The Tokusatsu Network 2025 Convention Year End Review

Team TokuNet staff writer Charlie Li attended conventions all year long in 2025 to bring you the latest in tokusatsu-related announcements, merchandise, and events from the largest conventions in the U.S.

First, Team TokuNet staff member Charlie Li attended Fan Expo Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA in May. FAN EXPO Philadelphia is the ultimate go-to event for sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event in Center City Philadelphia that attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the Philadelphia Convention Center.

Despite the niche representation, FAN EXPO Philadelphia still delivered a few things to do for tokusatsu fans. Vendors such as Tokullectibles, DX Sabers, and Sunny Studio.

Sunny Studio is all about designer toys, art, and the collectors who love them. With the most unique and creative pieces from artists around the world, they work with independent creators to showcase their incredible work, giving collectors a place to find rare and exciting designs. These pieces include toys from the Ultra franchise and Mazinger Z.

Tokullectibles is a distributor of tokusatsu collectible items from Japan including Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Power Rangers. Catching the eyes of both tokusatsu and anime fans, their booth featured Gashpon machines filled with cute keychains and charms from some of the latest series, such as No.1 Sentai Gozyuger and Kamen Rider Gavv. A statue of Ohranger Robo from Chouriki Sentai Ohranger was also displayed, allowing fans to pose for photos. The table itself displayed DX/CSM Kamen Rider belts, Memorial items, Power Ranger weapons, and statues. The shelves lined up with DX toys from the latest series, plush toys, figures, gimmicks, and more. A true paradise for any tokusatsu fan.

DX Sabers is a small family business built on hard work, loyalty, and love for the Star Wars galaxy. Since 2019, they have been bringing fans around the world premium-quality Lightsabers and unforgettable experiences. One of such Lightsabers is the Power Sword from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. They also have the Green Ranger’s Dragon Dagger, White Ranger’s Saba, and the Time Force Chrono Saber-inspired Lightsabers for pre-order.

Taking a break from shopping, fans were also given the opportunity to meet actors from the Power Rangers franchise such as Walter Jones, Karan Ashley, Blake Foster, and Jason Faunt.

Next is Ranger Stop and Pop Comic-Con in Atlanta. This ultimate celebration of Power Rangers, anime and pop culture featured an action-packed weekend filled with thrilling activities, exclusive appearances, and unforgettable memories. A cosplay highlight spotted at the event was the Dino Megazord from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

This year’s Ranger Stop and Pop Comic-Con commemorated the first full reunion of the Power Rangers Mystic Force cast in a decade. Actors who appeared included Firass Dirani (Nick Russell, Red Mystic Ranger), Nic Sampson (Chip Thorn, Yellow Mystic Ranger), Melanie Vallejo (Madison Rocca, Blue Mystic Ranger), Angie Diaz (Vida Rocca, Pink Mystic Ranger), Richard Brancatisano (Xander Bly, Green Mystic Ranger), John Tui (Daggeron, Solaris Knight), Chris Graham (Leanbow, Wolf Warrior), and Antonia Prebble (Clare, Gatekeeper).

In July, Team TokuNet staff writer Charlie Li attended Comic Con International in San Diego, CA to bring you the latest in tokusatsu-related merchandise and events from the largest comic convention in the U.S.

San Diego Comic-Con is one of the largest and most well-known pop culture conventions in the world, attracting a diverse range of attendees and offering a wide variety of panels, exhibits, and exclusive merchandise. Comic-Con attracts thousands of artists, celebrities and fans of comic books, movie memorabilia and all things related to pop culture. Exhibitors include movie studios and TV networks, comic-book dealers and collectibles merchants. There is also an autograph area, as well as the Artists’ Alley where comics artists can sign autographs and sell or do free sketches.

Panels featured: 

Thursday, July 24-The New Era of Power Rangers (5pm-6pm, Room 23ABC)

Saturday, July 26, 2025- Collectible Figures and More News From Playmates Toys (5:30-6:30pm, Room 10). The Playmates panel brought the latest news on collectibles, exclusives, and first-look debuts from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and more, The Playmates Toys’ marketing and design leaders reviewed the calendar of collectible figures and exclusives from those brands and more. Limited giveaways also drew a lot of attendees.

Sunday, July 27, 2025-“Female Kaiju in the Godzilla Universe! 2pm, Omni Grand Ballroom DE, 4th floor.

Events:

Over at the Sails Pavilion, Richard Horovitz, the voice of Alpha 5 in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, and Power Rangers Turbo, had a signing session on July 25th, 2025 from 10am-2:30pm.

The Lawrence Brothers (including Matthew Lawrence) signed at Booth #1529 on Friday July 25 at 4pm and Saturday July 26 at 3pm. Matthew Lawrence is most known in the tokusatsu community as Sam Collins/Servo in Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, the western adaptation of the Japanese tokusatsu series Gridman the Hyper Agent.

BOOM! Studios was back at Booth #2229 this year, with exclusives and signings. Let’s take a look at what they offered:

SIGNINGS

Thursday, July 24

1pm – 3pm – Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers)
6:15pm – 6:45pm – Melissa Flores/Mairghread Scott (VR Troopers, Power Rangers)

Friday, July 25

11am – 12pm – Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers)
4:30pm – 6:30pm – Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers)

Saturday. July 26

11:30am – 12:30pm – James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children)
1pm – 3pm – Amy Jo Johnson (Power Rangers)

* Amy Jo Johnson signed the exclusive Power Rangers Pink HC for free. All other autographs were $50.

EXCLUSIVES

Daily Drops:

Power Rangers Pink HC – $150
Cover art by Peach Momoko, slipcase by David Nakayama. Limited to 450

Available All Days:

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 Ashcan Comic Pack Exclusives. The 2-comic packs included two random covers out of six total possibilities, illustrated by the incredible Alessio Zonno.

Available Thursday:

VR Troopers #1 Foil Logo Cover — $30
Limited to 250.

VR Troopers #1 Elite Foil Logo Cover — $50
Limited to 50.

Available Sunday:

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 Ashcan by Kevin Eastman — $30
Limited to 200.

The Tamashii Nations Booth at Booth #3329 officially returned to San Diego Comic-Con — and they brought the heat. As the premium collectibles brand from Bandai, Tamashii Nations always delivers high-end figures from fan-favorite franchises like Godzilla, Kamen Rider, and beyond.

This year, Tamashii Nations offered the S.H.Monster Arts GODZILLA (2023) Exclusive Edition for $160. This did not require a Portal win to purchase. Produced by Yuji Sakai and designed to capture the look of Godzilla’s glowing dorsal fins by using clear parts with layered paint applied. This was also available at the Godzilla booth #3345.

Bandai Namco Toys and Collectibles also headed back to San Diego Comic-Con at Booth #3345, where fans were transported into a post-kaiju world as the booth recreated an abandoned kaiju fallout shelter aesthetic. Visitors explored unique displays, posed for photos with kaiju, and took home SDCC event exclusives. One of these exclusives is the Limited Godzilla Minus One Special Gold Edition Figure from Bandai Toy, which was available only at Booth #3345 for $35.

Fans who picked up the Godzilla Minus One Special Gold Edition Figure also received a standard variant Godzilla poster illustrated by IDW’s Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Revival, Nightwing), available as a free gift with purchase while supplies last. Also, for those who spent $175 or more at the booth, an ultra-premium, limited Gold Print Variant of the poster was offered, featuring a metallic gold treatment and limited to just 100 pieces.

Super7 was back with another great pop-up at their Gaslamp store (701 Eighth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101) full of merch from Godzilla Minus One. Their storefront was transformed into a recreation of the epic train attack moment from the film, with a Godzilla train entry way, destroyed set pieces, actual movie props, cosplayers, Kaiju Response Team staff, and exclusive merchandise.

Exclusive merchandise included:

Godzilla: Minus One Poster by Jason Edmiston

S7 Kaiju Response Team Unit Jacket

Godzilla Station Hat

Train Biter “Glob” ReAction Figure — $25

Godzilla 1989 (Comic Book) Super Kaiju Figure — $35

Godzilla “Train Biter” T-Shirt — $30

Toho Kaiju Response Team Double-Sided T-Shirt — $30

Mechagodzilla Subway Sign T-Shirt — $30

Train Biter and Kaiju Response Team Pins — $10 each

SDCC 2025 Pop-Up Sticker Set — $10

Toho FUN! FUN! Minus One Godzilla (Clear Blue) — $25

Toho ULTIMATES! Godzilla: Minus One (Blazing) — $95

Toho Super Cycles Godzilla ’89 — $65

Toho FUN! FUN! Mechagodzilla (Gold Variant) — $25

The pop-up Godzilla Station Hours were:

• Wednesday, July 23: 7pm-close
• Thursday, July 24: 10am-8pm
• Friday, July 25: 10am-8pm
• Saturday, July 26: 10am-8pm
• Sunday, July 27: 10am-7pm

Legendary Shin Godzilla director Shinji Higuchi also made an in-person appearance for a signing at the Super7 store on Friday, July 25 at 11am PT. The signing was limited to 50 people, and was available to the first 50 people on Friday. Super7 distributed wristbands, with no lining up before 10am.

Artist Alley:

Veteran illustrator Cliff Cramp has worked in comics, music, games, animation, books and all manner of entertainment in his career spanning more than two decades. He has worked for DC Comics, Disney Entertainment, Warner Bros., Hollywood Records, Nickelodeon TV Animation and dozens more notable entities. This year, Cramp was at booth #2030 where he had two exclusive prints for Ultraman.

Ultraman Print 1 – $50
13″ x 19″
Limited edition of 100

Ultraman Print 2 – $50
13″ x 19″
Limited edition of 100

Below are some more highlights from San Diego Comic Con including cosplays, vendors representing tokusatsu, and even a booth appearance from Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam Park/Black Ranger).

Team TokuNet staff member Charlie Li attended Anime NYC 2025 in Manhattan, New York in August. Anime NYC is an annual 4-day convention at the Javits Convention Center. Anime NYC is one of the largest and most popular anime conventions of the year as thousands of attendees come from all over the world to showcase their cosplays, participate in various events, and have fun with old and new friends.

Starting with the Anime NJ++ booth, attendees received a sneak peek at guests attending this November convention. Various kaiju figures were displayed at the table along with Kamen Rider and kaiju books/mooks and DVDs.

Going into the Dealer’s Hall, Image Anime (Booth #231) and Muteki Sales (Booth #123) both supplied tokusatsu merchandise for con attendees to purchase. Items for sale included DX toys, DX gimmicks, photobooks, plush toys, figures, Kamen Rider Figure-Rise Standard figures, and CSM Releases.

Robo7 returned with more amazing t-shirts and prints of Ultraman, Jet Jaguar, and Godzilla. All were displayed and sold for fans of the Kaiju-verse. All products and prints were done by talented artist, John Bellotti Jr. The Art of Mark Dos Santos is perfect for anyone who is a fan of Godzilla, Jet Jaguar, or anything from TOHO’s kaiju-verse while also appreciating traditional Japanese art styles.

Aziz Draws in Artist Alley offered tokusatsu prints such as Kamen Rider Zero-One, Power Rangers in Space, Power Rangers Time Force, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, and Power Rangers SPD.

The tokusatsu community on gathered at the Tokusatsu Anime NYC 2025 Cosplay Meetup, hosted by Eiji The Ronin. Fans cosplayed as characters from a myriad of tokusatsu shows such as Super Sentai, Power Rangers, and Kamen Rider. Each cosplayer came to the meet-up with cosplays they’ve spent so much time and energy on as well as their undying passion for tokusatsu.

Moving forward, we have tokusatsu at New York Comic Con 2025.

New York Comic Con (NYCC) is the largest comic con on the East Coast of the United States, and NYCC 2023 was held from October 12-15. The show floor hosts the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators. Screening rooms feature sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either big or small screens. And with dedicated professional hours, New York Comic Con is a market place, bringing together the major players in the entertainment industry.

Ultraman had a significant presence at New York Comic Con  2025, with events included a dedicated trading card game booth, exclusive collectibles, panels, and live character appearances.

Ultraman Card Game Booth:

The new Ultraman Card Game had a major presence, offering free demos, mini-tournaments, and NYCC-exclusive promo foil cards. The booth was a popular stop for fans, also listed as one of the places for free items at the con.

Panels and Screenings:

Tsuburaya Productions hosted panels discussing the expansion of the Ultraman franchise in North America, including a sneak peek at upcoming developments with Ultraman Arc. VIZ Media also revealed a new Star Wars manga from the creators of the Ultraman manga.

Exclusives and Merchandise:

• VeVe offered an exclusive poster for attendees who presented qualifying Ultraman: Rising collectibles at their booth.
• Mondo revealed brand-new Ultraman and Jirahs figures during their panel.
• Limited edition NYCC 2025 exclusive Ultraman TCG promo cards were available.

Live Events:

There were live appearances by Ultra Heroes and Kaiju, giving fans opportunities for photos and interaction. An additional, separate “Family and Fan Screening & Stage Show” event was held at the Japan Society in NYC in November 2025 as part of a larger NYC takeover.

Several Power Rangers actors attended New York Comic Con 2025 as well.

Fans had the opportunity to meet various Rangers throughout the weekend at the RangerStop Booth #4059. The guest lineup included:

• Steve Cardenas (Red Ranger, Mighty Morphin & Blue Ranger, Zeo)
• Karan Ashley (Yellow Ranger, Mighty Morphin)
• Nakia Burrise (Yellow Ranger, Zeo & Turbo)
• Catherine Sutherland (Pink Ranger, Mighty Morphin, Zeo & Turbo)
• Hilary Shepard (Divatox, Turbo)
• Davi Santos (Gold Ranger, Dino Charge)
• Claire Blackwelder (Purple Ranger. Dino Charge)

Fans also had the opportunity to meet four other Rangers at Booth #3080 with a guest lineup of:

• Jason Faunt (Red Ranger, Time Force)
• Erin Cahill (Pink Ranger, Time Force)
• Michael Copon (Blue Ranger, Time Force)
• Blake Foster (Blue Ranger, Turbo)

Alyson Kiperman Sullivan also signed limited edition comic books at booths #3935 and #2047. These FAME: HAIM SABAN “THE VISIONARY BEHIND POWER RANGERS” comic books are available in three exclusive art covers featuring the Yellow Wild Force Ranger.

Attendees could get also autographs and photos with these actors, as well as purchase exclusive merchandise.

Ending the 2025 convention scene, Team TokuNet staff member Charlie Li attended Ranger Stop in Orlando, Florida in November.

Rangerstop Orlando is the biggest southern Power Rangers convention in the United States. It offers a variety of events and guests from variety of different seasons of Power Rangers. Whether attending to meet celebrity guests, shop and browse, cosplay, attend panels, or simply people watch and hang with friends, Rangerstop has something for anyone and everyone. A lot of first time guests were brought over including Sally Martin (Tori Hanson, Ninja Storm Blue Ranger) and a VR Troopers teunion.

Team TokuNet Member Charlie reflected on how much the tokusatsu community has evolved since last year’s convention year and how everyone’s love of the tokusatsu genre contributed to the huge success of bringing tokusatsu representation to all of these conventions. We want to thank everyone who attended these fun events as both fans and cosplayers. We had a great time meeting others who share our passion for tokusatsu. We can’t wait for what’s in store for tokusatsu at the 2026 conventions next year.