Project Documentation: Jikan API

The Jikan API (Unofficial MyAnimeList API) is public and open No API key or special authentication is required for read access.

Rate Limits:

Duration	Requests
Daily	Unlimited
Per Minute	60 requests
Per Second	3 requests

Note: Despite Jikan's limits, it is still possible to encounter rate limits imposed by the upstream source, MyAnimeList.net.

A. Search Anime Endpoint

Request Method: GET https://api.jikan.moe/v4/anime

Parameter	Description
q	Search query term.
limit	Maximum results per page (1–100).
offset	Starting point of results (pagination).
fields	Comma-separated list of fields to include in the response.

B. Get Characters Endpoint

Request Method: GET https://api.jikan.moe/v4/characters

Parameter	Description
q	Search query term.
limit	Maximum results per page (1–100).
offset	Starting point of results (pagination).
fields	Comma-separated list of fields to include in the response.

C. Application's Primary Endpoint

The Anime Randomizer application primarily uses the simplified random endpoint:

Function Type	Endpoint Path	Purpose
Random Single Item	/random/anime	Called to to retrieve a single, randomly chosen anime entry (used in the current application). Used Vanilla JS to fetch 5 titles & sort them by score
Search/Filter	/anime	Used to search the database by title, score, type, etc
Top Lists	/top/anime	Used to fetch most popular anime of all time

A. Sample Search Request (Anime)

GET https://api.jikan.moe/v4/anime?q=naruto&limit=1&page=1

B. Sample Search Request (Characters)

GET https://api.jikan.moe/v4/characters?q=naruto&limit=1&page=1

C. Sample Response Structure (Anime - Naruto)

A portion of the JSON response for an anime search:

{
    "pagination": {
        "last_visible_page": 30,
        "has_next_page": true,
        // ...
    },
    "data": [
        {
            "mal_id": 20,
            "url": "https://myanimelist.net/anime/20/Naruto",
            "images": {
                "jpg": {
                    "image_url": "https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/1141/142503.jpg",
                    // ...
                }
            },
            "title": "Naruto",
            "score": 8.01,
            "episodes": 220,
            "status": "Finished Airing",
            // ...
        }
    ]
}

These external resources are loaded via CDN to manage layout and appearance.

Library / Tool	Purpose
Bootstrap 5	Provides responsive layout, styling (cards, buttons), and utility classes.
Google Fonts (Inter)	Used for modern typography.