Anime Bracketology 2026

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March is just around the corner, and with it comes sport's biggest gambling opportunity: March Madness. This has me wondering what an Anime March Madness bracket could potentially look like, and why some big shot like Anime News Network or Crunchyroll won’t make one. To egg them on in the right direction, here is my proposed rule set and what I think the top seeds of an Anime March Madness Bracket could look like if it happened this year: 

• Seedings are based on story, character development, animation, and how empty my life felt after completing the show 

• Shows must be made 100% in Japan with the exception of outsourced work to China, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, the United States, or elsewhere in the world 

• Only shows from Spring 2025 – Winter 2026 qualify. Also, all shows from 1990 because that was such a stellar year 

• What I say goes, unless my wife disagrees 

Without further ado, here are my proposed seedings for the top 4 lines, and a brief reasoning as to why I think they would earn the seed they've got:

1 Seeds

Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 4 – Kazuya is the ultimate Chad character. Enough said

Nyaight of the Living Cat – Who wouldn’t want to be turned into a fluffy wuffy snuggly boo!?!? 

Onmyou Kaiten Re:Birth - I’ve been waiting forever for a show about a normal guy like me gaining absurd, undeserved power while surrounded by beautiful women. Why hasn’t anyone ever thought of this before? 

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 - Have you seen the fan art of Fern?

(She's hotter with safe search off)

2 Seeds

Arknights: Rise From Ember – Inevitably they will make a video game based on this show. Just please don’t make it a gotcha game! 

Spy x Family Season 3 – With endearing characters, beautiful animation, and whimsical plotlines, SxF’s third season raises not only it’s own bar, but the bar for all animated shows. 

Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku – Provides the best argument that we need to privatize the education system 

Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) – Yes, it’s better than Brotherhood. Don’t bother arguing otherwise 

(He's hotter with safe search off)

3 Seeds

Lazarus – Cowboy Bebop’s spiritual successor certainly didn’t disappoint anybody

Miami (OH) – Look, they’re undefeated. They deserve a chance even if the predictive metrics suggest they aren’t truly an anime

Boko No Hero Academia: The Final Season – Deku and Bakugou finally start dating (I assume)

Please Put Them On, Takamine-San - no comment 

The MAC has never had a final four team. Could that change this year?

4 Seeds

Kingdom Season 6 – This little known hit is certain to get a second season soon

One Man Punch Season 3 – The animation is wonderful, but Saitama’s workout routine is simply too difficult 

New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt – As a cis dude, I wish I looked like Stocking

Fate Strange/Fake - I can’t wait for the show to conveniently break all of the rules created by the other canon Fate series without even blinking 

Dear lord, please let me wake up looking like her!

Do you have an opinion on our list? What would your top line look like? Who would be the last four in? We’ve opened up comments for the first and (let’s face it) last time.