A 25-Year Franchise and a Brand New Hit Split the Crown

One Piece Film: Red took Animation of the Year, Film, a musical-driven entry in a franchise that had been running for well over two decades by this point, built around the singer and idol character Uta. It became a massive box office hit, one of the biggest anime films of the year regardless of its franchise's age.

Spy x Family told the opposite kind of story. A brand new series about a fake family made up of a spy, an assassin, and a telepath, it turned into one of the biggest anime of the year almost overnight after premiering, and took Animation of the Year, Television for its trouble.

Best Director went to Goro Taniguchi for One Piece Film: Red, and Best Screenplay went to Reiko Yoshida for Spy x Family, her second TAAF screenplay win after Violet Evergarden: The Movie a couple of editions earlier. Best Music went to Ado, the masked singer behind Uta's voice and songs, essentially picking up a second win for the same film in a different category.