The line-up for September's Crunchyoll Expo continues to grow, with the anime brand adding 20 more guests to the list. Highlights of the newly expanded slate include the legendary horror manga artist, Juji Ito, as well as a Toei Animation panel for One Piece and the creative team behind The Rising of the Shield Hero. Panel information for the latter also teases the inclusion of a "very special announcement."
Additional guests include WWE wrestler and streamer, Miro (Rusev), voice actor Minori Chihara (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) and EDM musician and DJ, TeddyLoid (Panty & Stocking with Gaterbelt) who is best known for his musical contribution to the 2014 viral anime music video "Me!Me!Me!" alongside Daoko.
Registration is currently open for Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020 at crunchyrollexpo.com. The event will be streaming from Sept. 4-6.
The full press release for Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020 can be found below.
Official Press Release
Virtual Crunchyroll Expo Announces Junji Ito, Alongside 20 Additional Guests
• Virtual Crunchyroll Expo is announcing today another massive lineup of guests including the legendary horror artist Junji Ito, a lineup of professional athlete anime fans, the creative staff and voice actors from The Rising of the Shield Hero, and One Piece, among many others.
• Junji Ito will attend V-CRX to give fans a glimpse into the lives of Yon & Mu, the beloved cats of the horror manga artist.
• Crunchyroll also revealed the stellar lineup for the "Professional Athletes of Anime" panel, which will be hosted by Jacki Jing and will include Aries Merritt, Olympic Gold Medalist for Team USA in track and field, Cole Anthony, rising star in the American basketball scene, playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels and Miro, streamer and professional wrestling champion (appearing on WWE under the name Rusev). Headshots and bios for each athlete available upon request.
• Virtual Crunchyroll Expo will also feature a discussion with the creative staff behind The Rising of the Shield Hero including Keigo Koyanagi (Series Composition), Masahiro Suwa (Character Design), and Junichiro Tamura (Producer). The panel will feature special messages to fans from voice actors Sarah Emi Bridcutt (voice of Myne), Kaito Ishikawa (voice of Naofumi Iwatani), Asami Seto (voice of Raphtalia), and Rina Hidaka (voice of Filo), along with a very special announcement!
• Crunchyroll Expo is also bringing fans an exciting One Piece panel from Toei Animation, featuring Japanese voice actors Mayumi Tanaka (voice of Monkey D. Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (voice of Roronoa Zoro), Ikue Otani (voice of Tony Tony Chopper) and Hiroaki Hirata (voice of Vinsmoke Sanji).
• Crunchyroll Games will also be bringing a slate of special guests to V-CRX including Masayuki Yamaigishi (Yama-P), the NextNinja CEO and producer of Crunchyroll Games title Grand Summoners, Erik, Global Lead of Grand Summoners, Kensuke Mita, Producer of NARUTO X BORUTO NINJA TRIBES from Bandai Namco Entertainment, and David Cai, Co-Founder of Gaudium, the studio behind the upcoming Crunchyroll Game, Grand Alliance, which is coming soon from Crunchyroll and VIZ Media.
• Additional guests being formally announced today include character designer Miho Tanino (Tower of God), voice actress and singer Minori Chihara (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Violet Evergarden), and musician TeddyLoid.
• The complete schedule for Virtual Crunchyroll Expo can be found here.
• Panels will be available to stream live in the Theater District at Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, and will be uploaded to the V-CRX On-Demand section periodically throughout the weekend to ensure fans can catch up on any of the action they might have missed.
• Virtual Crunchyroll Expo will have a series of districts available for fan enjoyment: the Theater District will house panels, premieres, and screenings; the Super Arcade will house fan activations and activities (including the Onyx Equinox scavenger hunt, MAPPA gallery tour, and Yuzu’s Cat Café, among others); the Anime Arts District will be home to the V-CRX artist alley, and the Central Shopping District will house the exhibitor hall.
• International registration for V-CRX is open at crunchyrollexpo.com. The global anime community is encouraged to sign up for a free pass for this year’s event to catch all the action, announcements, guest panels, and more.
• Virtual Crunchyroll Expo is a digital take on Crunchyroll’s yearly flagship convention that brings together the anime community to celebrate the best and brightest in Japanese animation. The event will be streaming from September 4-6 only on crunchyrollexpo.com.