…actually I'd say it IS obvious but I still wanted to actually read what other people have to say.
My question is this: do you think overall "One Piece" has gotten more popular in America, since say 2006-2007? And for those in other countries, do you think "One Piece" has gotten more popular in your respective nation? I'd like to hear your answers and why.
To me, it's a yes. Viewership for the legal streaming has gone up and it seems like when you compare American manga sales rankings now to a couple of years ago, whenever a new "One Piece" volumes it appears it ranks higher. Even for the anime/manga fans out there that aren't into it are more aware of its existence. I can't tell if it's become more well-known to the general audience though. Compared to "Naruto" and "Bleach" its performance on T.V. has been mixed (4Kids wasn't a complete flop, it got good ratings on Cartoon Network. On the other hand, word-of-mouth is strong even if there's no good dub of "One Piece" currently playing on American T.V.
As for its potential growth going forward? It definitely won't reach "DBZ" levels of popularity, even if the FUNimation dub were to get on mainstream television. I think it can eclipse "Bleach" (it's kind of already happening). I'm not even sure how it can reach "Naruto" levels, "Naruto" has an inherent appeal to the American audience that "One Piece" doesn't. Although "One Piece" has more longevity going for it. "Naruto" is going to end A LOT sooner than "One Piece". Perhaps if people start thirsting for a new action/adventure anime they'll turn to "One Piece" after "Naruto" ends.