Near the end of 2025, the statistics for anime viewership in Japanese TV came in, and the facts made it clear Luffy won’t be TV king anytime soon. Eiichiro Oda’s rubbery pirate hero is on track to become pirate king, but it’s not just pirates who dominate the ratings. No matter the bombastic action and deep lore of One Piece‘s current anime arcs, less is more in the eyes of Japanese viewers as Sazae-San takes the lead.
Due to the massive proliferation of anime in recent years and the fickle nature of the fandom, it’s anyone’s guess which anime will make headlines in Japan or the West. In the long term, One Piece reliably has a place among the most-watched and most-loved anime as a true shonen juggernaut. But not even One Piece is invincible, because for all its well-deserved hype, Japanese viewers are itching for something more nostalgic and comforting. Whether or not fans call Sazae-San an iyashikei anime, its gentle, past-oriented narrative made it the crown jewel of anime TV near the end of December last year.
Sazae-San Taps Into the Simpler Vibes of Post-War Japan In Any Decade
This 1960s Anime Also Has More Momentum Than One Piece
As shown on Anime News Network, a handful of excellent anime ranked near the top from December 22nd-28th on Japanese television. Some familiar mega-hits made the cut, such as the cerebral Detective Conan and the children’s anime Doraemon, but the #1 spot is reserved for the legendary Sazae-San. Meanwhile, One Piece ended up at #7, which is still a respectable slot, but it’s far from what Sazae-San accomplished. While Sazae-San had a massive average household rating of 5.5 in that week, One Piece had a comparatively tame 2.6.
Of course, this is just one week of hundreds where One Piece has been on the air; week by week, of course it might sometimes yield to another show for short-term reasons. But there’s also a long-term reason why a cozy slice-of-life anime like Sazae-San will eclipse One Piece‘s viewership on Japanese TV. That’s because Sazae-San beats One Piece at its own game in terms of length and sheer familiarity as a long-running anime. For all its weight as a 27-year-old anime with over 1,100 episodes, One Piece still cannot compare to Sazae-San, an anime that’s been airing since 1969. Sazae-San also has 7,000 episodes to its name and is a Guinness World Record holder.
Sazae-San is for Japan what The Simpsons is for Americans, a cozy, family-oriented animated show that’s been around so long, a viewer feels like they’ve known these characters all their life. On top of that, Sazae-San has unique nostalgia and comforting feelings in its homeland, making today’s TV viewers fondly think back on the peaceful, prosperous years following World War II. That war was devastating to Japan. However, the “economic miracle” of the 1960s and 1970s made the war feel like a distant, terrible dream that gave way to good times for all. Sazae-San taps into those good feelings with its simple, semi-historic setting where the joys of everyday life replace action and tension.
One Piece is Strong, But It’s Not Dominant Right Now
The Elbaph Arc May Make One Piece the King of TV in 2026 and Beyond
Not only does Sazae-San have the nostalgic, feel-good vibes needed to take the top spot in Japanese TV late in December, One Piece lacked the right stuff to claim that slot for itself. No one would say One Piece‘s anime is losing its touch, seeing how the Egghead Island story arc blew fans away with the battle against the Five Elders and Dr. Vegapunk’s world-shaking revelations. That being said, sheer familiarity and easygoing tones allowed both Sazae-San and Doraemon to top One Piece from December 22nd-28th, and the anime is now going on a break. Simply put, Japanese TV viewers might feel done with One Piece for now.
The Egghead Island Arc has concluded in the anime, and it’ll be a few months — until April — when the Elbaph Arc will bring One Piece‘s anime back. Until then, Egghead’s conclusion feels like a good stopping point for One Piece in every sense. It allows TV viewers to turn their attention to beloved classics from previous decades until the time is right for the Straw Hats to return on the small screen. No doubt the Elbaph Arc, once it’s firing on all cylinders, will stand a good chance of taking #1 in Japanese TV viewership rates as the stories of the God Knights, Prince Loki, and the infamous Rocks D. Xebec take center stage.
Source: Anime News Network
One Piece
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- Writers
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Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
