is an annual light novel guide book published by Takarajimasha. The guide book publishes a list of the top ten most popular light novels according to readers polled on the Internet and votes from "collaborators" (critics, influencers, and other people related to the light novel industry). An introduction to each of the works comes with each listing, along with an interview of the light novel's author or authors for first place. Many of the light novels that have been listed in this guide book were later adapted into anime series. Most of the light novels listed contain a series of volumes, but some single-volume light novels also get listed. The first release of the guide book was on November 26, 2004 and is the 2005 listing. The latest release is the 22nd volume on November 26, 2025 and is the 2026 listing.
A Certain Magical Index has appeared in the top 10 in 10 out of 19 issues, Sword Art Online has appeared in 9, Ascendance of a Bookworm appeared in 7 and Baka and Test appeared in 6. The Haruhi Suzumiya series, the Book Girl series, the Monogatari series, Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki, Classroom of the Elite and Mushoku Tensei have all appeared in 5. A Certain Magical Index and Sword Art Online also hold the longest streak in the top 10, with 9 issues in a row each. My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected and Ascendance of a Bookworm have been ranked first 3 times, more than any other series.
The guide book also ranks male characters, female characters (both until 2025) and illustrators from all works released each year. Only on three occasions did a series rank first in all four lists in the same issue: A Certain Magical Index in 2011, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected in 2015, and The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten in 2024.
Hall of Fame The following are series inducted into the Hall of Fame. Series in the Hall of Fame will not be considered in future rankings.
Year inducted Title Author Artist Imprint 2016 My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected Wataru Watari Ponkan8 Gagaga Bunko2020 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara Abec Dengeki BunkoA Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka HaimuraThe Ryuo's Work Is Never Done! Shirow Shiratori Shirabi GA Bunko2023 Ascendance of a Bookworm Miya Kazuki You Shiina TO BooksClassroom of the Elite Shōgo Kinugasa Shunsaku Tomose MF Bunko JChitose is in the Ramune Bottle Hiromu raemz Gagaga Bunko
Top 10 light novel rankings 2005–2009 Rank Title Author Artist Imprint2005 01 Haruhi Suzumiya Nagaru Tanigawa Noizi Ito Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 02 Zaregoto Nisio Isin Take Kodansha Novels 03 Akuma no Mikata Hisamitsu Ueo Kaori Fujita Dengeki Bunko 04 Ryūketsu Megamiden Shinobu Suga Akari Funato Cobalt Bunko 05 Baccano! Ryohgo Narita Katsumi Enami Dengeki Bunko 06 Nana Hime Monogatari Wataru Takano Osamu Otani 07 Sora no Kane no Hibiku Hoshi de Soichiro Watase Minako Iwasaki 08 Allison Keiichi Sigsawa Kouhaku Kuroboshi 09 Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan Masaki Okayu Torishimo 10 Chaos Legion Tow Ubukata Satoru Yuiga Fujimi Fantasia Bunko2006 01 Zaregoto Nisio Isin Take Kodansha Novels 02 Kino's Journey Keiichi Sigsawa Kouhaku Kuroboshi Dengeki Bunko 03 Satōgashi no Dangan wa Uchinukenai Kazuki Sakuraba Mū Fujimi Mystery Bunko 04 Sora no Kane no Hibiku Hoshi de Soichiro Watase Minako Iwasaki Dengeki Bunko 05 The Ending Chronicle Minoru Kawakami Satoyasu 06 Haruhi Suzumiya Nagaru Tanigawa Noizi Ito Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 07 Watashitachi no Tamura-kun Yuyuko Takemiya Yasu Dengeki Bunko 08 Saredo Sainin wa Ryū to Odoru Rabo Asai Kyūjyō Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko All You Need Is Kill Hiroshi Sakurazaka Yoshitoshi ABe Super Dash Bunko 10 Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora Tsumugu Hashimoto Keiji Yamamoto Dengeki Bunko2007 01 Spice and Wolf Isuna Hasekura Jū Ayakura Dengeki Bunko 02 Haruhi Suzumiya Nagaru Tanigawa Noizi Ito Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 03 Zaregoto Nisio Isin Take Kodansha Novels 04 Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora Tsumugu Hashimoto Keiji Yamamoto Dengeki Bunko 05 Kino's Journey Keiichi Sigsawa Kouhaku Kuroboshi 06 Toradora! Yuyuko Takemiya Yasu 07 The Ending Chronicle Minoru Kawakami Satoyasu 08 Book Girl Mizuki Nomura Miho Takeoka Famitsu Bunko 09 Sora no Kane no Hibiku Hoshi de Soichiro Watase Minako Iwasaki Dengeki Bunko 10 Aruhi, Bakudan ga Ochitekite Hideyuki Furuhashi Yukari Higa2008 01 Full Metal Panic! Shoji Gatoh Shikidouji Fujimi Fantasia Bunko 02 Haruhi Suzumiya Nagaru Tanigawa Noizi Ito Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 03 Book Girl Mizuki Nomura Miho Takeoka Famitsu Bunko 04 Toradora! Yuyuko Takemiya Yasu Dengeki Bunko 05 Spice and Wolf Isuna Hasekura Jū Ayakura 06 Kino's Journey Keiichi Sigsawa Kouhaku Kuroboshi 07 Mimizuku to Yoru no Ō Izuki Kogyoku Hiroo Isono 08 Baka and Test Kenji Inoue Yui Haga Famitsu Bunko 09 Tasogareiro no Uta Tsukai series Kei Sazane Miho Takeoka Fujimi Fantasia Bunko 10 Shakugan no Shana Yashichiro Takahashi Noizi Ito Dengeki Bunko2009 01 Book Girl Mizuki Nomura Miho Takeoka Famitsu Bunko 02 Toradora! Yuyuko Takemiya Yasu Dengeki Bunko 03 Baka and Test Kenji Inoue Yui Haga Famitsu Bunko 04 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura Dengeki Bunko 05 Spice and Wolf Isuna Hasekura Jū Ayakura 06 Monogatari series Nisio Isin Vofan Kodansha Box 07 Student Council's Discretion Sekina Aoi Kira Inugami Fujimi Fantasia Bunko 08 Full Metal Panic! Shoji Gatoh Shikidouji 09 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Hitoma Iruma Hidari Dengeki Bunko 10 The Princess and the Pilot Koroku Inumura Haruyuki Morisawa Gagaga Bunko
2010–2014 Rank Title Author Artist Imprint2010 01 Baka and Test Kenji Inoue Yui Haga Famitsu Bunko 02 Monogatari series Nisio Isin Vofan Kodansha Box 03 Book Girl Mizuki Nomura Miho Takeoka Famitsu Bunko 04 Toradora! Yuyuko Takemiya Yasu Dengeki Bunko 05 Student Council's Discretion Sekina Aoi Kira Inugami Fujimi Fantasia Bunko 06 Tasogareiro no Uta Tsukai Sazane Kei Miho Takeoka 07 Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan Hitoma Iruma Hidari Dengeki Bunko 08 Ben-To Asaura Kaito Shibano Super Dash Bunko 09 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura Dengeki Bunko 10 Sōkyū no Karma Kōshi Tachibana Haruyuki Morisawa Fujimi Fantasia Bunko2011 01 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura Dengeki Bunko 02 Haganai Yomi Hirasaka Buriki MF Bunko J 03 Baka and Test Kenji Inoue Yui Haga Famitsu Bunko 04 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara Abec Dengeki Bunko 05 Ben-To Asaura Kaito Shibano Super Dash Bunko 06 Book Girl Mizuki Nomura Miho Takeoka Famitsu Bunko 07 Student Council's Discretion Sekina Aoi Kira Inugami Fujimi Fantasia Bunko 08 Oreimo Tsukasa Fushimi Hiro Kanzaki Dengeki Bunko 09 Durarara!! Ryohgo Narita Suzuhito Yasuda 10 Heaven's Memo Pad Hikaru Sugii Mel Kishida2012 01 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara Abec Dengeki Bunko 02 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura 03 Ben-To Asaura Kaito Shibano Super Dash Bunko 04 Circlet Girl Satoshi Hase Miyū Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 05 Baka and Test Kenji Inoue Yui Haga Famitsu Bunko 06 Haganai Yomi Hirasaka Buriki MF Bunko J 07 Occultologic Tsukasa Nimeguchi Magomago Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 08 Haruhi Suzumiya Nagaru Tanigawa Noizi Ito 09 Idolising! Sakaki Hirozawa Cuteg Dengeki Bunko 10 Iris on Rainy Days Takeshi Matsuyama Hirasato2013 01 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara Abec Dengeki Bunko 02 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura 03 Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers Ishio Yamagata Miyagi Super Dash Bunko 04 Baka and Test Kenji Inoue Yui Haga Famitsu Bunko 05 Oreimo Tsukasa Fushimi Hiro Kanzaki Dengeki Bunko 06 My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected Wataru Watari Ponkan8 Gagaga Bunko 07 Durarara!! Ryohgo Narita Suzuhito Yasuda Dengeki Bunko 08 Shinonome Yūko wa Tanpen Shōsetsu o Aishiteiru Bingo Morihashi Nardack Famitsu Bunko 09 Sakurada Reset Yutaka Kōno You Shiina Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 10 Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere Minoru Kawakami Satoyasu Dengeki Bunko2014 01 My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected Wataru Watari Ponkan8 Gagaga Bunko 02 Alderamin on the Sky Bokuto Uno Sanbasō Dengeki Bunko 03 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura 04 Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Fujino Omori Suzuhito Yasuda GA Bunko 05 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara Abec Dengeki Bunko 06 The Devil Is a Part-Timer! Satoshi Wagahara Oniku 07 Tokyo Ravens Kōhei Azano Sumihei Fujimi Fantasia Bunko 08 Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers Ishio Yamagata Miyagi Super Dash Bunko 09 Oreimo Tsukasa Fushimi Hiro Kanzaki Dengeki Bunko 10 No Game No Life Yū Kamiya MF Bunko J
2015–2016 Rank Title Author Artist Imprint2015 01 My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected Wataru Watari Ponkan8 Gagaga Bunko 02 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara Abec Dengeki Bunko 03 No Game No Life Yū Kamiya MF Bunko J 04 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura Dengeki Bunko 05 Kōkyū Rakuen Kyūjō: Harem League Baseball Hiroshi Ishikawa Wingheart Super Dash Bunko 06 Zesshinkai no Solaris Rakiruchi Asagiri MF Bunko J 07 Escape Speed Nozomu Kuoka Gin Dengeki Bunko 08 Toaru Hikūshi e no Seiyaku Koroku Inumura Haruyuki Morisawa Gagaga Bunko 09 Kono Koi to, Sono Mirai Bingo Morihashi Nardack Famitsu Bunko 10 Alderamin on the Sky Bokuto Uno Sanbasō Dengeki Bunko2016 01 My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected Wataru Watari Ponkan8 Gagaga Bunko 02 Sword Art Online Reki Kawahara Abec Dengeki Bunko 03 Alderamin on the Sky Bokuto Uno Sanbasō 04 Eirun Last Code: Kakuu Sekai yori Senjou e Ryuunosuke Azuma Mikoto Akemi MF Bunko J 05 WorldEnd Akira Kareno ue Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko 06 No Game No Life Yū Kamiya MF Bunko J 07 A Certain Magical Index Kazuma Kamachi Kiyotaka Haimura Dengeki Bunko 08 Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Fujino Omori Suzuhito Yasuda GA Bunko 09 Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Fumiaki Maruto Kurehito Misaki Fujimi Fantasia Bunko 10 Escape Speed Nozomu Kuoka Gin Dengeki Bunko
2017–2019