‘My Hero Academia,’ ‘Demon Slayer’ lead Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026 wins
MANILA, Philippines — The Crunchyroll Anime Awards have officially crowned this year’s biggest names in anime, with fan favorites and critical hits sweeping top honors across categories.
Held live in Tokyo on May 23, the annual event gathered global votes and industry picks to celebrate excellence in animation, storytelling, music and performance.
Here is the full list of winners.
1. ‘My Hero Academia Final Season’ takes Anime of the Year
Winner: Anime of the Year — “My Hero Academia Final Season”
The long-running superhero saga capped off its final season with the night’s top prize, beating strong contenders including “The Apothecary Diaries Season 2,” “Dan Da Dan Season 2,” “Gachiakuta,” “The Summer Hikaru Died,” and “Takopi’s Original Sin.”
2. ‘Demon Slayer’ dominates Film of the Year and Score
Winner: Film of the Year — “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”
The blockbuster film also secured Best Anime Score, further cementing its cinematic dominance with music by Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina.
3. ‘One Piece’ still reigns in Continuing Series
Winner: Best Continuing Series — “One Piece”
The iconic pirate saga continues its global stronghold, beating “Spy x Family Season 3,” “Kaiju No. 8 Season 2,” “Solo Leveling Season 2,” among others.
4. ‘Gachiakuta’ emerges as biggest breakout winner
Winner: Best New Series — “Gachiakuta”
The new dark fantasy series made a strong debut at the awards, also sweeping:
- Best Character Design
- Best Background Art
5. ‘Lazarus’ wins Best Original Anime
Winner: Best Original Anime — “Lazarus”
The original production stood out among nominees, including “Moonrise,” “Zenshu” and “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.”
6. ‘Solo Leveling’ tops Best Animation and Action
Winner: Best Animation — “Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-”
Winner: Best Action Anime — “Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-”
The fantasy powerhouse dominated visual storytelling and action choreography categories.
7. ‘Dan Da Dan’ wins Best Comedy and Opening Sequence
Winner: Best Comedy Anime — “Dan Da Dan Season 2”
Winner: Best Opening Sequence — “On The Way” by Aina The End
The series also remained a strong contender across multiple categories this year.
8. ‘The Apothecary Diaries’ shines in drama and direction
Winner: Best Drama Anime — “The Apothecary Diaries Season 2”
Winner: Best Director — Akinori Fudesaka & Norihiro Naganuma
The period mystery series also delivered standout performances across multiple categories, including its lead and supporting cast.
9. Romance and slice-of-life winners revealed
Winner: Best Romance Anime — “The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity”
Winner: Best Slice of Life Anime — “Spy x Family Season 3”
Both titles secured wins in lighter genres, with strong audience support.
10. Character awards highlight fan favorites
Best Main Character — Maomao (“The Apothecary Diaries Season 2”)
Best Supporting Character — Katsuki Bakugo (“My Hero Academia Final Season”)
Must Protect At All Costs — Anya Forger (“Spy x Family Season 3”)
11. Music and soundtracks take center stage
Best Anime Song — “Iris Out” by Kenshi Yonezu (“Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc”)
Best Ending Sequence — “I” by Bump of Chicken (“My Hero Academia Final Season”)
12. Voice acting awards span global performances
Top winners include:
Japanese: Aoi Yuki as Maomao (“The Apothecary Diaries Season 2”)
English: Lucien Dodge as Akaza (“Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle”)
French: Bastien Bourlé as Izuku Midoriya (“My Hero Academia Final Season”)
German: Gerrit Schmidt-Foß as Akaza (“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”)
Italian: Mosè Singh as Denji (“Chainsaw Man – The Movie”)
Hindi: Abhishek Sharma as Jinshi (“The Apothecary Diaries Season 2”)
Regional categories also recognized Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish and Latin Spanish performances.
From long-running giants to breakout newcomers, this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards showed the full range of anime storytelling on the global stage.
RELATED: ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ review: A breathtaking start to the endgame
- Latest
- Trending
