Fan poll names Sentenced to Be a Hero most popular of winter 2026

Polygon reports that weekly fan polling on AnimeCorner — which drew more than 3,626 votes in the first week of the winter 2026 anime schedule — placed Sentenced to Be a Hero as the season’s most popular show.

The breakout original from Studio Kai received 8.36% of votes and was described as a potential next big success for Kodansha, edging out Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, which took second with 7.13% despite a much-praised intro and the memes it inspired. Chained Soldier season 2 followed with 5.84%.

Rounding out the top five were A-1 Pictures’ Kaguya-sama: Love Is War – The Stairs to Adulthood in fourth and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes season 2 in fifth with 4.92%. Polygon noted Vigilantes’ placement was somewhat surprising given the recent hype around the main My Hero Academia series and the franchise’s 10th anniversary in 2026.

The poll also listed the season’s lower-ranked titles, including Tune In to the Midnight Heart, Tamon’s B-Side, There Was a Cute Girl in the Hero’s Party, So I Tried Confessing to Her, You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!, and SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table, with Tamon’s B-Side singled out for its satire of idol culture. The outlet emphasized that Nielsen ratings don’t track anime and major trades rarely report weekly viewership, so fan polls remain a key gauge of current popularity.

Key Topics

Culture, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chained Soldier, My Hero Academia, Studio Kai, Kodansha