by Re: ZERO − Starting Life in Another World has finally reached the top of ABEMA’s weekly anime ranking for the summer 2026 season.
ABEMA has released its weekly anime ranking based on viewing data collected from Monday, September 7, through Sunday, September 13, 2026. The results mark the 10th week of the summer anime season, and Re:ZERO climbed from third place in the previous week to claim the No. 1 position for the first time this season.
The result is another sign of the continued strength of established anime franchises during the latter part of the season. While several newer titles have also attracted large audiences, familiar series such as Re: ZERO and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation have continued to occupy the upper levels of ABEMA’s weekly rankings.
This week, Mushoku Tensei finished second, while LV999 no Murabito took third. Buchikireijou wa Houkuuu o Chikaimashita: Madousho no Chikara de Sokoku o Tatakitsubushimasu ranked fourth, and Hell Mode: Yarikomi Suki no Gamer wa Haisei Settei no Isekai de Musou Suru rounded out the Top 5.
Re: ZERO Finally Reaches No. 1
The biggest development in this week’s ranking is undoubtedly Re: ZERO reaching first place.
The series had ranked third during the previous week, meaning it moved up two positions to take the top spot. According to ABEMA, this is the anime’s first No. 1 ranking of the current summer season.
The timing is particularly notable because the anime is currently airing the second half of its fourth season.
The second half, officially referred to in Japanese as the 《奪還編》, began streaming on ABEMA on August 12, 2026. The current storyline is connected to the Pleiades Watchtower Arc, which corresponds to the sixth arc of the original Re: ZERO story.
For longtime viewers, the current storyline represents one of the most challenging stages of Subaru Natsuki’s journey. The story involves the aftermath of the events at the Pleiades Watchtower and continues to place Subaru and his allies in increasingly dangerous situations.
The growing tension in the fourth season has also generated substantial discussion around individual episodes, which may have helped push the series to the top of ABEMA’s viewing rankings.
The Previous Week’s No. 1 Falls to Second Place
Taking second place this week is Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.
The series has been one of the most consistent performers on ABEMA throughout the summer. In fact, it has repeatedly appeared near the top of the weekly rankings, demonstrating the continued popularity of Rudeus Greyrat’s story.
The previous week’s ranking had Mushoku Tensei in first place, while Re: ZERO was third. The latest results therefore represent a direct reversal at the top, with Re: ZERO moving ahead of Mushoku Tensei.
This does not mean that Mushoku Tensei has suddenly lost its popularity. Rather, the two established isekai titles continue to compete for strong viewing numbers as their respective stories progress.
For viewers unfamiliar with the term, isekai generally refers to stories in which a character travels to, is transported to, or is reborn in another world. Both Re: ZERO and Mushoku Tensei fall into this broad category, although they approach the concept very differently.
LV999 no Murabito Remains a Strong Performer
Third place goes to LV999 no Murabito, also known in English as The Villager of Level 999.
The series has been one of the biggest recurring titles in ABEMA’s summer rankings. Earlier in the season, it spent multiple weeks at No. 1, including a three-week run at the top in July.
More recently, LV999 no Murabito also held first place for two consecutive weeks before Mushoku Tensei moved ahead. In the August 24 week, it ranked first while Re: ZERO was second.
That makes its third-place position this week notable.
Although it is no longer at the top, the series remains firmly within the Top 3 and continues to attract viewers throughout the latter portion of the season.
The series is also notable for its distribution situation. ABEMA has promoted it as a title available through free exclusive streaming, which gives viewers another reason to discover the show through the platform.
Buchikireijou and Hell Mode Complete the Top 5
Fourth place went to Buchikireijou wa Houkuuu o Chikaimashita: Madousho no Chikara de Sokoku o Tatakitsubushimasu, while Hell Mode: Yarikomi Suki no Gamer wa Haisei Settei no Isekai de Musou Suru ranked fifth.
Both series have continued to appear among ABEMA’s strongest-performing titles.
Buchikireijou has remained a familiar name in the weekly rankings, while Hell Mode has also demonstrated impressive staying power after entering the Top 5 in previous weeks. The August 31 ranking, for example, placed Buchikireijou fourth and Hell Mode fifth.
Their continued presence shows that the ranking is not being controlled exclusively by the biggest long-running franchises.
Instead, several summer 2026 titles have managed to maintain enough audience interest to remain competitive with established series.
R e: ZERO Has Been Climbing Since the Second Half Began
The latest No. 1 result did not happen suddenly.
Re: ZERO entered the Top 5 when the second half of Season 4 began on August 12. During the week of August 10, it debuted at No. 5 in ABEMA’s ranking.
The following week, the series made a major jump, moving from fifth to second place as the new storyline gained momentum.
It then ranked second again during the August 24 week, behind LV999 no Murabito.
The August 31 week saw Re: ZERO temporarily drop to third place, with Mushoku Tensei taking first and LV999 no Murabito second.
Now, one week later, R e: ZERO has completed the climb by moving from third to first.
That progression makes the latest result particularly interesting for viewers following the series’ performance throughout the summer.
Why the Current Re: ZERO Story Is Important
For beginners, Re: ZERO follows Subaru Natsuki, an ordinary young man who is suddenly transported to another world.
Unlike a typical fantasy hero, Subaru does not initially receive overwhelming physical strength or a powerful weapon.
Instead, he possesses a mysterious ability known as Return by Death, which allows him to return to an earlier point in time after dying.
The ability gives Subaru a chance to change events, but it comes at an enormous emotional cost. He remembers the deaths and failures that others do not, forcing him to repeatedly face situations in which a single mistake can lead to disaster.
That central concept remains one of the defining features of the franchise.
As the story progresses, Subaru’s challenges become increasingly complicated. The current fourth season continues that trend, bringing together multiple characters and conflicts while forcing Subaru to find ways to overcome situations that cannot be solved through strength alone.
The official Re: ZERO franchise site also describes the fourth season as moving into the 《奪還編》, following the earlier 《喪失編》 portion of Season 4.
The Pleiades Watchtower Arc Brings Major Challenges
The current storyline is particularly important for fans familiar with the original novels because it adapts material associated with the Pleiades Watchtower.
The watchtower becomes a major location for Subaru and his companions, and the story introduces some of the most difficult challenges the characters have faced.
The original author, Tappei Nagatsuki, has previously discussed the difficulty of this section of the story. In an official Q&A, he described the sixth arc as the highest-difficulty part of Re: ZERO and noted that Subaru dies more times there than anywhere else in the story.
That context helps explain why the current anime season has generated so much discussion.
The fourth season is not simply continuing Subaru’s adventure with another routine fantasy conflict. It is adapting one of the story’s particularly demanding arcs, with memory, identity, survival, al and cooperation all playing major roles.
The Fourth Season Continues to Generate Strong Fan Interest
The popularity of the current Re: ZERO episodes is also reflected in the amount of discussion surrounding individual episodes.
Recent ABEMA coverage has highlighted major developments involving Subaru, Shaula, Beatrice, Emilia, Ram, Julius, and other characters. Episode 82, for example, focused heavily on Subaru’s repeated deaths and the consequences of his situation, while Episode 83 moved the larger struggle forward.
The series has also received attention for its animation and voice performances.
ABEMA recently reported strong reactions to animation-director material related to the series, while voice actor Yusuke Kobayashi, who plays Subaru, has also been praised in coverage of the character’s emotionally demanding scenes.
These developments help put the weekly ranking into context. Viewers are not simply watching because the series is a well-known franchise; the current storyline is actively generating discussion as new episodes are released.
Mushoku Tensei Remains One of the Season’s Most Consistent Titles
AlthoughR: ZERO has taken the top spot this week, Mushoku Tensei remains one of the most consistent performers on ABEMA.
The third season has maintained a strong position throughout the summer. Earlier in August, the series claimed its first No. 1 ranking of the current season, while LV999 no Murabito followed in second.
Its continued presence near the top demonstrates how strongly established fantasy franchises are performing during the 2026 summer season.
The story follows Rudeus Greyrat, a man who receives a second chance at life after being reincarnated in a fantasy world. Unlike Subaru, Rudeus retains memories from his previous life and begins developing magical abilities from a young age.
The series combines adventure, fantasy, character development,nt and long-term storytelling, making it another major title for viewers interested in modern isekai anime.
The Ranking Shows the Strength of Established Anime Franchises
One of the clearest trends in this week’s ranking is the presence of multiple established fantasy titles.
Re:ZERO, Mushoku Tensei, LV999 no Murabito, Buchikireijou, and Hell Mode all belong to the broad fantasy or isekai space, although their individual stories and characters are very different.
Several of these titles have also appeared repeatedly in ABEMA’s weekly Top 5 throughout the summer.
That consistency is important because weekly rankings can change dramatically depending on episode releases, distribution schedules,s and the amount of attention surrounding a particular series.
The September 7–13 results instead show a relatively stable group of titles continuing to attract viewers as the season moves toward its conclusion.
What the No. 1 Position Means for R e: Z ERO
For Re: ZERO fans, the latest result marks an important milestone for the fourth season.
The series began its second-half broadcast in fifth place on ABEMA, quickly climbed to second, slipped to third, and has now reached first.
In other words, its No. 1 position comes after several weeks of upward movement and competition with other major titles.
However, it is important not to interpret the ranking as proof that Re: ZERO is universally the most popular anime of the summer.
ABEMA’s list measures viewing activity on ABEMA during September 7–13, and different platforms can produce different results depending on their audiences, release schedules,s and availability.
The ranking nevertheless provides a useful snapshot of what ABEMA viewers were watching most during that particular week.
The Summer Anime Season Heads Toward Its Final Stretch
With the 10th week of the summer season now recorded, the anime season is approaching its final stretch.
That makes the timing of Re: ZERO’s first No. 1 ranking especially notable.
Several of the shows in this week’s Top 5 have built their audiences over the course of the season rather than relying solely on a strong premiere.
Re: ZERO is a clear example. Its current storyline gradually climbed the ABEMA rankings after the second half began, eventually reaching first place.
Meanwhile, LV999 no Murabito has demonstrated how a newer title can challenge major franchises, while Buchikireijou and Hell Mode have continued to maintain their positions in the Top 5.
As the final episodes of the summer anime season approach, future ABEMA rankings could continue to shift depending on major story developments and viewer interest.
Re: ZERO − Starting Life in Another World has taken the No. 1 position in ABEMA’s weekly anime ranking for the week of September 7–13, 2026, marking its first first-place finish of the summer season.
The series climbed from third place the previous week, continuing the upward trend that began after the second half of Season 4 launched on August 12.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation followed in second place, while LV999 no Murabito remained a strong third-place performer. Buchikireijou and Hell Mode completed the Top 5.
The result highlights the continued strength of established fantasy and isekai anime on ABEMA, while also showing that newer titles can remain competitive.
For ZERO, the timing is particularly significant. With the fourth season currently adapting the Pleiades Watchtower storyline and the stakes continuing to rise for Subaru and his allies, the series has reached the top at a crucial point in its run.
Whether it can maintain the No. 1 position in the coming weeks will depend on future ABEMA viewing data, but for this particular week, Subaru and the world of R ReRO have officially taken the lead.
ABEMA Weekly Anime Ranking — September 7–13, 2026
- Re: ZERO − Starting Life in Another World
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
- LV999 no Murabito
- Buchikireijou wa Houkuuu o Chikaimashita: Madousho no Chikara de Sokoku o Tatakitsubushimasu
- Hell Mode: Yarikomi Suki no Gamer wa Haisei Settei no Isekai de Musou Suru
