> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.animeoshi.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.animeoshi.com/how-rating-works/anime-ranking.md).

# How Anime Ranking Works

## In one sentence

AnimeOshi surfaces ranked anime across several curated surfaces, including **Top All-Time, Top 2026, Editor's Pick, and per-genre, per-studio, and per-season top picks,** all built on the platform's per-episode OshiMeter signal.

## Overview

Because AnimeOshi rates anime episode by episode rather than as whole shows, its rankings are a step removed from a simple series score. The OshiMeter measures individual episodes, and the ranking surfaces roll those signals up into ordered lists you can browse. This page describes where rankings appear and what is known about how they are ordered.

## Details

### Where rankings appear

Ranked anime show up in several places across the site:

| Surface                                   | What it is                                                                                                        |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **All Time**                              | The top-ranked anime across the whole catalog                                                                     |
| **Airing Now**                            | Top-ranked anime currently airing                                                                                 |
| **Upcoming**                              | Most-anticipated anime not yet aired                                                                              |
| **Top 2026**                              | Top-ranked anime of the calendar year 2026                                                                        |
| **Editor's Pick**                         | A featured selection (see below)                                                                                  |
| **Top picks per genre / studio / season** | The same ranking applied within a slice of the catalog (e.g. /genres/\[slug], /studios/\[slug], /seasons/\[slug]) |

These five "trending" lists (All Time, Airing Now, Upcoming, Top 2026, Editor's Pick) are the canonical ranking taxonomy; the home page surfaces several as tabs. A separate weekly recommendations rail also appears on the anime hub — that one is a recommendation carousel, **not** a ranking list, so it isn't covered here.

### How the ranking is ordered

Anime rankings are built on the OshiMeter, AnimeOshi's per-episode fan-rating signal, and computed on AnimeOshi's backend (the website just displays the pre-ranked lists). What's known about the method:

* An anime's OshiMeter aggregates the per-episode ratings submitted by verified fans; "no critic scores, no studio hype."
* Lists are sorted by rating, highest first, by the rating signal rather than the raw 0–100 score, so a title with many strong ratings outranks one with a single high score.
* An anime needs a minimum volume of ratings (more than 50 user ratings) before its OshiMeter is shown, and it's eligible to rank; titles with ratings are listed first, then titles without.
* Rankings refresh weekly.
* There is no time decay in the known logic; recency isn't a weighting factor, just a refresh cadence.

The precise backend formula (exact weighting, thresholds) lives in AnimeOshi's services and isn't part of the public-facing site, so this page describes the method rather than reproducing the formula.

**The ranking surfaces**

* **All Time**: the OshiMeter/score-based ranking across all eligible titles.
* **Top 2026:** the same OshiMeter/score-based ranking, scoped to titles from the current year.
* **Editor's Pick:** a hand-curated featured list selected manually by the team. It is not score-based, so it can surface titles regardless of their OshiMeter ranking.
* **Top Picks:** not a ranking of its own. It's the navigation grouping that brings the three lists above together in one place.

### Rankings vs the Leaderboard

The anime rankings on this page order *anime* by their OshiMeter-based signal. They are separate from the Leaderboard, which ranks *users* by Oshi Points and appears on profiles and the anime detail sidebar ("Overall Ranking"). Don't confuse the two: one ranks shows, the other ranks people.

## FAQ

**Q: How does AnimeOshi decide which anime are ranked highest?**

Rankings are built on the OshiMeter, the per-episode fan-rating signal, and computed on AnimeOshi's backend. Lists are sorted by the rating signal (highest first), an anime needs more than 50 user ratings before it's eligible to rank, and the lists refresh weekly. There's no recency weighting.

**Q: What is the difference between All Time and Top 2026?**

Both are ranked anime lists. All Time spans the whole catalog; Top 2026 narrows to anime of the calendar year 2026 (titles that aired across the year, not a single season).

**Q: Is the anime ranking the same as the Leaderboard?**

No. Anime rankings order anime by their OshiMeter-based signal. The Leaderboard ranks users by Oshi Points and is a separate, gamification feature.

## Related pages

* [What is the OshiMeter?](/core-concepts/oshimeter.md)
* [How to Rate Episodes on AnimeOshi](/how-rating-works/how-to-rate-episodes.md)


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