‘My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON’ Is Crunchyroll’s 2026 Anime of the Year
The superhero finale shared the night’s biggest spotlights with ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle,’ which secured best movie and best score.
Summary
- Crunchyroll’s 2026 Anime Awards drew a record 73 million votes worldwide
- My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON won Anime of the Year, while Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle took Film of the Year
Crunchyroll hosted its landmark tenth annual Anime Awards at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa, celebrating anime’s global impact with a record 73 million votes cast worldwide. The evening opened with an elegant orchestral performance by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, leading into a surprise live appearance by DEAN FUJIOKA, who performed “History Maker” — the anthem belonging to the very first Anime of the Year recipient, Yuri!!! on ICE.
In a defining crossover moment, global icon and dedicated anime fan The Weeknd took the stage to present the evening’s highest honor: Anime of the Year. The coveted crown was awarded to My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON, marking a historic and emotional victory lap for Kohei Horikoshi’s superhero epic as it reached its definitive series conclusion. To cement the legacy of the franchise’s decade-long run, iconic Japanese rock band PORNOGRAFFITTI also delivered a high-octane tribute.
Beyond the main category, ufotable’s visually spectacular Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle comfortably secured Film of the Year alongside Best Score for Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina, while My Hero Academia added to its stash with Katsuki Bakugo winning Best Supporting Character. Meanwhile, the highly anticipated anime adaptation of Gachiakuta swept the artistic categories, taking home trophies for Best New Series, Best Animation and Best Character Design. Over in the dramatic fields, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 dominated, taking home Best Drama, Best Director and Best Main Character for the fan-favorite sleuth Maomao, voiced by Aoi Yuki.
A particularly poignant moment occurred when Crunchyroll honored prolific director Tatsuya Nagamine with the Global Impact Award, celebrating a storied career that has transcended geographic borders on legendary titles such as Dragon Ball Super, ONE PIECE and Ojamajo Doremi.
The complete list of winners for the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards can be found below:
Anime of the Year
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASONFilm of the Year
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity CastleBest Original Anime
LazarusBest Continuing Series
ONE PIECEBest New Series
GachiakutaBest Opening Sequence
“On The Way” by AiNA THE END (DAN DA DAN Season 2)Best Ending Sequence
“I” by BUMP OF CHICKEN (My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON)Best Action
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-Best Comedy
DAN DA DAN Season 2Best Drama
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2Best Isekai Anime
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3Best Romance
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With DignityBest Slice of Life
SPY x FAMILY Season 3Best Animation
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-Best Background Art
GachiakutaBest Character Design
GachiakutaBest 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” by Kenshi Yonezu (Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc)Best Score
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle – Yuki Kajiura, Go ShiinaBest Voice Artist Performance (Japanese)
Aoi Yuki as Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries Season 2)Best Voice Artist Performance (English)
Lucien Dodge as Akaza (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle)Best Voice Artist Performance (Arabic)
Tariq Obaid as Taro Sakamoto (SAKAMOTO DAYS)Best Voice Artist Performance (Brazilian Portuguese)
Charles Emmanuel as Akaza (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no YaibaInfinity Castle)Best Voice Artist Performance (Castilian Spanish)
Carles Teruel as Akaza (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle)Best Voice Artist Performance (French)
Bastien Bourlé as Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON)Best Voice Artist Performance (German)
Gerrit Schmidt—Foß as Akaza (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle)Best Voice Artist Performance (Hindi)
Abhishek Sharma as Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries (season 2))Best Voice Artist Performance (Italian)
Mosè Singh as Denji (Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc)Best Voice Artist Performance (Latin Spanish)
Jose Antonio Toledano as Akaza (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle)
