Daemons of the Shadow Realm Leads a Stacked Streaming Lineup
One of the biggest stories in the latest anime rankings 2026 is that Daemons of the Shadow Realm has seized the top spot on Niconico’s official spring streaming chart. The platform’s list, compiled from cumulative views plus engagement signals like comments and access counts, places Bones Film’s adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s manga at number one. It edges out strong competition, including Dorohedoro Season 2 in second place and buzzy titles such as Witch Hat Atelier and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4 further down the top 10. For a series that only premiered this season, Daemons of the Shadow Realm’s rapid climb into the top streaming anime conversation signals both strong word of mouth and a built‑in curiosity around any Hiromu Arakawa anime. Viewers are clearly responding to the show’s intense opening episodes and supernatural action hook.
Hiromu Arakawa’s Ongoing Impact, from Fullmetal Alchemist to New Dark Fantasies
Hiromu Arakawa is best known worldwide as the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist, a foundational shonen series whose blend of emotional drama, intricate plotting and morally layered antagonists helped define modern dark fantasy anime. Daemons of the Shadow Realm, her latest hit, extends that legacy into a new universe of supernatural conflict. The manga has already sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide since its 2021 debut, giving the anime adaptation a substantial readership to build on. Even without direct narrative ties to Fullmetal Alchemist, Niconico viewers are openly connecting the two, with comments praising Daemons’ intensity and jokingly asking whether Arakawa “can only write masterpieces.” That reaction underlines how the phrase “Hiromu Arakawa anime” has become a mark of quality in itself, priming audiences to sample any new project that bears her storytelling fingerprints.
Villain Popularity Polls Show Fullmetal Alchemist’s Lasting Grip on Fans
While newer series surge up the rankings, Fullmetal Alchemist’s influence still surfaces in fan polls and character debates. A recent survey by major e-book site Comic Seymour asked over 6,000 users to name their favorite anime villains, ultimately crowning Detective Conan’s Vermouth as the most lovable evildoer. Yet the coverage highlights that Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist remains a major fan-favorite, underscoring how Arakawa’s antagonists continue to live rent-free in viewers’ minds years after the series ended. The fact that Fullmetal Alchemist can lose the number-one spot yet still dominate the conversation illustrates a crucial point: even when it is not topping fresh polls, its rogues’ gallery sets the bar against which newer villains are judged. That enduring affection creates a feedback loop that benefits every new Hiromu Arakawa anime arriving on streaming platforms.
Shared Themes and Character DNA Linking Old Classics and New Chart-Toppers
Daemons of the Shadow Realm may be a separate story from Fullmetal Alchemist, but their thematic kinship helps explain its rapid ascent among top streaming anime. Daemons follows twins Yuru and Asa, “children who sunder day and night,” torn apart at birth and destined to command powerful daemons to save their world. That setup echoes Arakawa’s established strengths: sibling bonds under impossible pressure, a looming apocalypse shaped by supernatural forces, and protagonists forced into morally fraught choices. Viewers familiar with Fullmetal Alchemist’s alchemical taboos and complex villains find a similar emotional density in this new series, even as it plays like a reverse isekai with its own rules and cosmology. In the broader anime rankings 2026, it sits comfortably alongside dark, genre-blending titles like Dorohedoro, showing how Arakawa’s style helped normalize this kind of hybrid storytelling.
How Fullmetal Alchemist’s Legacy Lifts Daemons of the Shadow Realm in Rankings
The current streaming charts make one thing clear: Fullmetal Alchemist influence still shapes what rises to the top. Decades of goodwill toward Arakawa’s work mean that any new adaptation arrives with a reputation advantage. When Daemons of the Shadow Realm launched, many viewers clicked in because they recognized the creator’s name; staying power came from the show’s intense first episodes and finely tuned character drama, reflected in Niconico’s enthusiastic comments. At the same time, newer hits and shifting villain polls show that the landscape is evolving around Arakawa’s legacy rather than simply preserving it. Fullmetal Alchemist may no longer dominate every ranking, but its success has carved out a space where morally complex dark fantasy is mainstream. Daemons of the Shadow Realm now occupies that space, proving that Arakawa’s storytelling continues to guide which anime climb today’s rankings.