MyAnimeList

Overview

MyAnimeList’s v2 API serves the largest anime/manga database — titles, rankings, and user lists. Auth is OAuth 2.0 with a Client ID (an unauthenticated request returns 403 “forbidden” — verified).

Quick Start

Get a Client ID at myanimelist.net/apiconfig, then (replace CLIENT_ID):

curl "https://api.myanimelist.net/v2/anime?q=naruto&limit=3" \
  -H "X-MAL-CLIENT-ID: CLIENT_ID"

{
  "data": [
    {
      "node": { "id": 20, "title": "Naruto", "main_picture": { "medium": "https://..." }, "mean": 7.97 }
    }
  ]
}

Anime details with fields:

curl "https://api.myanimelist.net/v2/anime/20?fields=id,title,synopsis,mean" \
  -H "X-MAL-CLIENT-ID: CLIENT_ID"

Authentication

• Register at myanimelist.net/apiconfig → create an app → Client ID.
• Send it as the X-MAL-CLIENT-ID header (missing → 403, verified).
• Full user lists need the OAuth flow (access token).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free; requests are throttled per Client ID (check the docs).
• v2 is the current API (the old v1 was shut down).
• fields= selects response fields; pagination via limit/offset.

FAQ

Is MyAnimeList API free? Yes — a Client ID is free.

How do I get a Client ID? myanimelist.net/apiconfig → create an app.

Why 403? Missing X-MAL-CLIENT-ID returns 403 (verified).