7 anime arcs longer than the entire Demon Slayer anime

With the return of the Demon Slayer anime having come and gone over this past weekend, fans of the series are excitedly looking forward to what this upcoming season has in store for them. Unfortunately, it’s apparent to even anime-only fans that the series’ end is near, based on what they were shown in just the first episode of the series’ fourth season. As of this article’s writing, the Demon Slayer anime has currently released 56 episodes overall.

While some fans are shocked and disappointed with what they perceive to be an unnecessarily short story length from the Demon Slayer anime, others are curious as to just how short it is. Unfortunately, when looking at other anime series that are on similar levels of household name status, it becomes clear that there are many arcs, not even series, whose runtimes dwarf that of the entire Demon Slayer anime (so far).

Demon Slayer anime shockingly shorter than individual story arcs in Naruto, One Piece, and more

1) Fourth Shinobi World War (Naruto)

Every nation in the series' Ninja World finds themselves embroiled in war yet again to conclude the series (Image via Pierrot)

Kicking off the list is one of the longer examples, Naruto’s Fourth Shinobi World War arc comprising 119 canon episodes and 160 overall including filler. It’s both one of the longest arcs in anime history, as well as the longest arc in the series. No matter what count is taken, it dwarfs what will eventually be the full runtime and episode count of the completed Demon Slayer anime series, as well as its current total episode count.

Much of the reason why the arc is so long stems from its battlefield-by-battlefield approach— first examining each corner of the titular conflict before linking all fights to one common ground. It’s certainly a slow burn, but one which is very rewarding by nature of the extra focus virtually every character gets throughout.

2) Dressrosa (One Piece)

The island of Dressrosa is one on which the Straw Hats leave their mark in the best way possible (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece’s Dressrosa arc is one of the more controversial anime arcs in general, but especially so in terms of entries on this list. While the arc has aged better in the years since its premiere, many still argue the 118-episode length is too bloated considering what happens. Even if it were reduced by a third, however, it would still dwarf the length of the currently released Demon Slayer anime, and likely surpass its final episode count.

That being said, the arc’s epic-like approach to storytelling and slow buildup, alongside the intertwining of its various storylines do somewhat justify its incredible length. While this wasn’t done as effectively as it was in later arcs of similar length, it was nevertheless serviceable considering it was author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s first time taking such an approach.

3) Future arc (Hitman Reborn!)

Tsuna and his allies are tasked with saving the future in one of Hitman Reborn!'s longest arcs (Image via Artland Inc.)

One of the more niche anime series to appear on this list, Hitman Reborn!’s Future arc is more like a saga considering how many sub-arcs it contains in its massive 129-episode length. Even halved, this would dwarf the Demon Slayer anime’s currently released episode count, and come close to surpassing the anime’s eventual conclusive count.

The reason for the Future arc’s incredible length stems from its core plot, which sees protagonist Tsuna and his allies travel ten years into the future. Likewise, there’s plenty of setup and elaboration on what to expect from the future, what’s changed, who their enemies are, and several other necessary developments.

4) Whole Cake Island (One Piece)

The Whole Cake Island arc sees the Straw Hats get some new allies after splitting their crew in two temporarily (Image via Toei Animation)

Being the next epic-like arc following Dressrosa, One Piece’s Whole Cake Island arc sees Oda learn from his mistakes, in that the arc’s overall length is more justifiable given the plotlines within. Oda also significantly improved on the episode count for this arc, but its 95 episodes will still dwarf whatever the Demon Slayer anime’s eventual final tally will be.

One of the reasons why the Whole Cake Island arc is so much more well-received is how fundamental the development of Sanji is to its events, battles, and major conflicts. Combined with memorable action scenes, intriguing characters, and an exciting setup for the future, it’s much less divisive than the Dressrosa arc.

5) Chimera Ant arc (Hunter x Hunter)

The Chimera Ant arc is home to one of Hunter x Hunter's best and most beloved fights (Image via Madhouse)

While Hunter x Hunter’s Chimera Ant arc does eclipse the total episode count of the Demon Slayer anime as of this article’s writing, the series’ fourth season should see it surpass the 61-episode mark. Similarly, one of the crowning achievements of the Chimera Ant arc is how much it does in just 60 episodes.

The Chimera Ant arc sees protagonists Gon and Killua join a Hunter Association Extermination Team to eliminate the titular creatures, who are eating humans and plan to take over the world. The arc also features significant development for Gon via the involvement of his childhood mentor Kite in these events, and shows a side of the character fans hadn’t seen before.

6) Wano arc (One Piece)

Luffy and co visit One Piece's version of Japan in the Wano arc (Image via Toei Animation)

The third and final One Piece entry is also the longest, with the series’ Wano arc having nearly three times as many episodes as the Demon Slayer anime following season 4’s conclusion. That being said, Oda takes the best of both Dressrosa and Whole Cake Island and combines them for the Wano arc, resulting in what many fans call a potentially perfect stretch of the story.

Likewise, the Wano arc serves as the culmination of events set up in the other aforementioned arcs, featuring several returning characters and plotlines from these prior focuses. It’s also the debut of Luffy’s cartoonish Gear 5 form, which is clearly set to play a major role in the series’ ending stages based on how the manga’s Final Saga has progressed thus far.

7) Bourbon and Akai arc (Detective Conan)

The titular operative Bourbon makes it his mission to defeat Conan in one of the series' longest arcs (Image via TMS Entertainment)

Fittingly, the final arc on this list is also the longest overall, and will easily have nearly four times as many episodes as the Demon Slayer anime will upon its series finale. Stretching to 274 episodes, Detective Conan’s Bourbon and Akai arc symbolizes and embraces the series’ slow-burn approach.

Essentially, the arc introduces Bourbon, a new Black Organization operative, whose eyes are set on eliminating the series’ titular sleuth so he stops interfering in the group’s evil plans. Both parties take their sweet time investigating and acting against one another, which does match the series’ core narrative structure but makes for a somewhat draggy arc as a result.

In summation

While the Demon Slayer anime is one of the most popular and influential of the 21st century, the glaring flaw that is its short length is also becoming apparent. That being said, it makes up for its lack in quantity with quality, and is undoubtedly a series every anime fan should try at least once.