Otakon

The Official Tumblr for Otakon! Join us at the Walter E Washington Convention Center July 31 - August 2, 2026. Register today at otakon.com/register.

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Looking to upgrade your experience for Otakon concerts? VIP tickets for The Music of Square Enix Friday concert and AWU weekend events go on sale next Friday, June 12th at 11am EST! Make sure you're ready by having your membership purchased and active over on LEAP! Not sure what comes with your upgrade? For The Music of Square Enix concert, VIP seats will give you the closest view possible. Reserved seats will guarantee you a seat for the concert and will be behind VIP. For AWU's VIP experience, you not only get a VIP seat with the closest view possible, but you also get access to their VIP events. You will get to have a fan sign style Meet and Greet along with getting to attend an exclusive dance workshop! Reserved seating tickets are only for the concert but will give you guaranteed seats behind VIP.

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From the shadowed halls of forgotten kingdoms comes our sorceress Nichole Goodnight! Renowned voice actor and storyteller of the macabre, she is best known for weaving haunting tales through the NoSleep Podcast and lending her voice as the Princess in Slay the Princess. Dare to hear her stories at Otakon!

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A daring corsair sails into the harbor for Otakon! VTuber and treasure-hunting tactician MinaAoyama is known for charting courses through gacha seas like Honkai: Star Rail and Arknights: Endfield. Known across NA as the #1 Robin main, she’s ready to lead adventurers toward glory!

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Otakon presents the realm’s foremost Pictomancer, Izumi Teeny! Idol horse-girl VTuber, enchanting bard songstress, and masterful artisan of visual design, Izumi paints every adventure in dazzling color. Whether questing solo or raiding with her fellow adventurers in the independent VTuber guild VIVARIA Virtual, she’s always the mane attraction of the realm. Prepare your tomestones and join us for a truly ultimate encounter!

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Make way through the tavern halls for the wandering bard of dreams! Yumemi夢美 has arrived! Hailing from the northern kingdom of Toronto, Yumemi夢美 is a solo J-pop galaxy bard, voiceweaver, and festival coordinator whose songs have echoed across realms since 2014. From grand stages to enchanted virtual gatherings around the world, she has spent years captivating adventurers with celestial performances and dreamlike melodies. Whether lending her voice to legendary tales or organizing festivities for travelers far and wide, Yumemi夢美 journeys onward with one heartfelt quest: to grant every soul the most Beautiful Dreams!

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Otakon welcomes Korea Hanbok Promotion Institute to Otakon 2026! Focusing on the preservation and succession of traditional style hanbok, they will be showcasing the art and history through the lens of traditional hanbok pieces. Make sure to check out their exhibition at Otakon!

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We are taking donations of lightly used, clean cosplay at Otakon 2026! Cosplays must be bagged. Wigs will not be accepted, but props are okay. Donations will be used in our new Cosplay Rental program starting in 2027! #Otakon2026

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Guild Administrator Rachie reporting in! Bureaucrat by daylight, idol by moonlight! Known across the realm as Splendiferachie, Rachie has spent over a decade building her legend. Beginning her journey in the ancient archives of YouTube at a remarkably young age, she rose to become one of the original English Vocaloid bards, amassing a fellowship of 640,000+ subscribers with over 50 performances surpassing 1 million views each. Now, after successfully class-changing into the world of VTubing, Rachie stands among the rare veterans who survived the ever-shifting content meta and lived to tell the tale. Whether managing guild affairs from the front office or commanding the stage with full chuuni charisma, this idol administrator is ready to lead Otakon’s adventurers into an unforgettable gathering!

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Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON) was established in 1998 as the only agency in the Republic of Korea dedicated to the promotion of manhwa. With its mission statement that focuses on solidifying the industrial foundation of K-contents and enhancing the brand value of the Republic of Korea as a global cultural powerhouse, KOMACON strives to expand the public’s enjoyment of manhwa / comics by fostering talented creators and advancing the industry’s infrastructure. KOMACON manages various manhwa related archives including Korea Manhwa Museum, Manhwa Library, and Manhwa Kyujanggak, preserving the cultural value of the manhwa as a medium. KOMACON also showcases the dynamicness of manhwa to the world by hosting events like Bucheon International Comics Festival (BICOF) and Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival (GICOF).

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And now our third judge for the Otakon 2026 Masquerade: Horror Queen Cosplay! Horror Queen has been cosplaying since 2008. She loves all things spooky, and frilly! Masquerades are where she feel deep in love with the cosplay community. Between taking on any crafting challenge that intrigues her, she loves coming up with new skits and performances. Horror Queen is a mother of 4 furbies and one calico cat #Otakon2026

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Attention Otakon Guild Adventurers! The traveling bard Dangle arrives bearing his covers of legendary anime anthems and original English translyrics! Gather your party, ready your glowsticks, and prepare to wotagei through a quest of nonstop OP & ED bangers!

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Our next judge for Otakon 2026's Masquerade is Knovice Cosplay! Knovice (any/all) is a California-based performer and maker who loves to pull-back the curtain to share the secrets and joy of cosplay-performing. They've performed across the US and even the world as apart of GICOF's Team USA 2025. Using their theater & dancing background, they create resources for skits and performances so cosplayers of any skill level can feel confident taking the stage! When they aren't crafting a performance, they're usually working on creating sewing tutorials as a Janome Maker. They cannot wait to meet the community of Otakon! Photo by 景页1874 on rednote #Otakon2026

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Side quest ending, only a few hours left to apply for Kpop Showtime! Whether you’re a soloist or a group, sign up now to compete at this year’s Kpop Showtime, Otakon’s kpop dance competition! Head on over to our website to apply!

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And now it's time to introduce our Otakon 2026 Masquerade judges! Luna Lady of Light a.k.a. Emily is an international cosplayer from Michigan. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater Performance. She has been cosplaying for 19 years, has written and produced numerous performances, and sewn a myriad of costumes.

Emily has won around 40 awards in her cosplay career. Among those awards are three national titles: Team USA 2023 for the World Cosplay Summit in Japan, Team USA 2022 for GICOF in South Korea, and Team USA 2018 for Clara Cow’s Cosplay Cup in the Netherlands. Cosplay is a common language where people from all walks of life can come together to learn new skills and make lifelong friends. Emily is passionate about spreading the love of cosplay and performances.

Emily has been judging cosplay competitions since 2009 and running them since 2011. She runs the USA selections for the International Cosplay League in Spain, Cosplay World Masters in Portugal, and Pop Culture Hiroshima in Japan at Youmacon in Detroit. She mentors cosplayers who are entering or running competitions and fosters friendship and creativity in her community.

When she is not cosplaying she performs in theater in West Michigan.

Photo by Anna Krekova

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Hey Otakon! Check out our booth at Anime North in Ontario this weekend! We have all the Otakon swag you need to get pumped for this summer 🦀 Also! Think you can beat a staff member at connect 4? You might win an awesome prize! #Otakon2026

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Otakon has recruited a chief engineer, Bonnie Barkswell to the guild! Bonnie Barkswell is an Airship Engineer and the World’s Goodest Girl! EmBARKing on a grand adventure, this paws-itively brilliant tinkerwoof keeps the engines barking and the gaskets snug while she creates chaos in 3D while streaming. Ready your balls and treats: Bonnie’s tail-wagging trials are sure to leave you eager for more!

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Otakon summons Hylo to Otakon 2026! Hailing from a realm of wyrms and wonder, this dragon princess-turned-adventurer is a variety streamer who quests across Twitch and YouTube. Bring your character sheet and courage, Hylo’s party is about to roll for fun!