The 9th Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards lit up Tokyo on May 25, 2025, with an exciting celebration of the year’s best anime series and films. Held at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa, the event was streamed live worldwide—including, for the first time, with Hindi dubbing for Indian fans.
From standout performances to major nominees and surprise guests — here’s a quick look at the 2025 Anime Awards.
Sally Amaki and Japanese host Jon Kabira returned as co-hosts. Hollywood stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things), Grammy-winning country artist Kacey Musgraves, and Latin music icon J Balvin added extra shine as celebrity presenters.
Sony Group President Hiroki Totoki opened the ceremony with a keynote speech, emphasizing anime’s growing cultural footprint worldwide.
Electric Performances on Stage
Creepy Nuts, the hip-hop duo behind several viral anime songs, hyped the crowd.
FLOW brought major nostalgia by performing “Days” in honor of Eureka Seven’s 20th anniversary.
LiSA returned to the stage with a powerful performance of her hit "Gurenge" from Demon Slayer.
This year’s ceremony made history by introducing Hindi-language dubbing for Indian viewers, marking Crunchyroll’s growing investment in regional anime communities. Another major milestone was the debut of the “Global Impact Award”—a new category celebrating anime that changed global pop culture.
The Anime of the Year race was led by the fan-favorite Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, which earned a record-breaking 29 nominations. Other top contenders included:
Dan Da Dan – 22 nominations
Delicious in Dungeon – 16 nominations
Kaiju No. 8 – 16 nominations
Solo Leveling – 13 nominations
The Apothecary Diaries – 13 nominations
Film of the Year Nominees
Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle
Look Back
Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain
My Hero Academia: You're Next
Spy X Family Code: White
The Colors Within
The inaugural “Global Impact Award” went to the legendary series Attack on Titan, in honor of its decade-long influence on anime and pop culture. The show helped redefine global anime fandom and storytelling with its powerful narrative, unforgettable characters, and groundbreaking visuals.
The show aired live starting at 6:00 PM JST (with a pre-show at 5:00 PM JST), drawing viewers from every corner of the globe. The livestream included options for English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi dubs—a first for the awards.