It’s no secret that Netflix is one of the best streaming services, which is thanks in large part to its ever-growing library of original content. Among the biggest hits that the platform has delivered is One Piece, the live-action adaptation of the globally popular manga/anime of the same name. Premiering nearly one full year ago, the series earned a lot of positive reviews and pulled in huge viewership numbers, resulting in One Piece Season 2 getting the greenlight just a few weeks later. As it turns out though, the live-action One Piece’s success also benefitted another streaming service.
In an interview with The Wrap, Gita Rebbapragada, chief operating officer for Crunchyroll, was asked if viewership on the anime-centric streaming service ever sees a viewership bump from anime-related programming that’s on channels or streaming services. She confirmed there was indeed a “correlation” and brought up One Piece as an example, saying:
Netflix has a massive platform, and more people watch live-action than animation. So between those two things, a lot more people got exposed to the franchise. It’s not just Crunchyroll that benefits from that. One Piece merch sales went up more. There was more streaming of the original One Piece series. We have it on our platform, but others do too. So all boats rise when a franchise has a big moment.
Although one can watch the One Piece anime alongside the live-action adaptation with a Netflix subscription, as of this writing, there are hundreds of episodes missing on that platform. Crunchyroll, on the other hand, has the entirety of One Piece available to its subscribers, so once the live-action show got so much buzz, that led to the original anime being streamed more, alongside various other shows. That’d be notable enough on its own, but Crunchyroll also saw a rise in sales for the One Piece merchandise that can be purchased on the website. Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are more popular than ever!
The One Piece anime has been running since 1999, two years after Echiiro Oda launched the manga series. While the property has long had a huge fanbase, clearly the live-action series has done a stellar job exposing many more people to Luffy and his crew’s journey across the Grand Line and beyond to find the mysterious One Piece treasure left behind by Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates. That said, when it comes to Crunchyroll, I am curious about how much of that boosted One Piece viewership came from existing fans of the show vs. newcomers who liked the Netflix show.
Speaking of Netflix, if you’re a One Piece fan, you’ll want to make sure you stay subscribed to the service. In addition to One Piece Season 2 now filming and likely being ready to air sometime in 2025, Netflix will also be the exclusive home to The One Piece, an anime series remake that will restart the fantastical saga from the East Blue story arc. Plus, the service is continuing to add older story arcs alongside its release of new episodes.
The last month has seen Netflix announce some big castings for One Piece Season 2, but there are plenty of other important roles left to be filled. While we wait for those updates and other news about the next batch of episodes, look through the other best shows on Netflix available to watch now.
