----- ADS-----
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 took place on May 25th to celebrate the wide array of anime released from October 2023 to December 2024. This lineup included a diverse range of titles, with various categories designed to highlight the many elements that go into making great anime. While fans were excited to see the award reveals, all eyes were undoubtedly on the prestigious “Anime of the Year” category, which aims to define the best of the best from the said period. The nominees in this category were exceptionally strong, making it a surprise when Solo Leveling was announced as the winner.
Unlike many major award shows that select nominees and winners through internal panels, Crunchyroll’s event allows fans to vote for the winners. While this approach appears democratic, it often turns the awards into a popularity contest rather than a true assessment of the category’s criteria, and Solo Leveling‘s win is a testament to that. Though Solo Leveling was an entertaining and unique debut, it didn’t break major records in its first season. In fact, it was the more recent second season that achieved significant milestones, suggesting that many fans may have based their votes on the latest installment rather than the eligible season, and given the timing of the voting, that may very well be the case.
[RELATED: Solo Leveling Star Shares Thoughts on His First Ever Award]
Solo Leveling Won Anime of the Year Prize Thanks to Season 2
The Crunchyroll 2025 Awards were held on May 25th, much later than their usual schedule. Voting for the nominees began on April 3rd, just days after the conclusion of Solo Leveling Season 2. Given the numerous records this season broke, it’s clear that when fans cast their votes for categories featuring Solo Levelingthey were influenced by the impact of the most recent season, even though the awards were meant to evaluate season one. This isn’t meant to diminish the excellent quality of Season 2, but it doesn’t change the fact that fans were voting on the quality of its debut season, which received far less hype by comparison.
It seems likely that the hype surrounding Season 2 propelled Solo Leveling to win nine out of the 13 categories it was nominated for. Otherwise, it’s hard to justify the debut season winning awards like “Best Main Character” and “Best Voice Actor Performance” for Sung Jinwoo in three different languages. This strongly suggests that the anime had global popularity, turning the event into more of a popularity contest, one that Solo Leveling undoubtedly would have dominated if such a category officially existed. Had Season 2 not aired so close to the awards, it’s evident that the next most popular contender, Slugwould likely have taken the win; however, unlike Solo Leveling, Slug delivered on all fronts and would have fully earned the title of “Anime of the Year.” That’s without factoring in other beloved hits of the past year, including the the reigning champion of MyAnimeList’s ranking, Freeze, and Netflix’s runaway success, Delicious in Dungeon.
In a way, it benefits fans of the series that Solo Leveling claimed the award this time due to the momentum of Season 2, as with no Season 3 releasing early next year, the hype will likely subside, and the series may not have this opportunity again. However, it also makes it evident that next year, whichever anime gains the most popularity closest to the awards may win, further underscoring the flaws in Crunchyroll’s award process.
Solo Leveling is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
