March Chinese Animation Chronicle: “Xian Ni” Dominates with a Landslide, Cultivation Dongs Take the Stage by Storm, Market Enters a New Era of “Multiple Powers Rising”

In March 2026, the Chinese animation (domestic anime) market witnessed a true “clash of the gods.” With Xian Ni retaining the top spot by a landslide with 209 million monthly views, the previous debate over “who is number one” has been definitively settled. At the same time, multiple new series and classic sequels exploded onto the scene, while three cultivation donghua (comic-style animated series) reshaped industry perceptions with breakthrough momentum. Domestic animation has moved from a “single-dominant” landscape into a new stage of high-quality competition characterized by “multiple pillars standing together.”

1. March Viewership Top 10: Xian NiCrushes the Competition, A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to ImmortalityStill Breaks 100 Million Despite Hiatus

According to the March total viewership ranking, all Top 10 series exceeded 100 million monthly views, with intense competition at the top.

Key takeaway: Xian Ni dominates with an absolute advantage of 209 million views, earning fans’ jest: “When Mortal is away, Xian Ni rules the jianghu.” Meanwhile, A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality, though on hiatus for over three months, still garnered 121 million views thanks to its high production standards, proving the simple truth that “audiences can see the effort put into domestic animation.”

In addition, weekly platform rankings further highlight the strong performance of domestic animation:

Bilibili: In the weekly new series viewership top 10, domestic titles occupy 7 spots. Killer Seven – Shadowy Destiny takes first place with 28 million views, while the only Japanese anime on the list is Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4.

Youku: On the weekly hotness chart, Senior Brother, Senior Brother leads with a score of 6200, followed closely by new series Xian Wu Chuan.

iQiyi: The Supreme of Ten Thousand Realms tops the hotness chart, and the gap between Japanese and domestic animation has widened further.

Tencent Video: The Legend of Hei – Season 6 dominates with an estimated 49 million weekly views, solidifying its position as the platform’s “king of seasonal series.”

1. New Domestic Animation in March: Yearly Series Expansion, Classic Reboots, Theatrical Release Dates Set

March was not only a month for chart reshuffling but also an “explosive month” of密集 new releases.

Cang Yuan Tu 3 Upgraded to a Yearly Series, Prequel Launched Simultaneously: Exclusively streamed on Youku starting March 13, officially becoming a yearly series. The prequel Summer in Dongning Mansion brings Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue’s youthful romance to the screen for the first time, laying the groundwork for subsequent high-intensity plots.

Under One Person 6 – Tang Clan Arc Intensifies: Zhang Chulan infiltrates the Tang Clan, unlocking secrets of the Anti-Japanese War and assassination mechanisms, pushing the danger factor to the max.

Link Click New Season Premieres: Debuted on Bilibili on March 5. Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang face a new antagonist, the “Time Arbiter,” pushing the fate-rewriting premise to its limits.

Sou Shen Ji (Classic of Mountains and Seas) Exclusively on iQiyi: The animated adaptation of Tushu Yehu’s “Barbarian Trilogy” opener launched on March 25. Young Tuoba Ye ventures into the wild with mythical beasts, bringing Eastern fantasy back into the spotlight.

Shrouding the Heavens: The Coffin-Back Battle Against Wang Teng Theatrical Release Date Set: Premieres on April 4 (Qingming Festival). Ye Fan carries a bronze coffin to challenge Wang Teng, with special effects and excitement both maxed out.

*Private Sweetheart Baby Season 4: Debuted on Youku and iQiyi on March 23, reaching a hotness score of 890 on Youku on its first day, raising the ceiling for dynamic comics.

Additionally, the Sino-Japanese co-production Shang Shan was announced on a content slate, with an expected release in 2027. The iconic scene of the Heavenly Lord Tongtian bathing returned in Senior Brother, Senior Brother, and Seal of the Divine Sword will air its 208th and final episode on April 29, marking the end of the human-demon war saga.

III. Platform Battle Report: Domestic Animation in Full Control, Japanese Anime Holds Only a “Lone Survivor”

The latest hotness rankings from major platforms show that domestic animation’s dominance in its home market continues to expand:

Bilibili: Domestic titles occupy 7 of the top 10 spots in the weekly new series rankings. Killer Seven – Shadowy Destiny wins with 28 million views. Japanese anime only appears at 8th place with Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4 (3 million views).

Youku: Domestic creations lead the race. Senior Brother, Senior Brother tops the weekly hotness chart with 6200, followed by Xian Wu Chuan with 5100.

iQiyi: The Supreme of Ten Thousand Realms claims the top hotness spot with 2800, while the Japanese anime Yuan Zun Season 4 drops to 9th place with a hotness of only 1500.

Tencent Video: The Legend of Hei – Season 6 dominates with an estimated 49 million weekly views, firmly seated as the platform’s “king of seasonal series.”

The data clearly shows that domestic animation has achieved a comprehensive overtake of Japanese anime in terms of user time, content hotness, and number of titles. Japanese anime now maintains its presence only through a few classic IPs.

1. Analysis of the March Domestic Animation Market: Opportunities and Challenges Coexist Amid Prosperity

Looking at the new releases and viewership data from March, it is evident that the domestic animation market has completely moved away from “unruly growth” and entered a new stage of “high-quality development.” Three distinct characteristics emerge, along with hidden opportunities and challenges for the industry.

1. Market Prosperity: Diverse Genre Layout, Dual Improvement in Quality and Reputation

The explosion of the March market first manifests in genre diversification, breaking the previous monopoly of cultivation titles. Sci-fi (Universe Villain Adventure), suspense (Link Click), sweet romance (Private Sweetheart Baby Season 4), and Eastern fantasy (Sou Shen Ji) are all flourishing, meeting the needs of viewers of different ages and tastes. Second, production standards have significantly improved. The new models and effects in Xian Ni, the wallpaper-quality visuals of Warrior Venerable, and the top-tier special effects of Solitary Cultivation Returning to Dust all demonstrate the maturity of domestic animation in modeling, rendering, and action design, narrowing the gap with Japanese anime and even surpassing it in some areas. Third, IP operations have become more sophisticated. Classic IPs continue to generate value through sequels and prequels (Cang Yuan Tu 3, Under One Person 6), while new IPs break out quickly with precise positioning and quality content (Yu Dao Cang Feng, Solitary Cultivation Returning to Dust), forming a virtuous cycle of “classics sustaining, new products breaking through.” Additionally, domestic animation has achieved new breakthroughs overseas, with Ling Cage 2 being selected for the main competition of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (often called the “Oscar of animation”), highlighting the international influence of Chinese sci-fi mecha.

2. Competitive Landscape: Obvious Head Disparity, Difficult for Mid- and Small-Tier IPs to Break Through

The March viewership rankings reveal an increasingly pronounced head effect. Xian Ni leads by a landslide with 209 million monthly views, far ahead of the second-place Sword Coming (151 million). Head titles, leveraging their IP accumulation, production resources, and promotional advantages, form a “the rich get richer” pattern. Mid-tier titles compete fiercely, with classic IPs like Battle Through the Heavens, Zetianji, and A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality holding steady in the upper ranks with relatively close viewership numbers. However, tail-end titles, despite having unique features, struggle to break through their niches due to limited production resources and promotion, resulting in a vast gap from the head titles. Meanwhile, platform competition has intensified, with Youku, Bilibili, iQiyi, and Tencent Video all actively expanding their domestic animation offerings, using exclusive series and IPs to capture market share, further driving industry competition.

3. Opportunities and Challenges: Only Innovation Can Ensure Long-Term Stability

The current development of the domestic animation market faces both unprecedented opportunities and challenges that cannot be ignored.

Opportunities: Audience acceptance of domestic animation continues to rise. The domestic creation track has become a key focus for platforms, with capital and talent flowing in to support industry growth. Technological upgrades (e.g., AI applications in modeling and effects) lower production barriers and improve creative efficiency. The exploration of diverse genres injects new vitality and has the potential to reach more potential viewers.

Challenges: First, creative homogenization is a growing problem. While cultivation remains popular, many works suffer from formulaic plots and one-dimensional character designs, failing to meet the rising aesthetic demands of audiences. Second, content quality is uneven. Some works prioritize traffic and speed, neglecting plot logic and detail polishing, leading to declining reputations. Finally, a shortage of talent—especially professionals with both creative and technical skills—remains a major constraint on high-quality development. Moreover, classic IP sequels face the risk of “reputation decline,” and how to innovate while preserving the essence of the original IP is an urgent issue for the industry.

Conclusion: 2026 – A Watershed Year for Chinese Animation

The March domestic animation market sends a clear signal with its data and works: top IPs no longer monopolize traffic; genre diversification and production excellence have become core competitive advantages. Whether it’s the collective explosion of cultivation donghua, the steady performance of classic sequels, or breakthroughs in international awards, it all declares that domestic animation has transformed from a “chaser” into a “definer.”

The March market is a microcosm of the high-quality development of China’s animation industry—a boom in new releases, impressive viewership data, and upgraded production standards. It showcases the growth and progress of domestic animation while also exposing the industry’s shortcomings. From Xian Ni’s dominant lead, to dark horses like Yu Dao Cang Feng, to Ling Cage 2’s overseas breakthrough, domestic animation is gradually moving away from “traffic dependence” and entering a new stage where “quality and content are king.”

For viewers, this is the best of times: there is no shortage of great works, and rankings no longer matter, because every earnest creation deserves to be seen. For the industry, the real challenge has just begun: how to maintain innovation amid content oversupply, and how to stay true to the essence of storytelling amidst technological arms races—these will be the ultimate questions that decide who comes out on top in the next half of the game.