Who Won the 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking?
Pompompurin won the 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking (the 41st edition of Sanrio's official global popularity poll), capturing his second consecutive #1 victory and fifth title overall during his landmark 30th anniversary year. Pompompurin secured the crown with over 7 million votes, followed by Cinnamoroll at #2, Pochacco at #3, Kuromi at #4, and Hello Kitty at #5. A record-breaking total of 70,647,379 votes were cast worldwide.
Pompompurin Wins Back-to-Back 1st Place
Celebrating his 30th anniversary since his 1996 debut, the pudding-loving Golden Retriever received more than 7 million votes worldwide to claim his 5th overall historical title.
2026 Sanrio Character Ranking — Final Top 10
The final results of the 41st Sanrio Character Ranking, verified against official Sanrio announcements. Voting took place April 9 – May 24, 2026, with final ranks revealed June 28, 2026 JST.
| Rank | Character | 2025 Rank | Change | Key Milestone Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pompompurin | #1 | — | Reigning champion; 5th title overall on his 30th anniversary (Over 7M votes) |
| #2 | Cinnamoroll | #2 | — | 7-time champion; led Initial Day-1 voting round and captured 2nd place |
| #3 | Pochacco | #3 | — | Sporty pup maintains top-3 position; co-winner of Nakayoshi Yell Award |
| #4 | Kuromi | #4 | — | Edgy punk-rock icon retains #4 global standing for 4th consecutive year |
| #5 | Hello Kitty | #5 | — | Global Sanrio ambassador in the top tier for 40+ consecutive years |
| #6 | Ahiru no Pekkle | #10 | ▲ +4 | Tap-dancing duck climbs into #6; co-winner of 2026 Nakayoshi Yell Award |
| #7 | My Melody | #6 | ▼ -1 | Beloved Mariland rabbit securing her 28th all-time Top 10 finish |
| #8 | Tuxedosam | #9 | ▲ +1 | Dapper penguin climbs to #8; co-winner of 2026 Nakayoshi Yell Award |
| #9 | Hangyodon | #8 | ▼ -1 | Hapidanbui hero earning his 5th consecutive Top 10 finish worldwide |
| #10 | Little Twin Stars | #11 | ▲ +1 | Kiki and Lala advance into the official global Top 10 leaderboard |
2026 Sanrio Character Ranking Timeline
Chronological summary of the 41st annual poll milestones.
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Sanrio Character Ranking History: 2022–2026
Track how the top characters have performed across the last five annual polls.
| Character | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (Final) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pompompurin | #2 | #2 | #4 | #1 | #1 (Champion) |
| Cinnamoroll | #1 | #1 | #1 | #2 | #2 |
| Pochacco | #4 | #4 | #2 | #3 | #3 |
| Kuromi | #3 | #3 | #3 | #4 | #4 |
| Hello Kitty | #6 | #5 | #5 | #5 | #5 |
| My Melody | #5 | #6 | #6 | #6 | #6 |
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