Key Takeaways
- One Piece’s extreme length may deter new fans, but recent spikes in popularity and trends show an influx of newcomers.
- The series gained global popularity during the Dressrosa and Wano Arcs, attracting new fans as it progresses.
- Despite dedicated long-time fans, Google Trends and events like the Pandemic show One Piece’s fanbase is growing exponentially.
When it comes to One Piece, despite tonally feeling like a beginner-friendly anime, it can be a bit difficult to get into. With well over 1,000 Episodes and Chapters to catch up on, being a new One Piece fan becomes more daunting with every new release. At times, for a new viewer, it can feel nearly impossible to catch up with the show, leading to some potential fans passing up the show entirely.
This has led many fans to wonder how One Piece’s extreme length affects its fanbase. Being such a daunting series to get into, many members of the community believe that the number of new fans of the series is much lower when compared to much shorter releases. That leaves an important question; does One Piece have more new fans or more old fans?
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How Has One Piece Grown Throughout the Years?
A Steady Growth With a Recent Spike
To be considered a new fan, these fans would have to start watching One Piece sometime over the last 10 years. This includes from One Piece’s Dressrosa Arc and onward. Fans who have been watching the series since earlier than this moment are considered old fans.
No one is born in this world to be alone! – Jaguar D. Saul
As a series, One Piece was released in 1997, gaining steady amounts of popularity ever since. However, with each new amazing moment that occurs in the series, like One Piece’s Enies Lobby, Marineford, and beyond, the series seems to gain some spikes in popularity, alluring new fans to join the massive franchise. Additionally, new movie releases help drum up even more popularity, especially for Japanese audiences.
However, globally, One Piece’s popularity is a completely different story. Although the series has had dedicated fans since its early releases during Toonami, One Piece started peaking in popularity during the Dressrosa Arc and over the Pandemic, during the Wano Arc. While it’s hard to say how many new fans joined during this time period, One Piece reached its peak popularity in recent years.
Google Trends Show One Piece May Have Many New Fans
Better Late Than Never
Overall, when looking at the popularity of One Piece over time, the show seemed to have a steady growth over time. Looking at Google Trends data in America from 2004 onward, the franchise gained a fairly consistent amount of popularity with a slight spike at around the end of Wano. Additionally, the series gained a massive spike in popularity during the release of One Piece’s Live Action adaptation, reaching levels that it had never reached before.
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Although it’s hard to tell purely based on Google Trends Data, based on One Piece’s search history over time, it may be safe to say that many of One Piece’s fans have only recently started watching the show or returning to the show from their childhood. Between One Piece Live Action and the promise of The One Piece, the reanimated series, as well as massive events occurring, like the Egghead Island and Elbaf Arcs, it seems the series is attracting swarms of new fans.
The Pandemic Gave an Opportunity to Start One Piece
Plenty of Time to Watch
Additionally, the events of the Pandemic itself may have given many potential One Piece fans the excuse to dive head-first into the series. Based on trend data, the show did receive a substantial rise in popularity during this era. On top of this, popularity since the Pandemic of One Piece has been growing at a significant rate. In fact, it seems that right now, the fanbase of One Piece is growing exponentially, and will continue this trend throughout the Final Saga.
Inherited Will, The Destiny of the Age, and The Dreams of the People. As long as people continue to pursue the meaning of Freedom, these things will never cease to be! – Gol D. Roger
However, it is worth noting that many members of the One Piece community have been with the show since the beginning. Older fans still make up a large part of the community, as is evident through One Piece’s age demographic, which shows that fans in general are older than its target demographic.
In the end, One Piece is an amazing show that can be enjoyed by both new and old fans. It’s always nice to see how welcoming the One Piece community can be to new fans, especially when the series itself is so intimidating to get into. Hopefully, in the future, the series will continue to welcome more new fans, especially as One Piece delves into its Final Saga.
