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AO3 Ship Stats 2025

Summary:

The 2025 edition of the AO3 Ship Stats project. This project aims to track and analyse the most popular pairings posted on AO3 over time.

Chapter 1: This Year's Top 100

Chapter Text

A data table with the heading "AO3 Ship Stats: Summer 2025. This Year's Top 100. by centreoftheselights" Data is transcribed in the table at the end of this chapter.

Abbreviations used:

Af As = Afro-Asian
Ambig or Amb = Ambiguous Race
Bla = Black
Indig = Indigenous Peoples
MENA = Middle Eastern or North African
N.H. or NH = Non-Human Skin Tones
Whi = White

 

Welcome to the 2025 AO3 Ship Stats!

As part of the AO3 Ship Stats project, this list shows the 100 fastest-growing relationship tags on Archive Of Our Own in the period August 2 2024 - July 29 2025. This list was created by comparing the current number of fics with data gathered for the 2024 AO3 Ship Stats.

There are 56 M/M relationships on the list, 13 F/M, 6 F/F, 13 Gen and 12 Other. (Please note that on AO3, ‘Name & Name’ indicates platonic or familial ‘Gen’ relationships, while ‘Name/Name’ is used for romantic and sexual pairings.)

Of the 200 names on the list, 29 are women, 2 are non-binary, and 10 are characters of ambiguous gender, compared with 21, 2 and 7 in the 2024 list. In total there are 84 white characters, 60 Asian characters, 7 Latino characters, 4 Middle Eastern or North African characters, 4 Black characters, 1 Indigenous character and 1 Roma character, as well as 26 racially ambiguous characters and 16 characters with non-human skin tones. There are 76 total Characters of Colour, which is 2 fewer than the number listed in 2024.

For more information about the AO3 Ship Stats project, please check out the accompanying FAQs. You might also be interested in the All-Time Top 100 Pairings and the Femslash Top 100 list.

Edit 30 July 2025: Due to intentional manipulation of the stats using AI works, the pairing of Betty/Roly (Hey Duggee) has been delisted from the rankings. Please don't do this sort of thing, it is pointless and a waste of everyone's time.

Edit 31 July 2025: Due to a processing error, the wrong number of previous works was listed for the tags "Ahn Suho | Stephen/Yeon Sieun | Gray", "Astarion (Baldur’s Gate)/You", and "Huang Shaotian/Yu Wenzhou". These numbers have now been corrected and the list has been adjusted accordingly. Apologies for the mistake.

Edit 6 Aug 2025: Fixed race for Mizi and Sua.

Edit 7 Aug 2025: Fixed gender for Bill Cipher.

Rank Change Relationship Fandom Works
Gained		 Total
Works		 Type Race
1 Re-Entry Jayce/Viktor (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 13261 15891 M/M Latino White
2 +5 Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) 9-1-1 (TV) 11202 35156 M/M White Latino
3 Re-Entry Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 9965 16574 F/F Asian White
4 +9 Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 8140 50992 M/M Asian Asian
5 -3 Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 7523 57803 M/M White White
6 +15 James Potter/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 7329 34076 F/M White White
7 +1 Regulus Black/James Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 6477 21988 M/M White White
8 +12 Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 5862 34817 F/M Ambig White
9 -6 Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs 4921 37637 M/M Asian Asian
10 -1 Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 4915 69576 M/M White White
11 New Agatha Harkness/Rio Vidal Agatha All Along (TV) 4782 4782 F/F White Latino
12 -7 Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga) 4411 19676 M/M Asian Asian
13 New Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types 4317 8789 M/M N.H. N.H.
14 +14 Evan "Buck" Buckley/Tommy Kinard 9-1-1 (TV) 4238 7134 M/M White White
15 +0 Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know Stray Kids (Band) 4230 20579 M/M Asian Asian
16 New Mydei/Phainon (Honkai: Star Rail) 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game) 4047 4047 M/M White White
17 +82 Ivan/Till (Alien Stage) Alien Stage (Web Series) 3992 5378 M/M Ambig Ambig
18 New Ekko/Jinx (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 3906 4939 F/M Black White
19 +18 Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington Bridgerton (TV) 3841 8834 F/M White White
20 New Xia Yizhou | Caleb/You 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) 3822 4208 Other Asian Ambig
21 New Qin Che | Sylus/You 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) 3511 3867 Other Asian Ambig
22 New Hwang Inho | Front Man/Seong Gihun Squid Game (TV 2021) 3348 3348 M/M Asian Asian
23 New Jayce & Viktor (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 3341 3782 Gen Latino White
24 New Logan | Worst Wolverine (Deadpool Movies)/Wade Wilson Deadpool (Movieverse) 3295 3295 M/M White White
25 +0 Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen The Rookie (TV 2018) 3126 9635 F/M White Asian
26 New Ao Bing | East Sea Third Prince/Nezha | Third Lotus Prince 哪吒 | Nezha (Movies 2019 2025) 3120 4406 M/M Asian Asian
27 New Lucanis Dellamorte/Rook Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Video Game) 3002 3002 Other Ambig Ambig
28 -4 Alastor/Lucifer Magne | Morningstar Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) 2913 6609 M/M N.H. N.H.
29 -17 Alhaitham/Kaveh (Genshin Impact) 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 2871 14761 M/M MENA MENA
30 -19 Neuvillette/Wriothesley (Genshin Impact) 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 2797 7972 M/M White White
31 +8 Blitzo/Stolas Goetia Helluva Boss (Web Series) 2723 7319 M/M N.H. NH Whi
32 +2 Barty Crouch Jr./Evan Rosier Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2569 7629 M/M White Ambig
33 -4 Aventurine/Dr. Ratio (Honkai: Star Rail) 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game) 2563 5442 M/M Roma Ambig
34 +28 Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen Formula 1 RPF 2533 6147 M/M White White
35 -18 John "Soap" MacTavish/Simon "Ghost" Riley Call of Duty (Video Games) 2488 13327 M/M White White
36 -13 Roronoa Zoro/Sanji One Piece (Anime & Manga) 2463 14002 M/M Asian White
37 +49 Mikage Reo/Nagi Seishirou Blue Lock (Manga) 2446 5843 M/M Asian Asian
38 New Choi Subong | Thanos/Namgyu Squid Game (TV 2021) 2425 2425 M/M Asian Asian
39 -4 Hua Cheng/Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu) 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 2399 12668 M/M Asian Asian
40 +13 Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2337 23232 F/M Ambig White
41 +20 Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa ATEEZ (Band) 2315 9439 M/M Asian Asian
42 -6 Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 2301 24846 M/M Asian Asian
43 -3 Nicholas "Nick" Nelson/Charles "Charlie" Spring Heartstopper (TV) 2299 8623 M/M White White
44 New Pure Vanilla Cookie/Shadow Milk Cookie (Cookie Run) Cookie Run (Video Game) 2257 2257 M/M N.H. N.H.
45 -44 Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 2241 61811 Other White White
46 New Bill Cipher/Ford Pines Gravity Falls 2192 2777 Other N.H. White
47 New Caitlyn & Vi (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 2188 2706 Gen Asian White
48 -21 Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan 2150 16322 F/M Ambig White
49 +19 Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto Naruto (Anime & Manga) 2092 16918 M/M Asian Asian
50 -4 Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 2086 20021 Gen Asian Asian
51 +0 Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms 2064 14429 M/M White White
52 New Elphaba Thropp/Galinda Upland Wicked - All Media Types 2060 2835 F/F NH Amb White
53 New Jinx & Vi (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 2045 3154 Gen White White
54 New Main Character/Qin Che | Sylus 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) 2036 2036 F/M Ambig Asian
55 New Li Shen | Zayne/You 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) 2030 2798 Other Asian Ambig
56 New Rook/Emmrich Volkarin Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Video Game) 1999 1999 Other Ambig White
57 New Odysseus/Penelope (EPIC: The Musical) EPIC - Jorge Rivera-Herrans (Albums) 1984 1984 F/M Latino White
58 New Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) 9-1-1 (TV) 1983 5680 Gen White Latino
59 New Armand/Daniel Molloy Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022) 1982 3709 M/M Asian White
60 -12 Simon "Ghost" Riley/Reader Call of Duty (Video Games) 1961 6043 Other White Ambig
61 -20 Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1960 10583 F/F White Black
62= -36 Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 1954 39571 M/M Asian Asian
62= New Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri Formula 1 RPF 1954 3086 M/M White White
64 +0 Dick Grayson & Jason Todd Batman - All Media Types 1943 9686 Gen Ambig White
65 -7 Regulus Black & Sirius Black Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1930 7774 Gen White White
66 Re-Entry Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester Supernatural (TV 2005) 1924 16962 Gen White White
67 New Main Character/Xia Yizhou | Caleb 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) 1865 1865 F/M Ambig Asian
68 New Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022) 1851 4304 M/M White Black
69 +23 Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu SEVENTEEN (Band) 1848 8083 M/M Asian Asian
70 +11 Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard All For The Game - Nora Sakavic 1844 13050 M/M White White
71 New Arzu/Nawfal (Sultan's Game) 苏丹的游戏 | Sultan's Game (Video Game) 1830 1830 M/M MENA MENA
72 -66 Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston 1823 11878 M/M Latino White
73 -63 Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Stranger Things (TV 2016) 1803 27194 M/M White White
74 New Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne/Charles Rowland Dead Boy Detectives (TV) 1784 3102 M/M White Af As
75 -56 Charlie Magne | Morningstar/Vaggie Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) 1774 7760 F/F N.H. N.H.
76 New Qi Yu | Rafayel/You 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) 1761 2362 Other Asian Ambig
77 -11 Charles | Grian/Ryan | GoodTimesWithScar Hermitcraft SMP 1749 5834 M/M White White
78 -13 Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1738 19168 F/M White White
79 -49 Dazai Osamu & Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs 1731 10062 Gen Asian Asian
80 New Ford Pines & Stan Pines Gravity Falls 1725 3594 Gen White White
81 New Mizi/Sua (Alien Stage) Alien Stage (Web Series) 1709 2145 F/F Ambig Ambig
82 New Megatron/Optimus Prime Transformers - All Media Types 1702 4383 M/M N.H. N.H.
83 -9 Tim Drake & Jason Todd Batman - All Media Types 1693 8852 Gen White White
84 -80 Astarion/Tav (Baldur's Gate) Baldur's Gate (Video Games) 1672 10424 Other White Ambig
85 -42 Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V Bangtan Boys | BTS 1670 39004 M/M Asian Asian
86 +9 Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne Batman - All Media Types 1650 8263 Gen Ambig White
87 -24 Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1627 14417 M/M White White
88 New Hans Capon/Henry Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Video Games) 1625 1625 M/M White White
XX XX Betty/Roly (Hey Duggee) Hey Duggee (Cartoon) 1597 1597 F/M N.H. N.H.
89 -7 Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne Batman - All Media Types 1596 8823 Gen White White
90 New Hermione Granger/Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 1574 9438 F/M Ambig White
91 -75 Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel) Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) 1573 6940 M/M N.H. N.H.
92 New Shen Xinghui | Xavier/You 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) 1570 2211 Other Asian Ambig
93 -75 Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet Our Flag Means Death (TV) 1566 19616 M/M Indig White
94 -5 Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist Persona 5 1548 11744 M/M Asian Asian
95 New Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi (ATEEZ) ATEEZ (Band) 1539 4860 M/M Asian Asian
96 New Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan SEVENTEEN (Band) 1532 7194 M/M Asian Asian
97 -53 Gojo Satoru/Reader 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) 1512 6926 Other Asian Ambig
98 -4 Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix Stray Kids (Band) 1504 6959 M/M Asian Asian
99 New Jinu/Rumi (KPop Demon Hunters) KPop Demon Hunters (2025) 1491 1491 F/M Asian Asian
100 -50 Kamishiro Rui/Tenma Tsukasa Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! (Video Game) 1474 6723 M/M Asian Asian

Chapter 2: Overall Top 100

Chapter Text

A data table with the heading "AO3 Ship Stats: Summer 2025. All Time Top 100. by centreoftheselights" Data is transcribed in the table at the end of this chapter.

Abbreviations Used:

Af Lat = Afro-Latino
Ambig = Ambiguous Race
Indig = Indigenous Peoples
MENA = Middle Eastern or North African

 

This list shows the 100 relationship tags with the most total fanfics posted on Archive Of Our Own as of July 29 2025. There are 73 M/M pairings, 10 F/M, 5 F/F, 10 Gen and 2 Other. (Please note that on AO3, ‘Name & Name’ indicates platonic or familial ‘Gen’ relationships, while ‘Name/Name’ is used for romantic and sexual pairings.)

Of the 202 names on the list, 20 belong to women, 2 to non-binary people, and 1 to a character of indeterminate gender, down from 21, 2 and 1 respectively in the 2024 list. In total there are 128 white characters, 59 Asian characters, 6 Latino characters, 2 Middle Eastern or North African characters, 1 Black character and 1 Indigenous character, along with 6 characters of ambiguous race. There are 68 total Characters of Colour, up 4 from 64 in 2024.

For more information on this project, please see the FAQ chapter. You might also want to check out the Top 100 Pairings of 2025 or the Top 100 Femslash Pairings.

Rank Change Relationship Fandom Works Type Race
1 +0 Castiel/Dean Winchester Supernatural (TV 2005) 106224 M/M White White
2 +0 Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 69576 M/M White White
3 +0 Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Sherlock (TV) 63053 M/M White White
4 +0 Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Teen Wolf (TV) 62299 M/M White White
5 +0 Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 61811 Other White White
6 +0 James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers Captain America (Chris Evans Movies) 58101 M/M White White
7 +0 Sirius Black/Remus Lupin Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 57802 M/M White White
8 +0 Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 50991 M/M Asian Asian
9 +0 Steve Rogers/Tony Stark The Avengers (Marvel Movies) 41485 M/M White White
10 +0 Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson One Direction (Band) 41271 M/M White White
11 +0 Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 39571 M/M Asian Asian
12 +0 Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V Bangtan Boys | BTS 39004 M/M Asian Asian
13 +1 Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya (Bungou Stray Dogs) 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs 37636 M/M Asian Asian
14 -1 Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Miraculous Ladybug 35659 F/M White Asian
15 +14 Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) 9-1-1 (TV) 35156 M/M White Latino
16 +3 Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 34817 F/M Ambig White
17 +9 James Potter/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 34074 F/M White White
18 -3 Keith/Lance (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 33289 M/M Ambig Latino
19 -2 Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 31628 M/M Asian Asian
20 -4 Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester Supernatural (TV 2005) 31295 M/M White White
21 -1 Peter Parker & Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 30203 Gen White White
22 +0 Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Hannibal (TV) 29614 M/M White White
23 +0 Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 29245 M/M Asian Asian
24 -3 Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) Merlin (TV) 29006 M/M White White
25 -7 Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Shadowhunters (TV) 28498 M/M Asian White
26 -2 Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 28085 M/M Asian Asian
27 +0 Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Stranger Things (TV 2016) 27193 M/M White White
28 -3 Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 26898 F/M White White
29 +2 Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 24846 M/M Asian Asian
30 -2 Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime) 24226 M/M Asian White
31 +4 Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 23232 F/M Ambig White
32 -2 Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 23223 M/M Asian Asian
33 -1 Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin Bangtan Boys | BTS 22525 M/M Asian Asian
34 +23 Regulus Black/James Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 21988 M/M White White
35 -1 Pepper Potts/Tony Stark Marvel Cinematic Universe 21712 F/M White White
36 -3 Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF) Video Blogging RPF 21488 M/M White White
37 +0 Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor Supergirl (TV 2015) 20977 F/F White White
38 +17 Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know Stray Kids (Band) 20579 M/M Asian Asian
39 +0 Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru Haikyuu!! 20434 M/M Asian Asian
40 -4 Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit Dream SMP 20210 Gen White White
41 +4 Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 20021 Gen Asian Asian
42 +16 Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga) 19676 M/M Asian Asian
43 +0 Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet Our Flag Means Death (TV) 19616 M/M Indig White
44= -3 Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio Haikyuu!! 19509 M/M Asian Asian
44= -7 Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson | Philza Minecraft (Video Game) 19509 Gen White White
46 -5 Sherlock Holmes & John Watson Sherlock (TV) 19357 Gen White White
47 -1 Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 19168 F/M White White
48 -4 James T. Kirk/Spock Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) 18878 M/M White White
49 -9 Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types 18329 M/M White White
50 -2 Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens) Good Omens (TV) 18174 Gen White White
51 -1 Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou Haikyuu!! 17784 M/M Asian Asian
52 +1 Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies) 17449 M/M White White
53 -6 Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 17310 M/M White White
54 +0 Harry Potter/Severus Snape Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 17134 M/M White White
55 +4 Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester Supernatural (TV 2005) 16962 Gen White White
56 +5 Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto Naruto (Anime & Manga) 16918 M/M Asian Asian
57 -5 Dan Howell/Phil Lester Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (Video Blogging RPF) 16845 M/M White White
58 -9 Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 16819 M/M Asian Asian
59 -3 Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich Shameless (US) 16692 M/M White White
60 New Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 16574 F/F Asian White
61 -10 Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel Glee (TV 2009) 16499 M/M Asian White
62 +8 Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan 16322 F/M Ambig White
63 New Jayce/Viktor (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 15891 M/M Latino White
64 +0 Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact) 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 15426 M/M White Asian
65 +3 James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader Marvel Cinematic Universe 15408 Other White Ambig
66 -4 Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 15335 F/F Latino White
67 +2 Fox Mulder/Dana Scully The X-Files 15033 F/M White White
68 -8 Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier IT (Movies – Muschietti) 14845 M/M White White
69 +19 Alhaitham/Kaveh (Genshin Impact) 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 14761 M/M MENA MENA
70 -7 Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit Minecraft (Video Game) 14734 Gen White White
71 +11 Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms 14429 M/M White White
72 +8 Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 14417 M/M White White
73 -6 Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin Bangtan Boys | BTS 14316 M/M Asian Asian
74 -9 Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 14071 M/M White White
75 -4 Jeon Jungkook/Min Yoongi | Suga Bangtan Boys | BTS 14005 M/M Asian Asian
76 +17 Roronoa Zoro/Sanji One Piece (Anime & Manga) 14002 M/M Asian White
77 +1 Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 13945 Gen Asian Asian
78 -12 Keith/Shiro (Voltron) Voltron: Legendary Defender 13725 M/M Ambig Asian
79 -7 Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin The 100 (TV) 13672 F/M Asian White
80 +3 Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi Haikyuu!! 13509 M/M Asian Asian
81 -4 Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) Minecraft (Video Game) 13464 Gen White White
82 New John "Soap" MacTavish/Simon "Ghost" Riley Call of Duty (Video Games) 13327 M/M White White
83 -4 Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 13275 M/M White White
84 -9 Gabriel/Sam Winchester Supernatural (TV 2005) 13094 M/M White White
85 -11 Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki Supernatural (TV 2005) RPF 13092 M/M White White
86 +14 Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard All For The Game - Nora Sakavic 13050 M/M White White
87 -14 Loki/Thor (Marvel) Thor (Movies) 13047 M/M White White
88 +3 Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 12964 M/M Asian Asian
89 -4 Frank Iero/Gerard Way My Chemical Romance 12902 M/M White White
90 +0 Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 12769 M/M Asian Asian
91 -10 Amity Blight/Luz Noceda The Owl House (Cartoon) 12758 F/F White Af Lat
92 New Hua Cheng/Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu) 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù 12668 M/M Asian Asian
93 -17 Rodney McKay/John Sheppard Stargate Atlantis 12599 M/M White White
94 New Will Byers/Mike Wheeler Stranger Things (TV 2016) 12301 M/M White White
95 New Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne Batman - All Media Types 12226 M/M White White
96 -9 Clarke Griffin/Lexa The 100 (TV) 12218 F/F White White
97 -11 Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade Sherlock (TV) 12127 M/M White White
98 -14 Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones Torchwood 12118 M/M White White
99 -3 Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield The Hobbit - All Media Types 11882 M/M White White
100 New Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston 11878 M/M Latino White

Chapter 3: Femslash Top 100

Chapter Text

A data table with the heading "AO3 Ship Stats: Summer 2025. Femslash Top 100. by centreoftheselights" Data is transcribed in the table at the end of this chapter.

Abbreviations used:

Af Ind = Afro-Indigenous
Af Lat = Afro-Latino
Ambig or Amb = Ambiguous Race
As Ind = Asian and Indigenous
Bla = Black
Ind ME = Indigenous Peoples and Middle Eastern
Indig = Indigenous Peoples
MENA = Middle Eastern or North African
N.H. or NH = Non-Human skin tones
Whi = White

 

As part of the July 2025 AO3 Ship Stats, here are the Top 100 F/F pairings with the most total works on Archive Of Our Own as of July 29th 2025.

Of the 201 names on this list, there are 109 white characters, 46 Asian characters, 11 Black characters, 9 Indigenous characters, 8 Latino characters, and 2 Middle Eastern or North African characters, as well as 14 characters with non-human skin tones and 9 characters of ambiguous race. There are 71 Characters of Colour in total, up from 65 in the 2024 list.

Because of the way I produced this data, there is a small chance some F/F ships are missing, particularly those in fandoms dominated by other categories of ship. For more information, see the project FAQs. This project also includes a 2025 Top 100 and an All-Time Top 100 list.

Edit 30th Jul 2025: Added Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson. Corrected race for Pharah | Fareeha Amari.

Edit 31st Jul 2025: Added Akiyama Mizuki/Shinonome Ena.

Edit 6th Aug 2025: Fixed race for Mizi and Sua.

Rank Change Relationship Fandom Works Race
1 +0 Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor Supergirl (TV 2015) 20977 White White
2 +8 Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends) Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 16574 Asian White
3 -1 Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Once Upon a Time (TV) 15335 Latino White
4 -1 Amity Blight/Luz Noceda The Owl House (Cartoon) 12758 White Af Lat
5 -1 Clarke Griffin/Lexa The 100 (TV) 12218 White White
6 -1 Adora/Catra (She-Ra) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) 11430 White Latino
7 -1 Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 10583 White Black
8 -1 Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler Stranger Things (TV 2016) 8335 White White
9 -1 Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long RWBY 7882 Asian Asian
10 +4 Charlie Magne | Morningstar/Vaggie Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) 7760 N.H. N.H.
11 +1 Wednesday Addams/Enid Sinclair Wednesday (TV 2022) 7609 Latino White
12 -3 Korra/Asami Sato Avatar: Legend of Korra 6943 Indig Asian
13 -2 Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 6668 Asian Asian
14 +2 Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee RWBY 6048 Asian White
15 -2 Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer Supergirl (TV 2015) 5912 White Latino
16 -1 Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught Wynonna Earp (TV) 5906 White White
17 +0 Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam Homestuck 5284 Ambig N.H.
18 +1 Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell Pitch Perfect (Movies) 5114 White White
19 New Agatha Harkness/Rio Vidal Agatha All Along (TV) 4782 White Latino
20 -2 Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein Carmilla (Web Series) 4757 White White
21 -1 Alphys/Undyne (Undertale) Undertale (Video Game) 4665 N.H. N.H.
22 -1 Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir of the 104th Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 4450 White White
23 -1 Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan Doctor Who (2005) 4222 White Asian
24 +1 Maya Bishop/Carina DeLuca Station 19 (TV) 4174 White White
25 +6 Mary Macdonald/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 3865 Ambig White
26 -2 Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 3860 White White
27 -1 Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price Life is Strange (Video Games 2015 2017 2024) 3715 White White
28 -5 Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova Killing Eve (TV 2018) 3689 Asian White
29 +9 Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss Criminal Minds (US TV) 3527 White White
30 -2 Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva Warrior Nun (TV) 3477 Asian Latino
31 +2 Miranda Priestly/Andrea Sachs The Devil Wears Prada (2006) 3433 White White
32 -5 Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce Glee (TV 2009) 3424 Af Lat White
33 +17 Alicent Hightower/Rhaenyra Targaryen House of the Dragon (TV) 3308 White White
34 +29 Toga Himiko/Uraraka Ochako Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 3274 Asian Asian
35 -1 Raiden Ei | Baal/Yae Miko 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 3261 Asian Asian
36 +1 Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel Batman - All Media Types 3232 NH Whi NH Whi
37 -7 Kara Danvers/Cat Grant Supergirl (TV 2015) 3210 White White
38 -9 Asui Tsuyu/Uraraka Ochako Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia 3199 Asian Asian
39 -4 Root | Samantha Groves/Sameen Shaw Person of Interest (TV) 3117 White MENA
40 -8 Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV) 3103 White White
41 -5 Beidou/Ningguang (Genshin Impact) 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 3097 Asian Asian
42 New Akiyama Mizuki/Shinonome Ena Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! (Video Game) 2929 Asian Asian
43 -3 Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanov Marvel Cinematic Universe 2928 White White
44 +9 Yelena Belova/Kate Bishop Hawkeye (TV 2021) 2911 White White
45 New Elphaba Thropp/Galinda Upland Wicked - All Media Types 2835 NH Amb White
46 -7 Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray Glee (TV 2009) 2724 White White
47 -6 Anna/Elsa (Disney) Frozen (Disney Movies) 2709 Indig Indig
48 +1 Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series 2695 Indig Indig
49 -3 Hermione Granger/Pansy Parkinson Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2689 Ambig White
50 New Shauna Shipman/Jackie Taylor Yellowjackets (TV) 2638 White White
51 -7 Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman Legacies (TV 2018) 2593 White White
52 -10 Mercy | Angela Ziegler/Pharah | Fareeha Amari Overwatch (Video Game) 2577 White Ind ME
53 -8 Jean/Lisa (Genshin Impact) 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 2561 White White
54 -11 Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe Holby City (TV 1999) 2549 White White
55 -8 Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov Marvel Cinematic Universe 2463 White White
56 -8 Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz Riverdale (TV 2017) 2431 White Af Ind
57 -5 Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe) Steven Universe (Cartoon) 2378 N.H. N.H.
58 -7 Beauregard Lionett/Yasha Nydoorin Critical Role (Web Series) 2346 Ambig White
59 -3 Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli Rizzoli & Isles 2288 White White
60 -3 Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant Miraculous Ladybug 2268 White White
61 New Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson 9-1-1 (TV) 2246 Black Black
62 -7 Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Black Lestrange Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2232 Ambig White
63 +28 Pandora Lovegood/Lily Evans Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling 2220 White White
64 +31 Kim Minjeong | Winter/Yu Jimin | Karina Aespa (Band) 2219 Asian Asian
65 -8 Anne Boonchuy/Sasha Waybright/Marcy Wu Amphibia (Cartoon) 2190 Asian White
66 New Mizi/Sua (Alien Stage) Alien Stage (Web Series) 2145 Ambig Ambig
67 -13 Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli Agent Carter (TV) 2128 White White
68 -9 Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari Little Witch Academia 2111 White Asian
69 +6 Azusawa Kohane/Shiraishi An Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! (Video Game) 2075 Asian Asian
70 -4 Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us) The Last of Us (Video Games) 2060 White White
71 New Lottie Matthews/Natalie Scatorccio Yellowjackets (TV) 1995 As Ind White
72 -11 Gwen/Morgana (Merlin) Merlin (TV) 1994 Black White
73 -13 Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield Stranger Things (TV 2016) 1956 White White
74 New Asahina Mafuyu/Yoisaki Kanade Project SEKAI COLORFUL STAGE! (Video Game) 1931 Asian Asian
75 -13 Female Shepard/Liara T'Soni Mass Effect Trilogy 1904 Ambig N.H.
76 -4 Kugisaki Nobara/Zenin Maki 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime) 1890 Asian Asian
77 -6 Laudna/Imogen Temult Critical Role (Web Series) 1880 N.H. White
78 New Van Palmer/Taissa Turner Yellowjackets (TV) 1827 White Black
79 -14 Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka Haikyuu!! 1798 Asian Asian
80 -11 Anne Boonchuy/Marcy Wu Amphibia (Cartoon) 1787 Asian Asian
81 -13 Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan 1773 Asian White
82 -15 Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV) 1764 White Asian
83 -13 Tara Maclay/Willow Rosenberg Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) 1763 White White
84 -20 Allison Argent/Lydia Martin Teen Wolf (TV) 1743 White White
85 -8 Meredith Grey/Addison Montgomery Grey's Anatomy 1741 White White
86 New Luxanna "Lux" Crownguard/Jinx Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) 1732 White White
87 -13 Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar) Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) 1718 Asian Asian
88 -5 Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) 1704 White White
89 -11 Anne Boonchuy/Sasha Waybright Amphibia (Cartoon) 1638 Asian White
90 -3 Princess Bubblegum/Marceline Adventure Time (Cartoon 2010) 1634 N.H. NH Bla
91 -6 Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine Star Trek: Voyager 1633 White White
92 -16 Ganyu/Keqing (Genshin Impact) 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game) 1606 Asian Asian
93 -12 Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen Supergirl (TV 2015) 1594 White Black
94= New Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica 1576 Asian Asian
94= -20 Myka Bering/Helena "H. G." Wells Warehouse 13 1576 White White
96 -8 Carol Aird/Therese Belivet Carol (2015) 1574 White White
97 -13 Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe) Steven Universe (Cartoon) 1573 N.H. N.H.
98 -16 Shelby Goodkind/Toni Shalifoe The Wilds (TV 2020) 1565 White Indig
99 -19 Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell Game of Thrones (TV) 1554 White White
100 New Marina/Pearl (Splatoon) Splatoon (Video Games) 1550 Black Asian

Chapter 4: FAQ

Chapter Text

This is an FAQ post for the AO3 Ship Stats 2025 project.

I’ve found a mistake!

I try my hardest to ensure the data on the chart is 100% accurate, but I’m not a perfect fact-checking machine. Please check the post in question for edits and read the rest of these FAQs, but if you can’t find a correction or an explanation, please drop me a message.

Are these stats official?

A few people have gotten confused about this recently, but this work is NOT official. Nothing about the AO3 Ship Stats series has any formal affiliation with the Organisation for Transformative Works; I am just a fan with an interest for statistics making use of publicly available data.

What exactly is this measuring?

This measures the number of publicly-accessible works posted in Relationship tag displayed on Archive Of Our Own. The data was retrieved on July 29th 2025, and the comparison data for the This Year list was retrieved as part of last year’s list.

Because of the way AO3 tags work, all sub-tags and synonymous tags are also counted automatically (i.e. fics tagged “Johnlock”, “John/Sherlock” and “Sherlock Holmes/John Watson” are all combined into a single entry).

This data is limited to public (i.e. not locked) fics for a mixture of technical and ethical reasons, so fandoms with a high proportion of locked fics (e.g. RPF) may have lower fic counts than expected.

What do all of the columns on the chart mean?

Rank - The ranking of this relationship out of all of the relationships on AO3, listed by number of works tagged with that relationship in the period specified (the last year or all time). 1 is the most frequently tagged relationship, 10 is the tenth most, etc.

Change - The change in rank since last year's top 100 list. Positive numbers mean the relationship has moved up the list, negative mean it has moved down. "New" indicates that this is a new entry which was not in last year’s top 100. "Re-Entry" indicates that the relationship was included on at least one list since 2019, but not on last year's list.

Relationship - The relationship tag being considered. Because AO3 has a tag hierarchy, this includes all tags which the site considers synonymous to or sub-sets of the main tag.

Fandom - The fandom most frequently tagged in association with the relationship tag.

Works/Total Works - The number of fanworks (typically fanfics) tagged with that relationship, as of 29th July 2025.

Works Gained - The difference in the numbers of fanworks between 2nd August 2024 and 29th July 2025, which is equal to the number of new works created or added in that time period minus the number of existing works deleted, locked, or removed in the same period.

Type - The genders of the characters/people involved in the relationship. M indicates male, F female. Other is used for relationships involving non-binary characters or characters of ambiguous gender. Gen indicates that the tag is for a platonic or familial relationship (indicated on AO3 by an & symbol), not a romantic one (indicated by a / symbol).

Race - The races of the characters/people involved in the relationship. In most cases, the first box indicates the first character listed and the second indicates the second character; a small number of relationship tags with more than 2 characters are included, in which case multiple characters/people of the same race may be represented by a single box.

How is race determined?

In order to ensure that the "race" category is determined consistently, I will attempt to follow a hierarchy of evidence for each character's race. Lower categories of evidence will only be considered relevant if no clear evidence is available in any of the categories above.

  1. Explicit statement of the character's race within canon (e.g. the character says “I'm Black.”)
  2. The race of an actor physically embodying the character in a live-action medium like film or TV. (For theatre or musicals, both the original cast and the cast of any recorded version are considered equally canonical.)
  3. Indirect evidence of race, such as the character's physical appearance, name, culture and voice acting cast. In the case of fantasy media, this includes fictional races which are shown to be analogous to real-world races.
  4. Evidence from other adaptations of the work, considered in the same order as above.
  5. Explicit Word of God (e.g. tweets or blog posts from the author) about the character's intended race.

The most popular fandom tag associated with each pairing will be considered the main source of canon for that pairing. If the most popular fandom tag is an “All Media Types” tag, or otherwise encompasses multiple works, then all official works inside that umbrella are equally canon. If multiple works conflict on a character's race - for instance, they are different races in different adaptations - the character will be listed as "Ambiguous".

"Ambiguous" also includes characters whose race is explicitly intended to be ambiguous, video game characters whose race can be chosen or changed by the player, and reader-insert or "You" characters. Please note that real people cannot be racially ambiguous.

There is a separate category for characters with non-human skin tones such as blue, yellow, gray, or chalk-white. These characters can be listed as multi-racial where they have a canonical human form or human family of an identifiable race. "Word of God" evidence of race will not be accepted for non-human skin tone characters.

Please note that white characters who are ethnically Jewish are listed as white; this is due to the limitations of race as a categorisation system and the need to limit the number of categories listed. I am also following the usual American convention of not listing white heritage in the case of characters/people who are mixed race or fall into multiple racial categories, e.g. Barack Obama would be listed simply as "Black" not as both Black and white.

Why is [character] described as [race]?

The following is a selection of characters whose racial categorisation in these stats is often questioned or debated. Please only comment about these characters if you feel you have sufficient evidence (see above) to argue for a change in race.

Character Fandom Race Reasoning
Marceline Adventure Time Non-Human Skin Tone and Black Marceline's mother has been canonically shown to be Black, so she is now dual-listed as both non-human skin tone and Black.
Dick Grayson Batman - All Media Types Ambiguous Dick is Romani in some comics, but white in the Titans TV show.
Anna Frozen (Disney Movies) Indigenous Anna's mother is from a fantasy ethnic group who are analogous to the Saami.
Elsa Frozen (Disney Movies) Indigenous Elsa's mother is from a fantasy ethnic group who are analogous to the Saami.
Dorcas Meadowes Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Black Based on Word of God via an illustration released on Pottermore. (source)
Harry Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling White Despite popular headcanons that he is Asian, all canonical adaptations have depicted Harry as white.
Hermione Granger Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Ambiguous Hermione is white in the film series, but Black in the original cast for the play “The Cursed Child.”
James Potter Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling White Despite popular headcanons that he is Asian, all canonical adaptations have depicted James as white.
Marlene McKinnon Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling White Based on Word of God via via an illustration released on Pottermore. (source)
Alastor Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) Non-Human Skin Tone Although Word of God states that Alastor was mixed-race when he was alive, there is not yet canon evidence of his human race.
Vaggie Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) Non-Human Skin Tone Although there is Word of God that Vaggie is Salvadoran (source), there is not yet canon evidence of her human race.
Wanda Maximoff Marvel Cinematic Universe White Wanda is Romani in the comics, but white in the MCU.
Blake Belladonna RWBY Asian Blake's mother seems to be culturally East Asian.
Ruby Rose RWBY Asian Ruby's father has light brown skin and an Asian name.
Yang Xiao Long RWBY Asian Yang's father has light brown skin and an Asian name.
Catra She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Latino Word of God states that Catra is Latino. (source)
Levi Ackerman Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan White Levi's relative Mikasa is Asian, but this heritage is on her mother's side while her relationship to Levi is on her father's side.
Maggie Sawyer Supergirl (TV 2015) Latino The actress portraying Maggie is white, but the character is explicitly stated to be Latino.
Gideon Nav The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir Indigenous Word of God states that Gideon is mixed-race Māori (source)
Harrowhark Nonagesimus The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir Indigenous Word of God states that Harrowhark is mixed-race Māori (source)
Elphaba Thropp Wicked - All Media Types Non-Human Skin Tone and Ambiguous Although Elphaba has green skin, her family members have identifiable human races. Her mother and sister are Black in the recent movie adaptation, but were white in the original stage cast, so Elphaba's human race has been listed as ambiguous due to differences between adaptations.

Why do some pairings have fewer works than expected?

Some readers are confused why the number of works shown on this list does not match the number of works they find by searching the AO3 tab for works created in the past year. It is not possible to directly access the "This Year's List" data from an AO3 search, as it requires having a snapshot of last year's data to compare to. You can find all the data from previous years of the stats here.

When creating the "This Year" and "Year In Review" lists, I subtract the number of unlocked works which existed at the start of the time period from the number which existed at the end. This gives a result equal to the number of new works added in that time, plus any backdated works or older works which have had the relationship tag added in the time period, minus any older works which have been deleted or locked or had the tag removed in that time. As a result, if a large number of older works are deleted or locked, the pairing may appear much lower on the list than expected, not appear at all, or even be listed with a negative number of "new works".

If you want to see a stats list that is based solely on new works, without deductions for works being deleted, and which takes private works into account, the user Randomist1031 creates stats of this type.

Why does a pre-existing pairing have all its works listed from this year?

For practical reasons, I am only able to gather data from tags with more than 250 works. Pairings with fewer works than this are currently rounded down to 0. This means that a pairing in its first year entering the dataset may have a boost of up to 250 older works being mistakenly counted towards the "This Year's" list.

What about background pairings?

Because of the way AO3′s tagging system works, there is no way to differentiate between the main pairing in a work and minor, or background, pairings. Some of the pairings on these lists may be popular primarily as a secondary pairing in works about another couple.

I have not done any research into background pairings with this data set. However, in the 2013 version of this project, I found that the background pairing effect was most common with F/M, and to a lesser extent F/F, ships.

How was this data gathered?

The raw data was collected from AO3 using a web-scraping program of my own design. All of the data collected on pairing names, fandoms and fic numbers is publicly available to any user of the site. Some processing has been done in order to remove duplicates, synonyms, non-specific/parent tags and tags involving original characters.

Data on gender and race was copied from previous lists or added by hand, and may contain errors.

What point are you trying to make?

All of the information in the main post is intended to be factual and verifiable. However, the data is presented in order to highlight the lack of fanfiction focussed on women, F/F pairings, and People of Colour. If you wish to learn more about my views on this topic, please read my essays Why M/M? and Misogyny?, my analysis of race in the AO3 Ship Stats, and my discussion of What does a 'Person of Colour' look like in the AO3 Ship Stats?