My Hero Academia wins Anime of the Year at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards

The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards have crowned My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON as Anime of the Year, with the honour presented by global pop star The Weeknd, who also happens to be a long-time anime fan.

Held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, this year’s ceremony marked the 10th edition of the awards, celebrating the creators, performers, musicians and studios powering anime’s increasingly global takeover. And if you needed proof that anime fandom is not playing small, this year saw a record 73 million fan votes cast worldwide.

Hosted once again by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira, the night brought out a properly international slate of presenters, including BamBam, RZA, TEN, Winston Duke, Rashmika Mandanna, Young Miko, Enako and more. The ceremony also featured live performances and major nostalgia hits, including Yoko Takahashi performing A Cruel Angel’s Thesis in tribute to Neon Genesis Evangelion’s 30th anniversary, PORNOGRAFFITTI honouring My Hero Academia’s 10-year run, and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION performing Haruka Kanata from Naruto.

Beyond the top prize, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle had a huge night, taking home Film of the Year and Best Score, while several of its voice performers were also recognised across language categories. ONE PIECE also proved it is still very much sailing strong, winning Best Continuing Series – not that anyone expected the Straw Hat crew to dock quietly after all these years.

Gachiakuta was another major winner, picking up Best New Series, Best Background Art and Best Character Design. Visionary director Tatsuya Nagamine was also honoured with the Global Impact Award, recognising his work across major series including Dragon Ball Super, ONE PIECE, PreCure and Ojamajo Doremi.

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