My Hero Academia Final Season (僕のヒーローアカデミア Boku no Hiiro Akademia) took the top honor at the 10th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, held in Tokyo on May 22, 2026 and live-streamed worldwide. The event, hosted for the fourth consecutive year by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira, featured A-list presenters including global superstar The Weeknd, who presented the Anime of the Year award.
Anime of the Year: My Hero Academia Final Season
The climactic final season of My Hero Academia claimed the night's biggest prize, capping off the journey of Izuku Midoriya and the heroes of U.A. High School that began in 2016. The category also included strong contenders like Dan Da Dan Season 2, Gachiakuta, Takopi's Original Sin, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, and The Summer Hikaru Died.
Other Major Winners
- Film of the Year: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle (鬼滅の刃 無限城編) — the Ufotable-produced theatrical feature
- Best Original Anime: Lazarus — Shinichiro Watanabe's original sci-fi action series from MAPPA
- Best Continuing Series: One Piece (ワンピース)
- Best New Series: Gachiakuta (ガチアクタ)
- Best Action: Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
- Best Comedy: Dan Da Dan Season 2 (ダンダダン)
- Best Drama: The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 (薬屋のひとりごと)
Fan and Industry Reception
As always, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards sparked debate within the anime community. On social media, fans debated whether My Hero Academia's final season deserved the top spot over critically acclaimed alternatives like The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 and Dan Da Dan Season 2. On Reddit (r/anime), the results were met with mixed reactions — some praised the ceremony's production value and the Tokyo Philharmonic performance, while others repeated long-standing criticism that the awards favor popularity and Western tastes over artistic and technical merit within the Japanese industry.
This tension was notably highlighted by WIT Studio president George Wada, who separately called for the creation of a Japanese-run anime awards ceremony just days after the event — a proposal that has ignited broader industry discussion about recognition and standards in anime.
"A 10-year classical medley of all previous Anime of the Year winners, performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra."
A Grand 10th Anniversary Celebration
Presenters included Young Miko, BamBam from Got7, and film stars Winston Duke, Dean Fujioka, and Rashmika Mandanna. The event was broadcast live in over 10 languages.
For the full list of winners across all categories, see Crunchyroll's official announcement and coverage from Variety.