How the Chroma Chart is taking shape

What we look at

These criteria guide the development of future rankings. Publishing activity is measurable; character continuity and originality also involve documented editorial judgment.

Growth

Followers gained over the month, as a share of the audience the influencer started with.

Engagement

Public likes and comments on qualifying posts, using documented samples and comparison groups. Private insights are supplementary and do not create a scoring advantage.

Consistency

Measured publishing activity and a separate editorial assessment of character continuity, allowing for intentional redesigns and changes of medium.

Originality

An editorial assessment of concept, storytelling and creative execution, using a published rubric and reviewer notes. Numerical weights remain unapproved.

Before numerical rankings begin

No numerical weights or scoring formula have been approved. Before publishing ranks, we will document normalization rules, comparable measurement periods, source verification, and an editorial review process. We will identify sources and capture dates, and omit measurements we cannot verify. Unknown values stay unknown.

The proposed weighting framework is under editorial review and has not been applied to this watchlist. Read our editorial and ranking principles for the evidence standards, eligibility rules and correction process.

Editorial independence

• Paid collaborations do not automatically qualify a character for the chart.
• Sponsored features do not influence competitive scores.
• Characters owned or operated by Cybeauty are excluded from competitive rankings.
• Editorial watchlists are visibly distinguished from measured rankings.
• Metric corrections must retain the original record, the replacement, a reason, a reviewer, and the correction date.
• Submissions do not guarantee inclusion or placement.

Methodology update · November 2, 2026

Version principles-2026-11-02-v2 clarifies that private insights are supplementary, consistency includes editorial judgment, and numerical weights remain unapproved. It supersedes the earlier qualitative wording without assigning or changing any watchlist scores or positions.

Edition 01: no measurement window

Edition 01 uses editorial selection only. No comparable measurement window has begun, and no ranking date has been announced.