The anime world was surprised as Demon Slayer Outshines One Piece for Best Continuing Series Award at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. For many years, One Piece has been seen as the top ongoing anime, known for its deep story, large world, and lasting impact. With more than 25 years of episodes, it’s often called the best in the shonen genre. But this year, another anime took the spotlight and won one of anime’s biggest awards.
This surprising win shows that fans opinions may be changing and that Demon Slayer has grown a lot since it first aired. While One Piece still gives fans great episodes, Hashira Training Arc stood out with its strong emotions, beautiful animation, and steady storytelling. Beating a giant like One Piece is not easy, but this award shows how much this anime has done right over the years.
Demon Slayer Dethrones One Piece as the Best Continuing Series
One Piece had become a regular winner at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, winning the Best Continuing Series for two years in a row. Since it started getting nominated, only Dragon Ball Super had beaten it once, back in 2019. But things changed in 2025. Even though the Egghead Arc was a big hit and the animation from Toei Animation got even better, One Piece didn’t win this time.
There are a few reasons this might have happened. First, the One Piece anime was on break for almost half a year, which may have slowed down its momentum and made fans less active during the voting. This break gave other shows like Demon Slayer a better chance to stand out. Also, fans may have wanted to see a new winner after seeing One Piece win several times in a row.
Demon Slayer stood out by giving fans great episodes with strong visuals and a shorter, more focused story. The Hashira Training Arc may not have had a lot of big fights, but it had deep emotions, great character moments, and amazing animation that impressed fans once again.
The Hashira Training Arc: A Perfect Setup for the Finale
The Hashira Training Arc may not have had as many big battles as earlier parts of the series, but it made up for that with strong emotions and beautiful animation. This arc helped prepare for the final part of the story, focusing on the training and personal growth of the strongest Demon Slayers, the Hashira.
The last few episodes were especially praised for their amazing animation and music. Even the quiet scenes felt powerful and touching. Ufotable, the studio behind Demon Slayer’s animation, once again showed their skill in visual storytelling, creating scenes that fans and critics won’t forget.
This high quality helped Demon Slayer win not just Best Continuing Series but also Best Animation, beating other visually stunning shows like Dandadan, Freiren: Beyond Journey’s End, and Solo Leveling.
Another reason this win feels so special is that the anime is almost finished. With the Infinity Castle film trilogy set to end the story soon, this may have been the show’s last chance to win big awards, and it did so in an unforgettable way.
A Shift in the Shonen Landscape?
Demon Slayer’s win could be the start of a new chapter for anime fans. While One Piece will surely keep going strong, Demon Slayer’s success shows that newer shows with shorter stories and amazing animation can compete with even the biggest names. Anime is changing, and fans now want stories that mix emotion, great visuals, and good pacing.
This win doesn’t take anything away from One Piece’s legacy. Instead, it shows how anime now has many kinds of stories to enjoy. It also proves how far this anime has come, from a new shonen series to an award-winning favorite. Both shows continue to shape anime in their own way, whether it’s Luffy’s next big journey or Tanjiro’s final fight.
As we look forward to the next anime season, one thing is clear, greatness doesn’t belong to just one show. And right now, Demon Slayer is proudly carrying the torch.