Here are the important dates and ways that you can vote for your favorite characters during the official voting period next month.

The upcoming 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking is the 41st iteration of the beloved global event that tracks the relative popularity of Sanrio characters from year to year around the world. This year, 90 characters will be featured in the polling, the final lineup for which will be announced on Sanrio’s official website on April 1.

In addition, the theme is “You All Try! We All Cheer! Smiling Ovation,” which is derived from the term “standing ovation.” Fittingly, official visuals for the ranking feature top Sanrio characters dressed as oh-so-cute cheerleaders ready to cheer their way to victory.

▼ 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking official visual

Voting begins on April 9 at 11 a.m. and lasts through May 24 at 11:59 p.m. All times are in JST.

● Initial results will be announced on April 14 at 1 p.m.
● Midterm results will be announced on May 12 at 1 p.m.
● Final results will be announced on June 28 at 1 p.m. at Sanrio Fes 2026 in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district. This festival is an annual celebration of all things Sanrio with tons of family-friendly events and activities.

During the voting period, there will also be a 2026 Sanrio Character Awards Partner Division for 40 local business and governmental characters that have partnered with Sanrio characters. Sanrio has announced that a completely new awards division is in the works, too.

Voting is free for everyone worldwide and can be done in a variety of ways:

● Online voting here (link will go live at the start of the voting period)
● Sanrio Shop voting (purchase something and vote online)
● Sanrio Online Shop voting (purchase something and vote online)
● Ichigo Shimbun (“Strawberry Newspaper”) voting (Sanrio’s longtime monthly magazine)

Finally, Sanrio+ reward app members will be able to cast some additional votes for their favorites.

Even though voting hasn’t started yet, we’re already dying to know if anyone will be able to topple last year’s winner, the adorable Pompompurin. Cinnamoroll and Pochacco will undoubtedly make for some fierce competition this year to claim the top spot.

Sources: 2026 Sanrio Character Ranking, Sanrio, PR Times
Images: PR Times
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]