Anime Expo, the biggest North American celebration of Japanese pop culture, concluded another successful year, celebrating its 35th edition over the Fourth of July weekend in Los Angeles. With over 422,000 attendees over the course of a sold-out 4-day event, numerous additional locations around the Los Angeles Convention Center were used this year. Cosplayers crowded the halls, dressed as their favorite video game and anime characters. Every day, they waited in line for a variety of free and exclusive goodies, educational panels, first-hand opportunities to test out new games, and free photo ops.
Among the many booths, a few were especially popular. Fans flocked to Love and Deepspace, Atlus/SEGA, especially for Persona 5 and Zenless Zone Zero, in anticipation of cosplay interactions, exclusive merchandise, and photo opportunities. Every year, in addition to these well-liked attractions, booths like HULU, TOHO, and others distribute free posters, reusable tote bags, lanyards, stickers, and a host of other items that are virtually exclusive to Anime Expo. The artist alley, which is arguably the most well-liked area and a yearly hit, also offered non-licensed merchandise for sale. Here, fans sell their own creative fanart of video games and anime in a variety of artistic mediums, including apparel, prints, keychains, and more.
In addition to celebrating Japanese culture, attendees were able to participate in booths and panels that reflected and taught them about the history of manga, anime, music, and other topics. Fun off-site activities were also available in Little Tokyo, where you could go on a shopping “scavenger” hunt to find entertaining freebies and rewards. Our favorite booths included the gacha machines, Pure Mind, where we could pick up some cool anime blind boxes, and Hulu and Crunchyroll, which provided great photo opportunities.
Convention Panels
Despite all of the cool convention goodies available at various booths, we believe the panels are the highlight of Anime Expo. Each day includes a variety of information-packed panels on how to break into the industry, new details on upcoming anime seasons, and how to study abroad in Japan, among other topics. We attended a number of panels, and here’s what happened:
JUJUTSU KAISEN: Fans who arrived a few hours early stood eagerly waiting with banners reading “JUJUTSU KAISEN 5TH ANNIV,” which were distributed to attendees by staff. In honor of Jujutsu Kaisen’s fifth anniversary, the panel featured English and Japanese voice actors for Suguru Geto/Kenjaku (Takahiro Sakurai & Lex Lang) and Itadori Yuji (Junya Enoki & Adam McArthur).
All of the actors reflected on their five years of voicing these characters, and then they each performed a live dub session for one of their characters’ most memorable moments. This was Takahiro Sakurai’s first time attending Anime Expo and the first time Junya Enoki and Adam shared the stage in honor of Jujutsu Kaisen and Itadori Yuji. They each thanked the fans, expressing how grateful they were to be part of a project that pushes their characters to stay true to themselves, specifically for Yuji Itadori.
BLACK CLOVER: The second season of Black Clover will finally be released in October of this year; the first season’s major announcement was made five years ago. Fans were shown unreleased new sketches from the upcoming season, as well as a recap of the previous one. Fans were treated to a live dub session, which is always a highlight. However, the main treat that all fans had been looking forward to for years was an exclusive look at the first episode of the new season. After the episode, Director Gakuto Kajiwara and Japanese voice actor Tatsuya Yoshihara thanked the audience as they concluded the panel. Fans exiting the Peacock venue were given a mini cardboard phone holder cutout of Liebe from season 2.
BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR THE CALAMITY:BLEACH has attracted new fans and retained devoted ones for more than 20 years. Whether you’ve seen BLEACH or not, everyone recognizes Ichigo, who wears a recognizable black ensemble and has bright orange hair while wielding his classic sword. Masakazu Morita, Japanese voice actor, and Johnny Yong Bosch, English voice actor for Ichigo Kurosaki, joined forces on stage.
During the panel, fans got to experience live dubbing sessions, a message from Tite Kubo (creator of BLEACH), and an exclusive first look at a new episode. Masakazu Morita and Tite Kubo planned a signed artwork of Ichigo to thank Johnny and commemorate the last 20 years of playing such a popular character. Johnny shared his gratitude and got a bit choked up sharing how special the panel and the gift he received were, to which a roar of cheers filled the room as both voice actors thanked all the fans who had been with them for 20 years.
Anime Expo is the place to be for any Japanese pop culture enthusiast. While you can navigate the convention portion in one day, many attend all four days for the panels to share firsthand exclusive screenings, live dubbings, important information, and more. We recommend at least attending more than one day to get the full experience of the expo as a whole, from the convention, panels, beer garden, artist alley, ax crossing, and more. Tickets for Anime Expo 2027 have already been announced and will be available for purchase in January 2027.
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Featured Image Credit: Megan Caloca for POP TOKKI
