Sanrio revealed the results of its 2026 Character Ranking, with Pompompurin securing the top spot for the second year running. The cheerful pup barely held off Cinnamoroll, winning with 10% of votes (just over 7.1 million) compared to Cinnamoroll's 8.9% (over 6.3 million). The competition was tight at the top—a gap of less than 850,000 votes separated first and second place.

Pochacco maintained its third-place position from last year with 5.6% of the vote. The rest of the top 10 saw some movement, with Kuromi holding steady at fourth, Hello Kitty climbing to fifth, and Ahirunpekkle jumping from tenth to sixth. My Melody, Tuxedo Sam, Hangyodon, and Little Twin Stars rounded out the podium.

The 2026 ranking drew an impressive 70,647,379 total votes—a testament to the global appeal of Sanrio's character library. The company expanded voting beyond its core fanbase this year, offering regional rankings for 14 territories including Mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Brazil, and several European countries. While Pompompurin dominated most regions, Cinnamoroll claimed first in Mainland China, Brazil, Italy, and France. Yoshikitty proved to be the favorite in Thailand.

Sanrio also brought back its Partners rankings category, recognizing collaborations between Sanrio characters and other brands. Shirotan, a harp seal character, took first place in partnership with Sanrio characters, followed by Lappi (the TBS morning show mascot) in second. A trio of mascots from Japanese grocery chain Belc rounded out the top three.

New to the 2026 ranking was the Happilinafriends category, designed to help fans discover up-and-coming characters. The initiative features three awards—"Always Together," "Collector's Choice," and "Favorite Story"—with newcomer Chokochilla sweeping all three categories. The company also recognized longtime character Osaru no Monkichi during the ranking's 41st anniversary celebration.