In time for the Olympics and the World Cosplay Summit, Oricon, best known for monitoring and reporting on the sales of entertainment media, conducted a scientific survey asking what were the real world class anime/manga... the ones with Olympian global appeal that carried the flag for anime in the march of global media.

A field of the general public, not necessarily anime fans, ranked the following...

 Dragon Ball 

More than a decade and half after the anime ending, Dragon Ball was the overwhelming top pick. It was the flagship of Shonen Jump during its Golden Era, driving it to a circulation of 6,530,000 copies. Beyond that, the surveyed couldn't help but notice its immense popularity around the globe.

 One Piece

The surveyed said that One Piece currently carries the flag for the principles of Shonen Jump - "victory", "effort", "friendship", and that its fundamentals have universal appeal... regardless of nationality or gender.

 Doraemon 

Doraemon was identified as a work that parents can share with their children. The surveyed also spoke of their pride in Doraemon's international popularity.

4. Naruto

5. Pokemon

6. Neon Genesis Evangelion

7. Captain Tsubasa

8. Mobile Suit Gundam

9. Akira

10. (tie) Astro Boy

10. (tie) Slam Dunk

via Moe Ota-News Sokuhō

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.