Mike Eakins
Solo Leveling is Crowned Anime of the Year
Attack on Titan Receives First Inaugural Global Impact Award
The 9th annual Anime Awards was again hosted by renowned voice actress Sally Amaki and popular entertainer Jon Kabira, who returned for their third year in a row to celebrate anime’s biggest night. The winners were revealed by a global slate of celebrity anime fan presenters including GRAMMY award winning singer Kacey Musgraves; Canadian director, musician, and actor Finn Wolfhard and American actor Gaten Matarazzo, both from the hit series Stranger Things; global superstar and anime collaborator J Balvin; Italian singer-songwriter Damiano David; Musician and actor Rina Sawayama; Award winning Brazilian pop icon Pabllo Vittar; American snowboarder Chloe Kim; screenwriter Zak Penn; the comedy duo made up of Shohei Osada and Shun Matsuo Chocolate Planet; Japanese actor, musician and talent Dean Fujioka; the Japanese actor known for live-action adaptations of anime, Kanata Hongo; Japanese Academy Award winning actress Mayu Matsuoka; and Japanese model and talent Saya Ichikawa.
The Anime Awards pre-show, which was broadcast live from the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa, was co-hosted by Crunchyroll hosts Lauren Moore and Tim Lyu and featured top global drag star Plastique Tiara; English professional boxer Ben Whittaker; American recording artist d4vd; American-Chilean singer Paloma Mami; Demon Queen VTuber Ironmouse; and Pioneering YouTube content creator Gigguk.
During the awards show, global fans enjoyed electrifying performances from Creepy Nuts, the 2025 Anime Awards winning hip-hop duo, who performed “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”, the opening theme from Mashle: Magic and Muscles; legendary rock band FLOW performed “DAYS” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Eureka Seven; and LiSA, Spotify’s most streamed Japanese artist overseas in 2020, performed three songs “crossing field,” “Datte Atashino Hero,” and “gurenge,” the smash hit from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Fans can also catch a special Video on Demand performance from Creepy Nuts of the viral hit song “Otonoke,” the opening theme for Anime of the Year nominee Dan Da Dan
During the ceremony, Attack on Titan was awarded the Anime Awards’ first Global Impact Award, which celebrates visionary creators and groundbreaking works that have left an indelible mark on culture, history, and the hearts of audiences around the world. The final film Attack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK premiered in late 2024, marking the end of the longstanding, iconic anime. Yuichiro Hayashi from MAPPA accepted the award on behalf of all the creatives who brought the series to life over the years.
“Fans form deep emotional connections to anime. These are not just series, films or songs, but rather works of art that help define the identity of anime fans,” said Rahul Purini, President, Crunchyroll. “With an incredible 51 million votes this year, the 2025 Anime Awards are celebrating the creators in Japan who have captured the hearts of fans and are powering anime’s prominence in global pop culture.”
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is the yearly awards program celebrating anime’s creative community. This year, a record 51 million votes were cast by fans worldwide to celebrate their favorite series, films, and actors. Some of the most engaged countries, in alphabetical order, were Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States with both Canada and Chile being first time additions into the top 10. The 2025 Anime Awards will be available to stream as video-on-demand, shortly on Crunchyroll’s YouTube and Twitch Channels, along with SONY PICTURES CORE and the Sony Group Corp Japan and Global YouTube Channels.
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Sony Music Solutions Inc., part of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Dempsey Productions supported Crunchyroll in the execution of the Anime Awards this year.
