Solo Leveling NOT Anime of the Year: 2025 Anime Trending Awards winners out

Neither Solo Leveling nor Dandadan were able to secure the Anime of the Year title at the 11th Anime Trending Awards on March 9, 2025.

Fan-favourite shows Solo Leveling and Dandadan were nominated for the Anime of the Year trophy at the 11th Anime Trending Awards. However, neither took the winning glory home. Which show did? The epic adventure fantasy Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Thanks to 10,280 votes from the fans, the series came out on, defeating its closest competitor, The Dangers in My Heart Season 2, which garnered 10,098 votes.

Solo Leveling relinquishes Anime of the Year title to Frieren to the 11th Anime Trending Awards on March 9, 2025. (A-1 Pictures, MADHOUSE)

Solo Leveling not even in the final Top 10 nominees

Of the 17 shows nominated for the biggest award of the day, Frieren, The Dangers in My Heart Season 2, Dandadan, Makein, The Apothecary Diaries, Girls Band Cry, Re:ZERO Season 3, Days With My Stepsister, 7th Time Loop, and Oshi No Ko Season 2 ended in the Top 10 race, according to final votes. While Solo Leveling didn't even make it to the Top 10 table, Dandadan finished third with 9,749 votes.

Spy x Family: Code White wins Anime Movie of the Year

Opposite Frieren's Anime of the Year win, Spy x Family: Code White matched the main character energy by being crowned the Anime Movie of the Year, receiving 17,176 votes. Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning film The Boy and the Heron was placed second with 16,187 votes. Other film nominees, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid, Gridman Universe, The First Slam Dunk and Blue Giant, followed the leading duo in the final Top 6 roster.

Frieren vs Dandadan at 11th Anime Trending Awards

Winning announcements for the 2025 Anime Trending Awards rolled out on Sunday, March 9. The first season of Frieren also ended up snagging victories in the following categories: Best in Adapted Screenplay, Best in Sceneries and Visuals, Action/Adventure Anime of the Year, and Fantasy Anime of the Year.

Meanwhile, Dandadan managed to beat the powerhouse title in the following Aspect Awards sub-categories: Best in Animation and Best in Soundtrack. Moreover, the beloved supernatural action-comedy had the Opening Theme Song of the Year win in the bag. The Science SARU production also ended on top as the Supernatural Anime of the Year. Natsuki Hanae, the voice actor who brings Dandadan's protagonist Ken Takakura, aka Okarun, to life, led the Best Voice Acting Performance by a Male category.

Here are the winners of this year's Anime Trending Awards.

2025 Anime Trending Awards winners full list

Top Anime Awards

Anime of the Year: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Anime of the Year: Spy x Family: Code White

Character Awards

Boy of the Year: Kyotaro Ichikawa (The Dangers in My Heart S2)

Girl of the Year: Kana Arima (Oshi No Ko Season 2)

Supporting Boy of the Year: Himmel (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End)

Supporting Girl of the Year: Yuki Suou (Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian)

Couple Ship of the Year: Kyotaro x Anna (The Dangers in My Heart S2)

Aspect Awards

Best in Adapted Screenplay: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Tomohiro Suzuki)

Best in Animation: Dandadan (Koji Haneda, Naoyuki Onda)

Best in Character Design: The Apothecary Diaries (Yukiko Nakatani)

Best in Episode Directing and Storyboard: "Stepsister and Diary" - Days with my Stepsister EP9 [Souta Ueno (Episode Direction and Storyboard), Mitsuki Kobayashi (Episode Direction)]

Best in Original Screenplay: Girls Band Cry (Jukki Hanada)

Best in Sceneries and Visuals: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End [Sawako Takagi (Art Director), Akane Fushihara (Director of Photography), Harue Ono (Color Design)]

Best in Soundtrack: Dandadan (Kensuke Ushio)

Best in Voice Cast: The Dangers in My Heart S2 (Core Cast: Megumi Han, Shun Horie, Gen Satou, Yukari Tamura, Aki Toyosaki, Hina Youmiya)

Theme Song Awards

Opening Theme Song of the Year: “Otonoke” from Dandadan (Creepy Nuts)

Ending Theme Song of the Year: “Burning” from Oshi No Ko Season 2 (Hitsujibungaku)

Genre Awards

Action/Adventure Anime of the Year: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (MADHOUSE)

Comedy Anime of the Year: Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines (A-1 Pictures)

Drama Anime of the Year: Oshi No Ko Season 2 (Doga Kobo)

Fantasy Anime of the Year: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Mystery/Psychological Anime of the Year: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- S3 (White Fox)

Romance Anime of the Year: The Dangers in My Heart S2 (Shin-Ei Animation)

SciFi/Mecha Anime of the Year: Kaiju No 8 (Production IG)

Slice of Life Anime of the Year: Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Supernatural Anime of the Year: Dandadan (Science SARU)

Romance Anime of the Year: The Dangers in My Heart S2 (Kinema Citrus)

Voice Acting Awards

Best Voice Acting Performance by a Male: Natsuki Hanae as Ken Takakura (DAN DA DAN)

Best Voice Acting Performance by a Female: Hikaur Toono as Anna Yanami (Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines)