This past weekend’s Beyblade X National Qualifier at Anime Expo wasn’t just a tournament—it was a landmark moment for the 25-year-old franchise. The event marked the first official U.S. competition for the Beyblade X generation, a qualifier for the upcoming World Championship in Japan, and the first time U.S. bladers over the age of 12 were eligible to compete in an officially sanctioned tournament.

Aniplex of America will celebrate its 20th anniversary at Anime Expo 2025 with a lineup of panels, live performances, and guest appearances highlighting its influence on the anime industry over the past two decades.

The event begins July 3 with two industry panels hosted by Aniplex staff in Petree Hall at 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM. On July 4, a Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 6th Anniversary concert will be held at the Peacock Theater at 10:30 AM, featuring a live music performance and a special appearance by Natsuki Hanae, the Japanese voice of the main protagonist,Tanjiro Kamado.

That afternoon, the A-1 Pictures 20th Anniversary Industry Panel will take place at 3:45 PM in JW Marriott’s Diamond Ballroom, featuring Producer Atsushi Kaneko (Solo Leveling), Shunsuke Sugimoto (Lycoris Recoil), Toshitaka Morioka, Akihisa Shibuya, and Director Seiji Mizushima (Eisen Flügel).

On July 5 at 1:30 PM, the “FGO 8th Anniversary × TYPE-MOON Projects” panel will return to Petree Hall, with appearances by voice actress Ayako Kawasumi (Altria Pendragon, Anne Bonny), Producer Satoshi Tsuruoka (Arash, Gilles de Rais, Spartacus), Toshiyuki Kanazawa (FGO marketing), and Albert Kao (host, Aniplex of America).

Throughout the weekend, attendees can visit the Aniplex of America booth (#1920) for a special exhibition, daily mini-stage events, character mascots, giveaways, and exclusive merchandise.

Full schedule and updates available at: aniplexusa.com/ax2025

Incase you missed it badges for PAX West 2025 are on sale now. The convention will run from August 29 - Sep 1. 

This last weekend, I attended WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County to check out the wide variety of activities the event had to offer. I was initially skeptical this year due to the noticeable absence of featured guests and companies that had been present last year, but to my surprise, everything exceeded expectations and turned out great. As WonderCon operates under the Comic-Con umbrella, my expectations are quite high, given the standard of what Comic-Con brings to the table.