In October 2002, Pierrot's beloved shonen anime Naruto made its television debut. Over 20 years later, the series reigns as the #1 most popular children's show in over 83 countries, beating out major competitors like CoComelon and Teletubbies.
The findings are based on a worldwide Google data analysis conducted by a popular toy review site called The Toy Zone. By analyzing the average volume of Google searches for a pre-compiled seed list of popular kids shows, The Toy Zone determined that Naruto is by far the most popular, reigning supreme in over 83 different countries. Notably, this number does not include the United States, which predominantly favors Cartoon Network's Adventure Time series. TV's second place winner, CoComelon, is only #1 in 49 countries.
Naruto's Anime Has Especially High Viewership in Countries Including Canada, France & Brazil
While Naruto has an especially high viewership in South America, its popularity is not confined to any particular continent or region; some examples of where the anime reigns as the #1 most popular kids' series include:
Pierrot's Naruto anime is adapted from Masashi Kishimoto's hit manga of the same name. The story revolves around an orphaned boy named Naruto Uzumaki, who dreams of becoming a powerful ninja and ultimately the Hokage (or leader) of his home village. However, he also serves as a living vessel for a vicious beast known as the Nine Tailed Fox, causing most of his fellow villagers to shun and despise him. Within the world of Naruto, ninjas harness a special energy force called chakra to utilize incredible abilities in combat. After graduating from the ninja academy, Naruto teams up with classmates Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha to take on missions under the leadership of the famed "Copy Ninja," Kakashi Hatake. Although the series is highly action-focused, it also highlights the importance of friendship, empathy and redemption during several major arcs. Pierrot adapted the manga's later arcs as a sequel series called Naruto Shippuden, which premiered in February 2007 and concluded in March 2017.
Naruto Is the Only Anime Franchise to Rank on New Kids' TV Show Google Analysis
Notably, Naruto was the only anime franchise to crop up in Toy Zone's analysis. According to the collected data, Toei Animation's hit Dragon Ball series is the most popular children's series in Ecuador, Bolivia, Libya and Poland. Created by the late Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball follows the adventures of Goku, a battle-loving alien warrior who constantly pits himself against Earth's would-be conquerors in order to become stronger. First released in 1986, the anime's masterful balance of action, humor and heart has allowed its popularity to persist into the modern era. Dragon Ball Super, Toei Animation's latest series adaptation, initially aired from July 2015 to March 2018. However, the Dragon Ball Super manga is not yet over -- a fact that may pave the way for additional DBS seasons in the future.
The original Naruto manga, in addition to its sequel series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, are both available in English from VIZ Media. Pierrot's respective anime adaptations are available to stream on Hulu and Crunchyroll.
Source: The Toy Zone
