The Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026 took place a few days ago, and considering that the event uses fan voting as the primary metric to determine the winners rather than critical evaluation, there is always a tendency for biased voting that leads to some wins feeling undeserved. This year was no different, with several series seemingly winning awards due to popularity rather than from a critical point of view.
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Despite that, there were still results at this year’s event that felt completely deserved. These wins showed that fans do recognize certain critically appreciated aspects of anime as well. Some of the deserving awards gave much-needed recognition to a shonen anime that has been running for years, while another highlighted a new direction for the shonen genre. There were also three other deserving winners, making a total of five anime that truly earned the awards they received.
5) Gachiakuta (Best New Anime)
There is no denying that, after the prestigious Anime of the Year category, Best New Anime is the award that generates the most hype, as it highlights the most exciting new series the year has produced. The contenders were especially strong this year, but in the end, the race came down to Gachiakuta and Takopi’s Original Sin.
Honestly, either anime winning the award would have been justified, but Gachiakuta taking the title also highlights how fans have embraced darker and more realistic tropes in shonen anime. The series continued to defy traditional shonen conventions and consistently surprised viewers. With some of the best visuals of the year alongside a perfectly fitting soundtrack, Gachiakuta fully justified its place as the Best New Anime of 2025.
4) One Piece (Best Continuing Series)
Honestly, no anime deserved the Best Continuing Series award more than One Piece, especially since the other nominees were not particularly strong, with only My Hero Academia offering real competition. For a series to remain on air for more than two and a half decades is a feat that will likely never be recreated. What makes it even more impressive is that One Piece is not just continuing its run, but also continuing to generate massive hype while constantly upgrading its animation quality.
While the pacing issues remain a major criticism, fans have ultimately embraced that aspect as part of the experience as well. One Piece should continue receiving this award at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards for as long as it keeps airing, and nothing else should even come close.
3) Katsuki Bakugo (Best Anime Supporting Character)
My Hero Academia’s final season carried a strong emotional attachment for shonen fans, and that feeling was elevated even further with Bakugo’s reemergence after his apparent death, proving why he is arguably one of the greatest supporting anime characters ever created. Bakugo returned at the perfect moment and immediately saved All Might, a scene so impactful that even many of his critics were won over. The moment redeemed many of Bakugo’s past mistakes and allowed him to truly stand out as a hero.
He essentially became the “final villain” for the final villain, delivering some of the most compelling moments of the season while also giving Deku the support he needed to grow into an even greater hero. Honestly, this was one of the most deserved wins at this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
2) Dandadan Season 2 (Best Comedy)
Dandadan Season 2 continued the bizarre adventure of Momo and Okarun as they searched for the latter’s lost privates, and the new season only pushed the anime’s absurdity even further while making it even funnier. Dandadan is not just one of the best action-comedies of the past two years, but arguably one of the best of the past decade as well. What makes the series’ comedy stand out so much is how Science SARU uses animation to elevate nearly every comedic moment.
Every scene in the anime carries a unique thematic nuance that is rarely seen in anime. For that reason, the series arguably also deserved to win Best Animation in both years, though it lost to Solo Leveling, once again highlighting the criticism that the Crunchyroll Anime Awards can often feel like a popularity contest. Even so, it was still great to see Dandadan win the Best Comedy award.
1) My Hero Academia (Anime of the Year)
Anime of the Year is the category everyone has their eyes on at the Anime Awards. Before finally winning at Crunchyroll, My Hero Academia’s final season had already earned recognition at several other award functions, steadily paving its way toward this achievement. However, what makes this win at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards even more meaningful is that, after being nominated multiple times in the past, the series was finally recognized after an incredible 10-year run.
The final season of this legendary shonen anime is not just a great anime on its own, but one that carries the emotional weight of an entire decade and the legacy of one of the biggest shonen franchises ever. It is the kind of long-running shonen journey that fans may rarely see again, especially as newer shonen series continue becoming shorter. My Hero Academia’s victory at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards is not only well-deserved but also a celebration of a true shonen anime experience that may never be replicated by the new generation.
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