Naruto came in at #7 on Yahoo’s Top 10 Search List for 2008, a slight drop from its 2007 slot of #4 (see “Naruto #4 on Yahoo’s 2007 List”). It was the only anime (or manga) property in the Top 10.
The top search on Yahoo in 2008, a year with a historic election, a global economic collapse, and a few other major events? Britney Spears.
WWE was #2, MMORPG Runescape was #5.
Spears was also a top search back in 2003, when we noted that Dragon Ball had been in the Lycos Top 10 (that was a search engine back then, kids) for 200 consecutive weeks (see “Dragon Ball Celebrates 200 Weeks in the Lycos Top 10”).