Phil Roberts 
Global icon and long-time anime fan The Weeknd will appear at the landmark tenth iteration of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards as a guest host!
Look out, Crunchyroll fans, because pop mega star The Weeknd has officially signed on to host the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The multi-platinum musical artist and life-long anime fan will be presenting the award for “Anime of the Year” at this year’s Awards, joining a star-studded roster of celebrity anime fans including RZA and Winston Duke.
The prestigious awards, celebrating the very best of anime, will be taking place on Saturday, 23rd May 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. To explore the full lineup of nominees and contenders, check out our report here.
ANIME OF THE YEAR
The Weeknd recently spoke to Crunchyroll about his love of anime and shared his excitement about hosting the event.
“When I was first introduced to anime, I was a child. Sailor Moon was one of my first crushes, Goku my first imaginary sparring partner, and “One More Time” by Daft Punk was a song and music video I couldn’t get out of my head.
But it wasn’t until my teenage years that one specific anime changed me forever and became part of the fabric of my early career: Samurai Champloo by Shinichirō Watanabe. It was the first time I experienced two of my favorite mediums—anime and hip hop—blending so seamlessly that it completely reshaped the way I watched film and listened to music.
The fusion of a samurai story told with auteur precision, paired with the sounds of Nujabes, Fat Jon, and Force of Nature was nothing short of transformative.
That influence stayed with me all the way through the creation of House of Balloons, where I wrote “The Morning,” “Glass Table Girls,” and “Loft Music” over Nujabes’ instrumentals. Without Watanabe and Nujabes, House of Balloons simply wouldn’t exist.
Samurai Champloo opened my eyes to a more mature world of anime and helped shape my visual DNA. The works of Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, and Katsuhiro Otomo became foundational to the look and feel of The Weeknd.
So it’s safe to say I wouldn’t be here without anime. It’s an honor to celebrate the artists behind it and a medium that continues to inspire the world.”
THE AWARDS
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards is the leading yearly awards program honoring the creators, musicians, and performances powering the global love of anime. Sony Music Solutions Inc., part of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Dempsey Productions will support Crunchyroll in the execution of the event. The event will be livestreamed for global audiences.
Fans around the world can cast their votes daily for their favorite anime, helping decide winners across 32 categories—including the Anime of the Year recipient to be presented by The Weeknd. Voting is now open via the Anime Awards Official Website, Crunchyroll, and MyAnimeList, and runs through 16th April at 7:59 AM BST.
More information can be found on the Crunchyroll Anime Awards Official Website and across X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Will you be tuning in for the awards? Drop a comment in the chat below.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
