Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards got these 3 anime completely wrong
The 10th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards concluded with high-profile performances and a competitive field spanning 32 categories. The ceremony featured musical acts from notable guests including Yoko Takahashi, The Weeknd, and RZA, celebrating what is being recognized as one of anime’s strongest years in recent memory. My Hero Academia won Anime of the Year, contributing to the ongoing fan criticism that the awards function as a popularity contest rather than a merit-based recognition system. Fans have historically joked that the ceremony should be renamed the “Solo Leveling Awards” and before that the “My Hero Academia Awards,” highlighting patterns of certain franchises dominating the categories. The competitive nature of the 2026 awards season made some major snubs almost unavoidable, drawing further scrutiny from the anime community regarding nomination and voting processes. Despite controversies, the awards remain a significant event in the anime industry calendar.