Conan Dominates a Poll Built on Heartbreak
Detective Conan placed three characters in the top 10 — Haibara at #1, Ran Mouri at #3, and Toru Amuro at tied-7th — making it the most represented franchise in the survey by a wide margin. That tracks: few long-running series put their cast through as much sustained emotional punishment as Gosho Aoyama's mystery epic.
The Anime Anime reader poll ran from May 16 to 22, collecting 347 responses split roughly 55/45 male-to-female. About 25% of respondents were 19 or younger, with the largest group — around 45% — in their 30s. The survey lands every year on May 29, which in Japanese wordplay (5/29 = "kō-fuku") doubles as "Happiness Day."
Haibara earned about 6% of the vote. Readers pointed to her childhood under the Black Organization's watch, being bullied while studying abroad, losing her sister, and once resolving to die before the shrinking drug APTX4869 inadvertently saved her life. One commenter summed it up: they want to see her live as an ordinary girl, laughing freely, once the Organization finally falls.
Gojo Climbs, Ran Returns to the Top Three
Gojo Satoru jumped from a tied-8th finish in 2025 to the #2 spot this year with roughly 5% support. Fans cited the paradox of his strength: being the most powerful sorcerer alive means carrying a burden no one else can share. With Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3's Culling Game arc putting his sealed fate front and center, readers said they want to see him freed from that isolation and surrounded by the students he fought to protect.
Ran Mouri made a similar leap from tied-8th to #3. Her appeal is quieter but just as resonant — she's spent years waiting for Shinichi Kudo to come home, never letting him see how much it hurts. The only time they're truly together is during the brief windows when Conan takes the antidote. Fans said they won't rest until the Black Organization case is closed and Ran gets her permanent reunion.
The Rest of the Top 10 — and the Comments That Hit Hardest
The tied-4th slot went to a striking trio: Kikyō from Inuyasha, Gintoki Sakata from Gintama, and Haruka Sakura from Wind Breaker. At tied-7th, Atsushi Nakajima from Bungo Stray Dogs and Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan joined Amuro. Ash Lynx from Banana Fish and Hanako-kun from Toilet-bound Hanako-kun rounded out the top 10 at tied-10th.
Outside the main ranking, several reader comments stood out. Demon Slayer's Akaza drew sympathy for losing his father, his benefactor, and his fiancée — and for still trying to honor old promises even after becoming a demon. Natsume Takashi from Natsume's Book of Friends, now in its seventh anime season, was praised for finally finding warmth after a lonely childhood. And Mikasa's voters said they cried over her ending with Eren and simply hope she found peace afterward.
One comment with an eye on the calendar: fans voted for Homura Akemi from Madoka Magica, noting that the long-awaited Walpurgis no Kaiten film opens August 28, 2026. After everything Homura has sacrificed across timelines, readers want to know whether the movie will finally let her be happy — or break her all over again.
Looking Ahead
The poll's timing is almost poetic. Several of the top-ranked characters belong to franchises with major releases on the horizon: Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 is currently airing, Walpurgis no Kaiten arrives in Japanese theaters this August, and Detective Conan continues its seemingly eternal run. Whether any of these characters actually get the happiness fans are begging for remains, of course, entirely up to their creators.
Anime Anime noted that 22 characters tied at 17th place, signaling just how spread out fan sympathy is across the medium. The full extended ranking is available on their site. The outlet is already running its next poll — "Which 'father' character comes to mind?" — with submissions open until June 5.