Everything You Need to Know About the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2026: Start Time, Venue, and How to Watch Live

Crunchyroll is dusting off the orange carpet again. The 2026 Anime Awards are back, bigger, louder, and very much aiming to be the anime industry’s Super Bowl. If you care about who actually wins, or you just want the live performances and surprise reveals, here’s the what/when/where so you don’t miss it.

When it’s happening (and yes, the times are weird depending on where you live)

The 10th Crunchyroll Anime Awards stream live from Tokyo on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

Pre-show starts at 5:00 PM JST, with the main ceremony at 6:00 PM JST.

If you need the conversions: in the UK, the pre-show lands at 9:00 AM and the main event at 10:00 AM. In the US, it’s an early one — main show runs roughly 2:00 AM PT to 5:00 AM ET (pre-show an hour earlier). On Australia ’s east coast, the main ceremony hits around 7:00 PM AEST. Plan caffeine accordingly.

Where to watch

The whole thing will stream worldwide on Crunchyroll’s official channels: YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Expect live winner reveals, celebrity drop-ins, and themed performances. The broadcast is also set to include multilingual support, so international viewers aren’t left guessing.

The venue (and why Crunchyroll keeps picking it)

We’re back in Tokyo at the Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa. It’s a luxury complex of three hotels in Minato’s Takanawa district, designed by architect Togo Murano in 1982. The place routinely hosts big international ceremonies and entertainment events, so yeah — it’s built for this kind of show.

Nomination snapshot (and who’s out in front)

Crunchyroll unveiled the nominees on April 2 during a YouTube livestream. Dandadan came out on top in total nods, with Netflix ’s The Apothecary Diaries right behind, plus big showings for Gachiakuta and My Hero Academia. For extra context: Gachiakuta racked up 16 nominations on its own, which is a monster haul for a breakout.

The Anime of the Year field is stacked this year. Here’s the lineup:

• Dandadan S2
• My Hero Academia S8
• Takopi's Original Sin
• The Summer Hikaru Died
• Gachiakuta
• The Apothecary Diaries S2

Also worth keeping an eye on: Best Continuing Series. It’s unusually competitive, with long-runners like One Piece elbowing newer success stories in the same category. Translation: prepare for some very online arguments when the envelopes open.

Big picture

Crunchyroll is promising a larger-than-ever show — global nominees, live performances, and the kind of category reveals designed to trend in 15 countries at once. With a Tokyo stage, worldwide streams, and a slate of returning favorites facing off against buzzy newcomers, this one is built to be a crowd-pleaser.

I’ll be up for the main show; if you’re in the US, maybe set two alarms. Who’s your pick to take Anime of the Year? Sound off — I’m fully ready to be wrong in the comments.