MILAN, ITALY — Alysa Liu already had the internet's full attention after winning gold in ladies' singles figure skating at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. But it was a different kind of moment that sent the anime community into a frenzy: the 20-year-old champion casually rattling off her top five favorite anime shows as though listing them was the most natural thing in the world.
The moment was captured and posted by @overtimewbb on TikTok, where it immediately racked up massive engagement from figure skating fans and anime fans alike. The crossover appeal was undeniable.
@overtimewbb If this is Alysa's top 5 then it's my top 5 now too ‼️ NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics is presented by @delta #figureskating #alysaliu #olympics ♬ original sound - Overtimewbb
The List That Broke the Anime Internet
Alysa's five picks are not casual gateway titles. This is a list from someone who actually watches anime, not someone who saw one Ghibli film and called themselves a fan. Here is the full breakdown:
1. Attack on Titan
The definitive pick of a generation. Hajime Isayama's epic about humanity trapped behind walls while giant humanoid creatures hunt them outside remains one of the most critically acclaimed anime and manga series ever made. Its final arc generated cultural debate on the level of prestige TV. Alysa's inclusion here signals she has taste and patience, because sticking through the full AoT run is a commitment.
2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
The choice that separates the real ones. What appears on the surface to be a cheerful magical girl show quickly becomes one of anime's most psychologically complex and emotionally devastating stories. Gen Urobuchi's writing subverts every expectation of the genre. The fact that Alysa listed this alongside shonen heavyweights says a lot about the depth of her taste.
3. Jujutsu Kaisen
Currently one of the biggest anime franchises on the planet. Gege Akutami's story of cursed energy, jujutsu sorcerers, and Yuji Itadori's impossible situation has dominated streaming charts and social media since its debut. The animation from MAPPA sets a technical standard that most productions cannot touch. If you are a fan of the best anime games of 2026, JJK titles rank among the most played.
4. Soul Eater
A cult classic and a show that never gets the mainstream credit it deserves. Atsushi Ohkubo's story of weapon-meisters and their human weapon partners is wildly inventive in its world-building, has one of the most distinctive visual styles in the medium, and features some of the best female characters in shonen anime. Soul Eater on this list confirms Alysa is not just following trends.
5. Chainsaw Man
The final entry and possibly the most daring pick. Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man is raw, violent, emotionally erratic, and genuinely unlike anything else in anime. Denji's story of a devil-hunting kid merged with a chainsaw devil is part action horror, part tragicomedy, and entirely unforgettable. MAPPA's adaptation leaned into the chaos fully. Another show that lives in the same universe as the anime games dominating 2026.
Why It Matters
Moments like this are why athletes with authentic cultural identities resonate beyond their sport. Alysa Liu is already one of the most compelling stories of the Winter Olympics, a Chinese-American skater who was excluded from the 2022 Beijing Games by a selection quirk and came back four years later to win gold on the biggest stage in the world. Finding out she is a genuine anime fan — with a list that spans multiple genres and decades of the medium — makes her more human, more relatable, and more interesting to an entirely new audience.
The Olympic broadcast may have introduced Alysa Liu to the world. The anime list made her a permanent resident of the internet's heart.
Read our full Alysa Liu biography and Olympic gold medal breakdown.