Ever since the first release in autumn 2023, The Suitor: Beyond Journey's End has proven to be a sensation and has established its dominance at the top of all anime. considered an all-time great on popular forums such as MyAnimeList, The Suitor maintains the top spot as the highest rated anime of all time with a massive score of 9.26 with 907,195 votes. Even in the manga department in Japan, Freiren is continuously growing, and despite its manga series going on hiatus, the story tops the sales chart in Japan in the first half of 2026, even beating One Piece in the process. Clearly, The Suitor is a dominant force in the anime and manga department this year, and this is unlikely to change. The series is constantly trying to build on it.
However, Japan's biggest Isekai anime series, Re:Zero, is officially approaching the throne from Frieren. Re:Zero released Season 4 on April 18, 2026, and it has since gone on a sensational run, setting legendary records and ranking just behind Frieren as the number two anime on MyAnimeList. What's more surprising is that with each passing day, it's getting closer to the Friar from the top spot.
Re:Zero Season 4 is officially rated 9.20 on MAL as it aims to dethrone the Frier
Re: Zero Season 4 has proven to be an absolute sensation and worth the wait. The anime officially started airing on Crunchyroll on April 8, 2026 and ended in June for the first cour, but the second cour, which is expected to be even better, will start on August 12, 2026. Re:Zero Season 4 has already established its dominance as the best Isekai of all time among fans. What makes it even more special is that it is so highly rated that it directly competes with Frieren for the top spot. While The Friar has a rating of 9.26 on MyAnimeList, Re:Zero currently has a rating of 9.20, meaning it's just 0.06 shy of the melancholic masterpiece.
The run that Re:Zero has been on has been absolutely sensational, with an incredible story to tell and amazing combat woven into it. Added to that is the impeccable character writing for individuals such as Subaru Natsuki, the protagonist of the series, and Emilia, the heroine, making this season especially beloved by fans. What's even more impressive is that Re:Zero Season 4 features multiple episodes in the top tier on platforms like IMDb.
Season 4 Episode 3 was rated 9.8 out of 10 on IMDb, and it still holds this rating to this day. Season 4 Episode 4, which was released a week after, was also rated 9.8 out of 10. Season 4 Episode 8, considered by many to be the pinnacle of the first cour of Re:Zero Season 4, received a 9.9 out of 10 after initially receiving a 10/10, then being downvoted by many. Re:Zero Season 4 Episode 9 also followed with a massive rating of 9.8 out of 10, and this season is clearly making history, unlike any other anime season before. With such a strong performance in the first cour, Re:Zero is already on its way to surpassing the Frier for good. With an even more hyped cour 2 coming on August 12, 2026, we expect the anime to finally surpass Frier and become the highest rated anime of all time.
Japan's biggest new gen manga officially beats One Piece in sales
In the first half of 2026, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga has been beaten by a popular new generation manga in sales.
With better content to come, Re:Zero can officially dethrone the Frier
As is often the case, major anime seasons air in split-cour format. This means that, to ease the production burden on the studio, there is usually a short hiatus during which certain episodes are either produced or polished. At the same time, the split-cour also hypes the fans in a rather spectacular way by keeping the best episodes for the other cour. Re:Zero Season 4 will be no different in that regard. While the first part of Re:Zero Season 4 was absolutely sensational, it will not compare to Part 2 in terms of complex plot lines, intensity, character moments and overall arcs.
Overall, Re:Zero Season 4 is only going to get better from here on out. With the first part already showing such a sensational performance, we expect Season 4 Part 2 to be even better and raise the season total even higher to see it replace Frieren. While Frieren has enjoyed its time at the top for three years and is already a generational anime series that will be talked about for decades to come, Re:Zero's time to shine is now with its sensational season 4 as it continues to make history with every episode.
Why Re:Zero Could Be the Biggest Modern Anime Hit of 2026
For years, Re:Zero was an underrated anime that, while popular with isekai fans, never caught on with anime fans in general. That seems to have changed with 2026, thanks to the incredible reception of Re:Zero Season 4. The first season of Re:Zero aired with 25 episodes and started airing in September 2016, but back then it was still a niche anime. This is exactly why fans had to wait around four years for the second season to officially air. Even after airing a second season in 2020, Re:Zero wasn't as mainstream as it is today. Fans still had to wait four more years for Season 3 to come out in 2024, and this 16-episode season was what officially cemented it as a mainstream isekai.
That's exactly why, just two years later, Re:Zero returned with Season 4 in April 2026 and now claims its dominance at the top as one of the highest-rated anime series both in Japan and globally as well. With strong arcs being released one after another, Re:Zero's popularity will only grow further from here on out, and over time it will likely surpass Frieren and other anime from different genres, as well as establish its name among the best anime series of all time.
At the end of the day, Re:Zero beating the Frieren is only for a select few because anime ratings are subjective. What matters is what the ratings really show — that Re:Zero has established itself among the very best series of all time. In doing so, it has become more mainstream and done a significant service to the Isekai anime genre in general. Hopefully Re:Zero continues its dominance and makes its name known in the coming months.
Re:Zero Season 4 returns to Crunchyroll on August 12, 2026.
