Crunchyroll‘s Anime Awards have become the closest thing the industry has to an Oscars moment, and the Best Anime Movie category in particular has a habit of rewarding risk over safety. Every winner has told a different story about where the medium is heading, from quiet slice-of-life triumphs to action blockbusters that redefined what a theatrical anime release could look like.
Some winners leaned on established franchises riding a wave of momentum, while others won years ago and still maintain their relevance in the industry. These movies can be ranked on the basis of that very factor and by comparing overall quality against each other.
7My Hero Academia: Two Heroes Served Team-Up of the Decade
My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, winner of 2019, takes the bottom spot purely because it doesn’t stand out when compared to the actual anime. While the climax delivers an amazing moment – teaming up All Might and Deku against a common enemy – the journey getting there feels painfully slow.
If you miss out on this movie, it would not even affect the main storyline much. Lacking the high-stakes emotional weight and permanent narrative consequences of later franchise entries, the film relies heavily on familiar tropes and setup. It remains a fun spectacle for die-hard fans, but simply pales in comparison to its titan-level peers.
6Suzume – A Subversion of Shinkai’s Romantic Tropes
Suzume, the latest release by Makoto Shinkai, won in 2024. Among other nominees, it defeated Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King, which was one of the most anticipated movies globally. There are two tropes that Makoto Shinkai loves to follow: romance across space & time, and the depiction of disasters. However, what made this movie special is how the focus was entirely on the disasters.
Suzume is undeniably a visual marvel, but it sits lower on this list because it simply doesn’t match Makoto Shinkai’s finest works, despite being called out for following the same trends as them.
5Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Was Carried by Rengoku
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train was the first movie in the Demon Slayer franchise, which made everyone really excited for this movie. The movie was packed with a single, short, streamlined story that actually served a lot of meaning to the original anime, which makes it rank higher than both My Hero Academia and Suzume.
However, despite all the action and proper storytelling, it too suffered from the fact that it relied heavily on the ending. The fight between Rengoku and Akaza was the highlight of the movie, and everything before that moved painfully slowly. The entire sideplot of Inosuke felt out of place as well, which makes it rank a bit low.
4Jujutsu Kaisen 0 – A Perfect Prequel to a Perfect Anime
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 adapted Volume 0 of the original manga it follows the story of Yuta Okkotsu, who was supposed to be the original protagonist of the franchise. Despite being a franchise film, it stood out by being a prequel, having a new character not seen in the anime yet, and still being insanely relevant to the anime’s story moving forward
It was this movie that sowed the seeds of hype for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, as we knew Yuta Okkotsu himself was returning in it. Furthermore, MAPPA showed what they are truly capable of in this movie, with one action scene after another from start to finish. These factors make it rank higher than Mugen Train.
3Look Back – Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Masterpiece About Art
Look Back won last year’s Best Film award for its constrained yet amazing storytelling within an hour. It is the shortest film in this ranking, and it is also the only film here that is getting a live-action adaptation. The story follows just two characters, never taking its focus off of them, which made 1 hour more than enough to explore their lives.
Furthermore, this movie was filled with amazing cinematography and music that perfectly showed the emotions of the characters on screen. The only reason it doesn’t rank higher is that this movie lacks the grand, apocalyptic stakes of the titan-level blockbusters above it.
2Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle – Beginning of the End
The cultural footprint of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has been nothing short of staggering. As the start of the franchise’s final arc, it delivered an unprecedented theatrical event. It gave an emotional resolution to Akaza’s backstory, the very same character fans hated in the Mugen Train movie, while setting the stage for the battles ahead.
Its dominance wasn’t just recognized by fans; it swept prestigious honors, including the Japan Academy Film Prize and the Saturn Award. Ufotable’s sheer visual spectacle easily makes it rank this high. However, because it remains a franchise entry dependent on prior anime setup rather than a completely standalone cinematic masterpiece, it ultimately stops short of the number one spot.
1Your Name – Makoto Shinkai’s Formula Perfected
Credit: CoMix Wave Films
Credit: CoMix Wave Films
Credit: CoMix Wave Films
Makoto Shinkai’s original masterpiece, Your Name, is the single most important anime film of the modern era. Unlike franchise-dependent blockbusters that rely on pre-existing TV investment, Your Name achieved absolute global dominance entirely on the back of its own self-contained brilliance. Your Name went on to make over $350 million worldwide (as per Box Office Mojo) and became the highest-grossing anime film at the time.
Shinkai crafted a flawless narrative architecture, weaving body-swapping comedy, time-bending romance, and a tragedy into an emotional spectacle. Beyond its amazing visuals by CoMix Wave Films and RADWIMPS’ iconic soundtrack, the movie fundamentally altered the global perception of theatrical anime, shattering box-office records worldwide and opening the door for anime to compete in the mainstream cinematic space. And that is why it ranks at the top.
Agree or disagree with our list? Let us know your favorite Crunchyroll Best Film winner in the comments below!
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Edited by:Souhardya Choudhury
