For years, Naruto Uzumaki has carried the reputation of being the face of ninja anime worldwide. However, a new survey conducted by Japanese anime publication AnimeAnime has confirmed that Naruto no longer holds the top spot among anime ninja characters in Japan. The results, published on February 23, 2026 to coincide with Japan’s annual Ninja Day, tell a story that will surprise fans across the globe.
About The Anime Ninja Survey
AnimeAnime conducted a reader survey titled “What Comes To Mind When You Think Of A Ninja Character?” during the period of February 4 to February 11, 2026. The survey collected responses from 621 individuals, with the following breakdown:
- Approximately 60% of respondents identified as female and 40% as male
- Around 35% of participants were under 19 years of age
- The remaining respondents were split roughly evenly between people in their 20s and 30s
The survey was published on February 23 to align with Ninja Day, a celebration established by Koka City in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The date itself is a play on the Japanese word for ninja, with three repetitions of the character creating the phrase “ninninnin.” The day is dedicated to celebrating ninja history, philosophy, and culture.
The results were released as a Top 10 list, and the findings contain some genuinely surprising placements for internationally recognised characters.
Who Took The Number 1 Spot From Naruto?
The character who knocked Naruto Uzumaki off the top spot is Doi Hansuke from the long-running Japanese anime series Nintama Rantarou. Doi Hansuke secured first place with a support rate of approximately 14 percent, and notably, this marks the second consecutive year he has topped the list.
Doi Hansuke serves as a first-year subject teacher at the Ninjutsu Academy in Nintama Rantarou. Unlike many popular ninja protagonists, he is not a comic relief character. Survey participants described him as a highly skilled, tactically intelligent ninja who keeps his composure in difficult situations.
One survey participant wrote about him: “His battle with the sixth-graders really showed the overwhelming difference in his abilities. He’s skilled in tactics, has a quick mind, and his cool-headed approach in completing his mission is the very definition of a professional ninja.”
Fans also pointed to the emotional depth he brings to the series, with multiple participants noting that the bond he shares with his students moved them enough to visit the theatre multiple times for the 2024 film Nintama Rantaro The Movie: The Strongest Strategist of the Dokutake Ninja Corps.
Where Did Naruto Uzumaki Finish?
Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto, created by Masashi Kishimoto, finished in second place with a support rate of approximately 10 percent. This is also the second consecutive year Naruto has placed second behind Doi Hansuke.
Naruto Uzumaki is a young ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village whose defining goal is to become the village’s leader, the Hokage. His journey through failure, determination, and growth made him a globally recognised character and one of the defining faces of the Shonen Jump “Big Three.”
As of October 2025, the original Naruto manga has over 250 million copies in worldwide circulation, making his second-place finish all the more surprising to international fans.
Survey participants who voted for Naruto highlighted the strength of his personal code. One respondent quoted his iconic line: “I’m straightforward and never go against my word… that’s my ninja way,” noting that it conveys both his pride and his way of life as a ninja. Others pointed to his global influence, with one participant writing that Naruto fundamentally changed how the world perceives ninja characters in anime and influenced countless action series that followed.
The Top 10 Anime Ninja Characters Of 2026
Here is the AnimeAnime Top 10 list of the highest-ranked anime ninja characters as voted by Japanese fans in 2026:
| Rank | Character | Series |
| 1st | Doi Hansuke | Nintama Rantarou |
| 2nd | Uzumaki Naruto | Naruto |
| 3rd | Rantarou | Nintama Rantarou |
| 4th | Saiwai Konnamon | Nintama Rantarou |
| 5th | Gabimaru (Gamimaru) | Hell’s Paradise |
| 6th | Sengoku Shinobu | Ensemble Stars! |
| 6th | Ninja Slayer | Ninja Slayer |
| 8th | Hattori Kanzou | Ninja Hattori-kun |
| 9th | Uzui Tengen | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba |
| 10th | Otoya Kageta | Blue Lock |
| 10th | Hattori Zenzou | Gintama |
Note: 6th place and 10th place are shared positions due to tied votes.
Check: Complete Top 20 Anime Ninja Characters Of 2026 List Here
Why Did Nintama Rantarou Dominate The Rankings?
The most striking takeaway from the 2026 survey is the sheer dominance of Nintama Rantarou across the top four positions. Three of the top four characters all come from the same franchise, and the series holds the number one and number three spots outright.
The original Rakudai Ninja Rantaro manga, created by Sobe Amako, began in January 1986. The Nintama Rantarou anime adaptation first aired in April 1993 and has continued running for over 30 years in Japan. That level of longevity creates a generational familiarity that very few anime series can match domestically.
Survey participants described Rantarou as “a national ninja,” and the franchise’s cultural footprint in Japan draws comparisons to the kind of recognition that long-running Western animated series hold in their home markets.
Furthermore, the 2024 theatrical film boosted the franchise’s visibility considerably and introduced Doi Hansuke to a wider audience. The film’s strong reception and continued theatrical run through a re-release in December 2025 clearly contributed to Doi Hansuke’s back-to-back first-place finishes.
What Does This Mean For Naruto’s Legacy?
Naruto’s second-place finish is not a sign of the character fading in relevance. Rather, it reflects the specific cultural context of a domestic Japanese survey conducted around Ninja Day, where a franchise with over three decades of continuous airtime in Japan holds a particular kind of national nostalgia.
Internationally, Naruto Uzumaki remains one of the most recognised and celebrated anime characters ever created. The original Naruto manga has surpassed 250 million copies in worldwide circulation as of October 2025, a figure that speaks for itself.
Survey participants who voted for Naruto consistently highlighted his impact on how the world views ninja as a concept in anime. One respondent noted that the image of ninja characters changed completely before and after Naruto, and that his influence extends to countless action anime that followed.
Source: AnimeAnime JP
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