Anime Awards 2026: Our Biased Picks Across the Biggest Crunchyroll Categories

Every year Crunchyroll opens the gates, anime fans rush in to vote for their favourites, and then the internet spends the next few weeks debating why one winner was deserved, why another was robbed, and why somebody’s personal favourite should have swept every category.

That yearly chaos is honestly part of the fun. Anime awards are never purely objective because anime itself rarely connects with people in a purely objective way. Some shows stay with you because of writing, some because of atmosphere, some because a single character quietly takes over your brain for months.

So yes, these picks are biased. Fully biased, proudly biased, and in some categories probably impossible to defend in front of a courtroom of hardcore anime fans. Still, if Crunchyroll is asking for votes, here is where ours went across some of the biggest Anime of the Year 2026 categories.

Anime of the Year 2026: Why The Apothecary Diaries Got My Vote

This year’s Anime of the Year lineup includes some of the biggest names released over the last year: Dan Da Dan Season 2, Gachiakuta, My Hero Academia Final Season, Takopi’s Original Sin, The Apothecary Diaries, and The Summer Hikaru Died.

One notable absence immediately stands out: Solo Leveling Season 2. A lot of fans still feel Frieren was robbed last year because Solo Leveling carried momentum from an airing second season even though only Season 1 was technically under consideration. This time Crunchyroll almost feels like it corrected too hard, because Solo Leveling Season 2 easily delivered one of the most talked about weekly viewing experiences of the year. Nearly every episode ended with fandom wide cliffhanger discussions.

Still, looking strictly at the nominated list, this category became difficult for one reason: two shows hit for very different reasons.

Purely from a storytelling and thematic perspective, Takopi’s Original Sin may be the sharpest piece of writing here. It is one of those rare anime that quietly forces you to examine what human emotion becomes when pushed too far, and how innocence can collapse under the weight of cruelty.

Yet when the vote button appeared, I still picked The Apothecary Diaries. Because yes, if Maomao is on the list, my bias immediately activates. Season 2 delivered the payoff of one of the series’ strongest arcs. Shisui and Maomao’s final interaction stayed with people for weeks. Jinshi and Maomao received some of their most emotionally layered scenes yet. Even the long awaited frog scene finally made it to screen.

There was weight, humour, tension, and emotional payoff spread across the season in a way that made the whole thing consistently rewarding. So my vote went to The Apothecary Diaries, even though the critic inside me knows Takopi’s Original Sin deserves every serious conversation around anime writing this year.

Film of the Year 2026: Chainsaw Man Reze Arc Edges Ahead

This category really feels like a two film fight. Demon Slayer Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc dominated discussion far beyond anime circles. Both films had enough impact that even general movie audiences were talking about them.

When I first came out of the theatre, I leaned slightly toward Demon Slayer. That immediate spectacle is difficult to ignore. Now that some time has passed, I think Chainsaw Man Reze Arc holds together better as a film.

The emotional rhythm feels tighter. The pacing works more cleanly. The movie understands exactly when to pull back and when to hit hard. Reze’s presence gives the story a pull that lingers after the credits.

So right now, my vote goes to Chainsaw Man Reze Arc.

That said, one film deserves more attention here: 100 Meters. If you missed it, do watch it. It quietly became one of the most beautiful anime films of the year and somehow still feels under discussed.

Best New Series 2026: Takopi's Original Sin Leaves the Strongest Mark

For Best New Series, my vote goes to Takopi’s Original Sin. Yes, it only runs for six episodes. That does not matter when six episodes manage to make you laugh, hurt, reflect, and then sit quietly for a while after finishing. There is something deeply unsettling and strangely beautiful about how Takopi approaches innocence. Happy’s worldview feels almost impossible inside our own world, which is exactly why the series lands so hard. You finish it wondering whether human cruelty is learned, inherited, or simply unavoidable once innocence meets reality.

Still, this category is brutally competitive.

Clevatess and Gachiakuta earned attention for dark worldbuilding and visual identity. The Summer Hikaru Died has become one of the strongest psychological horror anime in recent memory and continues to leave people uncomfortable in the best possible way. The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity earned praise across romance circles all year. Sakamoto Days may have cooled after its explosive start, but it remains one of the most entertaining action comedy releases in recent memory.

There is genuinely no weak nomination here. But Takopi still feels like the one that stays in your head longest.

Best Animation 2026: Solo Leveling Season 2 Wins on Consistency

This is one category where no choice feels universally safe. Solo Leveling Season 2, Dan Da Dan Season 2, Gachiakuta, Takopi’s Original Sin, My Hero Academia, and One Piece all delivered standout visual moments.

Some shows leaned into style. Some relied on raw action choreography. Some used atmosphere better than movement. That is why consistency and impact becomes the deciding factor. For me, Solo Leveling Season 2 gets the vote.

Across the season, the animation quality stayed remarkably stable. The Jinwoo versus Beru fight looked exactly how many readers imagined it and in some moments even exceeded that expectation. Yes, this will annoy some people because every fandom has a case here. Still, for sustained visual delivery over an entire season, Solo Leveling earns my vote this time.

Best Main Character 2026: Maomao Still Wins My Vote

This category might end up going to Sung Jinwoo simply because his reach has become enormous. And honestly, that would not be surprising. The Shadow Monarch has become one of the most recognisable anime protagonists right now.

The nominations themselves are strong: Momo and Okarun from Dan Da Dan, Deku from My Hero Academia, Rudo from Gachiakuta, Sung Jinwoo, and Maomao.

Seeing both Momo and Okarun nominated together feels deserved because Dan Da Dan works precisely because both characters constantly carry the energy of the story. Deku naturally belongs here. Rudo emerged from one of the year’s most talked about titles. Still, my vote goes to Maomao. Because few protagonists in recent anime feel this complete.

She is intelligent without being exaggerated, observant without losing personality, and deeply human even when pretending she wants no involvement in the chaos around her. She repeatedly saves situations she technically should stay away from because curiosity always wins. And the moment poison or rare herbs appear anywhere near her, personal safety immediately stops mattering. That level of character consistency is rare.

Best Supporting Character 2026: Why Shisui Deserves More Recognition

Supporting characters often define how deeply a story stays with people. This year once again gave us several memorable ones: Jin and Turbo Granny from Dan Da Dan, Enjin from Gachiakuta, Bakugo continuing one of anime’s strongest redemption arcs, and Jinshi carrying major emotional weight in The Apothecary Diaries.

Jinshi especially deserves serious recognition because Season 2 pushed his character further than many expected. He is someone surrounded by privilege, burdened by expectation, and constantly trying to avoid being consumed by both. Season 2 shows him slowly accepting responsibility he knows will cost him personal freedom.

Still, my vote goes to Shisui.

Because Shisui delivered one of the strongest emotional threads of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2. She understands exactly how to survive under pressure, exactly what to say, exactly what not to reveal, and still carries emotional sincerity underneath all of it. The moment Maomao calls her Shisui remains one of the season’s strongest scenes because for a brief second you see the person underneath the role of the perfect Princess Loulan. That moment feels real precisely because everything around her had demanded she stop being real.

Best Anime Song 2026: Iris Out Stayed on Repeat

This year delivered several strong anime tracks, but Iris Out stayed in rotation longer than almost anything else for me. Maybe part of it is the film attached to it. Maybe part of it is Reze. Maybe part of it is how impossible that song became to ignore once clips and edits started spreading everywhere.

Whatever the reason, it kept coming back. Some songs impress during the episode. A few follow you long after. This one did.

Best Voice Artist Performance 2026

Voice acting remains one of the hardest categories to vote in because the margin between excellent performances is tiny. Every nominated artist here has already done something difficult: taking a drawn or written character and making them feel alive enough that people emotionally invest in them.

That is not easy. Still, Crunchyroll forces you to choose and my votes went to Aoi Yuki and Lucien Dodge. At this point, anyone reading this far probably already knew Aoi Yuki was going to appear somewhere on this list.

That said, this category genuinely deserves respect across the board because there are rarely weak nominations when voice acting reaches this level.

Who Did You Vote for in Anime of the Year 2026?

Those are the major categories where my votes landed this year, though Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year awards obviously include many more categories worth checking. Some winners will feel predictable. Some results will definitely trigger debate. That is part of why anime awards remain entertaining every year.

So who did you vote for? Who do you think actually wins Anime of the Year 2026 when the final results arrive? And which category do you think fans are going to argue about the most this year? Check out more reviews, recommendations, and opinion pieces on The Watchlist Diaries, and drop your picks below.