Doma's Infinity Castle Effect
Japanese entertainment news site Anime!Anime! published its annual birthday poll for Mamoru Miyano (Light Yagami in Death Note, Rintarō Okabe in Steins;Gate) on June 8, and while the top spot held firm, the real shakeup came at No. 2.
Doma, the Upper Rank 2 demon from Demon Slayer, rocketed from a tied 10th-place finish in 2025 to second this year with roughly 9% of the vote. Readers credited the Infinity Castle movie, released in 2025, which gave Miyano extended screen time to play the character's unsettling blend of charm and cruelty. One voter described being "so infuriated by this villain that you can't look away, and before you know it, he's stolen your heart."
Others praised the vocal detail, with one respondent noting that "the trailing 'nee' at the end of his sentences sounds almost like a musical instrument." Voters highlighted Miyano's ability to convey a character who is brutal yet alluring, emotionless yet somehow expressive, all through shifts in vocal tone.
Dazai's Four-Year Reign
Osamu Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs claimed the top spot for the fourth consecutive year, commanding roughly 26% of the vote. The gap between Dazai's public goofball persona and his razor-sharp tactical mind is what keeps pulling voters back, according to the comments.
"The shift in his voice when things get serious, after all that clowning around, gives me chills," one respondent wrote. Another praised how Miyano "plays every layer of Dazai, from the Port Mafia darkness to the deadpan comedy, and makes it feel like one coherent person."
With the Bungo Stray Dogs anime marking its 10th anniversary in 2026, fans noted that events, games, and the upcoming spinoff Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! 2 (set for July) mean more Miyano-as-Dazai content than ever.
Heroes, Villains, and Everything Between
Uta no Prince-sama's Tokiya Ichinose held at No. 3 with roughly 7%, down one spot from 2025. Voters highlighted Miyano's singing as much as his acting, with one calling his live concert appearances "a real-life embodiment of Tokiya."
The rest of the top 10:
- Atsumu Miya (Haikyu!!)
- Ultraman Zero
- (tie) Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High School Host Club)
- (tie) Light Yagami (Death Note)
- (tie) Kei Kaname (Oblivion Battery)
- (tie) Rin Matsuoka (Free!)
- Setsuna F. Seiei (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)
The poll drew 1,128 responses between May 20 and 27, with roughly 80% female respondents and 40% under age 19.
Beyond the rankings, readers singled out Shinmon Benimaru from Fire Force for his "rough Edo swagger" and Shuu Tsukiyama from Tokyo Ghoul for embodying a character "neither fully good nor fully evil." A vote for Mugen from The Legend of Hei, a Chinese animated film Miyano dubbed into Japanese, highlighted that his range extends beyond Japanese-origin productions.
Looking Ahead
Miyano's schedule stays full. His concert Blu-ray, MAMORU MIYANO ASIA LIVE TOUR 2025-2026 VACATIONING!, releases June 10, 2026. He also joins the cast of Gekidan Shinkansen's stage production Akechiko! starting June 12. On the anime front, Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! 2 begins in July.
For international viewers, Bungo Stray Dogs streams on Crunchyroll, with the manga published in English by Yen Press. Demon Slayer streams on both Crunchyroll and Netflix. Haikyu!! is available on Crunchyroll, and its 2024 theatrical film The Dumpster Battle saw a wide international release. No word yet on international streaming for Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! 2.