Crunchyroll Anime Awards: ‘My Hero Academia’ Wins Anime of the Year, ‘Demon Slayer’ Claims Film of the Year
The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, held in Tokyo, recognized the final season of My Hero Academia as the Anime of the Year. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle was awarded Film of the Year. This year’s event showcased the growing global popularity of anime, with a record 73 million fans participating in the voting process.
Record-Breaking Participation
Organizers reported that this year’s Crunchyroll Awards saw an impressive turnout, with 73 million anime enthusiasts casting their votes. This figure surpasses the previous record of 51 million set in 2025, highlighting the exponential growth of anime’s global fanbase.
Celebrity Presenters and Notable Winners
The cultural significance of anime was further emphasized when The Weeknd, a prominent artist and anime fan, presented the Anime of the Year award to the My Hero Academia team. The final season of the series secured four awards in total, including Best Ending Sequence and Best Supporting Character.
Other celebrities gracing the orange carpet included RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, Black Panther actor Winston Duke, and K-pop stars BamBam and TEN. The event was hosted by Lauren Moore, Tim Lyu, and YouTube creator Gigguk.
Dominance of Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer, which has grossed $781 million at the box office, emerged as the most awarded title of the night, winning seven awards. Five of these were in the voice artist performance categories across various languages. In the main categories, Demon Slayer also took home the Best Score award.
Other Notable Winners
Season 2 of The Apothecary Diaries, produced by Toho Animation Studio and OLM, won four awards, including Best Drama, Best Director, and Best Main Character for Maomao. The adaptation of Kei Urana’s dystopian manga Gachiakuta received three awards, including Best New Series and Best Character Design. A second season of Gachiakuta is currently in development.
A-1 Pictures’ Solo Leveling, which was a standout at the 2025 Crunchyroll Awards, secured two awards for its second season, including Best Action and Best Animation.
2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Winners
- 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
As reported by www.hollywoodreporter.com.
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Published on 2026-05-25 08:31:00 • By FAME Delivered News Desk