The Mentor Who Beat Last Year's Champion
September 21 is Respect for the Aged Day (Keiro no Hi) in Japan, a national holiday honoring the elderly. Japanese anime news site Anime! Anime! marked the date for the second year running by asking readers to name their ideal elderly character from anime and games, the kind of senior they'd like to grow into. The 2026 poll ran from September 10 to 16, with a roughly even split of men and women and a readership skewing toward people in their 20s (about 20 percent) and 30s (about 35 percent).
Sakonji Urokodaki of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba took the top spot with roughly 8 percent of the vote, according to the Anime! Anime! results. He is the former Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps who trained Tanjiro in breathing techniques and swordsmanship. He never removes his tengu mask, so viewers never see his face, but the poll comments made clear that his care for his students comes through anyway.
One voter singled out the scene where Urokodaki admits to Tanjiro that he didn't want to see another child die, a confession born of losing student after student at Final Selection. Another pointed to his blunt "you're too slow to decide" line as the moment that stuck. Hōchū Ōtsuka (Jiraiya in Naruto) voices the character in the anime.
Anime! Anime! attributes his jump from third place to Demon Slayer's full-series TV rerun, which began in April 2026 and has put Urokodaki's early-story training arc back in front of Japanese viewers every week.
Otose Slips to Second
Gintama's Otose, who won the 2025 poll, dropped one spot with about 6 percent of the vote. She runs the bar Snack Otose in Kabuki-cho and rents its second floor to protagonist Gintoki Sakata, one example of her generous, look-after-everyone nature.
Readers described her as the tough-looking, chain-smoking landlady who gives anyone a place to belong, and as the "mom" figure for Gintoki's Yorozuya odd-jobs crew. One comment recalled the exchange where Gintoki tries to abbreviate "a reliable old lady in hard times" into a nickname and she immediately snaps back that it just spells "damn old hag."
Otose fans have a fresh reason to head to theaters. The updated "Cho Enjo-ban" (Super Blazing Edition) of Gintama: The Movie Yoshiwara in Flames starts screening in Japan on September 25, 2026.
A Four-Way Tie for Third
Four characters shared third place. Tomozo Sakura, Maruko's grandfather in Chibi Maruko-chan, drew votes for being the kind of grandpa who buys Maruko whatever she wants and throws himself into her silliest games, with a shout-out to his running "Tomozo's Heartfelt Haiku" gag.
Seiko from Dandadan is Momo's grandmother, a spirit medium working under the name Dodoria Santa. She pairs youthful looks with high-level spiritual power and a blunt mouth, and she backs Momo and Okarun with both knowledge and muscle. Dandadan's Season 3 is set for 2027.
Toshizo Hijikata from Golden Kamuy is the former Shinsengumi vice-commander, now over 70 in the story and still throwing himself into the hunt for the Ainu gold in Hokkaido. His swordsmanship hasn't faded, and his shifting rival-and-ally relationship with protagonist Saichi Sugimoto gives the series some of its tensest scenes. The anime's "Runaway Train" arc is scheduled for this winter.
Rounding out the tie is Monkey D. Garp from One Piece, Luffy's grandfather and the Marine vice admiral who fought Gol D. Roger repeatedly and earned the nickname "Hero of the Marines." The site points to his still-elite strength, his habit of raising young Marines, and the way he's torn between his duty and his family.
Grandfathers From Across the Catalog
Beyond the top ranks, doting grandpas dominated the comments. Kanpei Shinonome from The Demon's Bride got a vote for being the only blood relative who truly loves Yuzu, buying her a birthday dress at a shop clearly meant for younger customers and adopting her to keep her safe. Sullivan from Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun was praised for spoiling Iruma while also pushing him to attend school and grow.
Tommy from Ojarumaru (real name Tomio Tamura) earned a mention as a stylish, gentle grandpa who builds mechanical dolls and plays music with old friends. Ginnosuke Nohara from Crayon Shin-chan was cited as a cheerful, laid-back grandpa in Akita whose love for his family, including his faraway grandson, is the real thing. Ginnosuke also shares scenes with Shinnosuke in Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Kikikaikai! Ora no Yokai Vacation, currently in Japanese theaters.
In all, 49 characters received votes. The site notes the fun of anime's elastic definition of "old": some entries look ancient but are only in their 40s, while others look young and have lived more than a century.
The rest of the top 10 is a ten-way tie at seventh. Edward Newgate and Silvers Rayleigh give One Piece three entries alongside Garp, joined by Kaseki from Dr. Stone, Son Goku from Dragon Ball, Master Asia from Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Yukichi Fukuzawa from Bungo Stray Dogs, Hajime Shinjo from Laid-Back Camp, Shozo Saito from Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again, the title grandpa from Zettai Zetsumei Dangerous Jii-san, and Angus MacBadger from Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
Looking Ahead
International fans can catch up with most of the winners easily. Demon Slayer streams on Crunchyroll and Netflix, and the poll-boosting Japanese rerun continues Sunday mornings on Fuji TV. Golden Kamuy's final season streams on Crunchyroll with an English dub, and the "Runaway Train" arc arrives this winter. Dandadan returns for Season 3 in 2027 with Science SARU still producing.
The Gintama "Cho Enjo-ban" opens in Japan on September 25; Anime! Anime! did not mention international screening dates. The site has also posted the complete list of all 49 voted characters on the second page of the article, and its 2025 results remain online for anyone wanting to compare year over year.