Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026: My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and The Apothecary Diaries Lead Anime’s Biggest Night

The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards have officially wrapped, and anime fans now have a fresh batch of winners to argue over until the next awards season. The 10th edition of the ceremony was held in Tokyo, Japan, and it celebrated the shows, films, characters, voice actors, songs, and creators that helped shape anime’s latest global wave.

This year’s biggest headline belongs to My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON, which won Anime of the Year. It was a fitting victory for a franchise that has spent years turning superhero storytelling into one of modern anime’s most recognizable global forces. Whether fans agree with the win or not, this was clearly a legacy award as much as a seasonal one.

My Hero Academia Wins Anime of the Year

My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON beat out a stacked Anime of the Year field that included The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, DAN DA DAN Season 2, Gachiakuta, The Summer Hikaru Died, and Takopi’s Original Sin. That is not a soft lineup. That is the kind of category where somebody’s favorite was always going home mad.

The win makes sense when you look at what My Hero Academia represents. It is not just another action anime. It is a long-running, emotionally charged superhero saga that helped bring a new generation into anime fandom. The final season carried years of audience investment, character arcs, rivalries, trauma, redemption, and good old-fashioned punching through personal issues.

Still, the win will probably spark debate. The Apothecary Diaries had one of the strongest storytelling cases. DAN DA DAN had the internet energy. Gachiakuta had the new-school momentum. Takopi’s Original Sin and The Summer Hikaru Died brought darker, emotionally heavy storytelling. Crunchyroll voters and judges ultimately went with the grand finale energy, and honestly, anime fans love a dramatic last stand.

Demon Slayer Takes Film of the Year

In the film category, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle won Film of the Year, defeating 100 Meters, Chainsaw Man: The Movie: Reze Arc, Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II: The Ashes of Rage, The Rose of Versailles, and Scarlet.

That win is about as shocking as a shonen hero yelling before a power-up. Demon Slayer continues to be one of the biggest anime properties in the world, and Infinity Castle had the built-in advantage of spectacle, emotional payoff, and franchise loyalty. It also picked up Best Score, further proving that the series still knows how to make a fight feel like an opera with swords.

According to reporting from The Telegraph India, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle became the most awarded title of the night, taking six awards across major categories including Film of the Year and Best Score. That is not a sweep. That is walking into the room, taking the good snacks, and leaving with the centerpiece.

Apothecary Diaries Quietly Had a Monster Night

While My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer grabbed the loudest headlines, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 had one of the strongest overall showings of the ceremony. It won Best Drama Anime, Best Director for Akinori Fudesaka and Norihiro Naganuma, Best Main Character for Maomao, and Best Japanese Voice Artist Performance for Aoi Yuki as Maomao.

That is a serious statement. The Apothecary Diaries is not winning because it screams the loudest. It wins because it is sharp, layered, beautifully controlled, and built around one of anime’s most compelling modern leads. Maomao taking Best Main Character feels especially deserved because she has become the kind of protagonist who does not need to be overpowered to dominate a scene.

The show’s wins also say something about where anime fandom is right now. Fans still love action, but they are also rewarding mystery, court intrigue, character intelligence, and slower-burn storytelling. That matters because anime does not grow by only feeding the loudest genre in the room.

Gachiakuta Becomes the Breakout Winner

Gachiakuta won Best New Series, Best Character Design, and Best Background Art, making it one of the biggest breakout winners of the 2026 Anime Awards. For a new series, that is a strong arrival. It did not just sneak into the conversation. It kicked the door open with dirty boots and great art direction.

Those wins highlight what made Gachiakuta stand out: visual identity. In a year full of polished productions, Gachiakuta had a look that felt grimy, stylish, aggressive, and instantly recognizable. Best New Series is the headline, but Best Character Design and Best Background Art tell the real story. This was a world people wanted to look at.

The skepticism here is fair, though. Winning Best New Series does not automatically mean a show has staying power. Plenty of anime arrive hot and cool off fast. Gachiakuta now has to prove that its story can keep pace with its style.

Solo Leveling Still Has the Action Crown

Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise from the Shadow won Best Animation and Best Action Anime, continuing the series’ strong run with global audiences. It beat out heavy hitters including DAN DA DAN Season 2, Gachiakuta, My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON, ONE PIECE, and Takopi’s Original Sin in Best Animation.

That result is going to make some animation nerds fight in the group chat, but it is not hard to understand. Solo Leveling is built around momentum. Its appeal lives in transformation, escalation, boss fights, clean impact frames, and that specific power fantasy where the main character walks into danger like he already read the script.

The Best Animation win may be more debated than the Best Action win. Action fans love Solo Leveling, but animation as a category always gets messy because voters often reward hype, spectacle, and intensity over technical variety or visual experimentation. That is not necessarily wrong, but it does shape the outcome.

DAN DA DAN, One Piece, and SPY x FAMILY Still Show Their Strength

DAN DA DAN Season 2 won Best Comedy Anime and Best Opening Sequence for “On The Way” by AiNA THE END. That feels right for a show that runs on chaos, timing, absurdity, and emotional whiplash. DAN DA DAN may not have taken Anime of the Year, but it remains one of the clearest examples of how weird anime can get while still being wildly accessible.

ONE PIECE won Best Continuing Series, which is basically anime’s version of telling the old king he still has the throne. At this point, ONE PIECE is not just competing with other shows. It is competing with time, attention spans, and people’s ability to watch a series long enough to qualify for emotional retirement benefits.

SPY x FAMILY Season 3 won Best Slice of Life Anime, while Anya Forger won the “Must Protect At All Costs” Character Award. That is not surprising. Anya has been anime’s tiny chaos gremlin of mass emotional destruction for years now, and voters clearly still want her protected from the world and possibly from her own decisions.

Full List of Major Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026 Winners

Category	Winner
Anime of the Year	My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Film of the Year	Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Best Continuing Series	ONE PIECE
Best New Series	Gachiakuta
Best Original Anime	Lazarus
Best Animation	Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise from the Shadow
Best Character Design	Gachiakuta
Best Director	Akinori Fudesaka and Norihiro Naganuma, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Best Background Art	Gachiakuta
Best Romance Anime	The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Best Comedy Anime	DAN DA DAN Season 2
Best Action Anime	Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise from the Shadow
Best Isekai Anime	Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World Season 3
Best Drama Anime	The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Best Slice of Life Anime	SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Best Main Character	Maomao, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Best Supporting Character	Katsuki Bakugo, My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Must Protect At All Costs Character	Anya Forger, SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Best Anime Song	“IRIS OUT” by Kenshi Yonezu, Chainsaw Man: The Movie: Reze Arc
Best Anime Score	Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Best 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 Japanese Voice Artist Performance	Aoi Yuki as Maomao, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Best English Voice Artist Performance	Lucien Dodge as Akaza, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Best French Voice Artist Performance	Bastien Bourlé as Izuku Midoriya, My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Best German Voice Artist Performance	Gerrit Schmidt-Foß as Akaza, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Best Hindi Voice Artist Performance	Abhishek Sharma as Jinshi, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

What the 2026 Winners Say About Anime Right Now

The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards show that anime fandom is still balancing two major instincts. On one side, fans love the blockbuster giants: My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, ONE PIECE, and Solo Leveling. These are the shows and films that dominate conversation because they deliver scale, action, emotion, and spectacle.

On the other side, voters also made room for titles that rely on mood, craft, character writing, and visual identity. The Apothecary Diaries winning multiple awards proves that a smart, character-driven drama can stand shoulder to shoulder with action-heavy juggernauts. Gachiakuta winning Best New Series and multiple design awards proves that style still matters when it has a strong enough point of view.

That mix is healthy for anime. The medium does not need one type of winner. It needs room for the hero finale, the sword-swinging movie event, the mystery drama, the trash-world breakout, the chaotic comedy, and the romance that quietly steals hearts without blowing up half a city.

Who really stole the show at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards?

• DAN DA DAN
• Anya Forger
• Maomao
• My Hero Academia

See All Options

Final Thoughts

The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards gave fans plenty to celebrate and plenty to debate, which is exactly what award shows are supposed to do. My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON winning Anime of the Year feels like a victory lap for one of modern anime’s defining franchises, while Demon Slayer, The Apothecary Diaries, Gachiakuta, and Solo Leveling proved that the field is anything but predictable.

The real story is not just who won. The real story is how wide anime’s reach has become. Action, romance, drama, comedy, slice of life, music, voice acting, and visual design all had their moment. Anime is no longer a niche corner of pop culture asking for recognition. It is the main stage now, and the 2026 Anime Awards made that very clear.