Ota Tokyo 2026 to bring cosplayers, musicians & manga artists to B'luru
With Naruto, Pokémon, Shin Chan, One Piece and more on screens across India, Gen Z and millennials grew up on a steady diet of anime, loving these characters and discovering Japan, its culture and the exciting stories it had to offer. While a few comic book and anime conventions, meetups are already beloved in the city, Hiro Kawamoto, the founding director of Ota Tokyo 2026, wanted much more for Bengaluru’s anime fans – a festival that matches the scale of what he grew up with in Japan. “In Japan, there are three steps to enjoy anime: watch it, experience it through merch shops, go to offline events or to the cinema for an anime movie, then express it through cosplay and deepen the passion for anime. However, in India, most people just watch anime and very few get to experience or express their love for it.” With this idea at the core, he has put together the mammoth cosplay festival, which is expected to bring together over 10,000 visitors at Palace Grounds, Gate no. 9, on January 10.
