ABEMA announces the Japan Anime Trend Awards 2026 for December 26

ABEMA will hold the fourth edition of the Japan Anime Trend Awards 2026 on December 26 at 19:00 (Japan time). The ceremony will stream for free on the Anime SPECIAL channel and will award the anime that got people talking the most on the internet and in the industry this year.

The big news is in the hosting lineup. Yūki Iwai, of the comedy duo Haraiichi, returns for a fourth straight year as main MC. He will be joined by Sumire Uesaka and Aoi Tokui, who are making their debut in this role at the event.

The program will include a live concert block with artists who set trends in 2026 and with songs from anime celebrating important anniversaries this year. Everything points to an evening that mixes awards, music, and plenty of nostalgia.

Voting closes on November 18

The public can still choose the big winner. Voting is open on ABEMA's official anime X account and closes on November 18 at 23:59 (Japan time).

Iwai said the award is already in its fourth year and that the winning and nominated works from past editions keep growing and cementing themselves as classics. He also noted that there are more revival titles this year, so the fight between new anime and anime brought back to modern life is getting very interesting.

Uesaka, for her part, said she was happy to debut as MC and hopes to have a pleasant end-of-year time looking back at the anime that lit up 2026. Tokui admitted to being nervous, but also very excited to share an otaku conversation with the audience about the best of the year.

Tokui noted that there were movies that caused a big stir and that she is dying to know which work will take the top award. She also invited viewers to pay attention to the live performance block, which promises to be a treat.

The date is set for December 26 on ABEMA, with a free stream on the Anime SPECIAL channel.