Netflix Confirms One Piece Is Still Making Anime History

July 25, 2026, 7:00pm

Netflix also offers weekly streaming of new One Piece episodes, along with the anime’s entire catalog of over a thousand episodes. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that audiences around the world are choosing Netflix as one of the major platforms to watch the series. While the anime continues to thrive on the streaming platform with new episodes, Netflix also has its own exclusive, and undoubtedly the flagship project of the One Piece franchise, the live-action series. This highlights how strongly One Piece is performing on Netflix. However, for fans curious about just how much the franchise is thriving, the streaming giant has also shared some insightful data.

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Following the debut of One Piece live-action Season 2, it was revealed that the second season retained over 90% of the audience from the debut season, marking a major success, especially compared to Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2, whose live-action premiere saw a drop of over 69%. Meanwhile, the first season of the live-action also recorded strong viewership, hinting that new fans are continuing to join the franchise. Now that the first half of 2026 has come to an end, Netflix has unveiled its streaming numbers, revealing that the anime’s first arc, the East Blue Saga, has the same number of views as its latest ongoing arc. This suggests that, nearly 27 years after the anime first premiered, One Piece is still gaining new fans.

Almost 27 Years Later, One Piece Anime Is Still Growing Its Fanbase

Elbaph Arc luffy One Piece — Courtesy of Toei Animation

In Netflix’s data on what audiences watched most during the first half of 2026, every One Piece arc recorded staggering viewership numbers. However, the two most-watched arcs on the streaming platform were the East Blue Saga and the ongoing Elbaph Arc, both tied at 2.8 million views. This confirms that the One Piece anime is still growing its fanbase from the very beginning of the series, with new viewers watching the origin story just as much as existing fans are following the latest arc. This is no small feat, especially considering these numbers come despite localization limitations. If viewership from other streaming platforms, such as Crunchyroll, were also taken into account, it would further reinforce the picture of the franchise’s growing fandom.

The surge in viewership for the opening arc can be attributed to the newly released season of the One Piece live-action series and the anime’s return from hiatus, both of which may have encouraged new viewers to check out the series. This suggests that 2026 has been a special year for One Piece. However, the momentum is unlikely to stop. One Piece is expected to continue growing in the coming years, especially with the One Piece anime remake set to debut next year, attracting viewers who have been hesitant to start the original anime because of its hundreds of episodes.

Meanwhile, One Piece Season 3 of the live-action series is reportedly aiming for a release next year as well, providing another opportunity to bring in new fans. However, the biggest contributing factor will most likely remain the original manga, which is currently diving deeper into the final moments of the story. That makes this the perfect time for new fans to start watching One Piece and prepare to witness the conclusion of a legacy spanning more than three decades. The One Piece franchise has always made history, and the data revealed by Netflix only further solidifies its overwhelming presence in the anime industry, suggesting that its historic run is far from over.

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