Here are the major category winners for the Ninth Anime Awards.
The Ninth Crunchyroll Anime Awards is a prestigious event that aims to recognise the best titles, production, and music in the wonderful entertainment medium that is anime. The awards took place on 25 May, 2025 in Japan. The event was also livestreamed for global fans to tune in to.
Here are the major awards and their winners:
Anime of the Year: Solo Leveling
Who is surprised? Solo Leveling burst into the anime scene and won the hearts of many fans thanks to Sung Jinwoo’s impeccable aura-farming, earning the anime the most prestigious award for the night: Anime of the Year.
Nominees:
- Dandadan
- Delicious in Dungeon
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
- Kaiju No.8
- The Apothecary Diaries
Film of the Year: Look Back
The multi-awarded movie Look Back, based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga, takes the much-deserved prize for Film of the Year.
Nominees:
- Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle
- Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain
- My Hero Academia: You’re Next
- Spy x FamilyCode: White
- The Colors Within
Best Animation: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc - ufotable
Demon Slayer’s Hashira Training Arc takes the crown for best animation by the iconic animation studio ufotable, earning the studio this title once again after previously taking home the award in the 2024, 2023, and 2022 ceremonies.
Nominees:
- Dandadan - Science SARU
- Delicious in Dungeon - Studio Trigger
- Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End - Madhouse
- Kaiju No.8 - Production I.G
- Solo Leveling: A-1 Pictures
Best Continuing Series: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc
Taking the second award for the night, Demon Slayer’s Hashira Training Arc earns the award for Best Continuing series. The series marked the beginning of the final arc for Demon Slayer, ending on a fever pitch that had every fan gripping their seats.
Nominees:
- Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Conflict
- My Hero Academia Season 7
- One Piece
- Oshi no Ko Season 2
- Spy x Family Season 2
Best Isekai: REZERO: Starting Life in Another World Season 3
Re:Zero’s third season won the Best Isekai category, one of the new categories introduced for this iteration of the Anime Awards.
Nominees:
- KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Season 3
- Mushoku Tense: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Cour 2
- Shangri-La Frontier Season 2
- Suicide Squad Isekai
- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3
Best Original Anime: Ninja Kamui
The Best Original Anime award aims to highlight anime titles that weren't based on light novels or manga, and were made by creative minds just for anime. For this year, Ninja Kamui by E&H production and Sola Entertainment won the award.
Nominees:
- Bucchigiri?!
- Girls Band Cry
- Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night
- Metallic Rouge
- Train to the End of the World
Best Anime Song: Otonoke by Creepy Nuts
The Best Anime Song award shines the spotlight on catchy songs that defined the anime they were made for. CREEPY NUTS won the award for their song Otonoke, for the anime DAN DA DAN.
Nominees:
- Abyss by Yungblud - Kaiju No.8
- Bling-Bang-Bang-Born by Creepy Nuts - Mashle: Magic and Muscles The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arv
- Fatal by Gemm - Oshi no Ko Season 2
- Level by SawanoHiroyuki[NzK: Tomorrow X Together - Solo Leveling
- The Brave - YOASOBI - Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Best Slice-of-Life: Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! took home the Best Slice-Of-Life Award, highlighting the immense relatability and feel-good atmosphere showcased by the series.
Nominees:
- Laid-Back Camp Season 3
- Mr. Villain's Day Off
- My Deer Friend Nokotan
- Sound! Euphonium Season 3
- The Dangers in My Heart Season 2
Best Score: Solo Leveling - Hiroyuki Sawano
Composer Hiroyuki Sawano bagged the Best Score Award for his superb work in Solo Leveling. This isn’t Sawano’s first win at the Anime Awards, as he also won best score for 86 -EIGHTY SIX- in 2022, Attack on Titan THE FINAL SEASON Part 2 in 2023, and Attack on Titan: The Final Season The Final Chapters Special 1 in 2024.
Nominees:
- Shiro Sagisu - Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Conflict
- Kensuke Ushio - Dandadan
- Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc
- Evan Call - Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
- Haruka Nakamura - Look Back
Best Director: Keiichiro Saite - Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Keiichiro Saite won the Best Director award for his phenomenal work on one of the most beloved anime series of 2024, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. His work opened the doors for impactful and emotional storytelling, giving us an amazing series that will always be unforgettable.
Nominees:
- Fuga Yamashiro - Dandadan
- Haruo Sotozaki - Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc
- Megumi Ishitani - One Piece Fan Letter
- Norihiro Naganuma - The Apothecary Diaries
- Yoshihiro Miyajima - Delicious in Dungeon
Global Impact Award: Attack on Titan
The Global Impact Award is one of the newest awards introduced by Crunchyroll for the Anime Awards, and aims to recognise anime titles that have had a massive cultural and global impact. Attack on Titan earned this recognition for how it changed the landscape of anime for generations to come.
If you missed the first half that revealed minor category winners, we've compiled the list of winners for you to read up on.
