The 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards is set to be the biggest yet, with a record-breaking 51 million votes cast by fans worldwide — a nearly 50% increase from last year’s 34 million. As excitement builds, Crunchyroll has revealed an impressive line-up of musical performances and celebrity presenters for this year’s ceremony, which will be held on 25 May in Tokyo.
Japanese music stars to take the stage
This year’s musical acts reflect anime’s growing global popularity. Headlining the event are some of Japan’s most recognised performers in the anime scene.
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts, who are nominated for the 2025 Anime Awards, will perform their viral hits “Otonoke” and “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”, known as the opening themes for Dan Da Dan and Mashle: Magic and Muscles. The duo has gained a huge following both in Japan and abroad.
Legendary rock band FLOW will also appear, delivering a special performance of “DAYS” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Eureka Seven. FLOW is well known for its contributions to anime soundtracks, including themes for Naruto and Code Geass.
Joining the line-up is LiSA, one of Japan’s most internationally streamed artists. She rose to fame with “Gurenge”, the widely recognised opening theme for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Her return to the Anime Awards promises to be a highlight of the evening.
Celebrity presenters add global appeal
Alongside the musical performances, Crunchyroll has confirmed several high-profile presenters who will join the live ceremony and pre-show.
Among them is Colombian music icon and anime collaborator J Balvin, bringing star power and global flair to the event. He will be joined by Kacey Musgraves, a GRAMMY Award-winning singer and songwriter known for her storytelling through music. Also presenting is screenwriter Zak Penn, whose work includes major titles in the sci-fi and action genres.
The ceremony will be hosted by voice actress Sally Amaki and popular Japanese broadcaster Jon Kabira. Their presence will guide fans through the evening’s highlights as the awards celebrate the best in anime from the past year.
Global livestream and multilingual accessibility
The 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards will be livestreamed globally from the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo. The pre-show begins at 5:00 PM JST, followed by the main ceremony at 6:00 PM JST. Audiences can watch the event live on Crunchyroll’s Twitch and YouTube channels, SONY PICTURES CORE, and the Sony Group Corp Global YouTube channel.
To reach fans worldwide, the livestream will be available in nine languages: English, Arabic, Brazilian-Portuguese, Castilian-Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Italian, and Latin-American Spanish.
Now in its ninth year, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards celebrates the creators, musicians, and performers behind the most beloved anime titles globally. The event is supported by Sony Music Solutions Inc., part of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Dempsey Productions.
