From Solo Leveling to DAN DA DAN: Who Will Take Anime of the Year 2025?
It’s that time of year again — when anime fans sharpen their keyboards, rally fandoms, and pray their favorite waifus and himbos take home the gold. Yes, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 are upon us, and this year, it’s bigger, better, and more jam-packed with star power than a Super Saiyan reunion!
Voting is open now through April 14, and it’s not just another online poll. This is the ninth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, the global fan-powered celebration of Japanese animation that turns humble hikikomori into red carpet critics.
Power Level: Hollywood
The presenter lineup is straight-up legendary. Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things’ resident Demogorgon dodgers) are on board, proving anime love knows no borders — or Netflix contracts. They’ll be joined by global stars like Pabllo Vittar, Chloe Kim, Rina Sawayama, and even Ironmouse, the VTuber queen of chaos.
Other presenters include Chocolate Planet (Japanese comedy duo), Dean Fujioka, Mayu Matsuoka, and Plastique Tiara — yes, you read that right — making this year’s Anime Awards more diverse and dazzling than ever.
Even Sony Group President & CEO Hiroki Totoki will be gracing the stage with opening remarks, setting the tone for a ceremony that blends anime artistry with global pop culture pizzazz.
Voting Power in the Palm of Your Hand
For the first time ever, voting can be done through the Crunchyroll mobile app — perfect for fans who want to cast votes in between episodes or during particularly long loading screens.
And don’t worry, you won’t need to create an Excel sheet to remember your faves. Crunchyroll’s 1-click resubmit feature makes daily voting a breeze. Just tap, vote, repeat.
This Year’s Nominees: A Battle Royale of Greatness
The 2025 nominees cover more than 50 anime series and films from over 35 studios, which means choosing a favorite might actually be harder than finishing a shonen series in one weekend.
Anime of the Year? It’s a clash between heart-wrenching fantasy (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End), supernatural shenanigans (DAN DA DAN), and monster-hunting hype machines like Solo Leveling and Kaiju No. 8.
Best Continuing Series sees heavy hitters like One Piece, Demon Slayer, and 【OSHI NO KO】 battling it out — which is kinda like watching Goku, Naruto, and Luffy arm wrestle.
If you’re into rom-coms, slice-of-life goodness, or explosions (lots of explosions), there’s something for everyone: from Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines to SPY × FAMILY, Delicious in Dungeon, and Suicide Squad ISEKAI (yes, that’s real — and it’s awesome).
Bangers Only: The Soundtrack Showdown
Don’t sleep on the musical categories — they’re loaded with absolute earworms. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” by Creepy Nuts and “The Brave” by YOASOBI are fan favorites, while OneRepublic makes a surprise appearance with “Nobody” for Kaiju No. 8.
Add in best score, best voice performances (JP and EN), and the ever-important “Must Protect at All Costs” Character (Anya Forger fans, rise up!), and you’ve got one wild anime celebration.
Merch, Marathons & More
Crunchyroll is also offering free streaming for nominated shows, huge merch discounts, and even a special Anime Awards Collection on their store. So whether you’re bingeing or balling out, this year’s awards season is the ultimate anime fan playground.
Save the Date: May 25, 2025
All winners will be revealed during the live Anime Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 25, hosted by fan-favorite Sally Amaki and the smooth-voiced Jon Kabira — with a global livestream for those watching from home (or hiding in their anime caves).
So, whether you stan Senshi the soup samurai, simp for Frieren, or scream-sing “Level” every time Solo Leveling drops a new episode — your vote matters.
Go cast it. Every day. Until your thumbs give out.
