Tokyo, Japan – The latest television viewership data for Japanese animation, covering the week of December 8-14, 2025, has been released, providing a snapshot of the most-watched anime programs in the Kanto region. Long-standing favorites continue to dominate the top spots, with Sazae-san leading the pack, followed closely by Detective Conan and Chibi Maruko-chan.
The rankings, compiled by Video Research, offer insights into which animated series are capturing the attention of Japanese households during prime viewing hours.
Top Anime Programs by Household Rating
For the week of December 8-14, 2025, the leading animated television programs and their average household ratings in the Kanto region were as follows:
- Sazae-san (Fuji TV, December 14, 18:30) – 7.1%
- Detective Conan (NTV, December 13, 18:00) – 6.6%
- Chibi Maruko-chan (Fuji TV, December 14, 18:00) – 5.5%
- My Hero Academia final season (finale) (NTV, December 13, 17:30) – 4.5%
- Doraemon (TV Asahi, December 13, 17:00) – 3.1%
- Crayon Shin-chan (TV Asahi, December 13, 16:30) – 2.8%
- One Piece (Fuji TV, December 14, 23:15) – 2.8%
- You and Idol Precure♪ (TV Asahi, December 14, 08:30) – 2.6%
- Tougen Anki (NTV, December 12, 23:00) – 2.1%
- Shabake (Fuji TV, December 12, 23:30) – 2.1%
- Animated O-saru no George (Curious George) (NHK-E, December 13, 08:35) – 1.4%
- Oshiri Tantei (NHK-E, December 13, 09:00) – 1.4%
Additionally, the anime film The Concierge, based on Tsuchika Nishimura’s The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store manga, aired on NHK Educational on December 13 at 3:30 p.m. and achieved a 0.7% rating.
Enduring Popularity of Veteran Series
The consistent high performance of titles like Sazae-san, which has been on air since 1969, Detective Conan, and Chibi Maruko-chan underscores their deep cultural roots and multi-generational appeal within Japan. These shows often air in family-friendly time slots, contributing to their broad viewership.
My Hero Academia’s Strong Farewell
The final season finale of My Hero Academia secured a significant 4.5% rating, demonstrating the strong fan engagement for the popular superhero series as it concluded its latest run. This performance highlights the impact of contemporary action-oriented anime even amidst the dominance of long-running staples.
Understanding the Data
These television ratings are an estimation of the percentage of the population watching a given program, derived from data collected through surveys of households in Japan’s Kanto region. It is important to note that these ratings do not account for recordings that viewers might watch at a later time. This methodology focuses on live and immediate viewership, providing a traditional metric for broadcast success.
