The Japanese anime industry has become a global juggernaut, winning over millions of fans, most of whom are fiercely loyal to their favorite series. Some fandoms may be bigger than others, but a fandom's sheer loyalty is the surest sign of an anime's quality. Even short or older anime will retain a loyal following across the decades, and it's impressive to see.
Loyal anime fans will gladly watch their favorite series to the very end, and will encourage everyone else in the overall anime fandom to join up, too. These committed fans will also support their favorite series through thick and thin, even when a new series is bad or the series goes on hiatus.
10 Bleach
It's true that Bleach is considered the original big three's weakest entry, but it still retains an impressive fanbase to this very day, and Bleach's most loyal fans didn't dare give up on Tite Kubo's shonen creation. Best of all, those loyal fans' patience was finally rewarded after a decade of waiting with the Thousand-Year Blood War anime arc.
Longtime Bleach fans are familiar with the story of protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki the substitute Soul Reaper, and those fans are gladly welcoming newer fans to the team, too. The new anime is working wonders to put Bleach back on the map, and loyal fans are so proud of that.
9 Naruto
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It's true that the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime turned off some Naruto fans, but the Naruto fandom is still alive and well, years after the original manga and anime's conclusion. Even now, the Naruto anime looms large in the anime world, and it will endure as a true classic.
Whether fans like Boruto or not, they are fiercely loyal to the Naruto series and everything it stands for, including its inspiring messages of hope, peace, perseverance, and belief in oneself. Even today, Naruto's quest to become Hokage is iconic and empowering for the masses.
8 One Piece
The One Piece fandom dates back to 1997 when Eiichiro Oda's classic pirate manga first set sail in Japan. Ever since then, One Piece has been a nonstop success story, and the sheer quantity and quality of the material won over millions of devoted fans.
One Piece fans never had to prove their loyalty in the face of extended hiatuses or other challenges, but their loyalty is still abundantly clear. The global Straw Hat crew is massive and still growing, and it takes a truly committed fan to remain loyal after 1,000+ episodes and chapters.
7 Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a classic science fiction anime that deconstructs the giant robot genre while still being one of the best mecha anime out there. NGE dates back to the mid-1990s and is still prominent in the anime world today thanks to its robust fandom.
NGE fans are still finding new things to love about this deceptively complex and deep anime, and there's more to see than the action sequences. The success of recent NGE animated movies also helps prove that loyal NGE fans are in it for the long haul.
6 Gundam
The sprawling Gundam anime franchise first launched in the 1970s, and even after almost 50 years, anime fans still love Gundam and everything about it. It's true that some Gundam series and movies are considered weak entries, but loyal fans can overlook that.
Few anime franchises have the breadth of content that Gundam does, and even fewer can rival Gundam's rigorous fanbase. After all this time, fans are still delighted to watch giant robots do battle in a space opera storyline, and collecting and building Gundam models is a popular hobby for true devotees.
5 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure first launched back in 1987 in manga form, though it took until the Stardust Crusaders story arc for JoJo's to become a manga sensation. The series has enjoyed an incredibly devoted following since then, and the anime, launching in 2012, helped even more.
By now, JoJo's is everywhere, and its supporters are always eager to bring in new fans to keep the hype going. In fact, JoJo's fans gently make fun of themselves and their incredible devotion by joking that they go wildly overboard with JoJo's references. Everything is a JoJo reference, and that proves how beloved this series really is after many years.
4 Hunter X Hunter
Not long after the popular Yu Yu Hakusho ended, author Yoshihiro Togashi began Hunter x Hunter, which enjoys an even more loyal following than his previous works. The series is also notorious for its many hiatuses, earning it the nickname Hiatus x Hiatus.
Even if Hunter x Hunter vanishes for years at a time, though, the series' ultra-loyal fans will stick with it to the very end, and will patiently wait for new material. The 2011 anime, which might not ever be completed, also enjoys a strong following that won't go away anytime soon.
3 Berserk
The overall Berserk franchise may be one of seinen's darkest and most brutal of all, but author Kentaro Miura made sure to add serious thematic and personal depth as well, including faint but undeniable elements of hope, joy, and love to balance things out.
The Berserk franchise enjoys incredible popularity, and the manga's and anime's fans alike will remain committed no matter how long it takes for the series to finish. Even in the face of Mr. Miura'shiatuses and then his tragic passing, Berserk fans are utterly loyal and can't wait for more.
2 Dragon Ball Z
Author Akira Toriyama has long since become a manga/anime legend with his incredible Dragon Ball franchise, which dates back to the 1980s. In particular, the lengthy Dragon Ball Z anime is a staple of shonen anime, and its fans can't get enough of Son Goku's animated adventures.
The Dragon Ball fandom is famously robust and enthusiastic about Mr. Toriyama's creation, and recent entries such as Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroes and the Broly movie are popular, too. That shows how loyal the fans are, and no amount of Dragon Ball is too much for them.
1 Pokémon
The Pokémon franchise, more than any other, is a global phenomenon that has defined an entire generation of pop culture, most of all for Millennials who grew up watching Ash Ketchum's adventures on the small screen. Put together, the Pokémon video games, trading card game, manga, anime, and more have created a fanbase unlike any other.
The Pokémon anime has over 1,200 episodes, even more than One Piece, and is still popular to this day. By now, longtime Millennial fans are old enough to watch Pokémon with their own kids, with those fans' loyalty spanning not one, but two generations of Pokémon lovers.
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