Netflix's latest data revealed the most-watched anime series on the platform during the first half of 2024, with a duel between sword masters and an unusual culinary team up for first place. “Dungeon Meshi,” an adaptation by TRIGGER studio, was crowned as the most-watched anime season between January and June 2024racking up an impressive total of 90.6 million hours watched, which equates to 8.8 million plays.

In second place was “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Training Arc,” the fourth season of the successful franchise.with 25.9 million hours watched, corresponding to 7.8 million streams. This arc, broadcast in several regions via Netflix, lasted only eight episodes, making its numbers particularly surprising given its short time on the platform.
Most watched anime series on Netflix (January-June 2024):
- Dungeon Meshi: Season 1 – 90.6 million hours watched (8.8 million plays).
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Training Arc – 25.9 million hours watched (7.8 million plays).
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Entertainment District Arc – 37 million hours watched (7.6 million plays).
- SPY x FAMILY: Season 1 – 72.6 million hours watched (7.2 million plays).
- Jujutsu Kaisen: Season 1 – 64.1 million hours watched (6.7 million plays).
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train Arc – 18,700,000 hours viewed (6,600,000 plays).
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc – 64,100,000 hours viewed (6,200,000 plays).
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith Village Arc – 62,000,000 hours viewed (5,900,000 plays).
- My Hero Academia: Season 1 – 30,500,000 hours viewed (5,800,000 plays).
- Monsters 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation – 2,500,000 hours viewed (5,800,000 plays).
- Solo Leveling: Season 1 – 25,900,000 hours viewed (5,500,000 plays).
- Kaiju No. 8: Season 1 – 22,000,000 hours viewed (4,600,000 plays).
- Pokémon Horizons: The Series: Part 1 – 20,500,000 hours viewed (4,600,000 plays).
- Haikyu!! – 45,800,000 hours viewed (4,500,000 plays).
- My Hero Academia: Season 2 – 44,800,000 hours viewed (4,500,000 plays).
“Dungeon Meshi” has been a global hit exclusive to Netflix, receiving near-universal praise for its storytelling, animation, and the dedication of the Trigger Studios staff 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 for “Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc” are impressive, especially since this season also streamed on Crunchyroll in many regions. Additionally, the season had a very short airing window, airing between May and March 2024, leaving little time to accumulate views for 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 like “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” with over 500 million hours watched, and the “ONE PIECE” adaptation, which is still going strong with 92 million hours watched (12.2 million plays), far outnumber 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. Additionally, “Solo Leveling” publisher D&C Media is reportedly developing a live-action drama based on the popular series, though it has not yet been confirmed whether Crunchyroll is involved in that project.
Fountain: Official Site