Ananimearc refers to a continuing storyline that takes place over multiple episodes. Some anime that are on the shorter side don’t really have arcs, as the season itself can be seen as one. Other, long-running anime can have very lengthy arcs though.
Which anime arcs are the longest? Here, we are going to take a look at several long arcs that can be found in popular anime. Some of these arcs span over 100 episodes, which is longer than many other series. If you see your favorite left out, don’t worry! These are just a handful of the lengthy arcs out there.
9One Piece - Wano Arc
First up, we have the infamous Wano arc from One Piece. This massive arc is nearly 200 episodes, with many smaller acts breaking up the episode count (as well as a few filler episodes). The first episode of this arc aired in June 2019, and the final episode aired in November 2023.
This means that for over four years, One Piece has been in the same arc! This is a lot, but for One Piece, it’s not too bizarre. For a show with well over one thousand episodes, a 191-episode arc is only natural.
8Detective Conan: Case Closed - Bourbon And Akai Arc
Speaking of long-running anime, next we have the Bouron and Akai Arc from Detective Conan: Case Closed. 274 episodes for an arc is… a lot, but thankfully, it’s split into two half-arcs. The first half covers Bourbon’s first mission from episodes 509 to 704.
The second arc, which is Bourbon’s second mission, stretches from episode 705 to 783, making it a bit shorter. Arcs of this length aren’t abnormal in Detective Conan though; the first arc started from the beginning, leading all the way to episode 128.
7One Piece - Dressrosa Arc
It’s hard to talk about long anime arcs without several mentions of One Piece. In addition to the long-running Wano arc, the Dressrosa arc is incredibly long. At 118 episodes, it’s also surprising that there is no filler in this arc.
Interestingly, the arc that follows (Zou) is just 29 episodes. When compared to many other anime though, 29 can be longer than the show itself. Overall, this is the second-longest arc in One Piece, behind the Wano arc.
6Naruto: Shippuden - Fourth Great Ninja War Arc
Unlike other entries on our list, there is no continuous episode chunk that covers the Fourth Great Ninja War in Naruto Shippuden. Instead, this portion of the show is made up of several smaller arcs that all involve the war. Of course, The Paradise Life on a Boat arc takes place during the war too, which is widely considered the worst filler arc in the entire series.
So, looking at all the main Fourth Great Ninja War content, we have the following arcs.
Overall, this takes place well over 200 episodes, with many uncounted episodes of filler.
5Hunter X Hunter - Chimera Ant Arc
Hunter X Hunter’s Chimera Ant arc is shorter than our previous entries, but 60 episodes is nothing to laugh at. When compared to the series, which has 148 episodes, 60 is quite a lot. The Chimera Ant arc is also one of the most popular arcs in shonen anime.
Although it’s long compared to the series, it’s packed with complex characters, an interesting story, and real stakes. Immediately after this arc, we also get the final one of the anime, which is just 11 episodes.
4One Piece - Whole Cake Island Arc
We could fill this entire list with One Piece arcs, but that wouldn’t be as exciting. We had to add just one more One Piece arc though, so next we have the Whole Cake Island arc. This arc takes place over 95 episodes and happens shortly after the Dressrosa arc mentioned earlier.
Interestingly, this entire arc is roughly thesame length as the amount of filler in One Piece(as of May 2024). Alongside Dressrosa and Wano, the Whole Cake Island arc is the third-longest in the series (so far).
3Naruto - Chunin Exams Arc
This Naruto arc comes from the original series when Naruto was still a young kid. As the name implies, the Chunin Exam arc covers the Chunin exams, whichGenin ninja take to rank up. Somehow though, this arc has fewer episodes than all of the filler in Naruto.
Still, the Chunin Exam arc is quite iconic within the anime community. We all remember when Rock Lee took off his weights and showed his true skill.
2Fairy Tail - Grand Magic Games Arc
The Grand Magic Games arc spans 52 episodes but if you watched this as it was coming out, it may have felt even longer. This is because while the arc was happening, the anime was put on hiatus for around a year in order tocatch up to the manga.
Overall, Fairy Tail has 328 episodes, which makes this 52-episode arc quite small (that’s only about 15 percent of the entire show). Arcs within the franchise aren’t as lengthy as those in One Piece, which makes the Grand Magic Game arc one of the longest in the series.
1Hitman Reborn! - Future Arc
Last but not least, we have the Future arc from Hitman Reborn! Coming in at 129 episodes, this arc is also split into six sub-arcs, with two of them only being present in the anime. This massive arc also introduced a lot of new characters to the series.
In total, Hitman Reborn! has 203 episodes; this means that the Future arc is over half the series. The arc itself has some mixed reception, however, there is no denying that it is quite lengthy.
