The Biggest Snubs of Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026, Ranked

Another year of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards has gone by, and another wave of disappointment has swept through the community. However, this time, the winners aren’t all that far from expectations. Most of them are more or less justified. That said, some anime still got snubbed in certain categories!

Therefore, after carefully going through the full list, we have ranked the 6 biggest snubs of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026, based on their impact. So, without further ado, let’s check them out and see whether you agree.

6 My Hero Academia Final Season Loses Best Action to Solo Leveling Season 2

The sheer scale of each fight in My Hero Academia Final Season was astronomically huge. Studio Bones Film certainly did a phenomenal job with them, and even the narrative weight of the fights was strongly felt, bringing a fitting farewell to the franchise. But Solo Leveling?

It had only one major fight: between Jinwoo and the Ant King. And even that felt extremely one-sided. In terms of action animation, it was nothing more than a bunch of flashy lights. Sure, it was extremely hyped back then, but My Hero Academia should have been the clear winner in this category.

5 Apocalypse Hotel Loses Best Original Anime to Lazarus

We always love to see an original anime, with no source material, pop up out of nowhere and blow our expectations. Well, initially, Lazarus did seem to do so quite well. Directed by none other than Shinichiro Watanabe, the series had a pretty strong start. But the anime’s experimental finale didn’t work out.

On the other hand, we had Apocalypse Hotel that, from start to finish, kept its story intriguing. The setting, atmosphere, animation, everything was top-notch. Though it was niche, those who’ve watched it don’t forget to sing its praises. Thus, it’s unfortunate that Apocalypse Hotel lost the award to Lazarus.

4 Witch Watch Loses Best Comedy to Dandadan Season 2

While Dandadan Season 2 has been extremely enjoyable, one wouldn’t exactly call it a comedy anime. There are surely a few comedic nuances here and there, but not many laugh-out-loud moments. Whereas the nominations for the category did include Witch Watch! Then how could Dandadan possibly win?

Witch Watch offers an urban fantasy setting with seamless comedy that never feels forced. Although comedy is considered subjective, it’s hard not to laugh while watching Witch Watch. The cast, comprising Nico, Morihito, Kanshi, Keigo, and others, is arguably one of the most lovable from last year.

3 Dandadan Season 2 Loses Best Animation to Solo Leveling Season 2

A-1 Pictures must be praised enough for the level of quality they’ve shown in Solo Leveling Season 2. However, did it have better animation compared to the other nominations? Absolutely not. Series like Gachiakuta, My Hero Academia Final Season, and even Takopi’s Original Sin arguably had better animation.

But what should’ve won the category is Dandadan Season 2. Studio Science SARU went above and beyond with their animation game. They are clearly one of the most looked-forward-to studios in the industry now. The Evil Eye and Kaiju arc had such great animation, but Solo Leveling snubbed the award.

2 Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc Loses Best Score to Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle

Kensuke Ushio has constantly been proving that he might be the GOAT of anime scores of the modern generation. His works in A Silent Voice, Dandadan, and Ikoku Nikki have been some of the best this medium has to offer. However, he went one step further with the Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc soundtrack.

Not to say Demon Slayer did not have great soundtracks. Especially the battle OSTs in the Infinity Castle film really stood out. But compared to Kensuke Ushio’s godly creations, especially the pool scene OST in the Reze Arc movie, it should’ve easily earned the Best Score award.

1 100 Meters Loses Film of the Year to Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle

Sports anime might not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, from an unbiased critic’s point of view, Netflix’s 100 Meters movie provided a more gripping storyline within its 1 hour and 46 minute runtime. It isn’t just a movie about sprint racing; it’s an inspiring tale of finding lost passion.

While Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle had a strong foundation from its previous story arcs, and fans were naturally more hyped to see it on the big screen, this wasn’t arguably the series’ best moment. Had Demon Slayer as a franchise not already been so popular, either 100 Meters or Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc could have won the category. Thus, it is easily the biggest snub of this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

Here’s a list of all the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026 winners:

CATEGORYWINNER

Anime of the Year	My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
Film of the Year	Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Best Continuing Series	ONE PIECE
Best New Series	Gachiakuta
Best Original Anime	Lazarus
Best Animation	Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Best Character Design	Gachiakuta
Best Director	Akinori Fudesaka, Norihiro Naganuma (The Apothecary Diaries Season 2)
Best Background Art	Gachiakuta
Best Romance Anime	The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
Best Comedy Anime	DAN DA DAN Season 2
Best Action Anime	Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Best Isekai Anime	Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 3
Best Drama Anime	The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Best Slice of Life Anime	SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Best Main Character	Maomao — The Apothecary Diaries Season 2
Best Supporting Character	Katsuki Bakugo — My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
“Must Protect At All Costs” Character Award	Anya Forger — SPY x FAMILY Season 3
Best Anime Song	“IRIS OUT” — Kenshi Yonezu
Best Anime Score	Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Best Opening Sequence	“On The Way” — AiNA THE END (DAN DA DAN Season 2)
Best Ending Sequence	“I” — BUMP OF CHICKEN (My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON)

My Hero Academia Final Season winning the Anime of the Year award is deserved, given that it was the franchise’s grand conclusion, which was dearly loved by fans. Similarly, The Apothecary Diaries winning Best Drama over Orb also makes sense. In fact, every other winner at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards is within expectations, except for the six snubs we’ve mentioned in the article.

How satisfied are you with this year’s Crunchyroll Anime Awards winner list? Let us know below.