🎥 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards: Who Won, Why It’s a Big Deal, and What You Should Actually Care About

The 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards just dropped, and “I Level Up Alone” swept the stage. But why should Gen Z care? Here’s the full breakdown—no gatekeeping, all vibes.

BackZee
June 2, 2025
4 min read

Picture this: You just sat down to chill after a brutal midterm, opened TikTok, and BOOM — everyone’s losing their minds because “I Level Up Alone” just took home Animation of the Year.

If you’ve been sleeping on what anime has been running 2025, wake up babe, the culture shifted.

Let’s break it down—real talk, no gatekeeping.

🧠 But First, What’s Crunchyroll & Why Should You Care?

Crunchyroll = basically the Spotify of anime.

100+ million members globally.
Streams over 1,000 anime shows, 200+ East Asian dramas, and even manga.
HQ in California, anime heart in Tokyo.
Been running the Crunchyroll Anime Awards for 20+ years (so yeah, this ain’t their first rodeo).

This award show is like the Grammys for weebs, but cooler, less out of touch, and the results actually make sense.

🏆 BIGGEST WINNER = “I Level Up Alone” (aka Solo Leveling)

Let’s not play — Solo Leveling dominated this year like a boss fight you barely survive. It’s based on a South Korean webtoon that blew up faster than your fave creator’s cancel/redeem arc.

✨ Awards it snatched:

Animation of the Year
Best New Series
Best Action Anime
Best Original Score (soundtrack hits like your sad playlist)
Best Ending Song

🕹️ Vibes?

Think: What if Elden Ring, Sword Art Online, and your burnout hustle merged into one overpowered main character glow-up?

💬 If your life ever felt like grinding XP alone while everyone else is already winning… this is your show.

💥 Other Shows Gen Z Needs to Know About:

🔥 Best Sequel: Demon Slayer: Pillar Training Arc

Still emotional damage. Still top-tier animation. Still making people cry at 3 a.m.

🎥 Best Animated Movie: Looking Back

Ghibli-level nostalgia, but it hits different when you’re the anxious adult now.

🎬 Best Director: Keiichiro Saito for The Burial of Frieren

This one’s deep. Like crying quietly on the subway deep.

😈 Best Villain: Ryomen Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen

If ✨ toxic masculinity ✨ had a cursed energy form, it’s him.

🛡️ Character Gen Z Wants to Protect at All Costs:

Anya Forger (SPY x FAMILY)
Smol chaos. Psychic queen. Must protect. Period.

🎶 Anime Soundtracks = Study Vibes ✅

Best Opening Song: “Otonoke” from The Daring Party → put it on your “Main Character Energy” playlist.
Best Ending Song: “Requeste” from I Level Up Alone → cry, heal, repeat.

If your Spotify Wrapped doesn’t have anime openings… are you really grinding in silence?

😳 OK BUT WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER?

Let’s be clear:
Anime isn’t “cartoons for kids.”

It’s relatable mental health dumps, found family tropes, and high-key social commentary — but wrapped in sword fights, chaotic side characters, and banger theme songs.

Here’s what Gen Z really vibes with:

Solo Leveling = late capitalism burnout meets video game escapism.
Frieren = what happens when your friend group breaks up but you keep living.
Jujutsu Kaisen = the cost of being the “strong one” when no one checks if you’re okay.

🔍 Slept-On Winners That Deserve Your Attention:

🥹 Box of Youth (Best Romance) — kinda like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but make it anime.

💪 Mashle (Best Comedy) — what if Harry Potter solved problems with gym gains instead of spells?

🔄 Re:Zero Season 3 (Best Isekai) — anxiety loops, but you respawn.

🌎 Anime = Global Now. Not Just Japan’s Thing.

Anime isn’t niche anymore. It’s global, streaming in 10+ languages, and being reimagined by Korea, China, and even Hollywood (Scott Pilgrim, anyone?).

You could be in NYC, Toronto, Seoul, or Vancouver — anime is your common language.

📺 OK, WHAT SHOULD I ACTUALLY WATCH?

New to anime? Start here:

✅ SPY x FAMILY (chaotic family, good vibes)
✅ Demon Slayer (10/10 animation, big feelings)
✅ I Level Up Alone (the GOAT of 2025)

Already in deep? Queue these up:

💭 Frieren (existential fantasy)
😂 Mashle (turn brain off, laugh)
💀 Re:Zero (it’ll emotionally wreck you, in a good way)

💡 REAL TALK: Anime = Therapy for the Burnout Generation

When you’re overstimulated, anxious about the planet, and drowning in hustle culture… anime feels like one of the last safe spaces.

It’s where Gen Z finds comfort, rebellion, and deep, messy feels that other media won’t touch.

And unlike life? In anime, your effort actually levels you up.

🎯 TL;DR?

I Level Up Alone dominated 2025.
Demon Slayer, Frieren, and Jujutsu Kaisen are still running the game.
Anime isn’t “just for nerds” anymore — it’s modern mythology for our generation.
Watch, feel, cry, repeat.

Now go queue something up on Crunchyroll. Or pirate it. (Kidding… unless you’re broke. Then, maybe not kidding 🤫).