If anyone still doubted whether Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End was a global phenomenon or just a seasonal hit, a recent survey settled the debate. An e-commerce company asked its international customers which was their favorite anime of 2025, and Sousou no Frieren took first place among 161 different works mentioned by 496 people from around the world.

The complete ranking, from lowest to highest, was as follows: Neon Genesis Evangelion in tenth place, followed by Solo Leveling, Gundam GQuuuuuuX, One Piece, Dandadan, Kimetsu no Yaiba, The Apothecary Diaries, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man in second, and Frieren at the top.

The mix of titles making up that top 10 says a lot about how the international audience consumes anime. On one hand, there are relatively new series that have become phenomena: Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Apothecary Diaries, and Dandadan. On the other, classics from past decades that remain relevant: One Piece is still there, and Evangelion appears on the list just as it celebrated its 30th anniversary. Among titles that began airing in 2025, Gundam GQuuuuuuX was the most mentioned, making it the strongest debut of the year according to this group of respondents.

The numbers behind the survey also tell their own story. 98 percent of participants said they like anime, and more than half specified that their preference is specifically Japanese anime. The most cited reason for enjoying it was that the development of stories is interesting, selected by 83.3 percent of respondents. That data connects directly with the titles that dominated the ranking: Frieren, Chainsaw Man, and Jujutsu Kaisen are series known for building complex and emotionally charged narratives.

The survey was conducted between March 19 and 26, 2026, with 554 people who had recently made purchases through the service. Responses were submitted in English, traditional Chinese, and Korean, giving an idea of the participants’ geographic profile. The open comments accompanying the responses came from fans in Germany, Ireland, the United States, Korea, Finland, and the UK, among others, and in all cases the common denominator was the appreciation of well-constructed stories and characters with real development.

Do you think Frieren would have reached first place if the survey had been conducted exclusively in Latin America, or would the podium have been different?