It’s hard to ignore the roar of the crowd even backstage at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, which is also the show’s 10th iteration and fourth live in Japan, when The Weeknd jumps on stage to present the final award of the night: Anime of the Year. The singer-songwriter did not walk the iconic orange carpet nor did he give any interviews, but he’s made his love for the medium very clear over the years, even meeting up with Yoko Takahashi—who performed the iconic Neon Genesis Evangelion opening theme, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis," to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the iconic series—just a few days prior to presenting the biggest award of the night.

Regardless of how you feel over My Hero Academia: Final Season taking home the win, one thing was very clear throughout the night: anime’s legacy is just getting started.

“I think what's been happening over the last decade and is really sort of amazing is the level of competitive creative storytelling from all the Japanese creative community,” Travis Page, Crunchyroll’s Chief Financial Officer told me the day before the awards. “I think you're seeing that brilliance and those stories are resonating globally in a way that—especially for Gen Z, millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha—they're not getting from other IP.”

Anime has been making its big expansion over the years, especially after gaining traction in the United States in the 1990s. Since then, it’s grown to a phenomenon with the medium growing outside of its own bubble thanks to live-action adaptations (like One Piece) and blockbuster films that have broken box office records time and time again. 2025 film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle became the highest grossing Japanese film of all time.

“Anime met me where I was. Growing up in the Caribbean, we grew up watching a lot of kung-fu movies and being action-oriented,” actor Winston Duke said on the orange carpet of the awards. “The first anime that I saw in the United States growing up was Dragon Ball Z and that got me into it. I also found animes that made me question reality and question my perspective. It keeps meeting me where I am.”

Alongside Winston and The Weeknd, other presenters of the night included Cosmopolitan cover girl Young Miko, Australian singer Hannah Bahng, and K-Pop stars TEN and BamBam.

Many years ago, it felt like anime was a niche fandom, with only a small group of people who were willing to admit that they liked it and followed along with its stories Now, some of the biggest superstars in the world were admitting how much they loved it and how it impacted them in their careers.

“I think anime is so colorful, and it is such a vast world that is just endless inspiration and endless creativity, no matter what turn or what category you fall into,” Young Miko told us on the carpet, “Anytime I am feeling like I need more inspiration or I need a little bit of more color in my life, I always turn to anime.”

It’s clear that the awards have also expanded in their impact on the industry. After attending the 2023 edition of the awards—the first to take place in-person in Tokyo, Japan—it felt like many of those who were nominated didn’t think it was a big deal or were confused by what kind of ceremony it was. Now the carpet was filled with gorgeous gowns and suits as they cheered for their wins and continued their excitement in the winner’s room.

It was important for the show to give back to the legacy of the medium as they celebrated their 10th anniversary.

“You can't point at most of the anime today without seeing the influences of the anime of the past,” Travis noted. “Whether it's a pose or an action scene that an anime fan will immediately recognize and say, That came from Akira or That came from Dragon Ball, and it shows up in Solo Leveling.”

“What's really key is the quality of the contents being created 30 years ago, 40 years ago, still play so well today,” Mitchel Berger, EVP, Global Commerce at Crunchyroll added. “They seem contemporary and meaningful, and people can enjoy them, and that's part of the reason why you're able to celebrate that legacy, because it feels just as fresh as the day when it first came out.”

It was very prevalent in the beginning of the show, which featured the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra playing a special medley featuring all the previous winners of Anime of the Year. The special performance ended with Dean Fujioka singing “History Maker,” the opening theme song to the first winner in the category, Yuri on Ice.

The figure skating anime, which gained a major fandom, particularly among women, follows two male characters who start a relationship with one another, something still so rare in anime.

“When we think about the anime shows we're green lighting or acquiring, we think about that audience a lot in terms of making sure that it's those stories that resonate with the female audience are in our slate and that we have enough of them,” Page noted.

And it showed even amongst this year’s nominees, which is determined by a panel of judges before voting is open to fans across the world. The Apothecary Diaries, whose fandom tends to skew more female, took home multiple awards including Best Drama. The Rose of Versailles, a romance Shōjo (a category of anime that is aimed mostly at young women) film was nominated for Film of the Year. And it’s growing, with Crunchyroll reporting in a survey from the National Research Group that, “girls make up 44% of teen anime fans,” showing that it’s just starting to grow.

While journalists catch the show from the press room, me and a couple of lucky folks were able to be in the room for the emotional tribute to the former winners that made several attendees in the room shed some tears.

“Every one of us is a History Maker. I want everyone to remember that we're here for a cause, for a meaning,” Dean revealed before his big performance.

As anime continues to grow in fandom—Crunchyroll reported to be at 21 million subscribers right before the start of the awards, adding 4 million since 2025—they team is hoping that it continues to give back to the community and those who bring these stories to life.

“When you look at how the Anime Awards have evolved over the last 10 years, you know, it started from very humble beginnings. As this medium continues to grow and becomes much more mainstream—even than it is today and this next generation kind of embraces it—I hope for them to see it celebrated on the screen, and to see that the creators honored,” Berger said. “It feeds the creative passion, it feeds the fan passion and that connection between creator and fan is what we're all about here.”