Crunchyroll Anime FanFest Brought Anime Energy and Latino Flavor to Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con 2025 was already buzzing, but for those of us who live and breathe for anime and music, Crunchyroll’s Anime FanFest was the move this summer. We spent two full days at The Rady Shell from July 25-26, enjoying music, fandom, and pure community vibes that made the heat and callos on our feet from our cosplay boots worth enduring.
Not only were the live performances a whole experience, but the Activations Crosswalk, merch pop-ups that took all our cash, and the incredible costumes brought our fantasy worlds to life.
Crunchyroll’s first-ever two-day music festival at SDCC
This year’s San Diego Comic-Con hit different with its inaugural Crunchyroll Anime FanFest at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. This wasn’t just another music festival; it was Crunchyroll’s first-ever two-day festival at SDCC, and it brought on the best anime-inspired artists from EDM to Urban music. Even more, the event was free to attend, requiring no SDCC badge, so fans got to enjoy a whole new side to Comic-Con.
From Tokyo to San Diego, the stage was lit with amazing music from day one
Friday kicked off like an anime opening theme coming alive. Let’s start by talking about how Hyper Potions played beats so colorful you could see them in the air, James Landino dropped fire from his Tower of God soundtrack, and VGR had us jumping in our cosplays. Wigs were dropped, but for a good cause.
Then, Magnolia Park brought that alt-rock energy that made us feel like teenagers again, while Ash Da Hero came in hot with a punk rock attitude. Still, hearing Yama live was a goosebumps-worthy moment.
Beats met barrio
Saturday hit different. It was a mashup of anime culture with hip-hop, R&B, and global sounds. Noodles had everyone moving early, Taku Takahashi and Alenoise reminded us why Black Clover hits so hard, and Yaeji’s set was a whole vibe of house music with an otaku heart. ALI also came in with that genre-bending swagger (Lost in Paradise forever), and the Caribbean came in hot with Pink Pablo’s Boricua flavor that had us dancing. Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention INIKO tapping into that shonen hero spirit, and Denzel Curry’s crazy flow, and pure hype energy.
The Activations Crosswalk was every anime-lover’s dream
Between sets, we hit the Activations Crosswalk, which was like stepping into a real-life anime world. We got up close and took pics with some of our favorite activations, including The Rising of the Shield Hero setup, Kaiju No.8, and geeked out over Gachiakuta teasers. Plus, the exclusive merch booths were fantastic.
Mercedes Moné stole the show with her merch drop
One of the big surprises of the entire weekend was when wrestling star Mercedes Moné dropped her new anime-inspired merch line at Crunchyroll Anime FanFest. The line was stacked with designs that hit both the lucha libre and anime sweet spots. Basically, our entire personalities on a hoodie. While all of the merch items were amazing, the Moné Talks Reversible Kimono Jacket stole our hearts. The best part? The collection is limited-edition, so you’ll have a real collector’s item in hand.
Community, cultura, and cosplay everywhere
One of the best parts about SDCC is the intersection between cultura and cosplay. Everywhere you looked, there was comunidad. People rocking My Hero Academia jerseys, couples doing full Sailor Moon x Tuxedo Mask cosplays, kids with Naruto headbands twice the size of their heads. It felt like home for Latinos who grew up on both anime marathons and telenovela finales. This was our sweet spot. Plus, we got to rock out our best cosplays, take pics, and enjoy the best of SDCC.
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