The Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026 was hosted at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa on Saturday, where stars, artists and fans gathered to recognize the best of the anime industry from the past year.
The awards show, also known as The Anime Awards, has been an annual event hosted by the anime streaming service Crunchyroll to highlight the visionaries and unforgettable accomplishments of the creators who bring our favorite characters to life. Winners are chosen based on two rounds of voting, consisting of a panel of professional judges and fans around the world. This year, a record-breaking 73 million votes were cast by anime enthusiasts worldwide.
The “orange carpet,” matching Crunchyroll’s signature color, had a star-studded guest list including founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan Rza, Grammy Award-nominated artist Young Miko, singer-songwriter Hannah Bahng, globally-acclaimed actor Winston Duke, K-pop singer BamBam, cosplayer Snitchery, singer Danna, comedy duo Mitorizu and more.
This was a big year for the awards show and the anime industry as a whole, celebrating the landmark 10th anniversary of Crunchyroll Anime Awards, the 30th anniversary of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the 10th anniversary of My Hero Academia and the 10th anniversary of Yuri!!! on Ice to name a few highlights.
The ceremony also featured some incredible performances by anime legends. Opening up the show was Dean Fujioka, who sang the opening theme song of the hit figure skating series Yuri!!! on Ice, which, during Crunchroll’s very first Anime Awards, completely swept the board winning all seven of its nominated categories — including the inaugural Anime of the Year award.
Yoko Takahashi on the Orange Carpet | Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll Anime Awards
Honoring the 30th anniversary of the revolutionary mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, singer Yoko Takahashi took the stage in the colors of Eva Unit-01 to sing the timeless “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” The song is so embedded into pop culture, that even people who have not yet watched Evangelion are sure to recognize it. Even 30 years later, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” consistently tops the music charts, including ranking 3rd place in the 2025 Oricon karaoke charts.
Japanese rock bands PornoGraffiti and Asian Kung-Fu Generation also performed the beloved opening themes of My Hero Academia (“My Day”) and Naruto (“Haruka Kanata”) respectively.
In case you missed it, here are all the award winners for their respective categories.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Anime of the Year – My Hero Academia Final Season
The prestigious “Anime of the Year” award went to My Hero Academia.
Concluding its 8th and final season, winning the coveted top award of the night showed a poetic end of a chapter, with production staff cheering and waving their arms in celebration as singer-songwriter The Weeknd presented the award to director Kenji Nagasaki.
Director Kenji Nagasaki | Photo by Aya Sato
“Thinking back during the recording of the first season … we were talking about making it a series that continues for 10 years … There’s so much pride in being able to be a part of this title,” said My Hero Academia director Kenji Nagasaki.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Film of the Year – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
The theatrical release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle brought rave reviews and box office sales around the globe — even beating out Spirited Away’s long-held record Japanese animated film with over ¥40.8 billion.
Director Haruo Sotozaki (right) and cinematography/visual effects director Yuuichi Terao (left) | Photo by Aya Sato
“Such a great honor. I’m very happy to receive this award … it’s really due to the crew who helped create Demon Slayer. We will continue to do our best,” said director Haruo Sotozaki.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best Continuing Series – One Piece
Since officially premiering in 1999, One Piece has amassed over 1,000 episodes and counting. This impressive feat goes to show the series’ dedicated fanbase, but also the countless artists that have made it all possible. The power of the Straw Hat Crew has stretched to numerous country borders and generations, and also various media platforms as One Piece has been adapted into films and a live-action series.
Director Satoshi Ito | Photo by Aya Sato
“So many of my staff … and especially my younger animators, their strength really made this season shine,” said Director Satoshi Ito.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best New Series – Gachiakuta
Gachiakuta is an anime adaptation produced by Bones Film animation studio, and finished airing its first season in December 2025. Despite being a recent production, Gachiakuta took several Crunchyroll awards.
Director Fumihiko Suganuma | Photo by Aya Sato
“This is my first time directing, and the producer gave me this opportunity. First and foremost, I would like to thank him … we really put our all into this project,” said director Fumihiko Suganuma.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best Original Anime – Lazarus
Lazarus began airing during the spring 2025 season. It’s an original story produced by Mappa and Sola Entertainment that simultaneously aired in Japan on TV Tokyo and internationally on the Adult Swim programming block.
Producers Masato Matsunaga (left) and Joseph Chou (right) | Photo by Aya Sato
“I was very surprised that out of a lot of amazing elite shows, Lazarus was given the honor of winning. [We’re] very very happy to be able to create an original anime,” said producer Joseph Chou, who accepted the award on behalf of Director Shinichiro Watanabe, along with producer Masato Matsunaga.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best Animation – Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
During last year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Solo Leveling took the grand prize of Anime of the Year. Now on its second season, the show is already winning multiple awards.
Director Shunsuke Nakashige | Photo by Aya Sato
“Continuing from last year, to be able to be standing on the stage brings me great joy,” said director Shunsuke Nakashige.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best Director – Akinori Fudesaka, Norihiro Naganuma
The Apothecary Diaries consistently ranks as one of the top streamed anime in Japan, and one of the strongest performers on television broadcast. The anime’s popularity has also sprouted many exciting events and collaborations, including last year’s tie-in with Universal Studios Japan.
Director Akinori Fudesaka | Photo by Aya Sato
Director Akinori Fudesaka was proudly holding up a small pushie of character Maomao with his trophy.
“To receive such an award is very surprising, thank you very much. I’m standing here as the [winner] of ‘Best Director,’ but all the staff that worked on this, everyone that was involved, is receiving this award together,” said Fudesaka.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best Isekai Anime – Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3
Isekai stories transport both characters and the audience to another world.
Continuing anthology series Re:Zero’s third season follows a hikikomori who is suddenly transported to a fantasy world and discovers he now possesses the ability to revive lost loved ones.
Director Masahino Shinohara | Photo by Aya Sato
“This is all for the staff and the cast and the committee, working all together as one unit. And of course, the viewers and the fans who support us. Thanks to your voices, we are able to move forward,” said director Masahino Shinohara.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best Anime Song – Iris Out by Kenshi Yonezu
“Iris Out” by Kenshi Yonezu was the theme song for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.
The song has been a record-breaking track, beating Yoasobi’s hyperviral anime theme “Idol” as the current fastest 100-million streams in Japanese chart history.
Sony Music A&R representative Mitsuo Fujie | Photo by Aya Sato
“Domestically [and] internationally, this piece is actually reaching all the charts … [showing] the popularity of the show itself,” said Sony Music representative Mitsuo Fujie, who accepted the award on behalf of “Iris Out” singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu.
Image courtesy of PR Times
Best Score – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Continuing Demon Slayer’s award streak, the global success of the anime film has also been backed by the powerful score that pushes the story forward.
Composer Go Shiina | Photo by Aya Sato
“Many people watched this anime. And because they repeatedly watched this, it spread around the globe. I go overseas quite a bit, and I started to see a lot of Japanese works especially in the last 5 years or so. This is the contribution of anime, so please continue to support us,” said composer Go Shiina.
Other Category Winners
Best Character Design – Gachiakuta
Best Background Art – Gachiakuta
Best Romance – The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Best Comedy – Dan Da Dan Season 2
Best Action – Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Best Drama – The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Best Slice of Life – Spy x Family Season 3
Best Main Character – Maomao
Best Supporting Character – Katsuki Bakugo
“Must Protect At All Costs” Character – Anya Forger
Best Opening Sequence – On The Way
Best Ending Sequence – I
Best Voice Artist Performances
(Japanese) – Aoi Yuki
(Arabic) – Tariq Obaid
(Brazilian Portuguese) – Charles Emmanuel
(Castilian Spanish) – Carles Turel
(English) – Lucien Dodge
(French) – Bastien Bourlé
(German) – Gerrit Schmidt-Foß
(Italian) Mosè Singh
(Latin Spanish) José Antonio Toledano
(Hindi) Abhishek Sharma
Related Posts
Updated On May 25, 2026
