Anime Awards 2023 name Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as Anime of the Year

Crunchyroll has announced the winners of the 2023 Anime Awards, which honor the anime’s best shows, voice actors, animators, and creators of the past year. Taking home the top prize: Studio Trigger, CD Projekt, and Netflix’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Created by Rafal Jaki (The Witcher: Ronini) and directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, of Gurren Lagann and Promare fame, the Cyberpunk 2077 spinoff broke out last fall as one of Netflix’s most impressive originals. Zach Aguilar also won Best Voice Acting Performance for his work as David on the show.

In Polygon’s review of the season 1 of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, we wrote that the series was “easily the most exciting thing to come out of the game’s redemption arc. Even if it’s hard not to wish that Imaishi and co. had a little more room to expand their take on this world, Edgerunners feels exciting and new enough as it pushes the boundaries of its exciting and hugely inventive visual representation of in-game concepts.”

Surprisingly, Edgerunners did not take both Anime of the Year and the show’s Best New Anime award. The latter went to Spy x Family, an obvious favorite that bested Call of the Night, Lycoris Recoil, My Dress-Up Darling, Ya Boy Kongming!. Last year’s Best Anime Winner, Attack on Titan, came up short on the major awards with Part 2, but snuck into several smaller categories, including Best Drama.

Here’s a complete rundown on the 2023 Anime Awards winners:

Anime Awards 2023 winners — the full list

Anime of the Year

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Best Action

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc

Best Animation

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc

Best Anime Song

“The Rumbling,” SiM, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2

Best Character Design

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc

Best Comedy

SPY x FAMILY

Image: Wit Studio/CloverWorks

Best Continuing Series

One Piece

Best Director

Haruo Sotozaki, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc

Best Drama

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2

Best Ending Sequence

“Comedy,” Gen Hoshino, Spy x Family

Best Fantasy

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc

Best Film

JUJUTSU KAISEN 0

Best Main Character

Eren Jaeger, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2

Best New Series

SPY x FAMILY

Best Opening Sequence

“The Rumbling,” SiM, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2

Best Original Anime

Lycoris Recoil

Best Romance

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War -Ultra Romantic-

Best Score

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2

Best Supporting Character

Anya Forger, SPY x FAMILY

Best Voice Artist Performance (English)

Zach Aguilar, David, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese)

Yuki Kaji, Eren Jaeger, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2