The Most Watched Anime of 2023 on Netflix
A new report from Netflix has revealed the ten most-watched anime of 2023 through a massive new data dump, with some familiar but also some unexpected titles appearing through "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report."
Combining the What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report from both halves of the year revealed that "Baki Hanma: Season 2" was the most-watched anime of 2023 on the platform with a whopping 160.7 million hours viewed. The lead of "Baki Hanma" is even more impressive when you consider that it was released in the second half of the year, unlike the second-place finish, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc," which benefited from a large audience in both periods. The first season of the anime "ONE PIECE" completed the podium.
THE MOST-WATCHED ANIME SERIES ON NETFLIX DURING 2023
- 1. Baki Hanma Season 2 – 160.7 million hours of playback.
- 2. Demon Slayer: Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc – 159.4 million hours of playback.
- 3. ONE PIECE: Episode of East Blue – 153 million hours of playback.
- 4. Record of Ragnarok Season 2 – 128.5 million hours of playback.
- 5. Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! Season 1 – 121.3 million hours of playback.
- 6. Hunter x Hunter (2011) Season 5 – 91.3 million hours of playback.
- 7. Pokemon The Series: Indigo League Season 1 – 76.4 million watch hours.
- 8. VINLAND SAGA Season 2 – 73.9 million hours of watch hours.
- 9. Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc – 72.7 million hours of playback.
- 10. Pokémon Journeys: The Series Season 1 – 71.8 million watch hours.
The data highlights the clear popularity of action titles and sequels, as well as the long lifespan of titles, many of which continue to attract massive amounts of viewers nearly a decade and 25 years later with "Hunter x Hunter (2011)" and "Pokémon The Series: Indigo League," respectively. The streaming service continues to bolster its anime catalog, with titles such as "Jujutsu Kaisen," "One Piece," "Black Clover," and "My Hero Academia," among others, coming to Netflix this year. Netflix's enthusiasm for "Baki Hanma," which has been on display again with the announcement of the anime sequel "Baki-Dou" and the upcoming "Hanma Baki vs Kengan Ashura," has clearly paid off; the second season of Baki Hanma topped the list despite having data only from July to December.
Along with Baki, Netflix's most interesting anime with the most potential is arguably "One Piece," which is very likely to become its flagship franchise. "ONE PIECE: Episode of East Blue" grew 64% between the first half of 2023 and the second. Meanwhile, its follow-up "ONE PIECE: Episode of Alabasta" nearly doubled from 22.5 million to 40.2 million hours viewed. Naturally, this is largely due to the live-action adaptation, which had the second-most hours viewed of any TV or movie on the platform. Netflix will also exclusively air the "One Piece" remake, in development since at least November 2023, which longtime and new fans will no doubt watch.
Netflix's data also has major ramifications for anime production more broadly. The recent Anime Industry Report 2023 highlighted that Japan's production committees are establishing the model of licensing anime to streaming services exclusively for a certain period. This is done before granting similar rights to secondary streaming platforms and TV networks. This new data highlights its viability even overseas, as 50% of the anime industry's revenue comes from overseas and even recycled anime titles show timeless demand.
