Did Solo Leveling truly deserve to win Anime of the Year at the 2025 Crunchyroll Awards?

We should address the obvious thing that’s happening. Everyone has their own opinions following the concluding of the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, with some loving the results, others confused and some truly upset. With nine victories, Solo Leveling won the night and most impressively, Anime of the Year. But here’s the real question: Did it deserve it?

The Case for Solo Leveling: A Power Fantasy Done Right

There’s no question that Solo Leveling was extremely entertaining. Thanks to stylish animation and Jinwoo’s impressive progress, fans of the original manhwa got all the hype, big action and bold actions they enjoyed. Each fight was well done, the music was exciting and Arist Le did a superb job playing Jinwoo in English. To be honest, was it really the best anime for the year? Perhaps it was all about picking the most appealing or visible candidate?

As Solo Leveling picked up awards, two tremendous pieces of fantasy fiction remained unrecognized.

1. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – An Emotional Masterpiece of its Own

Frieren didn’t just explain storylines it made you relive the passing of time. A touching, deep story about an elf mage dealing with loneliness, it combined thoughtful themes, impressive world imagination and powerful moments. It deserved to win Anime of the Year just as importantly, but it didn’t.

2. Delicious in Dungeon – A Fantasy Unlike Any Other

And then there’s Delicious in Dungeon (Dungeon Meshi), which somehow walked away with NOTHING. This was a flawlessly crafted fantasy adventure equal parts hilarious, heartfelt, and inventive. The world felt alive, the characters were layered, and the cooking-as-survival gimmick was executed brilliantly. Yet, despite being nominated in 16 categories, it got shut out completely.

The Real Problem with crunchyroll awards

This isn’t just about Solo Leveling winning it’s about how these awards are decided.

Popularity Contest Over Merit

1. The fan vote system means hype often beats substance. Solo Leveling had mass appeal, but was it objectively better than Frieren or Dungeon Meshi? Debatable.
2. If awards were truly about artistic achievement, the voting should be split between fans and critics (like the Game Awards).

Terrible Timing

1. The voting happens months after some shows aired, meaning recency bias skews results.
2. Why not hold votes in January, right after the year ends?

All-or-Nothing Voting

1. Fans can only pick one show per category, leading to vote-splitting. A ranked-choice system would be far fairer.

The Takeaway: Hype vs. Artistry - Can Awards Celebrate Both?

Solo Leveling earned its wins with pure spectacle, proving power fantasies still dominate. But when shows like Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon with their rich storytelling and worldbuilding get overshadowed, it shows the awards still favor popularity over prestige. Maybe Crunchyroll will balance the scales next year. Until then? The debate rages on because nothing fuels anime fans like a good controversy.