2025 was a year filled with a wide variety of anime. However, there is no doubt that many eyes were on the second season of Solo Leveling. Airing in Winter 2026, the second season of the anime carried a momentum that no one could match. During its run, Solo Leveling continued to break multiple records, even surpassing One Piece on Crunchyroll’s highest-rated anime list.
This season was also responsible for pushing the first season of the anime to win Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Awards. While Solo Leveling Season 2 is definitely one of the standout releases, many other anime were released with similar levels of hype. In particular, three anime stand out in this regard, and they have a strong chance of securing Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year over Solo Leveling Season 2.
3) Gachiakuta
Image courtesy of Studio Bones
Gachiakuta, adapted by Bones Film, was one of the highly anticipated releases of last year, and with 24 episodes, the series continued to establish itself as one of the best shonen anime released in the past few years. With its dark and unconventional tropes, Gachiakuta stood out as the perfect new-gen shonen anime that everyone should be watching.
From its protagonist walking a dark path of revenge to the series defying shonen tropes with its other characters as well, the anime continued to keep fans entertained throughout its run. For its unconventional elements, Gachiakuta deserves the Anime of the Year award much more than Solo Leveling Season 2. While it may not win the Anime of the Year award, it will definitely win Best New Anime of the Year.
2) Takopi’s Original Sin
Image Courtesy of Studio Enishiya
If shock is going to be one of the major factors in determining Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year, then no series deserves it more than Takopi’s Original Sin. With its short run of merely six episodes, it managed to send shockwaves throughout the anime community, which fans received very well. There is not a single bad episode in the anime, as evidenced by how fans rated each episode above a 9 on IMDb.
The series was able to achieve this by tackling heavy themes that feel too real to be dismissed as a fictional narrative. With a cute alien at the center mirroring the emotional growth of a human from infancy, it presents a striking narrative about how humans are shaped by emotions. For these reasons, Takopi’s Original Sin has a strong chance of beating Solo Leveling Season 2 for Anime of the Year. Even if it does not win that award, there is no denying that other awards, such as Darkest Anime, Best Short Series, and several others, could easily be within its reach.
1) My Hero Academia Final Season
Courtesy of TOHO Animation
Since popularity is a major factor in Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year award, My Hero Academia‘s final season has already beaten Solo Leveling Season 2 in many ways. The final season of My Hero Academia became the first normal-length anime to achieve above a 9 rating for each of its episodes on IMDb, which feels like a gift from fans to this beloved shonen series.
However, it isn’t only the emotional factor that the final season of My Hero Academia has going for it. Much of the credit should go to Bones Film for its stellar work on the season. My Hero Academia‘s final season was truly one of the biggest releases in the anime industry, as it wrapped up a ten-year legacy of the anime, something not many series will be able to do in the future. To celebrate such a milestone, fans crowning it as Anime of the Year would be well deserved.
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