Gundam Dominates Japan Anime Trends in 2025

• Gundam GQuuuuuuX dominated 2025 with 9.15M posts on X and 57M searches.
• Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc’s marked key wins in the anime music section, as Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle topped the anime movie section.
• Awards highlight social engagement and search metrics as the new measure of anime trends.

The ABEMA Japan Anime Trend Awards 2025 provided a clear indicator of cultural buzz for Japan's anime ecosystem at the end of 2025. According to the event's official results, Gundam GQuuuuuuX was the year's defining hit.

Gundam GQuuuuuuX's combination of high-stakes space combat and character-driven narrative increased its visibility across trending metrics on social media platforms, with millions of user interactions driving its top ranking. According to reports, over 9.15 million posts on X were related to the series alongside search metrics which neared 57M. These figures outperformed every other anime title tracked in 2025, cementing its cultural impact.

2025 Japan Anime Trend Award Winners

The ABEMA Japan Anime Trend Awards, which aired live on ABEMA's Anime SPECIAL Channel on Dec 26, recognize the most popular anime across social networks, streaming statistics, and media engagement. The yearly ranking combines data analytics and viewer feedback to evaluate which traits resonated most with Japan's fiercely competitive anime scene.

Other significant prizes reflected the diversity of the 2025 anime moment. The Anime Song Award was given to IRIS OUT by Yonezu Kenshi, the theme from Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc, which not only performed well but also became a cultural touchstone on TikTok and music charts. The movie recorded a global run of $68M USD.

The Apothecary Diaries received the Anime News Award, showing how production developments can accelerate trend velocity. As per PR Times, OLM and Toho Animation's The Apothecary Diaries won this category amidst its Season 3 announcement and "super teaser trailer," which were both released in July 2025. Meanwhile, Crayon Shin-chan spin-off, Nohara Hiroshi: Lunch Time Stories, and Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle won the TV and movie-based Anime Topic awards, highlighting diverse audience interactions ranging from family fun to epic action.

Also, Kaoru Hana wa Brin to Saku (English: The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity) won the Opening Animation Award for its non-credit OP, which garnered more than 2.7M views. Kitani Tatsuya wrote the OP song Manazashi wa Hikari (English: Gaze is Light) specifically for the anime. Additionally, the anime is also immensely popular as a manga series and has a total circulation of over 10M copies, as noted by industry reports.

Dan Da Dan won the Ending Animation Prize, while Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express won Short Anime of the Year, emphasizing technical and craft categories. On the other hand, anime like Medalist, My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON, and Takopi no Genkai received the ABEMA Special Award for their outstanding year-end impact.

Numbers Rewriting Anime Influence

As Japan's largest anime award platform grows, the 2025 results show a deeper trend. Viewer response is now measured using a scale rather than sentiment alone. Across categories, the awards demonstrate how mass participation, from social posts to search volume, has become a driving force in Japan's anime trend economy.