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The tenth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards took place on May 23, 2026, at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo — and it was a milestone in every sense. A record 73 million votes were cast by fans worldwide, with the highest engagement coming from Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico, and the United States. The evening honored the best in anime across series, film, character, music, and craft, with two fan-favorite franchises walking away with the night’s top prizes.
Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026: The Big Winners
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON claimed Anime of the Year, a fitting send-off for the decade-long superhero saga. The award was presented by The Weeknd, a self-proclaimed anime fan, making it one of the night’s most talked-about moments. The show also took home Best Ending Sequence (“I” by BUMP OF CHICKEN) and Best Supporting Character for Katsuki Bakugo — three wins in total.
Film of the Year went to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle, the record-shattering theatrical release that became the highest-grossing anime film of all time and the highest-grossing Japanese film ever in North America. The film also swept several voice acting categories across languages, with the performance of Akaza earning wins in English, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, German, and Latin Spanish.
Series Standouts
Gachiakuta was the breakout story of the night among TV series, winning Best New Series, Best Character Design, and Best Background Art — a clean sweep of the craft categories that signaled the show’s arrival as a major creative force.
The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2) was equally dominant on the storytelling side, taking Best Drama, Best Director (Akinori Fudesaka and Norihiro Naganuma), Best Main Character (Maomao), and Best Voice Artist Performance in Japanese (Aoi Yuki as Maomao) and Hindi (Abhishek Sharma as Jinshi).
DAN DA DAN Season 2 earned Best Comedy and Best Opening Sequence for “On The Way” by AiNA THE END, while One Piece continued its enduring legacy by winning Best Continuing Series.
Other category winners included:
- Best Original Anime — Lazarus
- Best Action — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
- Best Animation — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
- Best Isekai Anime — Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3
- Best Romance — The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
- Best Slice of Life — SPY x FAMILY Season 3, which also earned “Must Protect At All Cost” Character for Anya Forger
- Best Anime Song — “IRIS OUT” by Kenshi Yonezu (Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc)
- Best Score — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle (Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina)
Nominees That Fell Short
The night had no shortage of competitive fields. In the Anime of the Year race, My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON bested DAN DA DAN Season 2, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, Gachiakuta, The Summer Hikaru Died, and Takopi’s Original Sin.
The Best New Series category saw Gachiakuta edge out Clevatess and The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity, among others.
In Best Main Character, Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries won over nominees like Momo and Okarun (Dan Da Dan season 2), Izuku Midoriya, Rudo, and Sung Jinwoo.
Ceremony Highlights
The evening was hosted for the fourth consecutive year by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira. The show opened with a visual tribute to past Anime of the Year winners, underscored by a live performance from the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, concluding with DEAN FUJIOKA performing “History Maker” from Yuri!!! on ICE — the very first winner of the award in 2017.
Musical highlights included a 30th anniversary tribute to Neon Genesis Evangelion performed by singer Yoko Takahashi, a 10th anniversary celebration of My Hero Academia with PORNOGRAFFITTI, and a performance of “Haruka Kanata” — the beloved NARUTO opening — by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION.
The Global Impact Award was presented posthumously to director Tatsuya Nagamine, who passed away in August 2025. Known for his work on Dragon Ball Super, One Piece, HeartCatch PreCure!, and Ojamajo Doremi, Nagamine was celebrated as a director whose vision helped anime reach audiences across borders and generations. Animator Masayuki Sato accepted the award on his behalf.
Also check: 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Winners
Full Winners List
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Anime of the Year | My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON |
| Film of the Year | Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle |
| Best Original Anime | Lazarus |
| Best Continuing Series | ONE PIECE |
| Best New Series | Gachiakuta |
| Best Opening Sequence | “On The Way” – DAN DA DAN Season 2 |
| Best Ending Sequence | “I” – My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON |
| Best Action | Solo Leveling Season 2 |
| Best Comedy | DAN DA DAN Season 2 |
| Best Drama | The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2) |
| Best Isekai Anime | Re:ZERO Season 3 |
| Best Romance | The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity |
| Best Slice of Life | SPY x FAMILY Season 3 |
| Best Animation | Solo Leveling Season 2 |
| Best Background Art | Gachiakuta |
| Best Character Design | Gachiakuta |
| Best Director | Akinori Fudesaka & Norihiro Naganuma – The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2) |
| Best Main Character | Maomao – The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2) |
| Best Supporting Character | Katsuki Bakugo – My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON |
| “Must Protect” Character | Anya Forger – SPY x FAMILY Season 3 |
| Best Anime Song | “IRIS OUT” – Kenshi Yonezu – Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc |
| Best Score | Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle – Yuki Kajiura & Go Shiina |
| Best VA (Japanese) | Aoi Yuki – Maomao – The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2) |
| Best VA (English) | Lucien Dodge – Akaza – Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle |
| Best VA (Arabic) | Tariq Obaid – Taro Sakamoto – SAKAMOTO DAYS |
| Best VA (Brazilian Portuguese) | Charles Emmanuel – Akaza – Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle |
| Best VA (Castilian Spanish) | Carles Teruel – Akaza – Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle |
| Best VA (French) | Bastien Bourlé – Izuku Midoriya – My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON |
| Best VA (German) | Gerrit Schmidt-Foß – Akaza – Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle |
| Best VA (Hindi) | Abhishek Sharma – Jinshi – The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2) |
| Best VA (Italian) | Mosè Singh – Denji – Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc |
| Best VA (Latin Spanish) | Jose Antonio Toledano – Akaza – Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle |
Source: Crunchyroll official website
A self-proclaimed pseudo-hikikomori and anime content glutton, Bhavya spends his time immersed in the shonen and isekai worlds of anime, always on the hunt for the next series to binge or dissect. Having worked as a cinematographer and graphic designer, he brings a creative eye and technical expertise to his passion for storytelling.
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