Special Report
Winners of the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards
The anime community has made their voices heard as the winners of the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards have been announced.
A Night to Honor the Anime Industry
The anime community has made their voices heard as the winners of the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards have been announced. Presented during a special ceremony hosted in Tokyo, the event honored the best of the anime industry. The ceremony took place on May 23rd and was live streamed globally.
The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards featured a variety of presenters across the entertainment industry. Among the presenters were K-pop artist BamBam, RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, acclaimed Japanese actor Nanase Nishino, and Grammy-nominated artist Young Miko just to name a few. With the Anime of the Year was award presented The Weeknd to My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON.
Winners of the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards
A winner was selected for each of the 32 different categories. Among the highlights was My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON taking home Anime of the Year, while Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle dominated the voice acting categories, claiming six awards across multiple languages for Akaza’s performance. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 also had a strong showing with four wins, including Best Drama and Best Director. Gachiakuta picked up three awards as a standout newcomer, and Solo Leveling Season 2 swept the action categories.
The following are the winners of the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, organized based on their respective categories:
- 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
A Good Year for Anime
Crunchyroll is the largest anime streaming service and a driving force in promoting the anime community. Besides distribution, they are known for their original streetwear (via Crunchyroll Love) and publishing anime based video games (via Crunchyroll Games).
8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides news and insight for Bay Area Gamers and Anime Fans.
Clemence Le Saux
Clemence is a French-born Bay Area resident, avid foodie and gamer. When not tormenting her friends in multiplayer games, she's out enjoying the splendor of the Pacific coast.
