My Hero Academia enters awards race

Anime awards are usually niche until a giant franchise shows up in the top category. That’s the real news here. Crunchyroll’s 2026 Anime Awards ballot, revealed on April 2, put My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON in the running for Anime of the Year, which turns a familiar fan favorite into one of the headline contenders for the show’s 10th anniversary edition. The ceremony is set for May 23 in Tokyo, and Crunchyroll is clearly trying to make this feel bigger than a normal fandom poll. ### What actually changed? The concrete change is simple — My Hero Academia is officially in the top field now. Crunchyroll’s nominee list names six Anime of the Year contenders: My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON, DAN DA DAN Season 2, Gachiakuta, Takopi’s Original Sin, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, and The Summer Hikaru Died. That moves My Hero Academia from “probably in the conversation” to “formally on the ballot.” (crunchyroll.com) ### Why is that a bigger deal than it sounds? Because My Hero Academia is not some buzzy newcomer trying to break through. It’s one of the biggest shonen brands of the past decade, and “FINAL SEASON” gives the nomination an end-of-an-era charge. Awards voters love that kind of moment — the last lap for a franchise people have lived with for years. Crunchyroll’s own nominee spotlight leans into exactly that framing. (crunchyroll.com) ### Who is it up against? This is not a soft field. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 brings prestige and broad critical heat. DAN DA DAN Season 2 has huge momentum with younger online fans. Takopi’s Original Sin and The Summer Hikaru Died give the category darker, more auteur-ish alternatives. Gachiakuta adds another high-energy action rival. Basically, My Hero Academia is entering a category that mixes blockbuster familiarity with fresher critical darlings. (crunchyroll.com) ### Why are RZA and Winston Duke in this story? Because Crunchyroll wants the awards to read as mainstream entertainment, not just an internal anime industry event. The company announced that RZA and Winston Duke would join the live show lineup when voting opened, and later added that The Weeknd will present the Anime of the Year award itself. That celebrity packaging changes the feel of the whole thing — more global showcase, less clubhouse ceremony. (crunchyroll.com) ### Is this still just a fan vote? Not exactly. Fans still matter a lot, but Crunchyroll widened the funnel this year by opening voting not only on its own Anime Awards site and Crunchyroll, but also for the first time on MyAnimeList. That matters because it pulls in another giant anime community and makes the result look less sealed inside one platform’s user base. (crunchyroll.com) ### When do we actually find out? The winners are scheduled to be revealed during the live May 23, 2026 ceremony in Tokyo at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa, and Crunchyroll says the event will stream live. So this is no longer just nominee-season chatter — there’s a near-term finish line. ### What’s the real stakes here? (crunchyroll.com) For My Hero Academia, a win would be a neat capstone for one of anime’s defining recent franchises. For Crunchyroll, the bigger prize is proving its Anime Awards can function like a global pop-culture event. A heavyweight nominee helps. Celebrity presenters help. Cross-platform voting helps. Put together, this looks like Crunchyroll trying to turn anime awards season into something closer to a worldwide entertainment moment. (crunchyroll.com) ### Bottom line? My Hero Academia didn’t just get nominated. It got pulled into the center of Crunchyroll’s biggest annual stage — and that says as much about the awards’ ambitions as it does about the show. (crunchyroll.com)