Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Director
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Director is an above-the-line award given at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards since its third edition in 2019. It is given for the best directing in anime films and series from the previous year. Winners are determined through a combined voting process by judges and public voting.[1]
- United States
- Japan
| Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Director | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Best directing in anime films and series of the previous year |
| Country |
|
| First award | Masaaki Yuasa — Devilman Crybaby (2019) |
| Currently held by | Keiichirō Saitō — Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2024) |
| Most wins | Masaaki Yuasa (2) |
| Most nominations | Yuichiro Hayashi (3) |
| Website | Crunchyroll Anime Awards |
Science SARU's co-founder Masaaki Yuasa first won the award in 2019 for his direction of Devilman Crybaby, which also awarded the second time in 2021 for his direction of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, the first anime director to win multiple awards and currently the oldest director to win.[2][3] Yuichiro Hayashi holds the record for the most nominations—also the most nominations without a win—with 3 for his direction of the fourth season of Attack on Titan.
2 out of 7 anime series won the Best Director category together with Anime of the Year category, the highest award.
In the latest edition in 2025, Keiichirō Saitō won the award for his direction of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the youngest recipient to win at the age of 32.[4][5][better source needed]
Winners and nominees
2010s
| Year | Director(s) | Anime |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 (3rd) [2] | ||
| Masaaki Yuasa | Devilman Crybaby | |
| Atsuko Ishizuka | A Place Further than the Universe | |
| Hiroko Utsumi | Banana Fish | |
| Yo Moriyama | Megalo Box | |
| Yohei Suzuki | Planet With | |
| Taichi Ishidate | Violet Evergarden | |
| 2019 (4th) [6][7] | ||
| Tetsurō Araki and Masashi Koizuka | Attack on Titan (season 3) | |
| Kiyotaka Suzuki | Babylon | |
| Shinichirō Watanabe and Motonobu Hori | Carole & Tuesday | |
| Yuzuru Tachikawa | Mob Psycho 100 II (season 2) | |
| Kunihiko Ikuhara | Sarazanmai | |
| Shuhei Yabuta | Vinland Saga | |
2020s
Records
Director
![](#/media/File:Yuasa_Masaaki_from_"The_World_of_Masaaki_Yuasa"_at_Opening_Ceremony_of_the_Tokyo_International_Film_Festival_2018_(30678155317).jpg)
| Director | Wins | Nominations | Anime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masaaki Yuasa | 2 | Devilman Crybaby, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! | |
| Haruo Sotozaki | 1 | 2 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Entertainment District Arc, Hashira Training Arc) |
| Keiichirō Saitō | Bocchi the Rock!, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | ||
| Yuichiro Hayashi | 0 | 3 | Attack on Titan (The Final Season Part 1, The Final Season Part 2, The Final Season The Final Chapters Special 1) |
| Fūga Yamashiro | 2 | Dandadan (Season 1, Season 2) | |
| Norihiro Naganuma | The Apothecary Diaries (Season 1, Season 2) | ||
| Sunghoo Park | Jujutsu Kaisen (Season 1 cour 1, Season 1 cour 2) | ||
| Yo Moriyama | Megalo Box, Megalobox 2: Nomad | ||
| Yuzuru Tachikawa | Deca-Dence, Mob Psycho 100 (Season 2) | ||
Age
| Superlative | Recipient | Anime | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oldest winner | Masaaki Yuasa | Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! | 55 |
| Oldest nominee | |||
| Youngest winner | Keiichirō Saitō | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | 32 |
| Youngest nominee | Bocchi the Rock! | 31 |