Ed Reclaims the Spotlight
Fullmetal Alchemist's pint-sized prodigy earned roughly 10 percent of the vote in Japanese anime news site Anime Anime's annual reader survey, leaping from fifth place in 2025 straight to the top. Readers praised Ed's unwavering drive to restore his brother Alphonse's body after a disastrous attempt at human transmutation cost them both dearly. One voter called him "a strong-willed, dependable big brother who keeps fighting for Al's sake," while another highlighted the siblings' battlefield teamwork, noting Ed gets mistaken for the younger brother thanks to his height.
The poll ran from May 22 to 29, drawing 206 responses split roughly 55/45 between male and female voters. The largest age brackets were readers under 19 and those in their 30s, each making up about 30 percent of the total. The survey was timed to Japan's Brother's Day on June 6, a date pegged to the midpoint of Gemini season and its mythological twin brothers, the Dioscuri.
Choso Drops, Kamui Climbs
Choso from Jujutsu Kaisen slid from first to second with about 9 percent support. Fans still rallied behind his over-the-top brotherly devotion to Yuji Itadori, quoting his signature battle cry and the Season 3 scene where Yuji finally, reluctantly, introduces Choso as family. That moment clearly stuck, but it wasn't enough to hold the crown.
Gintama's Kamui made the biggest jump, rising from seventh to third at roughly 4 percent. Readers credited the February 2026 theatrical film Gintama: The Great Yoshiwara Inferno for putting his complicated sibling dynamic with Kagura back in the spotlight. Multiple voters described him as a "lovable idiot brother" whose clashes with his family eventually reveal genuine affection.
The Rest of the Top 10
Demon Slayer's Tanjiro Kamado held fourth, a natural pick given the entire series is built on his mission to save his sister Nezuko. Fifth went to Mahiro Oyama from Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!, whose comedic premise (turned into a girl by a younger sister's experimental drug, yet still technically the older sibling on paper) earned a loyal voting bloc.
Blue Lock's Sae Itoshi and Bungo Stray Dogs' Junichiro Tanizaki tied for sixth. Doraemon landed at eighth, a choice that might surprise international fans but makes sense in context: the robotic cat is sent by Nobita's great-great-grandson as a protective older-sibling figure. The ninth-place tie was a seven-way split featuring Uchiha Itachi from Naruto, Sesshomaru from Inuyasha, Kyoichiro Yozakura from Mission: Yozakura Family (currently airing its second season), and four others.
Voters also shouted out Futaro Uesugi from The Quintessential Quintuplets, calling him a devoted brother who once stayed up all night nursing his younger sister Raiha through a fever.
Looking Ahead
Anime Anime runs these character-type polls throughout the year, and the results tend to shift alongside whatever's airing or hitting theaters. Ed's win tracks with renewed Fullmetal Alchemist visibility, while Kamui's climb is a direct byproduct of Gintama's theatrical push. The full top-20 list is available on Anime Anime's site for anyone looking to see where their pick landed.