According to Deadline, Crunchyroll will sponsor the 10th annual Anime Awards for Saturday, May 23, in Tokyo, hosted by Sally Amaki (Let’s Make A Mug Too, World Dai Star) and Jon Kabira (Beauty and the Man, Sakidori) for the fourth straight year. The ceremony will be live streamed worldwide but will need a membership to watch.
Deadline writes that there are 32 categories for anime that include music, animation, story, and many more. All the categories will be disclosed on Thursday, April 2. Fan voting will also start for each anime and group.
The awards ceremony has many musical performances and characters set to appear, according to Deadline, also has many performances for music and characters. This includes Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi (Angel’s Refrain, Living with Joy) leading a tribute to a 1995 anime called Neon Genesis Evangelion, featuring the theme “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” The show will also feature performances by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hirofumi Kurita (Proof of a Hero, Panzerlized) and arranged by Kazunori Miyake (Ima Kaze No Naka De, Madoino Hito toki)
The Pre-show will be hosted by Lauren Moore (Death Battle, Angry Video game Nerd) and Tim Lyu (Bleach)
“For the past decade, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards has been shaped by the fans who show up every year to celebrate the stories and creators they love,” Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini said via Deadline. “What began with a few million votes in 2017 has grown into tens of millions of voices from around the world, reflecting how deeply anime has become part of people’s lives. Returning to Japan is about celebrating where these stories begin and the fans everywhere who make them live far beyond the screen.”
Last year, Deadline reports Solo Leveling as Anime of the Year,”and Attack on Titan won the Inaugural Global Impact Award. This year, the award show is to draw 51 million fans’ votes around the world. 2026 also marks a very special occasion as Demon Slayer had hit theaters, hitting $723.8 million worldwide, and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc got $160.5 million. There is also a really close eye this year on K-pop Demon Hunters, which is the most streamed title this year, inspired by Japanese Animation.