Celebrity presenters included Kacey Musgraves, Finn Wolfhard, J Balvin and Mayu Matsuoka, while ‘Attack on Titan’ was honored with the inaugural Global Impact Award.
Solo Leveling emerged as the standout winner at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards on Sunday night, claiming top honors including Anime of the Year, Best Action, Best New Series, and multiple awards for voice performances and music. The glittering ceremony, held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, united anime’s most passionate global fans in a celebration of excellence across 28 categories—fueled by a record-breaking 51 million fan votes from around the world.
In the feature film category, Look Back—the poignant adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s acclaimed one-shot manga—was named Film of the Year. Meanwhile, beloved franchise Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba continued its winning streak with accolades for Best Continuing Series and Best Animation. The genre-blending Dan Da Dan also made its mark, securing several creative awards including Best Opening Sequence, Best Anime Song, and Best Character Design.
Returning for the third consecutive year, voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira once again took the stage as hosts of the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This year’s ceremony featured a dynamic lineup of celebrity presenters, highlighting anime’s ever-growing global influence. Notable appearances included Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves, Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, Latin music icon J Balvin, acclaimed Japanese actor Kanata Hongo, and Japanese Academy Award-winner Mayu Matsuoka. The star-studded roster also featured singer Rina Sawayama, Brazilian pop sensation Pabllo Vittar, model Saya Ichikawa, actor Dean Fujioka, and Damiano David of Måneskin.
Solo Leveling Triumphs at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards as Global Fanbase Sets New Voting Record
Solo Leveling dominated the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards on Sunday night, claiming top honors including Anime of the Year, Best Action, Best New Series, and multiple accolades for voice performances and music. The star-studded event, held at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo, brought together anime’s most passionate global fans in a vibrant celebration of creativity and cultural impact. A record-breaking 51 million fan votes from around the world decided the winners across 28 categories.
In the feature film category, Look Back—the emotionally resonant adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga—was awarded Film of the Year. Fan-favorite Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba continued to build on its storied legacy, winning Best Continuing Series and Best Animation. Meanwhile, the genre-defying Dan Da Dan secured several creative awards, including Best Opening Sequence, Best Anime Song, and Best Character Design.
Returning for the third consecutive year, voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira hosted the show, which once again featured a dynamic slate of celebrity presenters that underscored anime’s far-reaching influence. Notable guests included Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves, Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo, Latin music superstar J Balvin, Japanese Academy Award-winner Mayu Matsuoka, and actor Kanata Hongo. They were joined by singer Rina Sawayama, Brazilian pop icon Pabllo Vittar, model Saya Ichikawa, actor Dean Fujioka, and Måneskin’s Damiano David.
The night’s most emotional highlight came when Attack on Titan received Crunchyroll’s inaugural Global Impact Award, a new honor recognizing a franchise’s profound contribution to anime and global pop culture. Director Yuichiro Hayashi accepted the award on behalf of Studio MAPPA and the series’ many creators, following the release of Attack on Titan: The Last Attack in late 2024, which brought the iconic saga to its conclusion.
Fans were also treated to live musical performances by some of anime music’s biggest acts. Creepy Nuts lit up the stage with their viral hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” from Mashle: Magic and Muscles. Japanese rock legends Flow performed “Days” in tribute to Eureka Seven, and J-pop superstar LiSA thrilled the audience with a medley of three songs, including her iconic Demon Slayer anthem “Gurenge.”
“Fans form deep emotional connections to anime. These are not just series, films, or songs—they’re works of art that help define the identity of anime fans,” said Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini. “With an incredible 51 million votes this year, the 2025 Anime Awards celebrate the creators in Japan who have captured the hearts of fans and are driving anime’s rising prominence in global pop culture.”
Crunchyroll partnered with Sony Music Solutions Inc. and Dempsey Productions to produce the high-energy event, which is available to stream on Crunchyroll’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as Sony Pictures Core and other Sony Group platforms.
Sony has made anime a central pillar of its growth strategy, with Crunchyroll at the heart of its global anime business. On its most recent earnings call in May, Sony announced that Crunchyroll now serves over 17 million subscribers worldwide. Later this year, Crunchyroll, Aniplex, and Sony Pictures will release Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, a trilogy of films concluding the world’s highest-grossing anime franchise. Additionally, Crunchyroll and Aniplex are co-producing an anime adaptation of PlayStation’s blockbuster samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima.
Full List of 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Winners
Anime of the Year: Solo Leveling
Film of the Year: Look Back
Best Original Anime: Ninja Kamui
Best Continuing Series: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc
Best New Series: Solo Leveling
Best Opening Sequence: “Otonoke” – Creepy Nuts (Dan Da Dan)
Best Ending Sequence: “request” – krage (Solo Leveling)
Best Action: Solo Leveling
Best Comedy: Mashle: Magic and Muscles – The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc
Best Drama: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Best Isekai Anime: Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World – Season 3
Best Romance: Blue Box
Best Slice of Life: Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
Best Animation: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc
Best Background Art: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Best Character Design: Dan Da Dan
Best Director: Keiichiro Saito (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)
Best Main Character: Sung Jinwoo (Solo Leveling)
Best Supporting Character: Fern (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)
“Must Protect At All Costs” Character: Anya Forger (Spy × Family Season 2)
Best Anime Song: “Otonoke” – Creepy Nuts (Dan Da Dan)
Best Score: Solo Leveling – Hiroyuki Sawano
Voice Performance Awards:
- Japanese: Aoi Yuki (Maomao – The Apothecary Diaries)
- English: Aleks Le (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling)
- Arabic: Hiba Snobar (Anya Forger – SPY × FAMILY Season 2)
- Brazilian Portuguese: Charles Emmanuel (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling)
- Castilian Spanish: Masumi Mutsuda (Sung Jinwoo – Solo Leveling)
- French: Adrien Antoine (Kafka Hibino – Kaiju No. 8)
- German: Daniel Schlauch (Monkey D. Luffy – One Piece)
- Hindi: Lohit Sharma (Satoru Gojo – Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2)
- Italian: Ilaria Pellicone (Kyomoto – Look Back)
- Latin Spanish: Miguel Ángel Leal (Eren Jaeger – Attack on Titan: Final Season – The Final Chapters: Special 2)
