Second annual Anime Tyler brings fans together in celebration of cosplay, community
Published 5:40 am Sunday, April 19, 2026
Anime lovers united for the second annual Anime Tyler convention this weekend at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, celebrating anime, cosplay and community. Whether dressed as Sailor Moon or Todoroki from “My Hero Academia,” attendees found a place to connect.
“The people that you meet here are just as weird as you and that’s what makes it so fun,” said Seana Strother, who portrayed Princess Pyramid Head, a genderbent version of Pyramid Head from ‘Silent Hill.’ “We’re a bunch of weirdos and I love it.”
Anime Tyler is a weekend-long fan convention focused on anime, manga and Japanese pop culture. It features cosplay, industry panels, artists and vendors, where attendees buy merchandise and discuss their favorite series.
“It’s not always going to be based on a Japanese anime,” said showrunner Seth Jones. “You have Streetfighter — a video game — and sometimes you’ll have something from one of the old Cartoon Network shows like Tom and Jerry. So, while these events are anime-focused, they’re not necessarily restrictive.”
According to organizers, East Texas has a significant following of anime enthusiasts but can’t always make it to the bigger conventions that place in cities like Dallas so they started the first Anime Tyler last year.
“We did see a need and a desire for more events like this out here so we wanted to help support the community here,” Jones said. “It’s such a great place to meet people who have similar interests and likes.”
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The event held activities from tutorials to video games and trading cards, it also held Q&A sessions with voice actors Dani Chambers and Veronica Laux.
“It’s a community of just anime nerds — I’m a nerd too — who want to have a community with people like them and I think this is a perfect place to do it,” Chambers said. “I think it gives them the freedom to be themselves and to be able to enjoy liking things that aren’t really smiled upon as much as a lot of other things. So this creates a very tight-knit community to just enjoy itself.”
Chambers is known for her soft-spoken portrayal of Nilou in Genshin Impact, an open-world video game. She has also voiced Chise Hatori in The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Becky Blackbell in Spy x Family, and Emilico in Shadows House.
“I love being able to do events like this,” Chambers said. “Especially when they’re a little smaller like this because you get to watch them grow. The vendors here are great, the people are great… for a second year con, I think it’s appropriate-size for a town like this. It will definitely get bigger.”
Whether someone is there to dress up as their favorite character or find merchandise they can’t get anywhere else, the main draw is the fellowship and being around other self-proclaimed nerds.
“The passion I have for this is creating a safe space for people to network or just meet new friends, just have a great time, because this is how I got my start and I fell in love with it,” Jones said.
Sahil Parikh, who owns the convention, attended as Chopper from ‘One Piece,’ a Japanese manga and anime series that has been running since 1997.
“I’ve been attending conventions since I was in high school. So for the last 20 years or so, I’ve been going to conventions on and off in Dallas. I used to go to a lot of them — I’ve been to a couple in New York, Boston… all kinds of conventions,” Parikh said. “So I kind of grew up in that scene, and enjoyed a lot of anime and Comic-Con stuff.”
Across the convention floor, strangers strike up conversations over shared fandoms, pose for photos in elaborate costumes and bond over the series and characters they love.
“I don’t have to worry about being made fun of, because that’s what this place is for. It’s for my interests — the things I like to do. I know that everyone here is going to enjoy the same stuff,” Parikh said. “And seeing other people enjoy it too just puts a smile on your face… just coming out and being in that environment. I think it’s infectious.”
Anime Tyler will continue on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Convention Center located at 5701 S. Broadway Avenue. For tickets and more information, visit animetyler.com.
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