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15 Long Anime That Actually Aren’t Worth the Time to Watch

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Not worth the binge.

Nazarii Verbitskiy

TV Shows & Movies - June 5th 2026, 20:30 GMT+2

15. Yu Yu Hakusho (1992–1995)

Calling *Yu Yu Hakusho* skippable feels like walking into an anime convention and asking for trouble, but the full run is not as untouchable as nostalgia insists. The Dark Tournament remains a shonen landmark, yet the series peaks so hard there that everything around it starts looking like bonus material with better hair. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei still rule; committing to all 112 episodes is the bigger debate. | © Studio Pierrot

Black Clover Season 2 — 14. Black Clover (2017–2021)

*Asta screams, trains, screams again, unlocks a new trick, then screams with renewed professional confidence.* That rhythm eventually becomes the unofficial theme song of *Black Clover*, a series with likable characters and strong late-game battles that still asks viewers to survive a very noisy climb. The magic-squad setup gives it easy shonen appeal, but 170 episodes is a lot of runway for a story that often feels like it is chasing better versions of its own genre. | © Studio Pierrot

Diane from The Seven Deadly Sins — 13. The Seven Deadly Sins (2014–2021)

The early hook of *The Seven Deadly Sins* is simple enough: disgraced warriors, big medieval fantasy energy, and Meliodas acting like a walking HR complaint. For a while, the show moves with genuine confidence, but the later seasons take a beating from uneven pacing, repetitive power-ups, and famously inconsistent animation. A long anime can survive a messy arc; this one turned its decline into part of the viewing experience. | © A-1 Pictures / Studio Deen

12. One Piece (1999-)

Nobody questions the size of *One Piece* as a cultural monument; the problem is trying to watch it as a normal human with laundry, meals, and bills. The world-building is massive, the emotional highs are real, and Luffy remains one of anime’s great engines of chaos, but the weekly format stretches scenes until reactions start needing their own passport. The manga—or a carefully curated watch guide—often feels kinder than the full voyage. | © Toei Animation

11. Inuyasha (2000–2004)

*Kagome!* *Inuyasha!* Repeat until the jewel shards file a noise complaint. *Inuyasha* has a terrific gothic-romance setup, a memorable villain in Naraku, and a fantasy world that still looks better than many modern copycats. The issue is how often the show circles the same emotional and narrative beats before moving forward. Its best episodes are absolutely worth revisiting, but the entire 167-episode trek can feel like a feudal-era treadmill with excellent theme songs. | © Sunrise

Boruto Naruto Next Generations — 10. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2017-2023)

Following *Naruto* was always going to be brutal, but *Boruto: Naruto Next Generations* makes the job harder by constantly reminding viewers of a more urgent story happening just offscreen. Boruto himself has a workable spoiled-kid-to-shinobi arc, and some legacy episodes genuinely land, yet the series spends too much time padding out school drama, low-stakes missions, and franchise maintenance. For many fans, the highlights are worth clipping; the full commitment is harder to defend. | © Studio Pierrot

Sailor Chibi Moon from Sailor Moon — 9. Sailor Moon (1992–1997)

The influence of *Sailor Moon* is enormous, and Usagi’s place in anime history is not up for debate. Watching all 200 episodes today, though, means accepting monster-of-the-week repetition, recycled transformations, and stretches where the emotional growth moves at lunar-eclipse speed. Its charm is real, especially when the inner senshi get room to shine, but the series often works better as a beloved cultural artifact than as a binge-watch in the modern streaming trenches. | © Toei Animation

8. Robotech (1985)

*Robotech* deserves credit for helping introduce a generation of Western viewers to serialized anime storytelling, even if its construction is basically three different shows in a trench coat. The repurposed mix of *Macross*, *Southern Cross*, and *Mospeada* gave American television something unusually ambitious, but it also created tonal seams, continuity gymnastics, and a mythology that can feel more assembled than organic. Historically important? Absolutely. The smoothest way to experience classic mecha? Not really. | © Harmony Gold USA / Tatsunoko Production

7. Bleach (2004-2012)

When *Bleach* is locked in, it has ridiculous style: black robes, giant swords, cool villain poses, and enough spiritual pressure to flatten a city block. The Soul Society arc still moves like a hit album. The trouble arrives when the anime keeps swerving into filler arcs just as the main story should be tightening its grip. Ichigo’s journey has undeniable highs, but 366 episodes can make even the slickest shinigami drama feel like homework with a great soundtrack. | © Studio Pierrot

Vegeta and Bulma from Dragon Ball Z — 6. Dragon Ball Z (1989-1996)

*Dragon Ball Z* taught half the planet what powering up looks like, then made everyone watch that lesson in real time. Its best moments are untouchable: Goku arriving on Namek, Gohan snapping against Cell, Vegeta turning pride into tragedy. Still, the original anime is also famous for stretched reactions, slow battlefield pacing, and episodes where the plot advances by roughly one eyebrow twitch. For newcomers, *Dragon Ball Z Kai* often does the job with far less waiting. | © Toei Animation

5. Naruto Shippuden (2007–2017)

*Naruto Shippuden* contains some of the franchise’s strongest material, from the Akatsuki conflicts to Naruto’s long-delayed emotional victories. It also contains enough filler to make a watch guide feel less like cheating and more like basic survival gear. The series wants to be a grand tragedy about war, friendship, and inherited pain, but the momentum keeps getting ambushed by side stories at the worst possible moments. The great parts are great; the full 500-episode march is another matter. | © Studio Pierrot

4. Fairy Tail (2009–2019)

Friendship is not just a theme in *Fairy Tail*; it is practically a renewable energy source with its own battle system. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and the guild have enough warmth to make the early arcs easy to like, but the formula starts showing its stitching across 328 episodes. Villains arrive, speeches happen, emotions surge, and the same magic-of-belonging button gets pressed again and again. Comfort anime has value, but this one can overstay the party it keeps throwing. | © A-1 Pictures / Satelight / Bridge / CloverWorks

3. Detective Conan (1996-)

A teenage detective trapped in a child’s body is a killer premise; *Detective Conan* has been dining out on it for decades with admirable discipline. The individual cases can still be clever, and Conan’s tiny-serious-man energy remains charming, but the central mystery moves so slowly that watching from the beginning can feel like joining a marathon where the finish line keeps relocating. It is better sampled by standout arcs than consumed as one endless investigation. | © TMS Entertainment

Yu Gi Oh — 2. Yu-Gi-Oh! (2000–2004)

The duels in *Yu-Gi-Oh!* are at their funniest when everyone treats card effects like international law and dramatic wind appears indoors. That theatrical nonsense is part of the appeal, especially during Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, where the rules are more vibes than science. Across 224 episodes, though, the formula starts stacking tournaments, ancient destinies, and very intense card explanations until the charm becomes a grind. The memes aged beautifully; the full series asks for serious patience. | © Studio Gallop

1. Pokemon (1997-)

*Pokémon* is bigger than television at this point; it is a language, a brand, a childhood memory, and a Pikachu-shaped weather system. As an anime marathon, though, the original Ash-era run is a brutal proposition. Gyms, badges, Team Rocket interruptions, regional resets, and “almost there” character growth repeat for years before the payoff finally arrives. The franchise is lovable, iconic, and endlessly marketable, but watching it straight through can feel less like adventure and more like inventory management. | © OLM, Inc.

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Starting a long anime is basically signing a contract with your future self, and not every series earns that kind of loyalty. Sure, massive episode counts can mean richer worlds, bigger emotional payoffs, and legendary arcs—but they can also mean filler, stalled momentum, and stories that take forever to get to the point. These long anime may have loyal fanbases, recognizable names, or a few great moments buried inside them, but the full watch is a much harder sell than people admit.

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Starting a long anime is basically signing a contract with your future self, and not every series earns that kind of loyalty. Sure, massive episode counts can mean richer worlds, bigger emotional payoffs, and legendary arcs—but they can also mean filler, stalled momentum, and stories that take forever to get to the point. These long anime may have loyal fanbases, recognizable names, or a few great moments buried inside them, but the full watch is a much harder sell than people admit.