Anime NYC, the East Coast’s largest anime convention, returned this summer… now with Thursday added to its weekend of exciting happenings. From August 21-24, the Javits Center in New York City was filled wall-to-wall with all things anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture, including 1,000 exhibitors & artists, nearly 100 special guests, a “Taste of Asia” food court sponsored by Dream Asia, a gaming hall in partnership with PLAY.nyc, and over 148,000 attendees joining in on the fun!
You can always expect to see the biggest names in anime & manga at Anime NYC and this year was no exception. Guests of Honor from Japan included members of Studio Trigger, anison band JAM Project, and the creator of Rooster Fighter, alongside many other artists, producers, and directors. Popular English voice actors were also in attendance, such as Christopher Sabat (Dragon Ball), Lex Lang (Jujutsu Kaisen), Sandy Fox (Sailor Moon), Alejandro Saab (Genshin Impact), and May Hong (KPop Demon Hunters). Meanwhile, the Show Floor boasted industry titans like Crunchyroll, Hololive Production, Good Smile Company, Books Kinokuniya, Aniplex, and VIZ. Bandai Namco & Card Games was there as well, promoting their popular One Piece Card Game and the highly anticipated release of One-Punch Man Season 3:
Plus hundreds of other booths that offered more than just shopping, but unique experiences. From punching machines (above) to themed dumpster diving, Anime NYC delivers countless ways to walk away with one-of-a-kind memories and even some exclusive products & freebies. TCG (Trading Card Games) fans could score a promo card giveaway from Soul Masters, Gunpla builders could enjoy a free RX-78-2 trial kit at the Bandai Hobby Pop-up, and artists could spin COPIC’s wheel of prizes to potentially win supplies… just to name a few!
And between the 500+ artists with prints, stickers, enamel pins, keychains, and other art… and the 400+ exhibitors selling figures, apparel, prop replicas, plushies, mystery bags, and physical media, it’s truly an anime merch nirvana upstairs! But thanks to PLAY.nyc, downstairs is a gamer’s paradise: we’re talking about indie game developers, up & coming card games, console tournaments, and classic Japanese arcade cabinets. In only its second year at Anime NYC, the gaming hall has quickly become a must-visit hub of the convention and a great place to have even more fun.
But of course, no convention is complete without programming and Anime NYC offered 150+ hours of panels, screenings, signings, meetups, and other ways to immerse yourself in the anime culture & community. It’s an incredible way to stay in the know, meet like-minded fans, and hear from the people behind your favorite media whether it’s anime, manga, or this year’s rare in-booth appearances by Tetsuya Iwanaga (Kamen Rider) and Shiro Izumi (Sentai Zyuranger):
Anime NYC continues to get bigger & better with another 4-day convention coming back to the Javits Center from August 20-23, 2026. Stay tuned to their official site for badge sales and in the meantime, check out our full photo album as well as our video recap below:
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