Anime award season always draws global fan attention. While international fans focus on the Crunchyroll Awards, in Japan, the NewType Awards remain the definitive benchmark.
NewType, a respected monthly anime magazine in Japan, hosts its own annual awards featuring key categories like Best Anime, Best Director, Best Voice Actor, and Best Male and Female Characters. This event best reflects the tastes and feelings of Japan’s domestic otaku community.
The 2025 results prove one thing: what’s trending worldwide isn’t always what Japanese fans love most.
Best Female Character: Hitori Gotō (Bocchi the Rock!)
The Best Female Character award went to a familiar name: Hitori Gotō from the hit music anime Bocchi the Rock!
Hitori Gotō, often called Bocchi, is a gifted guitarist who struggles with extreme shyness and social anxiety. The contrast between her complex inner world and musical talent has won over fans. Bocchi represents introverted young people working hard to overcome psychological barriers to pursue their passions. Her win shows how much Japanese audiences value characters with deep psychological layers and clear emotional growth in slice-of-life series.
Best Male Character: Kazuhiko Nukumizu (Makeine)
The Best Male Character winner caused a real shock and confusion among international fans. The honor went to Kazuhiko Nukumizu, the protagonist of the rising slice-of-life anime Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
Kazuhiko is the central figure in this series, which follows him as he witnesses girls around him facing romantic rejection and builds friendships with them. Similar situations keep happening with other girls in his circle.
Kazuhiko’s popularity was further cemented when Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! also won Best Anime of 2025 at NewType. This highlights how much Japanese fans appreciate lighthearted romantic comedies featuring relatable main characters and everyday storylines.
Clear Differences Between East and West
Looking at the international favorites, the contrast in tastes is undeniable. Global fans expected more dominant and trending characters to win.
Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling is a male lead with overwhelming power, representing the action-packed isekai/fantasy genre dominating worldwide.
Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries is a smart, sharp female lead representing mystery and historical genres.
In reality, neither Kazuhiko Nukumizu nor Hitori Gotō ranked among the top characters at the 2025 Crunchyroll Awards. This shows that while international audiences favor explosive action and grand stories like Solo Leveling, Japanese anime fans prefer smaller, character-driven stories with emotional depth like Bocchi the Rock! and light, relaxing series like Makeine.
These results confirm that anime tastes are multifaceted. The NewType Awards are more than just a prize, they prove that ordinary characters facing everyday struggles can still become heroes in the hearts of fans in anime’s homeland.