Three-Peat for the Three-Sword Style
Zoro's win probably surprises nobody, but the margin is worth noting. The Straw Hat crew's swordsman pulled roughly 12 percent of the vote in Anime!Anime!'s latest reader survey, holding onto the same first-place finish he earned in the 2022 edition. Readers singled out his three-sword style — two blades in hand, one clenched between his teeth — as an utterly unique fighting approach. His code of honor got love too: "A wound on a swordsman's back is his shame" was quoted by multiple voters as proof that Zoro's pride matches his skill. The poll's timing also lines up with the ONE PIECE anime's current Elbaf arc, keeping Zoro front of mind.
The survey ran from April 10 to 14, 2026, timed to Japan's unofficial "Good Blade Day" on April 18 — a pun on the date (4/18 can be read as "yo-i-ha," meaning "good blade"). A total of 901 fans responded, split roughly evenly between men and women, with about 35 percent aged 19 or younger.
Kenshin Climbs, Tanjiro Holds Steady
Himura Kenshin jumped from fifth place in 2022 all the way to second, pulling about 10 percent of the vote. Fans pointed to his reversed-blade sword — a katana with the cutting edge on the wrong side — as a concept that still feels fresh decades after the manga's debut. The character's commitment to never killing, paired with the flashy Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū fighting style, clearly resonated. One voter admitted to imitating Kenshin's Nine-Headed Dragon Strike with a broom during school cleaning time. With a third season of the new Rurouni Kenshin anime now confirmed, the franchise's visibility is only growing.
Tanjiro Kamado climbed one spot from fourth to third with about 7 percent of the vote. Readers connected his Nichirin Blade to Demon Slayer's identity as a whole — the series is so intertwined with swords that picking Tanjiro felt almost automatic. Several voters noted that Tanjiro's straightforward, unbreakable personality mirrors the ideal qualities of a Japanese sword itself. Demon Slayer is also back in the spotlight thanks to a full-series rebroadcast that kicked off April 5, 2026, airing every Sunday at 9:30 AM.
The Rest of the Top 10
The remaining slots offer a tour through decades of anime swordsmanship. Gintoki Sakata (Gintama) landed at fourth, followed by the legendary Goemon Ishikawa (Lupin the Third) at fifth — voters called Goemon's signature line, "Once again I have cut a worthless object," the origin point for every stoic swordsman trope that followed. Konpaku Youmu from Touhou Project took sixth, while Jujutsu Kaisen's Yuta Okkotsu grabbed seventh on the strength of his Culling Game battles. Mikazuki Munechika (Touken Ranbu ONLINE) placed eighth, Fukuzawa Yukichi (Bungo Stray Dogs) ninth, and Demon Slayer's Giyu Tomioka rounded out the top 10 — giving the Demon Slayer franchise two entries.
Notably, the poll also drew votes for female sword fighters. Strike Witches' Mio Sakamoto earned praise for wielding her beloved Reppumaru katana in combat, using it as both a weapon and a substitute for a defensive shield.
Looking Ahead
The full top-20 ranking is available on the Anime!Anime! site for anyone who wants to see which characters fell just outside the top 10. For the franchises represented here, the near future is stacked: ONE PIECE's Elbaf arc is currently airing on Crunchyroll and Netflix internationally, Demon Slayer's Infinity Castle film is headed to theaters worldwide, and Rurouni Kenshin's third season is now in production with no premiere date announced yet. Jujutsu Kaisen's Culling Game arc wrapped its first half earlier this year, with the continuation still to come. Whether your pick made the list or not, there's no shortage of animated sword fights on the horizon.