Summer 2026 anime popularity poll sees five-way tie for top female characters

A reader survey conducted by Anime! Anime! regarding the most popular female characters in the Summer 2026 anime season resulted in a five-way tie for first place. The top characters include Elsa Yukarinen from ‘I Have No Intention of Loving You, But the Next Duke is Somehow Doting on Me’, Huang Linglin from ‘Even Though I Am a Modest Villainess’, Motoko Kusanagi from ‘Ghost in the Shell’, Dara-san from ‘Reiwa no Dara-san’, and Arale Nakamachi from ‘BanG Dream! Yumemita’.

Respondents highlighted various traits, such as Elsa’s positive attitude, Huang Linglin’s mental resilience, and the comedic yet sharp personality of the new iteration of Motoko Kusanagi. Other notable mentions included characters from ‘The Stepmother and Stepsister Who Don’t Bully Me’ and ‘Otome Kaiju Caramelize’.