Crunchyroll Reveals Speakers for Anime Future Forum in New York
The forum brings Japanese anime leaders and Hollywood names to one invitation-only stage the day before New York Comic Con, signaling where Crunchyroll and the broader industry want to steer anime's commercial and creative future.
Reporting from 1 source: GameBusiness.jp.
Crunchyroll announced the first program details for the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum, set for October 7, 2026, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. The invitation-only event expects more than 400 anime industry figures. Speakers include executives from Shueisha, Toho, MAPPA, and Aniplex, plus Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn, and the co-directors of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki opens the event.
Guillermo del Toro and James Gunn join a program built around Japanese business leadership. Yuta Momiyama, digital editor-in-chief of Shonen Jump+; Taiji Ueda of Toho; MAPPA president Manabu Otsuka; and Atsuhiro Iwakami, chairman of Aniplex and group CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, are confirmed speakers.
Sony leadership anchors the day. Hiroki Totoki, president and CEO of the Sony Group, delivers opening remarks, and Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Ravi Ahuja speaks between panels. Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini closes with company news.
The theme is Designing for Anime's Future, with panels on fandom, technology, storytelling, and content protection, including sessions on games and live-action, the theatrical experience, and manga's path from page to platform.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.