Keita Yoshinobu will be a guest at Otakon 2026. Yoshinobu is an animation producer.
Yoshinobu began his career at Answer Studio in 2015 and joined WIT STUDIO 2018, where he served as production desk on “Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song.” He currently produces “Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke” and “Love Through a Prism.”
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Kazuki Ura will be a guest at Otakon 2026. A voice actor, he will appear in the upcoming sequel to “TOUGEN ANKI.”
Ura is a voice actor from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He made his leading role debut as Yoichi Isagi in the anime “Blue Lock,” which debuted in October 2022. In 2024, he won the Best Lead Actor Award at the 18th Seiyu Awards.
In 2025, he played Shiki Ichinose, the protagonist who inherits the blood of an oni, in “TOUGEN ANKI.” The highly anticipated sequel, “TOUGEN ANKI: Nikko Kegon Falls Arc,” is set to premiere in October 2026.
His notable works include the “TOUGEN ANKI” series, in which he portrays Shiki Ichinose; the “Blue Lock” series, where he plays Yoichi Isagi; “Sparks of Tomorrow,” in which he plays Yajiro Yagura; and “Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You,” in which he plays Kizuki Hazawa.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Kazuki Higashiji will be a guest at Otakon 2026. Higashiji is an animation art director and background artist.
After joining an animation background art studio in 1998, he began his career in anime art production. Since becoming a freelance artist in 2005, he has worked across television series, theatrical films, games, and animated sequences for live-action productions, contributing to a wide range of visual styles and genres.
As an art director, his major works include the feature films “Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms” and “Alice and Therese’s Illusion Factory.” His background art credits also include titles such as “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex,” “Angel Beats!,” “Hanasaku Iroha,” and “Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea.”
Higashiji is known for creating atmospheric environments filled with traces of time, lived-in realism, and emotional texture. His work often emphasizes the subtle presence of human life within landscapes and architecture, bringing a strong sense of authenticity to animated worlds.
In recent years, alongside his production work, he has also been involved in lectures and educational activities for younger creators.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Kan Mizoguchi will be a guest at Otakon 2026. He is an animation producer associated with the Japanese animation studio subsidiary Cypic.
Mizoguchi studied under master Tsumura Reijiro at the Hitotsubashi Kanze Society.
His works include “Umamusume: Pretty Derby — Road to the Top,” “Umamusume: Pretty Derby — Beginning of a New Era,” and others.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Goshi Yoshida will be a guest at Otakon 2026. Yoshida is an animation producer.
Yoshida joined Yomiuri TV in 2011 and began working as an anime producer with the 2021 TV series “Kemono Jihen.” His major credits include “Ascendance of a Bookworm: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke,” “Detective Conan,” “Yaiba: Samurai Legend,” “Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre,” “Sorcerous Stabber Orphen” and more.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Yoko Ueda will be a guest at Otakon 2026. She is a director at Production I.G., overseeing the IP and Communications Division as well as corporate management.
With extensive experience spanning publicity, licensing, merchandising, production, corporate communications, and business strategy, she has played a key role in the development and promotion of numerous projects.
Throughout her career, Ueda has been involved in a wide range of productions, contributing to every stage of the process, from planning and production to marketing, licensing, and international brand development. Her credits include publicity for “Library Wars”; licensing for “Sengoku BASARA Two”; associate producer for “The Ancient Magus’ Bride” (Season 1) and “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045”; co-producer of “GREAT PRETENDER”; animation assistant producer for “Ranking of Kings”; and producer of “YAIBA: Samurai Legend” and “Attack on Titan: The Final Season.”
With a unique perspective that combines creative production, business development, and global brand strategy, Ueda has helped bring some of Japan’s most acclaimed anime to fans around the world. She continues to play an important role as a corporate office at Production I.G, in expanding the impact of anime both domestically and internationally.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Takayuki Goto will be a guest at Otakon 2026. He is a world-renowned animator, character designer, illustrator, and one of the founding members of Production I.G.
With a career spanning more than four decades, he has played a pivotal role in shaping some of the most influential works in anime. Although he stepped down from his position as a board executive of Production I.G in 2020, he continues to contribute as both an advisor and animator while helping mentor the young talent across the IG Port Group.
Goto is also dedicated to animation education and serves as a Specially Appointed Professor at Tokyo Zokei University, while training and developing emerging animators, sharing the knowledge and experience gained throughout his distinguished career.
Goto’s credits include character design and animation direction for “Red Photon Zillion,” “Video Girl Ai,” “Please Save My Earth,” and “Hunter × Hunter,” as well as animation direction on the acclaimed “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” series. He has also served as chief animation director on “The Beast Player Erin,” “Kuroko’s Basketball,” and “Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These,” among many other notable productions.
In 2026, Goto celebrates his 45th anniversary as a professional animator. Widely respected for his artistry, craftsmanship, and dedication to nurturing future creators, he remains one of the most influential figures in the anime industry.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Yuji Yanase will be a guest at Otakon 2026. He is a Japanese anime director and episode director, working primarily with studio MAHO FILM.
He has directed a wide range of series for the studio, including “The World’s Strongest Rearguard,” “The Insipid Prince’s Furtive Grab for The Throne,” “Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra,” “I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History,” “My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1,” “In the Land of Leadale,” “By the Grace of the Gods,” “By the Grace of the Gods 2,” and “If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord,” among many others.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka will be a guest at Otakon 2026. He is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with the talent management firm I’m Enterprise.
He has voiced a wide range of characters in many popular titles, such as Arihito in “The World’s Strongest Rearguard,” Kirito in “Sword Art Online,” Inosuke Hashibira in “Demon Slayer,” Bell Cranell in “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?,” Fuutarou Uesugi in “The Quintessential Quintuplets,” Soma Yukihira in “Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma,” Sora in “No Game No Life,” Vash the Stampede in “Trigun Stampede,” and many others.
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
Nozomi Shimakura will be a guest at Otakon 2026. She is a producer at MAHO FILM.
Shimakura is the producer on the live-action voice actor variety program “We’ll Leave It to the Voice Actors!” In adition, she is an associate producer on “By the Grace of the Gods 2,” “Blue Miburo,” and “A Playthrough of a Certain Dude’s VRMMO Life.”
Her earlier credits include assistant producer on “The World’s Strongest Rearguard,” domestic licensing for “I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History” and “In the Land of Leadale,” production settings on “A Playthrough of a Certain Dude’s VRMMO Life” and “By the Grace of the Gods 2,” and post-production coordination on “The Insipid Prince’s Furtive Grab for The Throne” and “Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra.”
Otakon 2026 takes place July 31 to August 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
