Anime Expo 2025: A Look at What’s Coming Next

While Anime Expo is always chock-full of anime screenings and exhibitor booths, it’s also an opportunity for attendees to get a glimpse of what is coming up in the world of Japanese media, and also a look at some aspects of historical Japanese culture.

Aniplex of America celebrated its 20th anniversary with an industry panel that had panelists and guests alike reminiscing over some of the major shows they’ve released over the years, starting with Fullmetal Alchemist to Sword Art Online, through Fate/Grand Order, and finally the blockbuster Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- whose feature film  Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Movie: Infinity Castle is coming to global theaters on September 12, 2025.

The panel ended with mentions of some of their new shows for this season, Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, and Virgin Punk Clockwork Girl.

Aniplex followed it up with their Games Panel, in which they spoke a little about some of the upcoming events for their Disney Villains-based mobile game Twisted Wonderland, the arrival of additional chapters to the main storyline, and the new ability to run the Special Lessons at 2x speed.

In other news, Twisted Wonderland: The Animation will be premiering on Disney+ on October 29, 2025.  The story appears to be based on that of the manga, in which a Japanese high school student is inexplicably transported to the world of Twisted Wonderland, where he finds himself a candidate for Night Raven College–a magical academy based on the virtues embodied by the “Great Seven."  It just so happens that the Great Seven are in our world, iconic Disney villains:  The Queen of Hearts, the King of Beasts (Scar), the Sea Witch (Ursula), the Sorcerer of the Sands (Jafar), the Fairest Queen (Evil Queen), the King of the Underworld (Hades), and the Thorn Fairy (Maleficent.)

On the production side of anime, localization company Iyuno USA gave a presentation with some of their talent on Anime Dubbing:  The World of Casting and Voice Acting.  

Some of their advice for up-and-coming voice artists:

The exhibition of vocal talent continued with the Obey Me! Boys: Meet and Greet 2025 at AX.

The voices from the hit mobile game Obey Me! And its sequel Nightbringer chatted about the good experiences they’ve had both making the game and appearing at AX (this was their second appearance at the convention.)  While the games have ended their run of updates, new projects are currently in the works for the Obey Me! Franchise, including a game Till Death Do Us Part, that recently finished a successful kickstarter campaign.  

They also spoke at length about the audio drama some of them are working on:  Ex and Bee, a vampiric murder mystery.

Many of the panels consisted of different streaming platforms giving audiences a look at some of their future shows.  

Bilibili

Eleceed, scheduled for 2026.  “Two charismatic guys and a fat cat."

Dad is a Hero, Mom is a Spirit, I’m a Reincarnation, a heartwarming isekai premiering in October 2025.

And some returning series…

To Be Hero X:  “In a world full of brilliant heroes, it’s the trust of fans that turns heroes into superheroes. If a hero loses the people’s trust, they lose their special abilities. Trust value is collected, quantified, and used to determine a hero’s ranking, displayed on their wrist. Every two years, the top heroes go to a tournament to fight, determine new trust values, and earn their rankings."

Link Click:  “Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang use superpowers to enter clientele’s photos one by one, no matter how dangerous. Welcome to “Time Photo Studio"!"

Netflix

Sakamoto Days:  “Once the greatest hitman of all, Taro Sakamoto retired in the name of love. But when his past catches up, he must fight to protect his beloved family."

The Summer Hikaru Died:  “Six months ago, Hikaru vanished for a week. Now, as his best friend Yoshiki senses something amiss and confronts him, the harrowing truth emerges."

My Melody & Kuromi:  “When My Melody's visit to the Cloud Kingdom leads to a whirlwind of trouble, can she, Kuromi and their friends save their home before it's too late?"

Warner Brothers Japan

Fist of the North Star:  “In the year 199X, the world is engulfed in a nuclear inferno! The seas have vanished. The earth lies in ruins. It seems all life has been wiped out...but humanity has not perished!"

Blade & Bastard:  “Kumo Kagyu (“Goblin Slayer") and so-bin (“Overlord") teamed up and created “Blade & Bastard,"an authentic dark fantasy novel that unfolds in the world of the classic RPG "Wizardry"."

All You Need Is Kill:  “Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s All You Need Is Kill, known for its groundbreaking time loop concept and powerful narrative of growth, played a pivotal role in the time loop sci-fi phenomenon. This iconic novel, which was later adapted into a global hit film, is now being reimagined as an anime. With a perfect blend of traditional animation techniques and cutting-edge visual technology, STUDIO 4℃ will be handling animation!"

STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure:  “Set in the U.S. in 1890, the narrative follows Johnny Joestar, a paraplegic former jockey, and Gyro Zeppeli, an expert in the mystical Spin technique. The duo participate in the cross-country Steel Ball Run race and gradually expose the dark intentions of the event’s sponsor."

Crunchyroll

Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider:  “Based on the original manga by Yokusaru Shibata, the series composition is written by Toko Machida (Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan) and follows the story of a 40-year-old man who almost gives up on his dream of becoming a Kamen Rider until a robbery changes his fortune."  Premieres October 2025.

Black Clover:  “In a world where magic is everything, Asta and Yuno are both found abandoned at a church on the same day. While Yuno is gifted with exceptional magical powers, Asta is the only one in this world without any. At the age of fifteen, both receive grimoires, magic books that amplify their holder’s magic. Asta’s is a rare Grimoire of Anti-Magic that negates and repels his opponent’s spells. Being opposite but good rivals, Yuno and Asta are ready for the hardest of challenges to achieve their common dream: to be the Wizard King. Giving up is never an option!"

Daemons of the Shadow Realm:  “In a world where certain humans command mighty supernatural duos called Daemons, it is the birthright of "the children who sunder day and night"—twins Yuru and Asa—to rule over these powerful entities. Separated from a young age and unaware of the truth of their birth, brother and sister must fight to make their way back to each other, claim their birthright, and save the world…"

Mushoku Tensei:  Jobless Reincarnation Season 3:  “When a 34-year-old underachiever gets run over by a truck, his story doesn't end there. Reincarnated in a new world as an infant, Rudy will seize every opportunity to live the life he's always wanted. Armed with new friends, some freshly acquired magical abilities, and the courage to do the things he's always dreamed of, he's embarking on an epic adventure—with all of his past experience intact!"

Classroom of the Elite 2nd Year:  “As Ayanokouji and his classmates begin their second year at the Advanced Nurturing High School, they’re greeted by a fresh gauntlet of exams and a fresh batch of rather unique first-year students…"

GKIDS

Studio Ghibli Fest is back in theaters:  

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE • September 20-24

SPIRITED AWAY • October 18-22

THE BOY AND THE HERON • November 15-19

Tickets on sale now.

100 Meters:  “100 METERS follows Togashi, a track star who is born to run. As a kid, he is naturally gifted and wins every 100-meter race without effort. But in sixth grade, he meets Komiya, a transfer student who is full of determination but lacks technique. In teaching him, Togashi gives Komiya a new purpose: to win no matter what. Years pass by, and Togashi and Komiya meet again as rivals on the track and reveal their true selves."

Angel’s Egg:  “In an underwater city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms – a treasure that she believes is an angel’s egg. A boy with a gun arrives in search of a bird he saw in his dream."  In theaters November 19.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain:  “The world is a perplexing, peaceful mystery to Amélie until a miraculous encounter with chocolate ignites her wild sense of curiosity. As she develops a deep attachment to her family’s housekeeper, Nishio-san, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature as well as the emotional truths hidden beneath the surface of her family’s idyllic life as foreigners in post-war Japan."  In select theatres October 31. In theatres nationwide November 7.

One of the main events of the weekend was a panel discussion on the hit series Jujutsu Kaisen with appearances by the voice actors Junya Enoki (Yuji Itadori) and Megumi Ogata (Yuta Okkotsu.)

 

Of course, as with every Anime Expo, there were cultural presentations as well, ranging from bonsai workshops to koto and shamisen classes.

At the end, there was a colorful closing ceremony with obon dancing and the traditional filling in of the Daruma’s eye (pictures/video were discouraged)  The dates for next year’s Anime Expo were announced as July 2-5, 2026 with another Anime Expo Chibi November 8-9, 2025 at the Ontario Convention Center.  While this year’s AX seemed a little more scaled back than some previous years, there were undoubtedly economic factors that made it a more difficult and more expensive endeavor for international companies and guests to participate.  If there was one thing to take away from the sold-out event and the overwhelming amount of shows being produced, it’s that anime itself is bigger and more popular than ever, with enough genres to suit anyone’s interests.  With the general slow-down of animation production in the US, it’s a perfect opportunity to try out new anime films and series to fill the gap and find a whole new world of animation.