The 2025 Anime Awards are closer than ever! Ahead of the May 25th ceremony, Crunchyroll and Spotify are teaming up to launch a new set of themed playlists on Crunchyroll’s dedicated shelf within the Spotify Anime hub . On the set list? A curated playlist by the iconic composer behind the official Crunchyroll Anime Awards theme, Hiroyuki SAWANO . It’s not a stretch to say the music of Hiroyuki SAWANO is an essential part of today’s anime fandom experience. Crafting the unforgettable soundtracks behind titles like Attack on Titan , Solo Leveling , One Piece Film: RED , Blue Exorcist , Kill la Kill , and more, if you’ve watched an epic anime in the past decade or so, odds are they feature the works of Hiroyuki SAWANO. RELATED: Crunchyroll Anime Awards Returns to Tokyo on May 25, 2025 Paired with hit anime songs from his personal discography, SAWANO’s handpicked lineup showcases his music taste and highlights songs that have inspired him throughout his career. From booming Hollywood blockbusters to sweeping symphonies to modern pop vocals, listen along as Crunchyroll News breaks down SAWANO’s exclusive selections. OVERVIEW Hiroyuki SAWANO Spotify Playlist Hiroyuki SAWANO Interview Anime Awards Spotify Playlist (previous winners) Hiroyuki SAWANO's Spotify Playlist Full Tracklist Songs credited under Hiroyuki SAWANO "Call of Silence" "SHADOWBORN" "REVIVƎЯ" Songs credited under SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] "DARK ARIA <LV2>" "Avid" "FAKEit" Songs of inspiration "WALK" by CHAGE&ASKA "Torukia" by Kanno Yoko ( Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex ) "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" by Sakamoto Ryuichi (1996) "The Legend of Ashitaka" (ED) by Hisaishi Joe ( Princess Mononoke soundtrack) Theme from Mademoiselle Mozart by Komuro Tetsuya Planet of the Apes main titles by Danny Elfman "Why So Serious?" by Hans Zimmer ( The Dark Knight ) Terminator 2: Judgment Day main title by Brad Fiedel "Legs" (2017 remaster) by The Art Of Noise Tron Legacy end titles by Daft Punk "NYC Larceny" by Daniel Pemberton ( Ocean's 8 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) "Playground" (from Arcane: League of Legends ) by Bea Miller "Wake Up" by Imagine Dragons "think later" by Tate McRae "Real" by Great Good Fine OK "Swan Song" (from the motion picture Alita: Battle Angel ) by Dua Lipa "Wherever I Go" by OneRepublic "Lilith" ( Diablo IV anthem) by Halsey, SUGA of BTS "Fall On Me" (English version) by Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli Hiroyuki SAWANO Interview First off, tell us a little about the music you selected from your own discography. Why did you choose those specific songs? Hiroyuki SAWANO: I selected the songs based on my personal favorites and most listened to among my released songs. “Call of Silence” is one of the songs from Attack on Titan that has received a lot of attention over the past few years while “DARK ARIA <LV2>,” “SHADOWBORN,” ”REVIVƎЯ” are the songs used in important scenes in Solo Leveling . I have the impression that “Avid” was well received by audiences at live performances overseas and “FAKEit” was selected in anticipation of Fate/strange Fake . RELATED: Solo Leveling Anime Original Soundtrack by Hiroyuki SAWANO Now Streaming You wrote the official Crunchyroll Anime Awards theme last year. What were the emotions you were trying to capture while composing the tune? SAWANO: The Anime Awards have a glamorous impression just from the staging and sets, but I created this music with the hope that the scale of the event would be felt even more and that the awards ceremony would be even more emotional, touching and impressive. How has your songwriting process differed between your soundtrack work and your more vocalist-focused SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] project? SAWANO: In both cases, I pursue the sound I want to create based on my own tension/feelings at that time, so there is not that much of a difference in the sense of production. RELATED: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] 10th Anniversary Live Performance Videos Hit Crunchyroll Has your music taste changed from when you first started writing music as a career to now? SAWANO: I think I am more conscious of sound production influenced by foreign sounds than when I was just starting out as a composer. Tell us about some of the artists that have inspired you throughout your career. Can they be found on this playlist? SAWANO: ASKA is the artist who inspired me to pursue a career in music. I have also been influenced by the music of Hans Zimmer, OneRepublic and Imagine Dragons. Is there a moment you can recall when you felt most proud of your accomplishments in the music field? SAWANO: I feel that there is never a moment when I feel a sense of accomplishment because I always feel that I still need to work harder. It may not be the same as a sense of accomplishment, but I feel happy and honored to have been involved in a long series of works such as Gundam UC and Attack on Titan from the beginning of the series until the end. RELATED: Hiroyuki Sawano on Creating the Epic Music Behind Promare, Gundam Unicorn and More Who are some artists you find creatively exciting right now in 2025? SAWANO: KOHTA YAMAMOTO, who I worked on the theme song for Attack on Titan and the Anime Awards song together. I look forward to seeing what kind of work and what kind of music he will make! Some of my personal favorite compositions of yours come from your work on Attack on Titan. Were you listening to any particular artists or genres for inspiration during the years you were creating those iconic soundtracks? Hiroyuki SAWANO and KOHTA YAMAMOTO at the 2024 Anime Awards in Tokyo, Japan. SAWANO: Rather than specific works, I think I was influenced by Hollywood movie soundtracks in general that featured choirs, and I also felt inspiration from everything that had an epic sound approach. What kind of music do you like to listen to on a commute? SAWANO: New releases by my favorite Western artists or songs by Japanese artists I used to listen to when I was in junior high or high school. What about while cooking or cleaning? SAWANO: The theme from Mission: Impossible by Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen What song(s) on the playlist do you think fans will find most surprising? SAWANO: "NYC Larceny" by Daniel Pemberton. Fan voting for the 2025 Anime Awards will begin on April 3, 2025 ! For now, get nostalgic with all the opening and ending songs from previous Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners all the way back to 2017! Watch out for more official Anime Awards themed playlists coming soon to the Crunchyroll shelf on Spotify!
