Anime Awards Nominations: Why ‘Demon Slayer’ and ‘Chainsaw Man’ Are in the Running for Film of the Year

Crunchyroll has announced the nominations for its 10th annual Anime Awards. The full list is available below.

In the Film of the Year category, standout contenders include Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, competing against 100 Meters, Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II — The Ashes of Rage, Scarlet, and The Rose of Versailles. Notably, Demon Slayer garnered over $737 million at the global box office, while Chainsaw Man earned $163 million.

The Anime of the Year prize will feature nominations from Dan Da Dan Season 2, Gachiakuta, My Hero Academia final season, Takopi’s Original Sin, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, and The Summer Hikaru Died. The awards ceremony is scheduled for May 23 in Tokyo.

Fans can participate in the voting process for the winners until April 15 through the Anime Awards website.

“The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is a global celebration where fans share their love and appreciation with the creators behind their favorite titles,” said Rahul Purini, President of Crunchyroll. “This year’s slate of nominees represents nearly 50 unique series and films, all chosen by fans as the most beloved over the last year.”

This year’s ceremony will also feature a series of musical tributes to anime. Japanese singer Dean Fujioka will kick off the event with “History Maker” from Yuri!!! on ICE, the first recipient of the Anime of the Year award. Other performers include Pornograffitti, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Yoko Takahashi, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Presenters announced for the awards include RZA and Winston Duke, along with Asuka Saito, Danna, Enako, Hannah Bahng, Kasumi Arimura, Mitorizu, Nanase Nishino, Nyvi Estephan, Rashmika Mandanna, and Snitchery.

Hiroki Totoki, President and CEO of Sony Group Corporation, will deliver opening remarks at the ceremony, which will again be hosted by voice actress Sally Amaki and entertainer Jon Kabira.

“With the 10th anniversary of the Anime Awards, we also express our gratitude to the nominees of the past decade, which include over 110 animation studios that produced nearly 290 unique series and films, along with more than 220 voice actors who brought beloved characters to life,” Purini added.

The nominees for the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards are as follows:

Anime of the Year

DAN DA DAN Season 2
Gachiakuta
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Takopi’s Original Sin
The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
The Summer Hikaru Died

Film of the Year

100 Meters
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II — The Ashes of Rage
Scarlet
The Rose of Versailles

Best Original Anime

Apocalypse Hotel
DIGIMON BEATBREAK
Lazarus
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Moonrise
ZENSHU

Best Continuing Series

DAN DA DAN Season 2
Kaiju No. 8
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
ONE PIECE
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
SPY x FAMILY Season 3

Best New Series

Clevatess
Gachiakuta
SAKAMOTO DAYS
Takopi’s Original Sin
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
The Summer Hikaru Died

Best Opening Sequence

HUGs – Paledusk – Gachiakuta
Mirage – Creepy Nuts – Call of the Night Season 2
On The Way – AiNA THE END – DAN DA DAN Season 2
ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids) — LiSA — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
THE REVO — PORNOGRAFFITTI — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Watch Me! — YOASOBI — WITCH WATCH

Best Ending Sequence

Actor — Lilas Ikuta — SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Beautiful Colors — OneRepublic — Kaiju No. 8
Doukashiteru — WurtS — DAN DA DAN Season 2
I — BUMP OF CHICKEN — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Kawaii Kaiwai — PiKi — My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
UN-APEX — TK from Ling Tosite Sigure — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-

Best Action

DAN DA DAN Season 2
Gachiakuta
Kaiju No. 8
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
ONE PIECE
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-

Best Comedy

CITY THE ANIMATION
DAN DA DAN Season 2
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
Ranma1/2 Season 2
SPY x FAMILY Season 3
WITCH WATCH

Best Drama

Anne Shirley
Blue Box
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth
Takopi’s Original Sin
The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
The Summer Hikaru Died

Best Isekai Anime

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill Season 2
Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation — Season 1 “Episode of Heartslabyul”
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad’s Been Reincarnated!
KONOSUBA -God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3 -BONUS STAGE-
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3
ZENSHU

Best Romance

Blue Box
DAN DA DAN Season 2
Honey Lemon Soda
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
Ranma1/2 Season 2
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity

Best Slice of Life

Anne Shirley
Blue Box
CITY THE ANIMATION
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
SPY x FAMILY Season 3
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity

Best Animation

DAN DA DAN Season 2
Gachiakuta
My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
ONE PIECE
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Takopi’s Original Sin

Best Background Art

CITY THE ANIMATION
DAN DA DAN Season 2
Gachiakuta
Kowloon Generic Romance
The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
The Summer Hikaru Died

Best Character Design

DAN DA DAN Season 2
Gachiakuta
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
ONE PIECE
Takopi’s Original Sin
The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)

Best Director

Akinori Fudesaka, Norihiro Naganuma — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Fuga Yamashiro and Abel Góngora — DAN DA DAN Season 2
Fumihiko Suganuma — Gachiakuta
Kenji Nagasaki, Naomi Nakayama — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Ryohei Takeshita — The Summer Hikaru Died
Shinya Iino — Takopi’s Original Sin

Best Main Character

Izuku Midoriya — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Momo — DAN DA DAN Season 2
Okarun — DAN DA DAN Season 2
Rudo — Gachiakuta
Sung Jinwoo — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-

Best Supporting Character

Enjin — Gachiakuta
Jin Enjoji (Jiji) — DAN DA DAN Season 2
Jinshi — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Katsuki Bakugo — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Loulan/Shisui — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Turbo Granny — DAN DA DAN Season 2

“Must Protect At All Cost” Character

Anya Forger — SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Izuku Midoriya — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Kaoruko Waguri — The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Suika — Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE
Takopi — Takopi’s Original Sin

Best Anime Song

In Bloom — Lilas Ikuta — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
IRIS OUT — Kenshi Yonezu — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
JANE DOE — Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru Utada — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
On The Way — AiNA THE END — DAN DA DAN Season 2
ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids) — LiSA — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Watch Me! — YOASOBI — WITCH WATCH

Best Score

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc — kensuke ushio
DAN DA DAN Season 2 — kensuke ushio
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle — Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina
Gachiakuta — Taku Iwasaki
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow- — Hiroyuki Sawano
The Apothecary Diaries (season 2) — Satoru Kosaki, Kevin Penkin, Alisa Okehazama

Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese)

Aoi Yuki — Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Chiaki Kobayashi — Yoshiki Tsujinaka — The Summer Hikaru Died
Daiki Yamashita — Izuku Midoriya — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Kikunosuke Toya — Denji — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Mayumi Tanaka — Monkey D. Luffy — ONE PIECE
Reina Ueda — Reze — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

Best Voice Artist Performance (English)

Alexis Tipton — Reze — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Emi Lo — Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Justin Briner — Izuku Midoriya — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Lucien Dodge — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Morgan Berry — Shiori Fuyumura — SANDA
Paul Castro Jr. — Hikaru Indou — The Summer Hikaru Died

Best Voice Artist Performance (Arabic)

Hamoud Abu Hassoun — Loid Forger (Childhood) — SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Tariq Obaid — Taro Sakamoto — SAKAMOTO DAYS
Moataz El—Shazly — Heisuke Mashimo — SAKAMOTO DAYS
Raafat Bazo — Yuri Briar — SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Fatima Zakaria — Osaragi — SAKAMOTO DAYS
Ghada Omar — Yor Forger — SPY x FAMILY Season 3

Best Voice Artist Performance (Brazilian Portuguese)

Bruno Sangregório — Levi Ackerman — Attack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK
Charles Emmanuel — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Erick Bougleux — Zanka Nijiku — Gachiakuta
Fabio Lucindo — Katsuki Bakugo — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Gigi Patta — Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Ursula Bezerra — Son Goku — Dragon Ball DAIMA

Best Voice Artist Performance (Castilian Spanish)

Adrián Pineda — Rudo — Gachiakuta
Carles Teruel — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Cristina Peña — Reze — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Joel Gómez Jiménez — Okarun — DAN DA DAN Season 2
Marisa Marciel — Nami — ONE PIECE
Marta Barbará — Kaoruko Waguri — The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity

Best Voice Artist Performance (French)

Bastien Bourlé — Izuku Midoriya — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Bruno Mullenaerts — Enjin — Gachiakuta
Catherine Hanotiau — Nico Wakatsuki — WITCH WATCH
Clara Soares — Reze — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Jonathan Gimbord — Hikaru — The Summer Hikaru Died
Véronique Augereau — Seiko — DAN DA DAN Season 2

Best Voice Artist Performance (German)

Dirk Bublies — Kogoro Mori — Detective Conan: One—eyed Flashback
Gerrit Schmidt—Foß — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Laurine Betz — Reze — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Magdalena Höfner — Kiui Watase — Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night
Markus Feustel — Rudo — Gachiakuta
Patricia Strasburger — Nico Wakatsuki — WITCH WATCH

Best Voice Artist Performance (Hindi)

Abhishek Sharma — Jinshi — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Akshita Mishra — Koyuki — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Heena Malik — Reze — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Merlyn James — Anya Forger — SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Rajesh Shukla — Sung Jinwoo — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Shilpie Pandey — Lufas Maphaahl — A Wild Last Boss Appeared!

Best Voice Artist Performance (Italian)

Katia Sorrentino — Momo — DAN DA DAN Season 2
Leonardo Graziano — Naruto Uzumaki — BORUTO: NARUTO THE MOVIE
Luna Fogu — Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Martina Tamburello — Kikoru Shinomiya — Kaiju No. 8
Mosè Singh — Denji — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Simone Lupinacci — Izuku Midoriya — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON

Best Voice Artist Performance (Latin Spanish)

Desireé González — Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries (season 2)
Dion González — Rudo — Gachiakuta
Erika Langarica — Marin Kitagawa — My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
Fernando Moctezuma — Sung Jinwoo — Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Jessica Ángeles — Reze — Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Jose Antonio Toledano — Akaza — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle