How to Move Your Kitsu List to MyAnimeList or AniList (2026)
How to move your Kitsu anime list to MyAnimeList or AniList with a MAL XML file from Achriom's free import and export, plus what carries over and what doesn't.
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To move your Kitsu anime list to MyAnimeList or AniList, import it into Achriom with your Kitsu username, export the anime as a MAL XML file from Settings, and upload that file on the import page of either site. Both of them read the same MyAnimeList-format file, so one export serves whichever you pick.
Your Kitsu username is all it needs. Type it in and your anime come over with status, rating and episodes watched, ready to export as MAL XML.
Import my Kitsu list →What the two sites read
MyAnimeList’s import page takes a file in MyAnimeList’s own XML export format, and AniList’s settings have an import for MyAnimeList lists. One file serves both.
So the job is to get your Kitsu list into that XML format. The format identifies each anime by its MyAnimeList ID, which decides what makes it across. Achriom reads the ID during the import, and only anime Achriom has a MyAnimeList ID for end up in the file.
The route with Achriom
- Sign in at achriom.com (free) and open the import dialog.
- On the anime step, find Use Kitsu instead?. It reads “Enter your Kitsu username and we’ll pull your anime list.”
- Type your Kitsu username and click Import. Your list has to be visible to the public, since the import reads Kitsu’s public API.
- Untick “Check this account daily and keep my library in step with it” if you want a one-off copy. Leave it ticked if you keep logging on Kitsu.
- Open Settings and use Export Anime for MAL / AniList. You get one
.xmlfile. - Upload that file on MyAnimeList’s import page, or on the import page in your AniList settings.
If the upload is rejected, check that the file opens as XML and export it again. If the import says it can’t find a Kitsu user, check the spelling. If it says it found no anime, the list is empty or not visible. Free accounts import and export with no item limit, and Settings also has Export Library for CSV files, one per medium, if you want a spreadsheet copy.
What comes across
From Kitsu, the import takes each anime’s status, your rating and the episodes you’ve watched. Kitsu’s current becomes watching and planned becomes plan to watch, while completed, on hold and dropped stay as they are. Kitsu rates on a 0 to 20 scale underneath, and Achriom converts it to its own.
In the XML, scores are whole numbers from 1 to 10, rounded, and a title you never rated is written as 0. The file carries the notes, dates and rewatch counts that your Achriom entry holds, but the Kitsu import doesn’t fill those in, so a straight Kitsu move arrives with empty dates. If your start and finish dates matter to you, copy them over by hand on the new site.
The limit to know about is the match. The XML only holds anime Achriom has a MyAnimeList ID for. A Kitsu anime Achriom has no MyAnimeList ID for stays in your Achriom library and the CSV but is missing from the file. After the upload, compare the totals on Kitsu and on the new site, then spot check two series, one you finished and one you’re partway through. Cowboy Bebop and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End make good checks, if you’ve watched them.
MyAnimeList or AniList?
The file works for both, so the choice is about where you want to live. AniList vs MyAnimeList in 2026 goes through it: MyAnimeList has an official app and a long history, though it was sold to Gaudiy in 2025, while AniList stayed outside that sale and its mobile apps are all third-party. If you’re not sure either one is right, Best Kitsu Alternatives in 2026 covers the wider field.
You can also upload the same file to both. That gives you a list on each site from one export, though they won’t stay in step with each other afterwards.
What about manga?
Achriom imports the anime on your Kitsu account and nothing else, so Kitsu manga isn’t part of this route, and the MAL XML is anime only. If your manga matters, Kitsu’s own settings are the place to look for a way to get it out, and our Kitsu export guide covers what Kitsu’s Export section does.
What doesn’t move
A list file carries entries, ratings and progress. Followers, posts, reviews and the groups you joined on Kitsu stay on Kitsu. Copy any reviews you want to keep before you leave.
Your Kitsu account isn’t touched either way. Nothing here deletes it, so you can run both lists side by side until the new one feels right.
Keep Kitsu as it is and use Achriom beside it
Moving isn’t the only use of the import. Leave the daily check on and your Achriom library stays in step with Kitsu, so you can export a fresh MAL file whenever you want to refresh another site. Achriom keeps your movies, shows, books and albums beside the anime, and ten items in it builds your Taste Portrait. The librarian can answer questions across all of it, such as which of your highest-rated anime feel closest to the novels you rated highest.
Move it once, or keep both lists. One username brings the list over.
Bring my Kitsu list over →If you’re going the other direction, the guides to exporting from MyAnimeList and AniList cover those lists. For a head-to-head of the anime specialists, Best Anime Tracking Apps in 2026 compares the established ones.
Related guides:
Common questions
How do I transfer my Kitsu list to MyAnimeList?
Import your Kitsu list into Achriom by username, use Export Anime for MAL / AniList in Settings to get an XML file, then upload it on MyAnimeList’s import page.
Can I import my Kitsu list to AniList?
Yes. The same XML file works on AniList’s import page, so export it once from Achriom and upload it there.
Does the transfer include manga?
No. Achriom imports the anime on your Kitsu account and nothing else, and the MAL XML is anime only.
Why are some of my anime missing after the import?
The XML only holds anime Achriom has a MyAnimeList ID for. A title without one is left out of the file, so compare your totals on both sites and add the gaps by hand.
Bring your shelf over
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