Japan Reveals Its Top 10 Anime Genres in Official 2026 Ranking

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A new survey looked at what anime fans in Japan enjoy watching most, and revealed their favorite genres.

Ouchi Cinema, a video-on-demand service, recently surveyed anime fans in Japan to learn about their viewing habits. The online survey, conducted from January 30th to February 2nd, 2026, included 300 participants: 104 men and 196 women.

The survey showed that Japanese viewers most often choose the “Action / Battle” genre, with 59% of the vote. “Adventure / Fantasy” was a close second at 54.7%, and “Slice of Life / Heartwarming” came in third, favored by 37.7% of those surveyed.

New Survey Reveals the Top 10 Ranked Anime Genres for Japanese Fans

  1. Action / Battle (59.0%)
  2. Adventure / Fantasy (54.7%)
  3. Slice of Life / Heartwarming (37.7%)
  4. Gag / Comedy (28.7%)
  5. Dark Fantasy (27.3%)
  6. Sports (27.3%)
  7. Mystery / Deduction (26.7%)
  8. Romance / Romantic Comedy (25.3%)
  9. Isekai Reincarnation / Isekai Summoning (23.3%)
  10. School / Youth (21.0%)

Action and adventure stories are incredibly popular worldwide, and have long been the most successful types of anime. Series like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Bleach are prime examples of how these genres have shaped the anime landscape.

Despite being popular worldwide, several genres didn’t make it into the top 10 during this survey. Horror and occult stories ranked 16th with 11.3% of viewers interested, while sci-fi/mecha (19.0%) and suspense/thriller (14.3%) also fell short. It was particularly surprising to see isekai – a genre with a large and growing number of new releases – not even reach the top three.

New Survey Also Reveals the Top 10 Anime of Winter 2026

Besides looking at what kinds of anime people enjoy, the study also asked participants which anime they’d recommend right now. Here’s a list of the top 10 shows they suggested:

  1. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (15.0%)
  2. Jujutsu Kaisen (13.3%)
  3. Oshi no Ko (8.3%)
  4. Hell’s Paradise (6.0%)
  5. Medalist (5.0%)
  6. Golden Kamuy (4.7%)
  7. You and I Are Polar Opposites (3.3%)
  8. MF Ghost (3.0%)
  9. Tamon’s B-Side (2.7%)
  10. The Apothecary Diaries (2.3%)

It’s not surprising that Frieren ranked highest in the survey, as it was a clear favorite. Oshi no Ko has also been consistently praised as one of the best anime this season.

It’s surprising that even though action anime is the most popular overall, only three of the top ten series actually fall into that category. Also, despite the fact that the third season of Apothecary Diaries won’t be released until October 2026, it still managed to make the list, with 2.3% of people recommending it.

Anime Viewing Habits of Japanese Fans Undergoes a Shift

The survey showed that most people (67.7%) now watch anime on streaming services. This is much more popular than watching on regular TV (12.3%), and almost nobody (0.3%) still prefers watching DVDs.

Most anime viewers (35.3%) watch between one and three hours each month – about one to five episodes a week. A smaller, highly engaged group (7.7%) watches over 40 hours a month, which means they watch at least two episodes daily.

Most people (67.0%) start watching a new anime because it’s based on something they already enjoy, like a manga, light novel, or video game. A compelling story description or setting also draws in many viewers (55.3%), as does the release of a new season or part of a series they’re already following (55.0%).

You know, it’s really interesting – exactly half of the people I talked to said they’d definitely check out a new show just because it’s a genre they already love. It really highlights how much we stick with what we know and enjoy!

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2026-02-23 19:44