Returning as masquerade judges... Savannah (Banana) and Bri (Cake) are the
Friday: 11:30am – 12:30am; Saturday 10am – 12:30am; Sunday 10am – 4:30pm
Vendor Hall Hours
263 N Center St, Mesa, AZ 85201
Free Parking
200 N Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ 85201
Free Parking
Badge Pickup & On Site Sales Hours
Friday: 10am – 8pm; Saturday 10am – 7pm; Sunday 10am – 3pm
Programming / Event Hours
Friday: 11:30am – 12:30am; Saturday 10am – 12:30am; Sunday 10am – 4:30pm
Vendor Hall Hours
Friday: 12pm – 8pm (Premier Badge & Bundle Badge holders access at 11am); Saturday 10am – 7pm; Sunday 10am – 4pm (last entry at 3:30pm)
Solar Japanese Festival Hours
Friday: 1pm – 5:30pm; Saturday 10am – 5:30pm; Sunday 10am – 3:00pm
Luna Night Market Hours
Friday: 5pm – 9pm; Saturday 5pm – 9pm
Taiyou Con is a family friendly 3-day anime convention and Japanese festival at the Mesa Convention Center! We are an introductory to all things Asian pop culture – anime, cosplay, video games, K-Pop, Asian food trucks, and much more with over 300 hours of interactive activities just for YOU.
We started out as an event for people that needed a place to share their common interests with each other. Our first event took place 15 years ago at a school with no admission cost and lasted only a total of eight hours. Now, our event is much bigger and strive to introduce more people to this community by making it easy and affordable, but our mission remains the same… help people make awesome memories with each other.
Let your kids enjoy browsing through the art in artist alley, eating at the food trucks at the Japanese festival, getting autographs from their favorite anime voice actors and more!
Download the mobile for complete schedule and activities!
Voice Actor
Megan Shipman works professionally as a Voice Actor and ADR Director for many different games, projects, and shows. She’s voiced characters like Anya Forger in “SPYxFAMILY”, Shion in “Sing a Bit of Harmony”, La Brava from “My Hero Academia”, Gigi Andalucia from “Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway”, Mayuri Shiina from “Steins;Gate 0”, Grey from “Black Clover”, Homura from “Dr. Stone”, Maple from “BOFURI”, Yuzu Aihara from “Citrus”, Aoba Suzukaze from “New Game!”, Camie from “One Piece”, Mare Bello Fiore from “Overlord”, Eripiyo from “If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It To The Budokan I Would Die”, Aries Spring from “Astra Lost in Space”, Snow White from “Magical Girl Raising Project”, Chibi from “Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits”, Rikou Takitsubo from “A Certain Scientific Railgun S”, Mio Shimazu from “Yu-No: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of This World”, Yuzuru Yamai from “Date-A-Live”, IF from “Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation”, Shimakaze from “Kantai Collection”, Cassidy from “Dimension W”, Arisa Meigo from “A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion”, Hibari from “Senran Kagura”, and Corriente from “Show by Rock!!”.
Voice Actor
Natalie Van Sistine is a voice actress, audio engineer, and writer who currently lives near Dallas with her dog, Nico. You can hear her as Yor Forger in Spy X Family, Star and Stripe in My Hero Academia, Miorine in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, the Fox Devil in Chainsaw Man, Irene Adler/James Bonde in Moriarty the Patriot, Lilith in The Maid I Hired Recently is Mysterious, Arnheid in Vinland Saga, Natsuko Aki in Re: Cutie Honey, and dozens of other anime, including Attack on Titan, Kaguya Sama: Love is War, Full Dive, Pop Team Epic, Overlord, and One Piece. She has also appeared in over a hundred games, including Honkai: Star Rail as Serval and World of Warcraft as Dark Ranger Velonara. You can also hear her in Hearthstone, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Higan: Eruthyll, Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, RWBY: Arrowfell, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, and Lost in Random.
Voice Actor
Over the past decade, Alex has voiced characters in over fifty shows. Favorites include Aizawa (Eraserhead) in My Hero Academia, Decim in Death Parade, Makishima in Psycho Pass, and Kaku in One Piece. Alex is also an accomplished stage actor and director, spending the past ten years as a member of the Resident Acting Company at the Dallas Theater Center. Alex currently stars as the English voice of Loid Forger (Twilight) in Spy x Family.
Voice Actor
Introducing the versatile Ryan Colt Levy! Known for his captivating performances in anime, Ryan's standout role as Denji in Chainsaw Man has garnered him a Best English Voice Performance at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. From battling demons to navigating the complexities of heroism, Ryan's portrayal of Denji has left a lasting impression on audiences. In addition to Chainsaw Man, Ryan has made his mark in the world of My Hero Academia, where he recently voiced Rody Soul. His portrayal of this character adds depth and intrigue to the series, showcasing Ryan's versatility as a voice actor. Ryan's recent anime voiceover work also includes the role of Donny in Seven Deadly Sins and Loki in Record of Ragnorak.
Voice Actor
Our next voice over guest is the awesome J Michael Tatum, and he is a legend! He voiced the iconic Kyoya in Ouran High School Host Club, the enticing, demonic Sebastian in Black Butler, France in the Hetalia franchise, and the eccentric Okarin Rintarou from Steins;Gate. More recently, J Michael Tatum can be heard in the epic My Hero Academia as Tenya. He has done so many characters for the past 20 years!
Voice Actor
Brandon McInnis is an LA-based voice actor, singer, and translator with over 130 roles in anime and video games, and a prolific TikTok account (@branmci: >550k followers). Notable roles include Gyutaro in Demon Slayer, Sir Nighteye in My Hero Academia, Finral Roulacase in Black Clover, Yuta in SSSS.Gridman, Milo in Sabikui Bisco, Astolfo in The Case Study of Vanitas, Kenshiro Daimon in ODDTAXI, Samon Goku in Nanbaka, Sonosuke Izayoi in Danganronpa 3, Ares in Banished from the Hero’s Party, Mangod (Hitogami) in Mushoku Tensei, Yūichirō Kurono (Uncle Reaper) in Fire Force, Xane in Fire Emblem Heroes, Featherlight in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Patrick Phelps in Black Butler, Ganos in Dragon Ball Super, and many more. Other notable roles include Iketeru in Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan, Edward of Westminster in Requiem of the Rose King, Hirano in Sasaki and Miyano, Saku in ACTORS: Song Connection, Selen in Show By Rock!!, Yuta in Stars Align, Kanata in Ensemble Stars!, Shu Bi in Back Arrow, Al Lyon in Appare-Ranman!, Leonardo in The Gymnastics Samurai, Tsubasa (Kashiwagi’s Boyfriend) in Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Dellinger in One Piece, Makoto Teruhashi in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, Count St. Germain in Code: Realize, and Keita Amano in Gamers.
Voice Actor
Justin Briner is an actor and singer known primarily for his work in anime and video games. Recently, he's started up the third season of My Hero Academia as Izuku "Deku" Midoriya. He can also be heard as Yoo Jinho in Solo Leveling, Mikaela in Seraph of the End, Nova in Space Patrol Luluco, Yukito and Yue in Cardcaptor Sakura, Yoichi in Drifters, Ayanokoji in Classroom of the Elite, Alfonso in GARO: The Animation, Niko in Nanbaka, Ryota Mitarai in Danganronpa 3, Frate in 91 Days, Qwenthur in Heavy Object, Manato in Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions, and many more. Additionally, he has provided voices for games such as Dust: An Elysian Tail, SMITE, Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs, Cibele, and DreadOut.
Music Artist
Lotus Juice is one of the pioneers who introduced rap into Japanese anime and game music. Blending the essence of ’90s hip-hop with J-pop, dub, rock, and beyond, Lotus Juice has created a sound all of his own. Widely recognized for his collaborations with Shoji Meguro during their time at ATLUS Japan, his iconic track “Mass Destruction” from Persona 3 remains a fan favorite along with other songs in Persona 4 and Persona spinoffs. In 2024, his electrifying hit “It’s Going Down Now” from Persona 3 Reload went viral on TikTok, dominating the Global Japan Song Charts on Billboard for over a month. Born in New Jersey and raised in Tokyo, Lotus Juice’s versatile flow has also captivated legendary composer Taku Iwasaki (Gurren Lagann, Noragami), sparking a partnership that continues to deliver unforgettable music.
VTuber
Kōri is a VTuber (Virtual Streamer) who is basically a silly raccoon that got isekai’ed into a beautiful ice princess in a distant realm. She is a variety streamer with a focus on chatting streams and fun, chaotic content-streaming on both Twitch and YouTube. Since VTubing is the only way she’s able to stay in touch with Earth, she cares deeply about her community and is attending conventions to meet more lovely people! Kōri also has original music, a self produced visual novel game revolving around her lore, hosts special on-stream events, and is also the first VTuber to collaborate with an American baseball team! Kōri and her raccoon, Ak, are excited to meet you!
Cosplay Masquerade Judge
As one of the masquerade judges... Cyborg T-Rex started cosplaying in 2017. Over the years she’s won several awards for her craftsmanship and is now recognized as a Master Cosplayer. In 2024 she published two books on cosplay, An Adventurer’s Guide to Cosplay and Cosplay Workbook. Cyborg strives to be a positive influence in the cosplay community and hopes to be an inspiration for someone to start cosplaying, just as someone once was for her.
Cosplay Masquerade Judge
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Returning as masquerade judges... Savannah (Banana) and Bri (Cake) are the
As one of the masquerade judges... Cyborg T-Rex started cosplaying in
Lotus Juice is one of the pioneers who introduced rap into
