Sanrio has announced the results for its annual Sanrio Character Ranking 2026, with Pompompurin securing the number one position for the second year running. The beloved golden retriever character narrowly edged out four-time winner Cinnamoroll, who placed second, while Pochacco held onto third place for the second year in a row.
A total of 70,647,379 votes were cast in this year's competition. Pompompurin garnered 10% of the votes, exceeding 7.1 million, while Cinnamoroll followed closely with 8.9% or over 6.3 million votes. Pochacco received 5.6% of the vote, with just under 4 million votes. The rankings also highlighted Osaru no Monkichi at 41st place in honor of the ranking's 41st anniversary.
The top 10 characters for 2026 were revealed: Pompompurin (1st), Cinnamoroll (2nd), Pochacco (3rd), Kuromi (4th), Hello Kitty (5th), Ahirunpekkle (10th), My Melody (6th), Tuxedo Sam (9th), Hangyodon (8th), and Little Twin Stars (7th). While Pompompurin dominated most regions, Cinnamoroll took the top spot in Mainland China, Brazil, Italy, and France, and Yoshikitty led in Thailand.
Sanrio also reintroduced the Sanrio Partners ranking, with the collaboration between Shirotan and Sanrio Characters taking first place. Second place went to the TBS morning program Love It! mascot Lappi and Sanrio Characters, followed by Belc's mascot characters Belcook, Kuu, Guu, and Ruu with Hapidanbui in third. A new category, Happilinafriends, was introduced this year, with new character Chokochilla sweeping the 'Always Together', 'Collector's Choice', and 'Favorite Story' awards.
Source: Anime News Network(https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2026-07-01/sanrio-character-ranking-2026-results-announced/.239092)
