Crunchyroll’s 2026 Anime Awards turned into a two-series showdown in Tokyo, with the final season of ”My Hero Academia” taking anime of the year and ”Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” collecting the most trophies overall. The event also underscored just how far anime has pushed beyond its home turf: 73 million fans voted worldwide, a jump of 22 million from the previous record, and that kind of turnout is the sort of number streamers and studios dream about.
The biggest celebrity moment came courtesy of The Weeknd, who appeared on stage to hand over the top award. That is not random star-power decoration; it is a neat signal that anime’s crossover appeal has gone well past niche fandom and into mainstream pop culture, where music stars now want in on the room.
”My Hero Academia” closes with four wins
Bones Film’s final season did more than win the headline prize. It left Tokyo with four awards in total, including best ending and best supporting character, a respectable swan song for a series that has spent years as one of the medium’s most recognizable exports.
That matters because finales are tricky. Long-running anime often stumble at the finish line, but a strong last season can turn nostalgia into awards momentum, and in this case it worked.
”Demon Slayer” dominates the trophy count
If there was a volume winner, it was ”Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle”, which picked up seven awards. Five of those came from voice-acting categories across different languages, while the rest included best soundtrack and film of the year.
That spread says a lot about Crunchyroll’s current priorities: the platform is rewarding not just spectacle, but the dubbing and localization work that helps anime travel. It also reflects a broader industry truth – global hits now need to work in multiple languages, not just one.
Other Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners
”The Apothecary Diaries” from Toho Animation Studio and OLM took four prizes, including best drama, best director, best main character, and best voice actor. ”Gachiakuta”, already renewed for a second season, collected three awards such as best new series, best character design, and best background art.
- ”Solo Leveling”: best action, best animation
- ”Dandadan”: best comedy, best opening
The bigger picture is simple: anime’s awards circuit no longer revolves around one dominant style. Fantasy juggernauts, slice-of-life detective drama, and sharper newcomer titles all walked away with hardware, which is exactly what a fast-expanding global scene looks like before the next wave of competitors arrives.