Tokyo Comic Con 2025: Everything You Need To Know

Tokyo Comic Con 2023 | Photograph by Ben Cooke

One of the biggest pop culture conventions in the world, Tokyo Comic Convention (abbreviated as Tokyo Comic Con) returns for its 9th year, hosted at Makuhari Messe events center from December 5 to December 7. This year will host a record number of celebrity guests, including Sebastian Stan, Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci and many more.

The convention’s roots can be traced back to the United States in 1970, where the very first San Diego Comic-Con (then known as the Golden State Comic-Con) took place in the basement of the U.S. Grant Hotel. Comic book fans organized the event as a way to meet other comic book fans, and 300 people attended the first “comic con.” Since then, the convention has grown on a massive scale with 135,000 people from 80 countries attending in San Diego in 2019, and inspiring conventions to sprout up all across the globe.

Comic Con is an epicenter for international celebration of popular culture, from exciting announcements of upcoming movies and video games, to cosplays by enthusiastic fans and opportunities to see your favorite artists in person. Here is everything you need to know to navigate Tokyo Comic Con 2025.

List of Contents:

Featured Celebrities Stage Performances Booths and Exhibitions Cosplay Rules and Registration Info Where to Buy Tickets Tokyo Comic Con Details and Location Related Posts

Courtesy of PR Times

Featured Celebrities at Tokyo Comic Con 2025

Tokyo Comic Con 2025 will have its biggest lineup of celebrity guests yet, with world-renowned international stars and popular domestic artists as well. The headliners list includes:

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The First Avenger, Thunderbolts)
Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)
Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead, Death Stranding)
Sean Patrick Flanery (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Saw)
Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Punisher)
Nicholas Hoult (Superman, The Great)
Tadanobu Asano (Mortal Kombat 2, Shogun)
Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, The Toxic Avenger)
Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings, The Goonies)
Karl Urban (The Boys, Mortal Kombat 2)
Jack Quaid (The Boys, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
Christina Ricci (The Addams Family, Sleepy Hollow)
Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
Pilou Asbaek (Game of Thrones, Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom)
Daniel Logan (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones)
Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, The Addams Family)
Lea Thompson (Back to the Future)
Tom Wilson (Back to the Future)
Claudia Wells (Back to the Future)
Jim Lee (President and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics
Frank Miller (comic book writer, Daredevil, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns)
C.B. Cebulski (Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics)

Guests can purchase celebrity tickets for individual meet-and-greet experiences with featured artists. Select celebrities will offer photoshoot sessions and autographs. Please check the ticket page for the complete schedule information.

DeLorean display for the 40th anniversary of “Back to the Future” at Tokyo Comic Con 2025 | Photography by Aya Sato

Notably, several cast members from Back to the Future will be attending just in time to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original film’s Japan release in December 1985. A special exhibition and merchandise booth will be set up at the convention with limited-edition merchandise and a collaboration project with 10 of Japan’s leading manga artists displaying their takes on the Back to the Future universe. Guests who spend over ¥8800 at the booth will have the opportunity to take photos with the iconic DMC DeLorean time machine car.

Opening Ceremony at Tokyo Comic Con 2025 | Photography by Aya Sato

Stage Performances

For a full view of the performance schedule throughout the event period, please visit the website. Shows marked in red require numbered tickets through advance lottery (guests without tickets can watch from the standing area). Shows marked in blue are unreserved.

Tokyo Comic Con will kick off on December 5 with an opening ceremony from 12:00 to 12:45. The ceremony will welcome TCC Ambassador Koji Yamamoto, PR Ambassador Moe Iori and MC Yuichi Nakamaru, along with a majority of the guest celebrities. Guests can also see celebrities through Celebrity Stage shows scattered throughout the event’s schedule.

The convention is also inviting many Japanese stars: including manga artists, singers and voice actors. The “Noriko Hidaka’s Voice Actors” stage show on December 6 (15:40-16:20) will feature voice actors from the Ranma 1/2 anime. Kappei Yamaguchi who plays the titular Ranma Saotome, Noriko Hidaka who plays Akane Tendo and Toshihiko Seki who plays Moose will discuss Ranma’s return to television after over 30 years.

After its success in Osaka Comic Con, Tokyo Comic Con will have a series of Ani-Song Live concerts featuring a variety of artists who have created some of the most popular anime songs. The December 5th show (18:40-19:30) will introduce Hiroshi Kitadani with the One Piece opening theme “We Are,” Chihiro Yonekura with Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team’s opening theme “Shining in the Storm” and Takayoshi Tanimoto with the Dragon Ball opening theme “Dragon Soul.”

Ani-Song Live #2 on December 6 (11:45-12:45) will have performances by Rika Matsumoto with the Pokemon opening theme “Mezase Pokemon Master,” Salia with the Cutie Honey opening theme “Cutie Honey F” and Mayumi Gojo with Futari wa Pretty Cure’s “Danzen! Futari wa Pretty Cure.” The final concert will be on December 7 (16:00-16:55) with Yuya Asaoka performing Dragon Ball GT’s “Dan Dan Kokoro Mikareteku,” Voyager with the Ultraman X theme song, Takayoshi Tanimoto with the Juken Sentai Gekiranger theme song and Diana Garnet with the Naruto Shippuden ending theme “Spinning World.”

Courtesy of Tokyo Comic Con

Booths and Exhibitions

Not only will Tokyo Comic Con have the largest lineup of celebrity guests, 2025 will also have the largest number of exhibitors. Guests can explore fun activations and photo spots, browse art displays and purchase convention-exclusive and limited-edition merchandise before anyone else.

The Marvel and Star Wars pop up stores will display over 1,700 exclusive and pre-release items. The Warner Bros. Discovery Booth will stock a variety of merchandise related to its guest celebrities and franchises, such as The Lord of the Rings, Fantastic Beasts and Superman. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo’s “The Making of Harry Potter” will be participating in Tokyo Comic Con for the first time, bringing a model dragon that appeared in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Many other brands will be exhibiting on the convention floor, including Funko, Graniph, Heritage Auctions, Hot Toys, Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana, U-Next and Topps. The “Comic Con Jinja” will be a collaboration “shrine” with the brand Unpaso, featuring Japanese-style charms and stamp books with unique Comic Con designs. For a full list of exhibitors, please visit the website.

The Artist Alley will also house a massive array of artist booths, where guests can browse handmade goods, original art, illustration prints and other goodies. Artists include Agnes Garbowska (DC Comics’ New York Times Best Selling illustrator), Alex Sinclair (Batman Hush colorist), Andrea Broccardo (Star Wars and Spider-Man artist), Shogo Aoki (manga artist and illustrator), Chobi Fujita (illustrator and 2D animator) and more. For a full list of Artist Alley artists, please visit the website.

Tokyo Comic Con 2023 | Photograph by Ben Cooke

Cosplay Rules and Registration Info

One of the highlights of Comic Cons worldwide is the massive parade of cosplaying fans. Cosplaying is a great opportunity to meet new people in the community and exhibit new crafting skills. Fans of movies, anime, comics, games and beyond dress up as their favorite characters. Tokyo Comic Con has several important rules that cosplayers need to know.

All cosplaying guests must register and obtain a Cosplay Participation Certificate at the registration desk, and hang it around their neck or bag. Guests wearing fan goods and apparel do not need to register as a cosplayer, but those wearing a cape or robe, headgear that covers the face, or carrying prop weapons need to acquire a participation certificate for security assurance. The certificate (¥2500) includes all-day access to the changing rooms and cloakroom luggage storage. Cosplay registration for elementary school students and younger is free.

Cosplayers should refrain from attending in overly revealing costumes, carrying potentially dangerous props, displaying symbols criticizing or ridiculing specific groups, and wearing costumes that could be mistaken for occupational uniforms such as military personnel or police officers. For a full list of cosplay rules at Tokyo Comic Con, please visit the event website.

There will be several gatherings and parades for cosplayers to assemble and show off their costumes. The Cosplay Gathering will occur all three event days, and invites attending cosplayers to get together for a big group photo. There will also be more specific gatherings for Marvel, Star Wars, DC Comics and horror movie fans at the Makuhari Messe special stage.

The Happy Cosplay Parade will run all three days; cosplayers can join in on the parade route and celebrate with their fellow nerds.

Where To Buy Tickets

While the popular 3-day passes for Tokyo Comic Con quickly sold out, you can still attend the convention through single-day tickets. Single-day tickets are available for ¥5500 for adults (¥5900 day of), ¥1000 for guests 18 years old and under, and ¥500 for guests 15 years old and under. Digital tickets can be purchased from the Tokyo Comic Con official Cloud Pass website or on Ticket Pia.

Tokyo Comic Con Details and Location