diff --git a/modules/setting/server.go b/modules/setting/server.go
index d053fee5e76bb..02c1566234e25 100644
--- a/modules/setting/server.go
+++ b/modules/setting/server.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import (
 
 	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/json"
 	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/log"
-	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/util"
 )
 
 // Scheme describes protocol types
@@ -158,7 +157,11 @@ func MakeAbsoluteAssetURL(appURL, staticURLPrefix string) string {
 		}
 
 		// StaticURLPrefix is just a path
-		return util.URLJoin(appURL, strings.TrimSuffix(staticURLPrefix, "/"))
+		base, err := url.Parse(appURL)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatal("Unable to parse url: %v", err)
+		}
+		return base.ResolveReference(parsedPrefix).String()
 	}
 
 	return strings.TrimSuffix(staticURLPrefix, "/")
diff --git a/modules/util/url.go b/modules/util/url.go
index 62370339c8d87..71e3ecce9809b 100644
--- a/modules/util/url.go
+++ b/modules/util/url.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ package util
 
 import (
 	"net/url"
-	"path"
 	"strings"
 )
 
@@ -28,16 +27,23 @@ func URLJoin(base string, elems ...string) string {
 	if err != nil {
 		return ""
 	}
-	joinedPath := path.Join(elems...)
-	argURL, err := url.Parse(joinedPath)
-	if err != nil {
-		return ""
+
+	var fragment string
+	last := len(elems) - 1
+	if len(elems) > 0 {
+		if strings.Contains(elems[last], "#") {
+			elems[last], fragment, _ = strings.Cut(elems[last], "#")
+		}
+		elems[last] = strings.TrimSuffix(elems[last], "/") // keep old behaviour
 	}
-	joinedURL := baseURL.ResolveReference(argURL).String()
+
+	joinedURL := baseURL.JoinPath(elems...)
+	joinedURL.Fragment = fragment
+
 	if !baseURL.IsAbs() && !strings.HasPrefix(base, "/") {
-		return joinedURL[1:] // Removing leading '/' if needed
+		return strings.TrimPrefix(joinedURL.String(), "/") // Removing leading '/' if needed
 	}
-	return joinedURL
+	return joinedURL.String()
 }
 
 func SanitizeURL(s string) (string, error) {
diff --git a/modules/util/util_test.go b/modules/util/util_test.go
index 8509d8acedc68..2dbcd861cfb3e 100644
--- a/modules/util/util_test.go
+++ b/modules/util/util_test.go
@@ -13,35 +13,148 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestURLJoin(t *testing.T) {
-	type test struct {
-		Expected string
+	cases := []struct {
 		Base     string
-		Elements []string
-	}
-	newTest := func(expected, base string, elements ...string) test {
-		return test{Expected: expected, Base: base, Elements: elements}
+		Elems    []string
+		Expected string
+	}{
+		{
+			Base:     "https://try.gitea.io",
+			Elems:    []string{"a/b", "c"},
+			Expected: "https://try.gitea.io/a/b/c",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://try.gitea.io/",
+			Elems:    []string{"a/b", "c"},
+			Expected: "https://try.gitea.io/a/b/c",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://try.gitea.io/",
+			Elems:    []string{"/a/b/", "/c/"},
+			Expected: "https://try.gitea.io/a/b/c",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://try.gitea.io/",
+			Elems:    []string{"/a/./b/", "../c/"},
+			Expected: "https://try.gitea.io/a/c",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "a",
+			Elems:    []string{"b/c/"},
+			Expected: "a/b/c",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "a/",
+			Elems:    []string{"b/c/", "/../d/"},
+			Expected: "a/b/d",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://try.gitea.io",
+			Elems:    []string{"a/b", "c#d"},
+			Expected: "https://try.gitea.io/a/b/c#d",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "/a/",
+			Elems:    []string{"b/c/", "/../d/"},
+			Expected: "/a/b/d",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "/a",
+			Elems:    []string{"b/c/"},
+			Expected: "/a/b/c",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "/a",
+			Elems:    []string{"b/c#hash"},
+			Expected: "/a/b/c#hash",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "\x7f", // invalid url
+			Expected: "",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "path",
+			Expected: "path/",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "/path",
+			Expected: "/path/",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "path/",
+			Expected: "path/",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "/path/",
+			Expected: "/path/",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "path",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub"},
+			Expected: "path/sub",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "/path",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub"},
+			Expected: "/path/sub",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com",
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub/path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/sub/path",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub", "path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/sub/path",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub", "..", "path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/path",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub/..", "path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/path",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub", "../path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/path",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub/../path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/path",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub", ".", "path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/sub/path",
+		},
+		{
+			Base:     "https://gitea.com/",
+			Elems:    []string{"sub", "/", "path"},
+			Expected: "https://gitea.com/sub/path",
+		},
+		{ // https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/issues/25632
+			Base:     "/owner/repo/media/branch/main",
+			Elems:    []string{"/../other/image.png"},
+			Expected: "/owner/repo/media/branch/other/image.png",
+		},
 	}
-	for _, test := range []test{
-		newTest("https://try.gitea.io/a/b/c",
-			"https://try.gitea.io", "a/b", "c"),
-		newTest("https://try.gitea.io/a/b/c",
-			"https://try.gitea.io/", "/a/b/", "/c/"),
-		newTest("https://try.gitea.io/a/c",
-			"https://try.gitea.io/", "/a/./b/", "../c/"),
-		newTest("a/b/c",
-			"a", "b/c/"),
-		newTest("a/b/d",
-			"a/", "b/c/", "/../d/"),
-		newTest("https://try.gitea.io/a/b/c#d",
-			"https://try.gitea.io", "a/b", "c#d"),
-		newTest("/a/b/d",
-			"/a/", "b/c/", "/../d/"),
-		newTest("/a/b/c",
-			"/a", "b/c/"),
-		newTest("/a/b/c#hash",
-			"/a", "b/c#hash"),
-	} {
-		assert.Equal(t, test.Expected, URLJoin(test.Base, test.Elements...))
+
+	for i, c := range cases {
+		assert.Equal(t, c.Expected, URLJoin(c.Base, c.Elems...), "Unexpected result in test case %v", i)
 	}
 }