Winners of the 12th Anime Trending Awards

By

Isabelle Lee

–

March 22, 2026

As we celebrate the 12th year of the Anime Trending Awards, 2025 was another remarkable year for anime, filled with stories and characters that resonated deeply with fans worldwide. This year’s 12th Anime Trending Awards highlight a diverse lineup of nominees across approximately 30 categories, including major award categories such as Anime of the Year, Girl of the Year, and Best Theme Songs of the Year. The winners for each category are featured below, and you can view the complete results on the main Anime Trending Awards page.

Watch the video to see the reveal of the winners and top results below:

Top Anime Awards

• Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Umamusume: Cinderella Gray
      • 2nd: The Apothecary Diaries S2
      • 3rd: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- S3: Counterattack Arc

• Anime Movie of the Year

• • • 1st: Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era
    • 2nd: Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
    • 3rd: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

Character Awards

• Boy of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Jinshi
      • 2nd: Ken Takakura
      • 3rd: Izuku Midoriya

• Girl of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Oguri Cap
      • 2nd: Maomao
      • 3rd: Marin Kitagawa

• Couple or Ship of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Rintaro x Kaoruko
      • 2nd: Jinshi x Maomao
      • 3rd: Ken x Momo

• Supporting Boy of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Jo Kitahara
      • 2nd: Gaoshun
      • 3rd: Jin Enjoji

• Supporting Girl of the Year

• • • 1st: Belno Light
    • 2nd: Shisui
    • 3rd: Tamamo Cross

Theme Song Awards

• Opening Song of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: “Mirage” by Creepy Nuts (Call of the Night Season 2)
      • 2nd: “Watch me!” by YOASOBI (WITCH WATCH)
      • 3rd: “MAGIC” by Ado (Cat’s Eye)

• Ending Song of the Year

• • • 1st: “Kawaii Kaiwai” by PiKi (My Dress-Up Darling Season 2)
    • 2nd: “∞ (mugen)” by Tomoyo Takayanagi (Umamusume: Cinderella Gray)
    • 3rd: “Shiawase no Recipe” by Dai Hirai (The Apothecary Diaries Season 2)

Aspect Awards

• Best in Adapted Screenplay

1. 1. • 1st: Umamusume: Cinderella Gray
      • 2nd: The Apothecary Diaries S2
      • 3rd: Takopi’s Original Sin

• Best in Animation

1. 1. • 1st: Umamusume: Cinderella Gray
      • 2nd: My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
      • 3rd: GACHIAKUTA

• Best in Character Design

1. 1. • 1st: Umamusume: Cinderella Gray
      • 2nd: The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
      • 3rd: My Dress-Up Darling S2

• Best in Episode Directing and Storyboard

1. 1. • 1st: “To You in 2016” — Takopi’s Original Sin Ep1
      • 2nd: “Wakana Gojo, 15 Years Old, Teenager” — My Dress-Up Darling S2 EP1
      • 3rd: “The Shrine of Choosing” — The Apothecary Diaries S2 EP8

• Best in Original Screenplay

1. 1. • 1st: ZENSHU
      • 2nd: APOCALYPSE HOTEL
      • 3rd: New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT

• Best in Sceneries and Visuals

1. 1. • 1st: The Apothecary Diaries S2
      • 2nd: The Summer Hikaru Died
      • 3rd: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun S2

• Best in Soundtrack

1. 1. • 1st: The Apothecary Diaries S2
      • 2nd: Umamusume: Cinderella Gray
      • 3rd: Call of the Night S2

• Best in Voice Cast

1. • 1st: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- S3: Counterattack Arc
   • 2nd: My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
   • 3rd: My Dress-Up Darling S2

Genre Awards

• Action or Adventure Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
      • 2nd: DAN DA DAN S2
      • 3rd: GACHIAKUTA

• Comedy Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: SPY x FAMILY S3
      • 2nd: DAN DA DAN S2
      • 3rd: My Dress-Up Darling S2

• Drama Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Takopi’s Original Sin
      • 2nd: The Apothecary Diaries S2
      • 3rd: Umamusume: Cinderella Gray

• Fantasy Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- S3: Counterattack Arc
      • 2nd: Secrets of the Silent Witch
      • 3rd: GACHIAKUTA

• Mystery or Psychological Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: The Apothecary Diaries S2
      • 2nd: Takopi’s Original Sin
      • 3rd: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- S3: Counterattack Arc

• Music Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
      • 2nd: Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – 
      • 3rd: Maebashi Witches

• Romance Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
      • 2nd: My Dress-Up Darling S2
      • 3rd: Blue Box

• Sci-Fi or Mecha Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE
      • 2nd: DAN DA DAN S2
      • 3rd: KAIJU No. 8 S2

• Slice-of-Life Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: My Dress-Up Darling S2
      • 2nd: WITCH WATCH
      • 3rd: SPY x FAMILY S3

• Sports Anime of the Year

1. 1. • 1st: Umamusume: Cinderella Gray
      • 2nd: Blue Box
      • 3rd: Medalist

• Supernatural Anime of the Year

• • • 1st: DAN DA DAN S2
    • 2nd: Call of the Night S2
    • 3rd: The Summer Hikaru Died

Voice Acting Awards

• Best Voice Acting Performance — Male

1. 1. • 1st: Takeo Otsuka (Jinshi from The Apothecary Diaries Season 2)
      • 2nd: Tsuda Kenjiro (Nowak from Orb: On The Movements of the Earth)
      • 3rd: Chiaki Kobayashi (Yoshiki Tsujinaka from The Summer Hikaru Died)

• Best Voice Acting Performance — Female

• • • 1st: Aoi Yuki (Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries Season 2)
    • 2nd: Takayanagi Tomoyo (Umamusume: Cinderella Gray)
    • 3rd: Suguta Hina (My Dress-Up Darling S2)