While the One Piece manga is incredible, its anime adaptation has faced challenges despite improvements in recent years. When it comes to anime, only one series truly deserves the title of King, and that is Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba, a massive hit both as an anime and in theaters.
One Piece Rules Manga, But Demon Slayer Rules Anime
When it comes to classic manga, One Piece stands at the top. Over 28 years, it has become the best-selling manga worldwide, with nearly 600 million copies sold. This figure far surpasses rivals like Dragon Ball and Naruto. Each volume continues to sell impressively, cementing One Piece’s status as the King of Manga.
However, the anime tells a different story. One Piece’s weekly anime has struggled for years due to its slow pacing. Although animation quality has significantly improved since the Wano arc, it still falls short compared to modern anime series. For these reasons, One Piece cannot truly claim the title of King of Anime.
The crown for King of Anime belongs to none other than Demon Slayer. Over the years, Demon Slayer has proven its massive appeal. The anime exploded in popularity after its outstanding first season, but that was just the beginning. What truly sets Demon Slayer apart is its unprecedented success at the box office.
Both the Mugen Train and Infinity Castle films became the top two highest-grossing movies in Japan. It’s a remarkable feat for an anime series to achieve such box office dominance, and it may never be repeated.
Demon Slayer shows how a perfect blend of captivating story and cinematic-quality animation (by Ufotable) can win over mainstream audiences.
Could One Piece Ever Have a Blockbuster Film Like Demon Slayer?
One Piece still boasts impressive box office numbers with its latest film, One Piece: Film Red (2022), which ranked in Japan’s top 5 and remains in the top 10. This is notable since Film Red is not a direct adaptation of the manga’s main story, unlike Demon Slayer’s films.
This has led many fans to believe that a One Piece film adapting a major arc could be the breakthrough the series needs. For example, many suggest the God Valley arc deserves a full theatrical adaptation.
However, this faces challenges. One Piece is a long-running weekly series, and the God Valley event will likely be adapted into anime soon as part of the Elbaf arc. Once it’s available as anime, fewer fans may be interested in seeing it on the big screen.
Sadly, there seems to be little hope for One Piece films adapting main story arcs. This means future One Piece movies will probably rely on side stories or original ideas that Oda has declined to include in the manga.
In summary, One Piece remains the undisputed King of Manga, but Demon Slayer stands as the uncontested King of today’s anime and cinematic world.