{"id":3220,"date":"2026-05-25T09:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T01:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/?p=3220"},"modified":"2026-05-25T11:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T03:06:01","slug":"my-hero-academia-final-season-crowned-anime-of-the-year-at-the-2026-crunchyroll-anime-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/?p=3220","title":{"rendered":"My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON Crowned Anime of the Year at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a record-shattering 73 million votes from fans around the world, Crunchyroll has named My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON<\/strong> the Anime of the Year at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The top honour was revealed in Tokyo on 23 May, and in a fitting moment for anime’s biggest night, it was handed out by global superstar \u2014 and long-time anime fan \u2014 The Weeknd.<\/p>\n

\"My
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON director Kenji Nagasaki accepts Anime of the Year in Tokyo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This year’s ceremony was a milestone in its own right: the tenth edition of the Anime Awards, staged at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa with returning hosts Sally Amaki and Jon Kabira back for their fourth year. A decade in, the awards have grown from a niche fan event into a genuinely global celebration, and the 2026 vote tally proves it.<\/p>\n

\"Crunchyroll<\/figure>\n

Deku’s send-off takes the top prize<\/h2>\n

There’s a poetic symmetry to My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON<\/em> claiming the night’s biggest award. The series wraps up a story that has defined a generation of shounen fans, and the win doubles as a farewell to one of the most beloved anime of the past decade. Class 1-A didn’t leave empty-handed elsewhere either \u2014 Katsuki Bakugo took Best Supporting Character<\/strong>, and the season’s emotional ending theme, “I” by BUMP OF CHICKEN, won Best Ending Sequence<\/strong>. Rock band PORNOGRAFFITTI even performed live in honour of the franchise’s 10th anniversary and its conclusion.<\/p>\n

\"My
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON also took Best Ending Sequence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other big winners<\/h2>\n

While Deku’s finale led the headlines, the spread of awards showed just how strong this past year of anime really was.<\/p>\n

  • Film of the Year<\/strong> went to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle<\/em>, which also picked up Best Score<\/strong>.<\/li>
  • ONE PIECE<\/em> continued its unstoppable run with Best Continuing Series<\/strong>.<\/li>
  • Newcomer Gachiakuta<\/em> swept the technical categories, taking Best New Series<\/strong>, Best Background Art<\/strong>, and Best Character Design<\/strong>.<\/li>
  • The Apothecary Diaries<\/em> (season 2) was the night’s quiet powerhouse, winning Best Drama<\/strong>, Best Director<\/strong>, and Best Main Character<\/strong> for the brilliant Maomao.<\/li>
  • DAN DA DAN<\/em> Season 2 landed Best Comedy<\/strong>, Solo Leveling<\/em> Season 2 took both Best Action<\/strong> and Best Animation<\/strong>, and SPY x FAMILY<\/em> Season 3 earned Best Slice of Life<\/strong> \u2014 with Anya Forger predictably winning “Must Protect At All Cost” Character.<\/li><\/ul>\n
    \"Demon<\/figure>
    \"ONE<\/figure>
    \"The<\/figure>
    \"Solo<\/figure>
    \"Gachiakuta<\/figure>
    \"DAN<\/figure><\/figure>\n

    A decade celebrated in music<\/h2>\n

    The tenth anniversary leaned hard into nostalgia, and the live performances were a love letter to anime history. DEAN FUJIOKA opened with “History Maker” from Yuri!!! on ICE<\/em> \u2014 the very first Anime of the Year winner. Yoko Takahashi delivered a 30th anniversary tribute to Neon Genesis Evangelion<\/em> with the iconic “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION performed “Haruka Kanata,” the legendary second opening to NARUTO<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    \"PORNOGRAFFITTI
    PORNOGRAFFITTI perform a tribute to My Hero Academia’s 10th anniversary and finale.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The presenter line-up was just as star-studded, bringing together a global mix of celebrity anime fans including BamBam, TEN, RZA, Winston Duke, Young Miko, Rashmika Mandanna, and cosplay icon Enako.<\/p>\n

    Global Impact Award: Tatsuya Nagamine<\/h2>\n

    One of the evening’s most heartfelt moments was the Global Impact Award presented to director Tatsuya Nagamine<\/strong>, whose work spans Ojamajo Doremi<\/em>, PreCure<\/em>, Dragon Ball Super<\/em>, and ONE PIECE<\/em>. With the director unable to attend, animator Masayuki Sato \u2014 a long-time collaborator and friend \u2014 accepted the award on his behalf.<\/p>\n

    Anime’s global reach keeps growing<\/h2>\n

    That record 73 million votes didn’t come from any single region. The five most engaged voting countries this year were Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico, and the United States \u2014 a reminder that anime fandom is now truly worldwide, with fans here in Singapore very much part of that wave.<\/p>\n

    2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards \u2014 full winners list<\/h2>\n
    • Anime of the Year<\/strong> \u2014 My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON<\/li>
    • Film of the Year<\/strong> \u2014 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle<\/li>
    • Best Original Anime<\/strong> \u2014 Lazarus<\/li>
    • Best Continuing Series<\/strong> \u2014 ONE PIECE<\/li>
    • Best New Series<\/strong> \u2014 Gachiakuta<\/li>
    • Best Opening Sequence<\/strong> \u2014 “On The Way” by AiNA THE END \u2014 DAN DA DAN Season 2<\/li>
    • Best Ending Sequence<\/strong> \u2014 “I” by BUMP OF CHICKEN \u2014 My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON<\/li>
    • Best Action<\/strong> \u2014 Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-<\/li>
    • Best Comedy<\/strong> \u2014 DAN DA DAN Season 2<\/li>
    • Best Drama<\/strong> \u2014 The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)<\/li>
    • Best Isekai Anime<\/strong> \u2014 Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3<\/li>
    • Best Romance<\/strong> \u2014 The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity<\/li>
    • Best Slice of Life<\/strong> \u2014 SPY x FAMILY Season 3<\/li>
    • Best Animation<\/strong> \u2014 Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-<\/li>
    • Best Background Art<\/strong> \u2014 Gachiakuta<\/li>
    • Best Character Design<\/strong> \u2014 Gachiakuta<\/li>
    • Best Director<\/strong> \u2014 Akinori Fudesaka, Norihiro Naganuma \u2014 The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)<\/li>
    • Best Main Character<\/strong> \u2014 Maomao \u2014 The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)<\/li>
    • Best Supporting Character<\/strong> \u2014 Katsuki Bakugo \u2014 My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON<\/li>
    • “Must Protect At All Cost” Character<\/strong> \u2014 Anya Forger \u2014 SPY x FAMILY Season 3<\/li>
    • Best Anime Song<\/strong> \u2014 “IRIS OUT” by Kenshi Yonezu \u2014 Chainsaw Man \u2013 The Movie: Reze Arc<\/li>
    • Best Score<\/strong> \u2014 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle \u2014 Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina<\/li>
    • Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese)<\/strong> \u2014 Aoi Yuki as Maomao \u2014 The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)<\/li>
    • Best Voice Artist Performance (English)<\/strong> \u2014 Lucien Dodge as Akaza \u2014 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle<\/li><\/ul>\n

      The full tenth annual Anime Awards, complete with exclusive content, will be available to stream on Crunchyroll and its YouTube channel shortly.<\/p>\n

      Which win were you cheering for? Whether you’re team Deku, Maomao, or Anya, drop by GameTrader.SG to gear up on the merch, games, and collectibles behind your favourite series.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      After a record-shattering 73 million votes from fans around the world, Crunchyroll has named My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON the Anime of the Year at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The top honour was revealed in Tokyo on 23 May, and in a fitting moment for anime’s biggest night, it was handed out by global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":3216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/mha-final-season-anime-of-the-year-2026.png?fit=624%2C351&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13AlF-PW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3019,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/?p=3019","url_meta":{"origin":3220,"position":0},"title":"Crunchyroll Crowns Solo Leveling as Anime of the Year at 2025 Anime Awards After Record-Breaking 51 Million Votes","date":"May 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In a spectacular celebration of anime\u2019s global influence, Solo Leveling has officially been crowned Anime of the Year at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, held in Tokyo. 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