The Bones Films production took home the coveted ‘Anime of the Year’ award, while ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle’ was named Film of the Year at the 10th annual awards; 73 million fans worldwide voted on their favorites.
Leading anime destination Crunchyroll revealed winners for the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, presented at a live ceremony on May 23 at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, Japan. The annual awards program celebrates the best and brightest in anime.
This year, a record 73 million votes were cast by global fans, driving their favorites to take home top honors. The event was again hosted by renowned voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira, who returned for their fourth year to celebrate a decade of excellence in Japanese animation.
The top honor, Anime of the Year, was awarded by The Weeknd to My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON.
Director Tatsuya Nagamine was honored with the Global Impact Award in recognition of his groundbreaking work; his directorial contributions include the influential series Ojamajo Doremi, PreCure, Dragon Ball Super and ONE PIECE. Masayuki Sato, an animator who worked closely with Nagamine-san on multiple projects, accepted the award on his behalf.
The 2026 Anime Awards video-on-demand version, complete with exclusive content, will be available to stream shortly on Crunchyroll and Crunchyroll’s YouTube Channel, along with Sony Group Corp Global and Japan YouTube Channels.
Anime Awards 2026 Winners are as follows:
- Anime of the Year - My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
- Film of the Year - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Best Original Anime - Lazarus
- Best Continuing Series - ONE PIECE
- Best New Series - Gachiakuta
- Best Opening Sequence - On The Way - AiNA THE END - DAN DA DAN Season 2
- Best Ending Sequence - I — BUMP OF CHICKEN — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
- Best Action - Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
- Best Comedy - DAN DA DAN Season 2
- Best Drama - The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
- 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
- Best Animation - Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
- 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 At All Cost” Character - Anya Forger — SPY x FAMILY Season 3
- Best Anime Song - IRIS OUT — Kenshi Yonezu — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
- Best Score - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle — Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese) - Aoi Yuki — Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
- Best Voice Artist Performance (English) - Lucien Dodge — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Arabic) - Tariq Obaid — Taro Sakamoto — SAKAMOTO DAYS
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Brazilian Portuguese) - Charles Emmanuel — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Castilian Spanish ) - Carles Teruel — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Best Voice Artist Performance (French)- Bastien Bourlé — Izuku Midoriya — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
- Best Voice Artist Performance (German) - Gerrit Schmidt—Foß — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Hindi) - Abhishek Sharma — Jinshi — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Italian) - Mosè Singh — Denji — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Latin Spanish) - Jose Antonio Toledano — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Sony Music Solutions Inc., part of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Dempsey Productions supported Crunchyroll in the execution of the Anime Awards this year.
Source: Crunchyroll
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
