‘Attack On Titan’ should have been nominated for Anime of the Year and I’ll die on that hill

Between the Bleach and Vinland Saga snubs, the anime community was in a justified uproar. However, the Anime of the Year award, the most anticipated award of the night, didn’t interest me because the near-perfect Attack On Titan didn’t even make the cut. 

To put it mildly, Attack On Titan had an explosive year in 2023, finally concluding the highly acclaimed series after over 10 years. But the penultimate offering might have been arguably the most emotionally gripping moment in anime history. So why wasn’t it even a contender for the award? Crunchyroll, you will pay for these crimes! 

Why AOT Deserved an Anime of the Year Nomination

Two words: The Rumbling.

Attack on Titan has been a global phenomenon since its first season, but the twists and turns that led up to The Rumbling were the most satisfying. The plot only seemed to get more complex and mysterious with every new season, and every answer unveiled only led to a new question. The Final Season: Special 1 begins with The Rumbling, the highly anticipated catastrophic march of Colossal Titans on Marley, led by Eren, and covers how the characters rally together to stop him.

This special episode was perfect for many reasons. It brought us back to Eren’s point of view, showing us how he justified his actions to himself and how he had been grappling with the reality of his fate since he arrived in Marley. MAPPA also spared no details in depicting the devastation of The Rumbling, in a sequence that was quite difficult to watch, despite Attack on Titan’s reputation for gruesome scenes. Moreover, the special also had an emotional core, loaded with scenes like Armin and Annie’s heartfelt conversation, and Hange’s heart-wrenching send-off. 

Altogether, all the themes of AOT were laid bare, and we saw the characters at their most vulnerable. Attack on Titan has been a colossal anime for a decade (pun intended), so a snub in the most recognized category seems quite dismissing of a decade’s worth of excellence. There is no doubt that this finale was more than award-worthy, and deserved to be recognized as such. 

Did AOT get any nominations?

Fortunately, Attack on Titan wasn’t totally snubbed by the Crunchyroll Awards. Although the second part of the final episode wasn’t eligible for nominations due to its late release date of November, The Final Season, The Final Chapters: Special 1 received multiple nominations. Here are the categories that AOT received nominations in:

• Best Animation 

• Best Continuing Series

• Best Director 

• Best Cinematography 

• Best Action 

• Best Drama 

• Best Main Character – Eren Jaeger

• Best Supporting Character – Hange Zoe

• Best Score 

• Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese) – Yuki Kaji

Overall, Attack On Titan earned many nominations at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, but that is the precise reason why it deserved to have a spot among the Anime of the Year nominees. Nonetheless, the anime took home the awards for Best Drama and Best Score. Crunchyroll had better come through next year, and reward the fans, crew, cast, and of course, Hajime Isayama, with an Anime of the Year nomination for Attack On Titan at the 2025 Anime Awards.