Daemons of the Shadow Realm (Yomi no Tsugai) is the best TV anime of the year, at least according to the readers of Newtype. The magazine's editorial team revealed the results of the Newtype Anime Awards 2025-2026 on stage at Machi Asobi in Tokushima today (October 17th), and the Bones Film adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's manga took first place in the TV and streaming Work award, finishing ahead of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2.
The official anime account celebrated the win with a full list of everything the series picked up. Check it out down below:
A Big Night For Yomi no Tsugai
Along with the top work prize, director Masahiro Ando won first place in the Director award. Nobuhiro Arai, who handled character design and chief animation direction, took first place in Character Design, with the award shared with Arakawa as the original creator. The first season's opening theme, "Tobu Toki" by Vaundy, also won the Theme Song award.
The series placed in several other categories as well. Series composition writer Noboru Takagi came second in the Screenplay award, composer Kenichiro Suehiro came second in Sound, and the lead Yuru finished second among male characters. Asa placed fourth among female characters, and Bones Film placed third in the Studio award. Arai thanked fans on X after the show, saying he was thrilled with the Character Design win and hopes to bring Arakawa's characters to life in the second season too.
The full top five for the TV and streaming Work award, as posted by the Newtype editorial account, looks like this:
- 1. Daemons of the Shadow Realm
- 2. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2
- 3. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
- 4. Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World 4th Season
- 5. My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
Rounding out the top ten were My Hero Academia Final Season, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4, Akane-banashi, the first part of Jujutsu Kaisen's Culling Game arc, and The Summer Hikaru Died.
The Rest Of The Winners
On the theatrical side, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Part 1 took first place, followed by Cosmic Princess Kaguya!, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc, and the new Gintama film covering the Yoshiwara in Flames arc. Cosmic Princess Kaguya! also won the Sound award for its score by Cornish and its song contributors, while Hathaway won Mecha and Prop Design and its Gigi Andalusia took first among female characters.
Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen won the male character award, Kenjiro Tsuda won the Voice Actor award, and MAPPA took first in the Studio award. Frieren Season 2 still walked away with a trophy of its own, as Tomohiro Suzuki won first place in Screenplay. Chiikawa won the mascot character category.
Season 2 Is Already On The Way
The awards land less than a month after the anime wrapped up its first season. The series premiered in April and ran for 24 episodes across two cours on Tokyo MX, BS11, and other channels, with the finale airing last month (September 19th). Crunchyroll streamed the season internationally, posting the Season 1 finale the same day.
The very next day (September 20th), Aniplex announced that a second season is in production, alongside a super teaser visual and a short teaser video. The teaser flashes through Asa, Lord Left and Lord Right, Gabu-chan, Dera, and Hana, along with Ivan and Misasagi, the leader of the Nishinomura faction that is after Yuru and Asa. It ends on Yuru shouting, "Don't believe it until you see it with your own eyes!" You can watch it below:
No release window, episode count, or new cast has been announced for Season 2 yet. The main staff from the first season, including Ando, Takagi, Arai, and Suehiro, have not been officially confirmed as returning, though Arai's post suggests he is already working on it.
From The Creator Of Fullmetal Alchemist
Daemons of the Shadow Realm is the latest series from Arakawa, the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist, and it reunites Square Enix, Aniplex, and Bones, the same trio behind Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. The manga runs in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan, has 13 volumes out in Japan, and has passed 7.5 million copies in circulation. Square Enix Manga and Books publishes it in English.
The story follows Yuru, a boy living a quiet life in a remote mountain village, whose world is turned upside down when he learns the truth about his twin sister Asa and the Tsugai, the paired guardian spirits that some families can command. Kensho Ono voices Yuru and Yume Miyamoto voices Asa.
Do you think Daemons of the Shadow Realm deserved the top spot, or should Frieren Season 2 have taken it?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.