Anyone what to offer opinion on this.
https://ask.fm/Clarknova/answers/148696080361?utm_source=tw_share_own_ar&shareBy=Clarknova#_=_
To me it reads that One Piece wasn't taken off the air so much for its ratings as it was Toei upping the TV rights higher than Toonami was willing or able to pay.
If One Piece's viewership was strong, Toei's high licensing fees wouldn't have been hard to justify. Demarco basically said as much.
In the months leading up to One Piece getting yanked, there were multiple weeks where the shows that aired after it on Toonami were pulling bigger eyeballs. That's not how the block usually performs.
I'm not really sure why there's a fascination of getting One Piece onto TV. The show's failed multiple times. It's basically unheard of for a series this long in the tooth to breakthrough and become a mainstream juggernaut. The thing is, One Piece doesn't really need that. You guys get a weekly simulcast of the Japanese version. The dub is ongoing. Home video releases including both languages are readily available and continue to be released. Viz maintains a manga translation. Bandai Namco releases the video games internationally. What exactly is so important that you're missing? Mass market toys in Wal-Mart? Well, sorry to break it to you, but pulling 330k viewers at 2:30 AM on a Sunday isn't going to make that happen.