Marisa Kirisame Holds the Line
The results of Anime Anime's 2026 reader poll are in, and Touhou Project's self-styled ordinary magician isn't giving up her throne. Marisa Kirisame took first place with roughly 12 percent of the vote, making it two consecutive wins for the broom-riding, laser-blasting human sorcerer of Gensokyo.
Readers praised the obvious: her pointy black hat, broomstick, and textbook witch silhouette. But the comments that stood out focused on her personality. "She's a human who chose magic," one voter wrote, calling out the distinction between Marisa — who studies obsessively to keep up — and the many Touhou characters who are simply born magical. That underdog grit resonated. Fellow Touhou witch Patchouli Knowledge, a magician by species rather than by effort, placed in a tie at 16th.
Frieren and Kiki Hold Steady
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End landed second place for the second straight year, falling just a few votes short of Marisa. With Season 2 currently airing its Revolte arc, the thousand-year-old elven mage remains front of mind. Voters highlighted the contrast between Frieren's overwhelming battlefield power and her everyday quirks — hoarding useless spells, getting scolded by her own apprentice Fern, and the infamous "tantrum Frieren" scene from Season 2 Episode 31 where she cried for three days straight.
Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service held third at about 7 percent, completing an identical podium to 2025. Multiple readers described her as the first witch character they ever encountered, and her influence on decades of magical-girl and witch designs came up repeatedly. There's also a timely reason to revisit: a 4K digital remaster of Kiki's Delivery Service opens in IMAX theaters across Japan on June 19, 2026 for a limited run.
The Full Top 10 — and Some Standout Comments
Here's where the rest of the ranking landed:
| Rank | Character | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marisa Kirisame | Touhou Project |
| 2 | Frieren | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End |
| 3 | Kiki | Kiki's Delivery Service |
| 4 | Niko Wakatsuki | Witch Watch |
| 5 | Elaina | Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina |
| 6 | Nanoha Takamachi | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha |
| 7 | Monica Everett | Silent Witch |
| 8 | Doremi Harukaze | Ojamajo Doremi |
| 9 (tie) | Fate T. Harlaown | Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha |
| 9 (tie) | Sally Yumeno | Sally the Witch |
The range is striking. Sally the Witch debuted in 1966 — the very first magical-girl anime — and she's sharing a rank with Fate from a franchise that launched in 2004. The poll drew 416 responses between April 23 and 28, with a near-even gender split and about 35 percent of voters under 19.
Several write-in comments deserve attention. One voter championed Silent Witch's Monica Everett, an extreme introvert who mastered chantless magic specifically so she'd never have to speak in public. Another made a case for Walpurgis Night from Puella Magi Madoka Magica — not a magical girl, but the franchise's most destructive witch — noting that even 15 years after the original TV series, the character remains full of unanswered questions heading into the Walpurgis no Kaiten film.
And one reader voted for Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, pointing out that the "witch of the shooting stars" has grown from a 2007 debut into a main character in the currently-screening Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Looking Ahead
The poll's timing tracked with Walpurgis Night on April 30, a European tradition associated with witches gathering under the night sky — a fitting prompt for the survey.
For fans looking to engage with some of these ranked characters right now, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. The Silent Witch anime adaptation begins airing July 4, 2026, giving Monica Everett a likely boost in next year's rankings. And if Kiki's Delivery Service in IMAX sounds appealing, the 4K remaster opens June 19 in Japanese theaters — no international screenings have been announced yet.
Ojamajo Doremi is also getting new life with the short anime Ojamajo Doremi Nyon streaming this year, keeping the 1999 magical-girl classic in the conversation alongside its modern competition.