six unique arcs in the story. The anime has been running since Araki’s manga 25th anniversary on October 12, 2012. While every Joestar has their own story, most of them involve the vile man, Dio Brando directly or otherwise.
Beginning with Phantom Blood, the story stars Jonathan Joestar as he battles his adoptive step-brother, Dio Brando. Dio’s goal is to obtain the Joestar’s family wealth by any means necessary. He acquires the powers of a vampire using a stone mask. Jonathan must not only protect his family, but others he holds dear from the clutches of Dio. This rivalry leads to decades of torment from Dio on the Joestar family.
One Piece
Debuting on October 20, 1999, One Piece is one the longest running anime of all time, clocking in at 1113 episodes as of July 2024. One Piece stars Monkey D. Luffy as the leader of the Straw Hats Pirates. His main objective: Reach the Grand Line. On his way, he battles powerful foes while gathering new allies to join his crew. The story portrays the bonds of friendship while having a sense of adventure. The Straw Hats’ brushes with the law(The Marines) gives an overt tale of rebellion.
Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z
Based on the iconic manga by the late Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is one the most influential anime of all time. Dragon Ball, more specifically Dragon Ball Z, is referenced in other popular forms of entertainment besides anime. Given the excitement and thrill of watching a fight in this series, it is easy to see why.
Dragon Ball stars Son Goku as he leaves his home in the countryside to search for seven mystical balls that can grant any wish. Along this journey, he meets allies that would continue to be a part of the series in the sequel Dragon Ball Z. On his quest to become the strongest, Goku must battle foes that threaten the Earth’s safety.
Dragon Ball debuted on Fuji Tv on February 26, 1986. Airing until April 18, 1989, 153 episodes were made for Akira Toriyama’s masterpiece. Starting immediately afterwards was Dragon Ball Z airing from April 26, 1989 – January 31, 1996 with 291 episodes.
Gintama
Feudal Japan has been invaded by aliens known as the Amanto. Samurai defended their home until they were no more. Now the Amanto have integrated themselves into Edo Japan, banning all swords.
Gintoki Sakata, a former samurai who fought in the war against the Amanto, operates an odd jobs business known as Yorozuya. Follow Gintoki and the other odd job employees, Shinpachi and Kagura, as they find themselves in hysterical predicaments.
Gintama first debuted on April 4, 2006 on TV Tokyo. Sunrise, the studio that animated most of Gintama, had a turbulent road when working on this comedic series. Gintama was near cancellation or canceled several times during its run until a movie released on January 8, 2021.
Hunter x Hunter
October 2, 2011 marks the date Hunter x Hunter debuted until its end on September 24, 2014. The plot revolves around ten year old Gon Freecs as he departs his home island to find his father after discovering he had become a Hunter. Gon himself wants to follow in his footsteps of being a Hunter. However, in order to be a Hunter, he must take the Hunter Exam. Gon befriends Kurapika, Killua, and Leorio over the course of the exam. Follow Gon and his friends as they take on the treacherous trials of the Hunter Exam.
Yu Yu Hakusho
14 year old delinquent, Yusuke Urameshi, loses his life attempting to save another. He is given another chance at life by Koenma, the son of the king of the Underworld, King Enma. Through a series of trials, he would be able to return to his body. In return, Yusuke will become a Spirit Detective. Follow the escapades of Yusuke over 112 episodes as he assumes his roles as Spirit Detective in Yu Yu Hakusho.
While there is a significant amount of anime that have 100 or more episodes, like Detective Conan and Yu-Gi-Oh, the anime above are worth the investment.
Watch every title except Bleach on Crunchyroll. All episodes of Bleach are available to watch on Hulu in addition to the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
