Modern anime fans are used to a 12 or 24-episode format for anime series, where, if they’re lucky, their favorite show might get a second or a third season. This wasn't the case a few decades ago, where anime would continue to air in continuous daily rotations, as evidenced by series like Naruto or Dragon Ball.
However, while those series ended, and despite their high number of filler episodes, there are anime like One Piece that continue to grace TV screens. In reality, there are anime much older than One Piece that have been airing their episodes for decades — and some for nearly half a century.
Updated December, 6th, 2022, by Daniel Kurland: Hundreds of new anime come out each year, and attempting to stay on top of everything can be overwhelming. It's even harder to give anime a chance when they have decades of content and hundreds – or even thousands – of episodes to get through. There are plenty of cases where a long journey is worth the wait, but more often than not the opposite is true. It's even more frustrating when decades of storytelling end with little to no resolution and the anime's long-running legacy gets tarnished in the process.
15 Short Shellfish Antics Deliver Maximum Silliness
It's Morning! Clamployees (744 Episodes)
It's Morning! Clamployees is a 2019 slice-of-life ONA that's from the post-2000s era, but its relatively short life hasn't gotten in the way of its ability to turn out content. It's Morning! Clamployees has been able to accrue more than 700 episodes because each installment is only one-minute long.
It's Morning! Clamployees is a silly idea that's even inspired its own spin-off. Its story is simple: it follows the day-to-day life of a man named Kamoyama. Kamoyama works as the Sale Department Z's manager for shellfish, and despite the anime's humble scope, there's still a sense of malaise over the lack of closure for Kamoyama.
14 The Ultimate Pirate Shonen Adventure Is About To Enter Its Climax
One Piece (1042+ Episodes)
One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy is a goofy teenage boy who also happens to be a pirate, but an unconventional one. Luffy does not loot the innocent or conquer land; he's a pirate because he loves going on adventures and meeting new people. Much like any other pirate, Luffy has his eyes on the ultimate prize called the One Piece.
The legendary One Piece treasure is said to contain limitless fortune and riches. Luffy's adventures as he strives to become the Pirate King have become increasingly impressive, but there's still a lack of closure after more than 1000 episodes. It's unlikely that One Piece will face cancelation, but many fans are wondering if an ending will ever come.
13 Anime's Signature Mystery Series Is Always Ready To Take On A New Case
Detective Conan: Case Closed (1065+ Episodes)
Seventeen-year-old Shinichi Kudou first made his appearance on television on January 8, 1996, when he was caught by criminals and given an experimental drug in the very first episode of Detective Conan: Case Closed. When Shinichi opens his eyes, he's shocked to learn that he now has the body of a seven-year-old boy.
Undeterred, Shinichi uses his resources and intellect to build a new identity for himself. He uses his new life to solve various criminal cases, including the hopeful discovery of an antidote to his mysterious condition. Audiences are used to Shinichi's endless pursuit of justice, but more than 1000 cases have them concerned that he might not get to end the series on his own terms.
12 Shin-Chan Never Got To Grow Up
Crayon Shin-Chan (1142+ Episodes)
Crayon Shin-Chan's Shinnosuke Nohara, more popularly known as Shin-chan, is a five-year-old boy who lives quite an extraordinary life. Nothing is off limits for Shin-chan, whether he's sumo wrestling in the name of love, fighting monsters, or forgetting the commitment he made to his friends. Shin-chan's adventures are frequently juxtaposed with his seemingly innocent home life.
Crayon Shin-Chan's standard slice-of-life shenanigans are fairly episodic in nature. However, each installment gradually expands upon the anime's signature naughty boy, as well as the people who matter the most to him in life. These silly exploits are entertaining, but Shin-chan deserves the right to grow up and reach the next phase in life.
11 A Wide World Is Full Of Big Problems For A Tiny Optimism
Little Miss Maruko (1364+ Episodes)
The first episode of Little Miss Maruko aired all the way back in 1992, only to later get picked up again in 1995. The humble, humorous anime details the life of an otaku girl named Momoko Sakura, who earns the nickname "Chibi" due to her short height.
Momoko often has her hands full with her responsibilities at school, which include dealing with her unusual friends, strict teachers, and judgmental student committee members. That being said, there's no shortage of drama that Momoko experiences at home, too. Momoko learns to take life in stride, but her innocent adventures begin to wear thin since they don't change anything.
10 The Power Of Knowledge Fuels This Friendly Faction
The Affectuous Family (1428 Episodes)
The Affectuous Family delivered steady daily content to Japanese families in five-minute installments throughout the 1970s and '80s for close to 1500 episodes. There's a disconnected quality to The Affectuous Family as it presents everyday family stories that are heavy in lessons and moralistic material.
The Affectuous Family has become a bit of a lost anime relic since it hasn't been preserved online or acquired enough demand to go up on any anime streaming service. The slate is typically reset in each short episode of this anime, but there's still an abrupt nature to its finish that feels unfair.
9 Classic Japanese Folklore Find Freedom
Manga Nippon Mukashibanashi (1471 Episodes)
Manga Nippon Mukashibanashi is an anime touchstone that endured for two decades and was able to find endless storytelling inspiration through its adaptations of classic Japanese folklore. A lot of anime take this folktale approach and will attempt to deliver endless content through barebones animation or short runtimes.
The approach that Manga Nippon Mukashibanashi takes is to instead constantly shift animators between episodes, a decision that was pioneered by its lead director, Gisaburo Sugii, and allows for efficient production. Admittedly, there's no "end" to a series of folklore stories, but there could still be a bold, important episode that the anime concludes upon.
8 A Silly Superhero For All Seasons
Sore Ike! Anpanman (1491+ Episodes)
Sore Ike! Anpanman's titular protagonist is a very unique superhero who was an ordinary piece of anpan bread before a Star of Life gifts him with super sentience. Anpanman fights evil and keeps criminals at bay, but he also helps feed the poor and hungry whenever he comes across them. It's a fitting touch about his heroism considering that he was food himself not too long ago.
Sore Ike! Anpanman is a light-hearted anime that boasts quite a wide number of characters. It's the perfect silly superhero subversion for those who just want to have some casual fun. That being said, Anpanman's adventures are still going on after nearly 1500 episodes, and some people just want to see the hero get to retire while he's still on top.
7 Children's Entertainment Explores Current Events
Kirin Monoshiri Yakata (1565 Episodes)
Kirin Monoshiri Yakata is another educational anime for younger audiences that was a staple of the 1970s. Kirin Monoshiri Yakata features a cat and mouse cast who work together to teach kids about history in a "day of the life" approach.
What makes Kirin Monoshiri Yakata such a unique series is that it's a major piece of lost media and there are only a couple of episodes that can be found out of the thousands that were made. It's unfortunate that such a big part of anime history is missing and audiences can't see how the series went out or if there's any sense of a true ending.
6 A Silly Sci-Fi Cat Has Become One Of Anime's Greatest Mascots
Doraemon (1979) (1787 Episodes)
Doraemon is an evergreen anime property that even non-anime fans are likely to recognize. The anime's story revolves around a blue robot cat from the future who warns Nobita Nobi of the next generation's imminent doom. Rather than crumble in the face of pressure, Nobita and Doraemon work together to fight this fractured future. To Doraemon's dismay, Nobita is the laziest and dumbest boy in school.
It seems that not even Doraemon's futuristic gadgets are enough to help Nobita become a better version of himself, but that doesn't stop them from trying. The original 1979 series reaches 1787 episodes. While it has a proper finish, there's still a lack of resolution when it comes to everyone's favorite robot cat. A 2005 reboot attempts to dig deeper and manages to deliver another 1040 episodes in the process. Collectively, Doraemon is an anime juggernaut that's hard to top.
5 Entertaining Extraterrestrials Spice Up This Slice Of Life Silliness
Oyako Club (1818 Episodes)
Oyako Club ran for close to two decades, and over that impressive span of time, it accumulated close to 2000 episodes. At only five minutes apiece, Oyako Club gets in and out quickly with its slice-of-life styling with a sci-fi twist. Rompa and Lun are two perturbed extraterrestrials who shack up with an unsuspecting Earth family.
A lot of the humor in Oyako Club stems from Rompa and Lun's constant misunderstandings of Earth's customs. However, the anime doesn't build to any sort of grand finale, whether that's Rompa and Lun's acceptance of Earth or return home. Even ALF got closure.
4 A Family-Friendly Fish Out Of Water Story With A Regal Twist
Prince Mackaroo (1947+ Episodes)
Prince Mackaroo is a children’s anime that takes place 1000 years ago during the Heian era, where Ojarumaru finds a powerful magic object and is transported to modern-day Japan. Shocked and confused, Ojarumaru is immediately befriended by a sweet boy named Kazuma.
Thanks to Kazuma's benevolence, Ojarumaru is able to learn a lot about this new and fascinating world. Slowly but steadily, this disaffected prince is also able to feel increasingly at home and make lasting bonds along the way. Prince Mackaroo has nearly 2000 episodes for its young audience, but it doesn't look like there's any chance of Ojarumaru returning home or his Heian-era family getting any closure.
3 Ninja Mischief & Mayhem Has Never Been So Funny
Nintama Rantarou (2321+ Episodes)
Rantarou is a young ninja who is always accompanied by his two in-training ninja companions, the foolish Shinbe and money-hungry Kirimaru. These three aren't exactly the best influence on each other, and when they're together, they'll typically do everything possible except for their expected ninja studies.
Nintama Rantarou's core trio never fail to get themselves in awkward situations that test their limits of embarrassment rather than their ninja skills. There's some expectation that after 2000 episodes there'd be some sense of progression and closure to Rintarou's training, but at this point, that's clearly off the table.
2 A Sweet Feline Leads Kids Through Countless Adventures
3000 Whys Of Blue Cat (3057 Episodes)
While technically a Chinese production, Lan Mao — otherwise known as 3000 Whys of Blue Cat — is an absolute phenomenon that lasted more than 3000 episodes. It also fueled books, video games, and its own theme park. This Chinese educational series first premiered in 1999, and it's gone on to teach millions of children fundamental lessons covering everything from shapes, to telling time, to the human body.
Blue Cat is one of the many animal educators that give Lan Mao such everlasting appeal to younger audiences. There may not be a serialized narrative, but Lan Mao's hosts should be able to say goodbye to their loving fans.
1 A Family Comedy That's More Than Lasted The Test Of Time
Sazae-San (8333+ Episodes)
Nobody could have known that when the first episode of Sazae-san aired all the way back in 1969 that it would go on to become one of the medium's evergreen institutions. Plenty of anime become mainstream hits, but the enduring legacy of Sazae-san is on a whole other level and the series has even set the Guinness World Record for the longest-running anime of all time.
Sazae-san's story revolves around the mundane circumstances that surround the titular heroine and her everyday family. It's slice-of-life storytelling at its most wholesome and the fact that the entire family can enjoy Sazae-san together is a big factor in its enduring appeal. Audiences wonder if there will ever be a real ending for Sazae-san, but it doesn't seem likely any time soon.