Jujutsu Kaisen Takes Home Anime of the Year for the 2021 Crunchyroll Awards

Considering all that happened in 2020, it seems like a miracle that as many quality anime shows came out as they did. It’s especially baffling how series continued to come out at the start of the pandemic when Japan — and the world at large — was still grappling with a rapidly changing work infrastructure. It’s perhaps because of that struggle that it’s even more important this year to recognize those efforts than previous years and the fifth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards which was held on February 19th.

15 million votes were cast globally across 18 different categories to help determine this year’s winner alongside a panel of judges. MAPPA Studio’s Jujutsu Kaisen walked away with the vaunted “Anime of the Year” award. It also won the most awards of any other show in the ceremony and is one of our own favorite shows of last year as well. Other noteworthy winners include Kaguya-sama: Love is War? winning “Best Comedy” and Fruits Basket Season 2 winning “Best Drama.” Perhaps the most appropriate award of the night is Masaaki Yuasa winning “Best Director” for his work on Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! — a show about being an anime director.

The full list of winners can be found below.

Anime of the Year – JUJUTSU KAISEN

Best Animation – Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Best Fantasy – Re:ZERO -Starting Life In Another World- (Season 2)

Best Drama – Fruits Basket (Season 2)

Best Comedy – Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?

Best Girl – Kaguya Shinomiya, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?

Best Boy – Shoyo Hinata, HAIKYU!! TO THE TOP

Best Protagonist – Catarina Claes, My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!

Best Antagonist – Ryomen Sukuna, JUJUTSU KAISEN

Best Fight Scene – Deku Vs. Overhaul, My Hero Academia Season 4

Best Score – Kevin Penkin, Tower Of God

Best Director – Masaaki Yuasa, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Best Character Design – Mayuka Ito, Original Designs By Aidairo, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun

Best Couple – Nasa Yuzaki & Tsukasa Yuzaki, TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You

Best VA Performance (JP) – Yusuke Kobayashi As Natsuki Subaru, Re:ZERO -Starting Life In Another World- (Season 2)

Best VA Performance (EN) – Zeno Robinson As Hawks, My Hero Academia Season 4

Best Opening Sequence (OP) – Wild Side (ALI), BEASTARS

Best Ending Sequence (ED) – LOST IN PARADISE (ALI feat. AKLO), JUJUTSU KAISEN