Fall 2026 anime ranked, based on what actually aired. Which premieres live up to the hype, and which one might be the best anime of the year?

Fall 2026 is about a month old, so we ranked the biggest premieres of the season from number eight to number one: Magic Knight Rayearth, Even the Student Council Has Its Holes!, The Laid-Off Cheat-Granting Mage Enjoys a Second Lease on Life, Blue Box Season 2, Black Clover Season 2, Firefly Wedding, The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2.

For each one you get the premise, the studio and staff, how it’s doing in fan polls and early reviews, and where the show slows down. And no, Bleach isn’t on the list: The Calamity started in July, so it’s a continuation, not a fall premiere.

Did I rank your favorite too low? Tell me in the comments, and subscribe to Shinzo for more seasonal anime rankings.

0:00 Introduction: how this ranking works
0:56 Number 8: Magic Knight Rayearth
2:12 Number 7: Student Council comedy
3:24 Number 6: The Laid-Off Mage
4:43 Number 5: Blue Box season two
6:03 Number 4: Black Clover returns
7:20 Number 3: Firefly Wedding
8:42 Number 2: Apothecary Diaries season three
10:03 Number 1: Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2

Music:
“Prelude and Action” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Achilles” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Investigations” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Crusade” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Dreamer” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Heartwarming” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Gathering Darkness” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

“Killers” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#fall2026anime #anime #animeranking