Winter 2026 Anime of the Season Rankings

Table of Content

The Winter 2026 anime season has officially wrapped up, and the final rankings are in. Taking the top spot this season is Oshi no Ko Season 3, followed by Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 in second place, and Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 (Season 3) coming in third.

From January 2 to March 27, we ran weekly polls to track fan reactions to new episodes as they aired. After the season ended, a final “Anime of the Season” poll was held from March 30 to April 9. Altogether, 45,490 anime fans took part in voting.

To determine the overall rankings, we used a weighted system: 55% of the final score came from the AOTS poll, while the remaining 45% was based on weekly rankings over the 12-week run. This method helped reflect both consistent performance and lasting impact.

Winter 2026 Best Anime Rankings

The rankings below are based on community votes, but that doesn’t mean lower-ranked shows aren’t worth watching. Every anime has its own appeal, and what resonates with one person might not with another. Follow your own tastes and give different series a shot!

Check out the full results below:

Top 61 Anime of the Season | Winter 2026 Results

Rank Title Score
1st Oshi no Ko Season 3 8.75%
2nd Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 7.12%
3rd Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 6.76%
4th Hell’s Paradise Season 2 5.29%
5th You and I Are Polar Opposites 4.38%
6th Tamon’s B-Side 4.07%
7th Sentenced to Be a Hero 3.64%
8th Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 3.27%
9th Fate/strange Fake 2.93%
10th Tune In to the Midnight Heart 2.79%
11th Chained Soldier Season 2 2.44%
12th Journal with Witch 2.43%
13th Medalist Season 2 1.96%
14th My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 1.94%
15th SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 1.82%
16th In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 1.7%
17th STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 1.61%
18th The Holy Grail of Eris 1.48%
19th Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None 1.46%
20th Love Through a Prism 1.41%
21st Wash It All Away 1.37%
22nd Hana-Kimi 1.35%
23rd You Can’t Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! 1.28%
24th Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 1.26%
25th The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife 1.25%
26th There was a Cute Girl in the Hero’s Party, so I Tried Confessing to Her 1.19%
27th Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary 1.13%
28th Champignon Witch 1.09%
29th Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 1.06%
30th Golden Kamuy Final Chapter 1.05%
31st The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom 1.05%
32nd Dark Moon: The Blood Altar Animation with ENHYPEN 1%
33rd To Your Eternity 0.98%
34th A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 0.94%
35th Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 0.9%
36th Trigun Stargaze 0.88%
37th Noble Reincarnation ~Born Blessed, So I’ll Obtain Ultimate Power~ 0.88%
38th HELL MODE: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing 0.87%
39th The Darwin Incident 0.85%
40th Dead Account 0.83%
41st The Demon King’s Daughter is too Kind!! 0.82%
42nd A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans 0.82%
43rd Roll Over and Die 0.81%
44th The Daily Life of a Part-Time Torturer 0.8%
45th Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You. Season 2 0.8%
46th Does It Count If You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? 0.76%
47th An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 0.72%
48th Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess Season 2 0.68%
49th Blue Miburo: Serizawa Assassination Arc 0.6%
50th Scum of the Brave 0.59%
51st MF Ghost Season 3 0.57%
52nd Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 0.55%
53rd The Case Book of Arne 0.53%
54th Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube Part 2 0.49%
55th Cardfight!! Vanguard: Divinez Parallactic Clash 0.37%
56th High School! Kimengumi 0.35%
57th Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- 0.32%
58th Saioshi no Gikei wo Mederu tame, Nagaiki Shimasu! 0.27%
59th You don’t know GUNMA yet. ~Reiwa version~ 0.27%
60th Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai 16 0.22%
61st Elegy for the Henchmen: Fist of the North Star 0.21%

Winter 2026 Awards – Voter Statistics

This season’s weekly polls saw participation from 45,000 individuals. The term “individuals” refers to the unique IP addresses recorded during the submission process. We’ve implemented strict measures to prevent spam and safeguard personal information. Below is a breakdown of the voter demographics.

Age Distribution

The table below shows the age distribution of our voters. Because the age option on our polls website has a default setting of less than 13, we’ve marked it as “Unknown” because we don’t know if the respondent is under the age of 13 or simply forgot to change it manually.

Metric Respondents
Unknown 11.49%
13 0.34%
14 0.66%
15 1.26%
16 1.77%
17 2.28%
18 7.09%
19 4.76%
20 5.5%
21 4.91%
22 3.57%
23 4.16%
24 4.66%
25 5.33%
26 4.47%
27 2.96%
28 5.88%
29 2.35%
30 2.89%
31 8.57%
32 1.31%
33 1.24%
34 1.06%
35 1.43%
36 0.89%
37 0.18%
38 1.06%
39 1%
40 2.16%
41 0.27%
42 0.11%
43 0.15%
44 0.39%
45 0.26%
46 0.54%
47 0.11%
48 0.03%
49 0.56%
>=50 2.33%

Gender Distribution

The table below details the gender group members who voted in the poll.

Metric Respondents
Male 73.18%
Female 24.61%
Others 2.21%

Geographical Data

Similarly, the table below shows the number of people from each continent who were included in our data calculation.

Metric Respondents
Asia 35.26%
North America 31.34%
Europe 20.65%
South America 8%
Africa 2.58%
Oceania 1.46%
N/A 0.7%

Winter 2026 Anime Rankings – Side Categories

Best Action Anime of Winter 2026

2,685 people voted in this category, ultimately crowning Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 as the winner, with Hell’s Paradise Season 2 in second place.

Rank Title Votes
1st Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 29.27%
2nd Hell’s Paradise Season 2 16.95%
3rd Sentenced to Be a Hero 12.92%
4th Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 11.02%
5th Chained Soldier Season 2 7.3%
6th My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 6.37%
7th SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 5.33%
8th Golden Kamuy Final Season 2.68%
9th Trigun Stargaze 2.64%
10th Dead Account 2.42%
11th Roll Over and Die 1.71%
12th Scum of the Brave 1.38%
Best Action Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Adaptation of Winter 2026

This category received votes from 3,828 people, with [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 taking the top spot, closely followed by Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2.

Rank Title Votes
1st [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 16.88%
2nd Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 15.07%
3rd Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 12.64%
4th Tamon’s B-Side 8.41%
5th You and I Are Polar Opposites 7.73%
6th Hell’s Paradise Season 2 7.08%
7th Sentenced to Be a Hero 5.67%
8th Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 5.2%
9th Fate/strange Fake 5.12%
10th Journal with Witch 4.02%
11th Medalist Season 2 3.45%
12th SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 2.69%
13th Tune In to the Midnight Heart 2.46%
14th My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 2.19%
15th Golden Kamuy Final Season 1.38%
Best Adaptation Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Adventure Anime of Winter 2026

Out of 2,074 voters, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 claimed the lead, followed closely by Hell’s Paradise Season 2.

Rank Title Votes
1st Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 41.56%
2nd Hell’s Paradise Season 2 17.31%
3rd Sentenced to Be a Hero 14.22%
4th Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None 5.35%
5th Digimon Beatbreak 3.71%
6th A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 3.57%
7th Golden Kamuy Final Season 3.18%
8th Trigun Stargaze 3.04%
9th Roll Over and Die 2.31%
10th An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 2.17%
11th Noble Reincarnation: Born Blessed, So I’ll Obtain Ultimate Power 2.07%
12th Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 1.49%
Best Adventure Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Animation of Winter 2026

With 4,063 people casting their votes, [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 emerged victorious, with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 right behind.

Rank Title Votes
1st [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 16.39%
2nd Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 16.15%
3rd Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 15.8%
4th Hell’s Paradise Season 2 7.56%
5th Fate/strange Fake 6.84%
6th Tamon’s B-Side 6.79%
7th Sentenced to Be a Hero 6.5%
8th You and I Are Polar Opposites 6.05%
9th Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 5.37%
10th Medalist Season 2 3.15%
11th Chained Soldier Season 2 3.08%
12th SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 2.68%
13th My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 2.58%
14th Trigun Stargaze 1.06%
Best Animation Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Comedy Anime of Winter 2026

A total of 1,875 people participated in this category, where You and I Are Polar Opposites secured first place while Tamon’s B-Side came in second.

Rank Title Votes
1st You and I Are Polar Opposites 32.64%
2nd Tamon’s B-Side 29.76%
3rd Tune In to the Midnight Heart 11.84%
4th The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!! 6.08%
5th Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider 5.28%
6th Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess Season 2 5.01%
7th The Daily Life of a Part-Time Torturer 4.75%
8th You Can’t Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! 4.64%
Best Comedy Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Drama Anime of Winter 2026

Out of 2,623 voters, [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 claimed the lead, followed closely by Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2.

Rank Title Votes
1st [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 33.47%
2nd Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 23.18%
3rd Journal with Witch 10.29%
4th Medalist Season 2 6.48%
5th Love Through a Prism 6.14%
6th To Your Eternity Season 3 4.8%
7th The Holy Grail of Eris 4.04%
8th Champignon Witch 3.24%
9th Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You. Season 2 2.9%
10th Blue Orchestra Season 2 2.1%
11th A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans 1.94%
12th MF Ghost Season 3 1.41%
Best Drama Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Fantasy Anime of Winter 2026

With 2,835 people casting their votes, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 emerged victorious, with Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 right behind.

Rank Title Votes
1st Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 28.64%
2nd Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 16.68%
3rd Sentenced to Be a Hero 10.79%
4th Fate/strange Fake 10.16%
5th Hell’s Paradise Season 2 8.36%
6th Chained Soldier Season 2 5.89%
7th Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 4.09%
8th The Holy Grail of Eris 3.42%
9th Champignon Witch 3.39%
10th There was a Cute Girl in the Hero’s Party, so I Tried Confessing to Her 2.72%
11th Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess Season 2 1.98%
12th Roll Over and Die 1.52%
13th A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 1.41%
14th Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 0.95%
Best Fantasy Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Music Anime of Winter 2026

This category received votes from 14 people, with Blue Orchestra Season 2 taking the top spot, closely followed by SI-VIS: The Sound of Heroes.

Rank Title Votes
1st Blue Orchestra Season 2 64.29%
2nd SI-VIS: The Sound of Heroes 35.71%
Best Music Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Mystery or Suspense Anime of Winter 2026

With 1,875 people casting their votes, [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 emerged victorious, with Hell’s Paradise Season 2 right behind.

Rank Title Votes
1st [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 41.28%
2nd Hell’s Paradise Season 2 22.45%
3rd SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 10.35%
4th The Holy Grail of Eris 6.93%
5th Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary 6.88%
6th Gnosia 6.29%
7th The Case Book of Arne 2.93%
8th Star Detective Precure! 2.88%
Best Mystery or Suspense Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Original Anime of Winter 2026

875 people voted in this category, ultimately crowning Love Through a Prism as the winner, with Digimon Beatbreak in second place.

Rank Title Votes
1st Love Through a Prism 47.31%
2nd Digimon Beatbreak 23.09%
3rd Star Detective Precure! 16.57%
4th Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers 7.2%
5th SI-VIS: The Sound of Heroes 5.83%
Best Original Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Romance Anime of Winter 2026

Out of 2,497 voters, You and I Are Polar Opposites claimed the lead, followed closely by Tamon’s B-Side.

Rank Title Votes
1st You and I Are Polar Opposites 27.19%
2nd Tamon’s B-Side 20.82%
3rd Tune In to the Midnight Heart 9.69%
4th Love Through a Prism 7.77%
5th In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 6.93%
6th The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife 5.97%
7th Hana-Kimi 5.13%
8th There was a Cute Girl in the Hero’s Party, so I Tried Confessing to Her 3.88%
9th The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom 3.8%
10th You Can’t Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! 3.36%
11th Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You. Season 2 3.28%
12th Champignon Witch 2.16%
Best Romance Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Sci-fi Anime of Winter 2026

1,060 people voted in this category, ultimately crowning Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 as the winner, with GNOSIA in second place.

Rank Title Votes
1st Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 46.79%
2nd GNOSIA 17.45%
3rd Trigun Stargaze 13.49%
4th The Darwin Incident 11.42%
5th Scum of the Brave 6.7%
6th Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers 4.15%
Best Sci-fi Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Ship or Couple of Winter 2026

With 6,310 people casting their votes, Aqua Hoshino x Kana Arima emerged victorious, with Aqua Hoshino x Akane Kurokawa right behind.

Rank Title Votes
1st Aqua Hoshino x Kana Arima 12.9%
2nd Aqua Hoshino x Akane Kurokawa 12.38%
3rd Fern x Stark 11.24%
4th Utage Kinoshita x Tamon Fukuhara 7.18%
5th Miyu Suzuki x Yusuke Tani 7.04%
6th Natsumi Nishi x Kentaro Yamada 5.52%
7th Shino Azuma x Shuuji Taira 4.55%
8th Yui x Gabimaru 3.95%
9th Yoi Takiguchi x Kohaku Ichimura 2.73%
10th Kyoka Uzen x Yuki Wakura 2.47%
11th Shizuka Yako x Akira Tounome 2.3%
12th Shinobu Uzuki x Arisu Yamabuki 2.25%
13th Rikka Inohana x Arisu Yamabuki 2.23%
14th Seiichirou Kondo x Aresh Indolark 2.22%
15th Himari Azuma x Yuki Wakura 1.87%
16th Iko Kirino x Arisu Yamabuki 1.84%
17th Nene Himekawa x Arisu Yamabuki 1.81%
18th Cecilia x Yoki 1.77%
19th Mizuki Ashiya x Izumi Sano 1.55%
20th Wakana Kinme x Kyusho Ishimochi 1.33%
21st Lizel x Gil 1.13%
22nd Akari Hiodoshi x Yonosuke “Eiyu” Sakai 1.09%
23rd Tiararose Lapis Clementille x Aquasteed Marineforest 1.06%
24th Flum Apricot x Milkit 0.95%
25th Lize x Luna 0.82%
26th Mizuki Ashiya x Shuuichi Nakatsu 0.81%
27th Shio Minamo x Yonosuke “Eiyu” Sakai 0.73%
28th Runa Tsukimii x Yonosuke “Eiyu” Sakai 0.65%
29th Haru Hinata x Yonosuke “Eiyu” Sakai 0.63%
30th Mizuho Nishino x Kizuki Hazawa 0.62%
31st Ren Saionji x Kanata Katagiri 0.59%
32nd Mizuho Nishino x Shin Kashiwagi 0.55%
33rd Lynn Reinweiß x Arne Neuntöter 0.51%
34th Mizuho Nishino x Shugo Hoshikawa 0.46%
35th Mizuho Nishino x Airu Izumi 0.29%
Best Ship or Couple Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Slice of Life Anime of Winter 2026

With 1,133 people casting their votes, Journal with Witch emerged victorious, with Wash It All Away right behind.

Rank Title Votes
1st Journal with Witch 40.07%
2nd Wash It All Away 23.57%
3rd The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!! 13.42%
4th A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 12.62%
5th The Daily Life of a Part-Time Torturer 10.33%
Best Slice of Life Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Soundtrack of Winter 2026

3,252 people voted in this category, ultimately crowning [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 as the winner, with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 in second place.

Rank Title Votes
1st [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 20.42%
2nd Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 17.28%
3rd Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 12.64%
4th Tamon’s B-Side 9.29%
5th You and I Are Polar Opposites 6.43%
6th Hell’s Paradise Season 2 6.06%
7th Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 5.75%
8th Sentenced to Be a Hero 5.35%
9th Tune In to the Midnight Heart 3.38%
10th Journal with Witch 3.32%
11th Medalist Season 2 3.14%
12th My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 3.04%
13th SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 2.89%
14th Golden Kamuy Final Season 1.01%
Best Soundtrack Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Sport Anime of Winter 2026

A total of 749 people participated in this category, where Medalist Season 2 secured first place while MF Ghost Season 3 came in second.

Rank Title Votes
1st Medalist Season 2 77.7%
2nd MF Ghost Season 3 22.3%
Best Sport Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Storytelling Anime of Winter 2026

This category received votes from 3,480 people, with [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 taking the top spot, closely followed by Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2.

Rank Title Votes
1st [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 18.33%
2nd Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 17.1%
3rd Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 10.03%
4th Tamon’s B-Side 8.3%
5th You and I Are Polar Opposites 7.53%
6th Hell’s Paradise Season 2 7.1%
7th Sentenced to Be a Hero 6.03%
8th Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 5.78%
9th Journal with Witch 5.52%
10th Fate/strange Fake 5.37%
11th Medalist Season 2 3.39%
12th SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 2.87%
13th Golden Kamuy Final Season 1.52%
14th Trigun Stargaze 1.12%
Best Storytelling Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best Voice Cast of Winter 2026

With 3,470 people casting their votes, [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 emerged victorious, with Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 right behind.

Rank Title Votes
1st [Oshi No Ko] Season 3 20.66%
2nd Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 13.29%
3rd Jujutsu Kaisen The Culling Game Part 1 12.25%
4th Tamon’s B-Side 9.68%
5th You and I Are Polar Opposites 7.95%
6th Hell’s Paradise Season 2 7.32%
7th Fate/strange Fake 5.88%
8th Fire Force Season 3 Part 2 5.27%
9th Chained Soldier Season 2 4.44%
10th Tune In to the Midnight Heart 3.95%
11th Medalist Season 2 3.23%
12th My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2 2.94%
13th Golden Kamuy Final Season 1.59%
14th You Can’t Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends! 1.56%
Best Voice Cast Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

Best World Building Anime of Winter 2026

2,167 people voted in this category, ultimately crowning Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 as the winner, with Hell’s Paradise Season 2 in second place.

Rank Title Votes
1st Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 34.79%
2nd Hell’s Paradise Season 2 13.43%
3rd Sentenced to Be a Hero 13.15%
4th Fire Force Season 3 6.83%
5th Champignon Witch 4.75%
6th Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 4.48%
7th The Holy Grail of Eris 4.43%
8th There was a Cute Girl in the Hero’s Party, so I Tried Confessing to Her 3%
9th Trigun Stargaze 2.81%
10th The Demon King’s Daughter Is Too Kind!! 2.68%
11th Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 2.4%
12th Noble Reincarnation: Born Blessed, So I’ll Obtain Ultimate Power 1.98%
13th Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing 1.85%
14th An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 1.8%
15th The Case Book of Arne 1.62%
Best World Building Anime of Winter 2026 – Rankings – Anime Corner Polls

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in our polls this season. In case you missed it, we’re compiling information for the best weekly anime episodes for Spring 2026, and you can vote by visiting our polls site here.

Featured image:
Jujutsu Kaisen © Gege Akutami / Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project
Oshi no Ko © Akasaka Aka x Mengo Yokoyari / Shueisha / Oshi no Ko Production Committee
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 © Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe/Shogakukan/”Frieren” Project

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