2025 has, so far, been a phenomenal year for anime and manga. Fans got to enjoy some absolutely massive anime releases, such as Solo Leveling Season 2 at the beginning, and more exciting hits like Gachiakuta later down the line. The manga side of things was also great, with the usual series continuing their serialization. As always, there have been winners and losers when it comes to various awards ceremonies that take place throughout the year.
The New King Of Anime Has Officially Been Decided, And It's Not One Piece
One Piece is the king of manga, but the title of King of Anime goes to another series.
Earlier this year, Solo Leveling Season 1 won the title of anime of the year. But, in the manga department, a shocking winner took the title of 2025’s best manga at the Harvey Awards, and it’s none other than Witch Hat Atelier, a series that will only grow in popularity, especially as it’s finally getting its long-awaited anime adaptation in 2026. Fans were definitely surprised to see a small manga win over series like One Piece, which is the world’s biggest manga series.
Witch Hat Atelier Is 2025’s Best Manga
- Awarded by the Harvey Awards
- Other Nominees Included The Summer Hikaru Died and Wind Breaker, But Not One Piece
Anime and manga fans are always excited to see which series will get awarded what title each year, and this year is no different, especially as the next generation of manga is continuing strong in 2025. With Solo Leveling’s crushing victory at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, fans have turned to the manga awards now, and the results are certainly exciting.
Most recently, the results of the Harvey Awards were finally announced, and the winner surprised many. The winner of the 2025 Harvey Award for the title of best manga was none other than Witch Hat Atelier. Witch Hat Atelier is a known manga series, but it isn’t yet mainstream due to the lack of an anime adaptation.
With that said, the fact that One Piece, the world’s biggest manga, didn’t win such a title perplexed many. One Piece, however, wasn’t even nominated—and not because it doesn’t qualify. The Harvey Awards aren’t complicated, and any series that released a volume the year before is eligible for nomination, which includes One Piece and pretty much all ongoing manga series.
October 26 Is Going To Be A Big Day For One Piece Fans
After a very long break, the One Piece manga is finally making a comeback.
One Piece was simply not chosen by the nomination committee, and it could be because it would make the competition unfair for others. After all, One Piece is very mainstream, with a very big and dedicated fanbase.
The Harvey Awards seem to go for more humble series, as the nominees this year, aside from Witch Hat Atelier, are also rather low-key, and not humongous series. This includes the likes of The Summer Hikaru Died and Wind Breaker. If series like One Piece were nominated every year, the competition would be decimated.
When I was a kid, I thought to myself: man I would love to draw a manga with the most hyped final stage! I wonder if I'm up to it! Now, we have only a tiny bit of Wano arc left, the preparations are almost done. Took me 25 years lol. That said, it's fine if you start reading from this point on. Because from this point on...it'll be... The ONE PIECE!! The mysteries of this world, I'll be drawing all of them! It'll be super interesting! Fasten your seatbelt! And please stay with me for a bit longer! — Eiichiro Oda, Author of One Piece, 2022
Witch Hat Atelier’s Anime Could Make It A Mainstream Series On The Level of Solo Leveling or Frieren
Witch Hat Atelier winning the title of best manga of 2025 at the Harvey Awards goes to show how much potential this series has. The series started all the way back in 2016, but it still has no anime adaptation. Its first anime season was supposed to air this year but was postponed to 2026.
Fans are definitely hopeful but also worried about the final quality of the animated series. If the studio does the series justice, it could become a new mainstream series on the level of the likes of Solo Leveling or Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Fans will just have to wait and see how it unfolds next year.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
