A New #1 Powered by the Conan Movie
Hagiwara Chihaya, the motorcycle-riding squad leader of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, claimed first place with roughly 15 percent of the vote in Anime Anime's annual poll. The character serves as a key figure in Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway, the franchise's 29th film and a current box-office hit in Japan.
Sawashiro took over the role from the late Atsuko Tanaka, who passed away in August 2024. Readers acknowledged the difficulty of inheriting such a role, with multiple respondents praising Sawashiro for honoring Tanaka's dignified presence while bringing her own energy to the character. One voter wrote that Sawashiro delivered "a wonderful Chihaya that preserved the cool composure Tanaka-san created, while still feeling unmistakably like Sawashiro's own."
The result marks a shift from the 2024 poll, where Demon Slayer's Daki held the top position. Chihaya's rise tracks neatly with the Conan movie's theatrical run — a reminder that recency and visibility drive these fan votes as much as lasting affection does.
Oscar and Daki Round Out the Top Three
Second place went to Oscar François de Jarjayes from The Rose of Versailles, the 2025 theatrical anime produced by MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man) and now streaming on Netflix. Oscar earned about 9 percent of the vote. Readers highlighted Sawashiro's ability to convey the character's layered identity — the resolve of a soldier, the vulnerability of a woman navigating a man's world, and the nobility of a revolutionary. Multiple longtime fans of Riyoko Ikeda's original manga said Sawashiro's portrayal felt both timeless and contemporary.
Daki from Demon Slayer dropped to third with roughly 7 percent, down from first in 2024 but still comfortably in the top tier. Voters continued to praise the contrast between Daki's seductive oiran persona and her ferocious combat voice, with many singling out the emotional sibling scenes with Gyūtarō as a standout.
The pattern is clear: Sawashiro's 2025-2026 film roles have reshaped the rankings. Both Chihaya and Oscar are theatrical characters with major screen time, and both gave Sawashiro the kind of meaty, emotionally complex material that sticks with audiences.
The Full Top 10 — From Kurapika to Raiden Shogun
The rest of the list reads like a tour through three decades of anime. Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter (2011) held fourth, followed by Sinon from Sword Art Online in fifth. Kanbaru Suruga from the Monogatari series took sixth, and Fujiko Mine — a role Sawashiro has played in Lupin the Third since 2012 — landed at seventh.
GeGeGe no Kitarō's title character (the 2018 sixth series) placed eighth, Rozen Maiden's Shinku came in ninth, and Genshin Impact's Raiden Shogun rounded out the top 10. The list spans everything from shōnen action staples to a gacha game deity, reflecting a career that has touched nearly every corner of the medium.
Sawashiro debuted in 1999 as Petit Charat in Di Gi Charat — a role that also received votes in this year's poll. She has since won multiple Voice Actor Awards, including Lead Actress at the fourth ceremony, and remains one of the industry's most prolific performers across anime, film dubbing, narration, and stage readings.
The Anime Anime survey collected 844 responses between May 19 and May 26, 2026. The gender split was nearly even at 45 percent male and 55 percent female, with the largest age group being respondents under 19 at about 30 percent.
Looking Ahead
Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway remains in Japanese theaters as of early June 2026. The film has not yet been announced for international theatrical distribution, though previous Conan films have eventually landed on streaming platforms including Netflix and Crunchyroll. The Rose of Versailles is already available internationally on Netflix.
Sawashiro's 2025-2026 stretch also includes Makio Takashiro in Ikoku Nikki and a role in Lupin the IIIrd The Movie: Fujimi no Ketsuzoku. With fan sentiment clearly tracking her newest work, whatever she headlines next will likely shake up the 2027 poll all over again.