Aniplus Character Tournament 2020

Aniplus Character Tournament 2020 was the 8th edition of the annual mixed-gender character tournament organized by the South Korean anime distributor Aniplus. The tournament began in 2020 December 01 and ended with the results released on December 27. For the first time in Aketo's history, no male character has advanced to  the top 32 stage.

In what would possibly become their final Aketo appearance (barring any spin-offs or crossovers), the Saekano Finale Movie emerged as the most successful show in this tournament after all main three girls made it into the elite eight stage, with main heroine and 2018 champion Megumi Katou seeking a second win in this contest series. However, the championship was won by Elaina from Wandering Witch, who had a dominant run throughout the event which culminated in an overwhelming victory over Katou in a controversial final match. The third place was won by Karyl from Princess Connect! after she beat Aketo 2016 champion Rem in the consolation round.

Schedule
All rounds begin and end at 16:00 KST (UTC+9). (07:00 UTC, 03:00 New York, 15:00 Beijing)


 * Qualifying Round 1: 12/01 - 12/03
 * Qualifying Round 2: 12/04 - 12/06
 * Qualifying Round 3: 12/07 - 12/09
 * Round of 32: 12/11 - 12/13
 * Round of 16: 12/14 - 12/16
 * Quarter-finals: 12/17 - 12/20
 * Semi-finals: 12/21 - 12/23
 * Final & 3rd place: 12/24 - 12/27

Round 1 / Eligible Anime
Format:


 * All anime shows released within 2020, and distributed by Aniplus, will be grouped by season. Theatrical releases have their own separate section.
 * Vote 3 characters from each anime
 * Top 3 from each anime will advance to next round

The following tables will display the list of all eligible anime for this tournament, and its top 3 representatives.

Round 2
Format:


 * All qualified characters will be split into 24 groups of 10 members each (240 players)
 * Vote 3 characters from each group
 * Top 4 will advance to next round

Round 3
Format:


 * 16 x 6 groups (96 players)
 * Vote 2 characters per group
 * Top 2 will advance to next round (Top 32)

Results:

Top 32
Format:


 * Contestants are split into 8 groups of 4 members each
 * Vote 2 contestants per group
 * Top 2 advance to next round

Top 16
Format:


 * 4x4 groups
 * Vote 1 contestant per group
 * Top 2 advance to Elite Eight

Elite Eight
Single-elimination bracket. The winner of the final match becomes Aketo 2020 champion.


 * Bracket order: A1-B2, C1-D2, B1-A2, D1-C2
 * Semi-final losers will play each other in a consolation match to decide who gets third place.