Cyberpunk: Edgerunners pulled out a surprise win over Spy x Family, Demon Slayer, and Attack on Titan to claim Anime of the Year Grand Winner honors at the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The popular anime series, which streams on Netflix, also took home Best Voice Artist for its English dub.
Spy x Family, Demon Slayer, and Attack on Titan didn’t go away emptyhanded, as they all tied with six wins each. While it seemed one of the trio was destined to win Anime of the Year, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners came out of nowhere for the win.
The Polish-Japanese sci-fi anime is about a dystopian world full of crime and corruption. After protagonist David Martinez loses his mother to a drive-by shooting, he asks to be implanted with her military-grade Sandevistan spine implant. The cybernetic implant gives David superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes. He decides to use his new abilities to become a black-market mercenary, otherwise known as a Cyberpunk Edgerunner.
Spy x Family received awards for Best New Series, Best Supporting Character and Best Comedy. In a new category, “Must Protect at all Costs” Character, Spy x Family’s Anya Forger was the clear winner.
Demon Slayer, the dark fantasy about a young man who becomes a demon slayer to avenge the deaths of his family and try to find a cure for his sister, who was turned into a vampire, took home several awards, including Best Director, Best Character Design, and Best Animation.
Attack on Titan, the dark fantasy about the last remaining humans fighting for survival from giant, man-eating creatures called Titans, received awards for Best Main Character, Best Drama, and Best Score, among others. The hit anime series caused mass panic March 3 when the anime failed to appear on Crunchyroll.
The awards ceremony took place in Japan for the first time as the seventh annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards streamed live on Crunchyroll, YouTube, and Twitch. Fifty different anime and 30 animation studios were nominated for awards, with more than 18 million fans around the world casting their votes. Fan selections were then combined with judges’ scores to determine the winner in each category. The live ceremony included appearances and presentations by actors, musicians and entertainers from around the world, including famed director Robert Rodriguez, Cobra Kai star Jacob Bertrand, Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, and WWE wrestler Zelina Vega, among others.
A video of the live stream can be viewed on Crunchyroll. The complete list of winners can be found at Crunchyroll or listed below.
- Anime of the Year: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Best Film: Jujutsu Kaisen 0
- Best Director: Haruo Sotozaki, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Best Main Character: Eren Jaeger, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Best Supporting Character: Anya Forger, Spy x Family
- Best Original Anime: Lycoris Recoil
- Best Character Design: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Best Animation: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Best New Series: Spy x Family
- Best Continuing Series: One Piece
- Best Opening Sequence: “The Rumbling,” Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Best Ending Sequence: “Comedy,” Spy x Family
- Best Score: Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Best Anime Song: “The Rumbling,” Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- “Must Protect at all Costs” Character: Anya Forger, Spy x Family
- Best Action: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Best Comedy: Spy x Family
- Best Drama: Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Best Fantasy: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc
- Best Romance: Kaguya-Sama: Love is War – Ultra Romantic –
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese): Yuki Kaji as Eren Jaeger, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2
- Best Voice Artist Performance (English): Zach Aguilar as David Martinez, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Castilian): Jaime Perez de Sevilla as Yuta Okkotsu, Jujutsu Kaisen 0
- Best Voice Artist Performance (French): Brigitte Lecordier as Boji, Ranking of Kings
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Portuguese): Nina Carvalho as Anya Forger, Spy x Family
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Spanish): Alejandro Orozco as Gyutaro, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yiaba Entertainment District Arc
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Arabic): Amal Hawija as Gon Freecss, Hunter x Hunter
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Italian): Elisa Giorgio as Maki Zen’in, Jujutsu Kaisen
