New York City’s Anime Con: Anime NYC 2026
ANIME NYC, New York City’s premier anime convention, took over the subway and the city’s streets for a four-day celebration.
However, one perk of a convention this size is the variety of programming. Everything from movie premieres to industry panels, concerts, and more. We couldn’t make the Cosplay Masquerade this year, but if the show floor was any indication, it was well worth it.
Industry Panels hosted by BiliBili, Netflix, and Retro Crush. Series like Kaiju No. 8 and a bunch of movies. Future Boy Conan, Gundam Hathaway, Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram, and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
We attended Plastic Love: A Japanese City Pop Party. The Yama Concert was Friday, with performances by Club Ironmouse, and I believe there was something Hololive-related.
The panel selection when it came to community-led panels was sparse this year. I don’t know if it’s because the industry stuff was taking over or because it was a matter of preference. But we only attended Anime Tourism without leaving New York and Captivating Comics and Charming Characters ft. Nhim and J18.
Gaming Hall at Anime NYC
In light of that, the Gaming Hall is one of my favorite spots at Anime NYC. It has consoles, Japanese arcade games, and a variety of tabletop games. From Mahjong to Trading Card Games. They even added a Gundam Builders Lounge, hosted by Project Nutype. Play NYC was present for the third year in a row. Click here for more coverage.
As tradition calls, I see an Initial D arcade cabinet. I played the Initial D Arcade Cabinet. I decided to play manual this time, and Drey smoked me. I’ll get her back next time. There was an official Pokémon pinball machine. I think I saw some gashapon machines. Those count as games, right? Not to mention, a few crane machines. There was a game called Malibu.
In Malibu, you pilot a helicopter. The goal is to score as many points as possible by tagging these metal poles placed around the cabinet. The helicopter has two controls: back/forth and up/down. This game was simple enough but tricky at the same time. To clarify, my score was abysmal, and I hope I can run it back one day.
Dealer Hall and Artist Alley
Moreover, the Dealer Hall and Artist Alley section was alive. In fact, Comics, clothing, prints, DVDs, and more. From upcoming artists to juggernauts like Bandai. Viz Media, Seven Seas Entertainment, and Shueisha. Kodansha, The Brooklyn Museum, and more. To my surprise, Friskies! The cat food company. To my surprise, they had special collectibles. Customizable Comic books, trading cards featuring your cat-Very creative. The Brooklyn Museum had a booth in preparation for its upcoming Manga Exhibit running from October 2026 to January 2027. Between everything, we still managed to do some shopping. As a result, I bought a T-shirt from the Ever Born booth. Drey picked up a comic from this universe. The Omen (Manga) and Afterlife: The Fall of Humanity.
Special Events
Furthermore, there was a One Piece Panel featuring MACKENYU (Zoro) & TAZ SKYLAR (Sanji). Additionally, Bang Zoom (Voice Acting Workshop) and Machismo Mahou Maid Cafe were other featured events, along with Big Apple Idol Fest and OTHERWORLD PARADE. There was Pinpalooza, a pin swap meet-up. Where you can buy, trade, or purchase pins. There was this pigeon pin I heard about, and I am pretty bummed I missed out. Maybe Next year.
Final thought on Anime NYC 2026
Lastly, I’ve noticed their push to make Anime NYC a little more family-friendly. In this case, adding the Scholastic Zone into the mix and finding ways to include librarians and educators more. I truly believe stories can save lives. Creating space for these types of initiatives is very important.
Nevertheless, I had an amazing time at Anime NYC. Thank you for allowing us to attend. Moreover, we are eager to see what they have in store for year 10. Did you attend Anime NYC? If so, what was the highlight of the weekend?
Let us know in the comments section below.
