Kitsu

Overview

Kitsu’s API is a JSON:API for anime and manga — search shows, fetch episodes, characters, people, and user library data. Reads are keyless (verified live); OAuth is only for managing a user’s library and follows.

Quick Start

Search anime — no key needed (verified live):

curl "https://kitsu.io/api/edge/anime?page%5Blimit%5D=1"

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "1",
      "type": "anime",
      "attributes": {
        "canonicalTitle": "Cowboy Bebop",
        "averageRating": "86.35",
        "episodeCount": 26,
        "posterImage": { "original": "https://media.kitsu.io/anime/poster_images/1/original.jpg" }
      }
    }
  ],
  "meta": { "count": 17687 }
}

Search by title:

curl "https://kitsu.io/api/edge/anime?filter%5Btext%5D=one%20piece"

Episodes of an anime:

curl "https://kitsu.io/api/edge/anime/1/episodes"

Trending anime:

curl "https://kitsu.io/api/edge/trending/anime"

Authentication (OAuth)

• Anonymous: reads work keyless (verified) — search/browse apps need nothing.
• OAuth: register an app at kitsu.io/settings/apps → client id/secret; the code flow grants a token for user library endpoints (/users/{id}/library-entries, follow actions).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Rate limits apply per IP/anonymous (roughly a few hundred requests/hour) — cache for production.
• JSON:API format: data/attributes/relationships; use include= to embed related records.
• Filter syntax: filter[text]=, filter[status]=, filter[year]=.
• Kitsu’s data model (JSON:API) differs from AniList (GraphQL) — pick per your stack.

FAQ

Is Kitsu free? Yes — reads are free and keyless.

Do I need OAuth? Only for user library features — browsing works anonymously.

What format does it use? JSON:API (data/attributes/relationships) with filter[] query params.