Our guests are talented

The 2025 editions welcomed several hundred guests from all over the world, who have made a name for themselves in many different fields. We are, of course, following their careers, and it turns out that several of them have been in the news in recent months, or will be talked about in the coming months.

This year, the manga guest of honor was Junji Ito. His exhibition, Obsession and Nightmares, was an immersive experience for visitors eager for horror. This exhibition will continue to chill your blood in Marseille from February 27 to March 1 for Japan Expo Marseille!

Oh! Great was also present this year. The mangaka of Air Gear and Bakemonogatari was Pika's guest for their 25th anniversary. At the beginning of 2026, he will return with a new title, but, surprise, in another field: BD! Smoke, published by Kana, is in Franco-Belgian comic book format, in full color. He says he has been dreaming for years of offering a science fiction title of this caliber. See you on January 30 in bookstores.

The other manga event at the 2025 edition was the appearance of Kazuhiko Torishima, editor of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, among others, and the man behind Akira Toriyama's huge success. A whole program dedicated to Dragon Ball also gave the public the chance to see Toyotaro, the artist behind Dragon Ball Super, as well as Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, one of the animators of Dragon Ball Z. Kazuhiko Torishima will be sharing his advice in Les Techniques de manga ultime du Docteur Mashirito (The Ultimate Manga Techniques of Doctor Mashirito), published by Glénat on March 4, 2026.

Speaking of Dragon Ball, Brigitte Lecordier, the voice of Son Goku, was also there. Always at the forefront of defending her profession, she was the guest of honor at the welcome evening for young people at the Guimet Museum for the exhibition Manga, Tout un art ! She will also be offering a dubbing workshop on January 25, 2026.

On the animation side, Takeshi Koike came to present his film Lupin III the Movie: The Immortal Lineage. It is scheduled for release in French cinemas on February 25, 2026. We also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Evangelion with prestigious guests such as Kazuya Tsurumaki, director of Studio Khara, as well as big names from the franchise, Mahiro Maeda and Yoji Enokido, and the singer of the opening theme, Yoko Takahashi. The singer has since celebrated Evangelion's anniversary with the release of a new album, Evangelion Flashback, on October 30.

Music has always been one of Japan Expo's strong points. This year, LDH was out in force with PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE and BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE. And it's clear that their spectacular performances gave them wings. PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE announced a world tour for the next two years. BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE created a buzz at the latest Tokyo Girl Collection (Japanese fashion week). 

Orelsan, who was the surprise guest at the Crunchyroll conference, confirming his presence in the new season of One-Punch Man, celebrated Japan through his film Yoroï on October 4.

We will also be able to see Koji Fukuda's next film, Love on Trials, about the secret lives of idols, which he presented to us during an exceptional meeting. On cinema the February, 18th.

Finally, what can we say about the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall studio? The developers (actors and graphic designers) shared behind-the-scenes insights into the game's creation, discussing the making of the cutscenes, the voice work, the music, and the motion capture process. The game simply swept the board at the end-of-year awards ceremonies, winning nine awards at The Game Awards, including Game of the Year. 

Metronomik was also present this year to present the musical action adventure No Straight Roads II. Since then, the game has won four awards at the SEA Game Awards at LEVEL UP KL 2025.