The Weeknd talks about how anime inspired his career as he gears up to present at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
The 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards is bringing on multi-platinum artist Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye to present the “Anime of the Year” award for its 10th iteration this May. The Grammy-winning artist has not shied away from anime influences in his music, and will present the most prestigious award of the evening to the winning title.
The Weeknd and Anime culture
“When I was first introduced to anime, I was a child. Sailor Moon was one of my first crushes, Goku my first imaginary sparring partner, and “One More Time” by Daft Punk was a song and music video I couldn’t get out of my head.
But it wasn’t until my teenage years that one specific anime changed me forever and became part of the fabric of my early career: Samurai Champloo by Shinichiro Watanabe. It was the first time I experienced two of my favorite mediums—anime and hip hop—blending so seamlessly that it completely reshaped the way I watched film and listened to music.
The fusion of a samurai story told with auteur precision, paired with the sounds of Nujabes, Fat Jon, and Force of Nature was nothing short of transformative.
That influence stayed with me all the way through the creation of House of Balloons, where I wrote “The Morning,” “Glass Table Girls,” and “Loft Music” over Nujabes’ instrumentals. Without Watanabe and Nujabes, House of Balloons simply wouldn’t exist.
Samurai Champloo opened my eyes to a more mature world of anime and helped shape my visual DNA. The works of Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, and Katsuhiro Otomo became foundational to the look and feel of The Weeknd.
So it’s safe to say I wouldn’t be here without anime. It’s an honor to celebrate the artists behind it and a medium that continues to inspire the world.”
– The Weeknd about anime’s influence on his career
The Weeknd, when it comes to anime culture, is what many would refer to as a “ball-knower.” On his aforementioned debut mixtape, House of Balloons, released on 2011, one of the tracks featured a sample from an anime.
On Coming Down, at around the 3:15 mark, Ayako Kawasumi’s voice as Saber in Fate/stay night can be heard. Give it a listen yourself.
The sample on the bridge was removed on the remastered Trilogy version, however.
Recently, he posted himself playing NieR: Automata and NieR: Replicant on his Instagram stories.
This has landed him in a FaceTime call with series creator Yoko Taro.
After those two titles, it seems his next foray is into Persona 5.
The Weeknd at the 10th Crunchyroll Anime Awards
The 2026 Crunchyroll Awards are scheduled on May 23, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan. There are a total of 24 award categories, and you can cast your votes on the official Crunchyroll website until April 15. The categories are:
- Film of the Year
- Best Continuing Series
- Best New Series
- Best Original Anime
- Best Animation
- Best Character Design
- Best Director
- Best Background Art
- Best Romance
- Best Comedy
- Best Action
- Best Isekai
- Best Drama
- Best Slice of Life
- Best Main Character
- Best Supporting Character
- “Must Protect At All Costs” Character
- Best Anime Song
- Best Score
- Best Opening Sequence
- Best Ending Sequence
- Best Voice Artist Performance (Japanese)
- Best Voice Artist Performance (English)
Finally, the Anime of the Year nominees for this year, presented by The Weeknd, are:
- DAN DA DAN Season 2
- Gachiakuta
- My Hero Academia FINAL SEASON
- Takopi’s Original Sin
- The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2)
- The Summer Hikaru Died
Apart from The Weeknd, the awards night will also have performances from iconic artists, including Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Dean Fujioka, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
The 10th Crunchyroll Anime Awards featuring The Weeknd will be on May 23, 2026.