Saga of Tanya the Evil II Tops Summer 2026 Rankings After Nine-Year Anime Wait

Saga of Tanya the Evil II has claimed the top position in the Summer 2026 Week 3 anime fan rankings, earning 5.78 percent of community votes. The military-isekai sequel's dominant showing caps a remarkable comeback nearly nine years after the first season aired during the Winter 2017 season.

A Triumphant Return to the Top

The sequel had debuted strong at the start of the summer season but slipped to fourth place in Week 2. Its bounce back to first in Week 3 signals genuine staying power rather than a one-week novelty bump. Over 4,000 community members participated in the weekly poll, lending real weight to the result.

The rest of the top five rounded out with a diverse slate. Though I Am an Inept Villainess held second place at 5.31 percent, followed by Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia at 4.94 percent after the latter had topped the previous week's chart. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3 took fourth with 4.35 percent, while Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky climbed into fifth at 3.05 percent.

The bottom half of the top ten featured Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You at sixth, You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 at seventh, Grand Blue Dreaming Season 3 at eighth, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day at ninth, and The Ghost in the Shell making its debut on the leaderboard at tenth with 2.51 percent of votes.

Nine Years in the Making

The gap between Saga of Tanya the Evil's first and second seasons is one of the longest in recent anime history. The original 12-episode run premiered in January 2017, followed by a theatrical film roughly two years later. Fans then waited approximately seven years after the movie before the sequel series finally materialized for Summer 2026.

Based on Carlo Zen's light novel series with illustrations by Shinobu Shinotsuki, published by Kadokawa Corporation, the franchise follows a reincarnated Japanese office worker inhabiting the body of a young girl soldier in an alternate-history World War setting infused with magic. Tanya's ruthless pragmatism and her ongoing defiance of a godlike entity known as Being X have made the character one of anime's most distinctive isekai protagonists.

Aoi Yuki reprises her role as the titular Tanya, and early episodes have drawn praise for the voice actress's range in balancing the character's childlike exterior with her calculating inner monologue. The series has also earned positive marks for its philosophical depth and political intrigue, with reviewers highlighting the way the sequel leans further into strategic military maneuvering and the isolation that defines Tanya's command style.

What the Rankings Reveal About Summer 2026

Summer 2026 is shaping up as one of the more competitive seasonal lineups in recent memory. The top ten features a healthy mix of long-awaited sequels, original projects, and genre variety spanning isekai, romance, comedy, and sci-fi. The fact that no single title commands more than six percent of the vote speaks to how evenly distributed viewer attention is across the slate.

The arrival of The Ghost in the Shell at tenth place is another notable development, as the classic franchise continues to find new audiences decades after its original debut. Meanwhile, Mushoku Tensei's third season remains a consistent presence without dominating the conversation the way its earlier seasons did.

Where to Watch

Saga of Tanya the Evil II streams new episodes on Crunchyroll every Wednesday throughout the Summer 2026 season. The first season and the theatrical film are also available on the platform for viewers looking to catch up before diving into the sequel. With the series reclaiming the top ranking spot heading into its fourth week, the military-isekai sequel shows no signs of relinquishing its momentum as the summer season progresses.