A new map shows how dominant One Piece has become in the United States' anime scene.
As reported by Polygon, the new map, which was compiled by CenturyLinkQuote, calculates the most popular anime in all 50 American states using search data gathered from throughout 2021. The map reminds viewers that while there's not many topics most Americans can agree on nowadays, One Piece is a nationwide pastime, as the show was the top result in 25 states spread across the entire country. Pokemon was the second most popular result, winning over eight states, while Naruto proved that ninjas are welcome in six states throughout the midwest and south. The super natural thriller Death Note also seems to be particularly popular in Kansas and Oklahoma. Several shows managed to win over a single state, such as this anime season's biggest hit, Attack on Titan, which apparently has plenty of fans in Utah, and the shojo classic Sailor Moon, which has remained popular in California. Japan's current biggest series, Jujutsu Kaisen, also managed to take the crown in just a single state, Hawaii.
One Piece's coast-to-coast popularity isn't surprising, considering that Eiichiro Oda's long-running pirate adventure is the best-selling manga series in history, with almost half-a-billion copies in circulation worldwide. The manga is expected to eclipse the total lifetime sales of Batman comics and all of the Harry Potter books within the next few months. The series originally premiered in 1997, and both the original manga and its later anime adaptation have consistently managed to stay at or near the top of sales charts and TV ratings in Japan throughout their 20-plus year run. In 2021, the series received renewed attention as the manga published its 1000th chapter and the anime similarly aired its 1000th episode.
Oda and Weekly Shonen Jump publisher Shueisha have teased multiple times that the long journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates is finally nearing its ultimate conclusion, but the series may find new life in an upcoming live-action reboot. The latest adaptation of Oda's work is being produced by Netflix and Tomorrow Studios, the production company behind the short-lived Cowboy Bebop live-action series. The series will star Go, Youth! and Who Killed Sara?'s Iñaki Godoy as the stretchy pirate Monkey D. Luffy. Oda is serving as the new show's executive producer.
Eiichiro Oda's manga is available in English from VIZ Media. The full anime series can be streamed from Funimation and Crunchyroll, while parts of the series are available on Hulu and Netflix. The series is also slated to return to American cable TV, as Toonami recently announced that it will begin airing the series' second half.
Source: CenturyLinkQuote via Polygon
