Dungeon Meshi beats Kimetsu no Yaiba on Netflix

Netflix's most recent data revealed the most-watched anime series on the platform during the first half of 2024, with a duel between swordmasters and an unusual culinary team for first place. "Dungeon Meshi," an adaptation from studio TRIGGER, was crowned the most-watched anime season between January and June 2024, racking up an impressive total of 90.6 million hours viewed, which equates to 8.8 million views.

In second place was "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Training Arc", the fourth season of the successful franchise, with 25.9 million hours viewed, which corresponds to 7.8 million views. This arc, broadcast in several regions through Netflix, lasted only eight episodes, which makes its numbers particularly surprising given its short time on the platform.

The most watched anime series on Netflix (January-June 2024):

Dungeon Meshi: Season 1 – 90.6 million hours viewed (8.8 million views).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Training Arc – 25.9 million hours viewed (7.8 million views).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Entertainment District Arc – 37 million hours viewed (7.6 million views).
SPY x FAMILY: Season 1 – 72.6 million hours viewed (7.2 million views).
Jujutsu Kaisen: Season 1 – 64.1 million hours viewed (6.7 million views).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train Arc – 18,700,000 hours viewed (6,600,000 views).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc – 64,100,000 hours viewed (6,200,000 views).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith Village Arc – 62,000,000 hours viewed (5,900,000 views).
My Hero Academia: Season 1 – 30,500,000 hours viewed (5,800,000 views).
Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation – 2,500,000 hours viewed (5,800,000 views).
Solo Leveling: Season 1 – 25,900,000 hours watched (5,500,000 views).
Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 – 22,000,000 hours viewed (4,600,000 views).
Pokémon Horizons: The Series: Part 1 – 20,500,000 hours watched (4,600,000 views).
Haikyu!! – 45,800,000 hours viewed (4,500,000 views).
My Hero Academia: Season 2 – 44,800,000 hours viewed (4,500,000 views).

"Dungeon Meshi" has been a Netflix-exclusive global hit, receiving near-universal praise for its storytelling, animation, and the dedication of the staff at Trigger Studios to deliver a high-quality adaptation. The success was so great that the studio immediately announced a sequel after the season finale.

On the other hand, the numbers of "Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc" are impressive, especially since this season was also streamed on Crunchyroll in many regions. In addition, the season had a very short broadcast window, as it aired between May and March 2024, which left little time to accumulate views in the final episodes.

Overall, Netflix data shows that more than 94 billion hours of content were consumed on the platform during the reporting period. Live-action adaptations of animated series have also been a considerable success. Examples such as "Avatar: The Last Airbender", with more than 500 million hours viewed, and the adaptation of "ONE PIECE", which is still going strong with 92 million hours viewed (12.2 million views), far surpass anime series and movies in terms of popularity.

This success has led other industry giants, such as Crunchyroll, to also consider live-action adaptations of some of their properties. According to the company's CEO, Rahul Purini, Crunchyroll was already the third-largest investor in anime series between 2022 and 2023, behind only AT-X and Kadokawa. In addition, it has been reported that "Solo Leveling" publisher D&C Media is developing a live-action drama based on the popular series, although it has not yet been confirmed if Crunchyroll is involved in that project.

Source: Official Site