Given the nature of how difficult it is to constantly write and illustrate for weekly running manga magazines, it gets hard to think that some of those are the longest running anime and manga series out there.
In the list below, we will be taking a look at just that. These are some of the longest-running anime and manga out there.
Anime and Manga Which Are Long Running Series
Naruto
You might be wondering why we put Naruto in this list. It technically is still an ongoing manga as the legacy is being continued by Boruto. Masashi Kishimoto, the original creator of the series, is not at the helm anymore, but the saga still continues, similar to Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
The story of Boruto follows Naruto’s son years after he becomes Hokage and peace is restored in the villages. But new villains keep appearing, threatening to disrupt peace.
Boruto is an anime and manga is being helmed by Ukyo Kodachi with supervision from Masashi Kishimoto. Ukyo has proved himself as a worthy successor to the fans, and even though many don’t like the current continuity, Boruto as a franchise is here to stay.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Everyone reading this probably already guessed that this franchise was definitely going to show up on this list. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is definitely one of longest running anime and manga franchises that super popular.
The series is written by Hirohiko Araki, who gets memed a lot in the Jojo community for looking eternally young, thus making him a synonymous figure to the character of Dio Brando.
The plot follows the story of the Joestar bloodline in various countries in different eras and generations fighting off against a common vampiric enemy most of the time, who has made it his life’s mission to make the Joestar bloodline suffer.
Hajime no Ippo
Hajime no Ippo is one of the longest running Sports anime and manga series. It started serialization back in the early 90s, and the manga has amassed over 140 volumes so far.
The plot of Hajime no Ippo follows a high school kid named Ippo Makunouchi, and how he fell in love for boxing. It starts off as a coming of age story but later develops into one of the most intense sports manga ever written.
Hajime no Ippo is written and illustrated by George Morikawa, who is a fan of the sport himself. The manga reached its 1000th chapter in 2012, and has had several different anime productions over the years.
Hunter x Hunter
Hunter x Hunter is not one of the longest running manga series in terms of volumes, but it has technically become one, considering how many times it goes into hiatus. But we aren’t here to complain because the reason it gets delayed is due to the mangaka’s health issues.
The manga is written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi, who is a legendary manga artist, known for his previous work, Yu Yu Hakusho.
So far, Hunter x Hunter has had two iterations of anime series that were worked on by different studios. The last iteration of the anime was very well received, and it eventually pushed the franchise into popularity.
Dragon Ball
Many people have a hard time grasping this because most are unaware but yes, Dragon Ball, one of the most popular manga and anime ever, a series that quite literally revolutionized the anime landscape in the west, is actually still ongoing.
Dragon Ball’s story was inspired by the Journey to the West. The late manga artist Akira Toriyama originally wrote the manga as an adventure story with gags sprinkled all over it. But later onwards the story leaned towards an action heavy.
Even though Dragon Ball Super, the anime, has ended for now, not many fans knew that the story has actually moved a lot forward in the manga, with new villains and other developments.
One Piece
Dragon Ball may be the longest running, most popular manga series of yesteryear, but presently that crown definitely belongs to Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. With thousands of manga chapters and anime episodes that are still ongoing.
One Piece, the manga, started publishing in Weekly Shounen Jump Magazine back in the year 1997, following the Story of Monkey D. Luffy, a character with dreams of forming his own pirate crew and becoming the king of pirates by discovering the treasure called One Piece.
One Piece has been a critical success all over the world, with the series reaching beyond just the medium of anime, to even live-action adaptations.
Sazae-san
Sazae-san is one of the longest running anime and manga properties in existence. But there’s a reason why that is the case. Sazae-san originally found life a four-panel manga strip on newspapers similar to Garfield and many others in the West.
Newspaper comic strips never really end as there’s no concrete overarching plot that needs to be resolved, and Sazae-san is sort of like that.
The original manga strip was created by Machiko Hasegawa, and it started circulating since 1946 in the local newspaper of the mangaka. Since then, Sazae-san has spawned endless manga panels and an anime series that has currently reached over 8000 episodes.
Golgo 13
Okay, forget about Sazae-san for a minute because this here is the real deal. Golgo 13 is actually the longest running manga series in existence.
How come, you may ask, since it only started serialization in 1968? Well, it actually received the Guinness World Record for the highest number of volumes of a manga series.
Golgo 13 follows the story of the titular character, who is a professional assassin. The series has spawned a 40-episode anime and even a live-action film.
The manga was created by Takao Saito, but after his passing, the serialization has still continued till date thanks to Saito Production group, which was his last wish.
Baki the Grappler
Baki the Grappler stands tall with some of the most popular series in this list, but while many may know that some of the anime and manga have been running for a while, not many are aware of the same for Baki the Grappler.
This manga has been in serialization since 1991, and so far it has reached close to 150 volumes in publication. The series is written and illustrated by Keisuke Itagaki, who prior to becoming a professional manga artist, was an army veteran and practiced amateur boxing.
Itagaki’s obsession with detailing and exaggerating human anatomy is clearly seen through the pages of Baki the Grappler manga. The series has so far spawned multiple anime in production, with the latest one being produced by Netflix.
Case Closed
Case Closed is also known as Detective Conan in some parts of the world, and this is one series that has both the longest running anime in production while also having the longest running manga in serialization.
The manga is written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama, and it follows the story of a young high schooler detective who gets transformed into a child mysteriously while in an investigation, which is quite the setup for one of the longest running manga in history.
To find out what ultimately happens to the main character, whether he is able to transform back to his regular age is something readers will have to figure out themselves by reading over 100 volumes of the manga.
