Naka-Kon 2025: 20 Years of Fun

This past weekend the 20th Anniversary of Naka-Kon was held in Overland Park, and to use any other word besides “magical” would do the weekend-long celebration of Japanese culture a tremendous disservice. 

The halls of the Overland Park Convention Center were filled to the absolute brim with characters from Japanese animation, manga videogames, TV shows, comic books, films, and more as well as all-star Japanese guests, America voice actors, artists, and many more.

The Journal-Tribune, once again attending as press guests, got to cover various activities including the dances, panels, ceremonies, the cosplay contest, the vendor hall, game rooms, and opening ceremonies. 

Highlights included a panel on the 10th anniversary of the videogame “Bloodborne” which was hosted by Birdie, a long-time fan of the gothic horror game who gave spectacular and engrossing insight into the game’s literary themes during their deep-dive which was standing-room-only. 

The game rooms were incredible, filled with people playing arcade machines, board games, and videogames, there was never a dull moment in any of those rooms. 

Artists and vendors from around the country convened in the Vendor Hall which was packed with beautiful works for sale as well as candies, plush toys, statues, and other memorabilia.

Musical acts for the weekend gave it their all including Kansas City-based act TsundereThots (TsundereBoys + Idol Thots) as well as Japanese Guest GETTY and included performances from DJ Chef Nguyen and Scratch Or Sniff which resulted in the most ear-drum thundering, fist-pumping dance Naka has seen in the better half of its 20-year history.

Naka-Kon also included AMV contests, Maid Cafes, the annual charity ball, and welcomed several other panelists across the Sheraton Hotel and Overland Park Convention Center. 

This year, the Journal-Tribune also entered into the Cosplay Contest for the first time ever, and while we didn’t win anything, the hard work of our journalist as well as Ryker Paige’s Studio 53 out of Stillwater paid off with the crowd going wild during our stage debut.

Among the notable voice actors who attended were Steve Blum, known for his iconic role as Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, Ray Chase, the voice of Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen and Noctis in Final Fantasy XV, and Robbie Daymond, recognized for voicing Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon and Megumi in Jujutsu Kaisen. 

Joining them were Brandon McInnis, Max Mittelman (One-Punch Man, Persona 5), Anairis Quiñones (Pokémon: Twilight Wings, Attack on Titan), AJ Beckles (Tokyo Revengers), and J. Michael Tatum (Black Butler, Ouran High School Host Club).

In addition to Western voice actors, Naka-Kon featured special Japanese guests, including Sasara Sekine, a former idol and actress known for her work at Tokyo and Osaka Comicon, and Aoki Misako, a prominent Lolita fashion model and Kawaii culture ambassador. 

Manga artist Misako Rocks, famous for Bounce Back and No Such Thing as Perfect, was also in attendance, alongside the comedic duo BAN BAN BAN.

The convention also included icons in the world of Japanese fashion with brands like Emily Temple cute and Melody BasKet, known for their sweet and vintage-inspired designs. Celebrated cosplayers and artists also participated including Diana The Great, Yaya Han, Diana "Binkxy" Tolin, TurtleSmithy Cosplay, and Duff Cosplay, as well as performers like Freddy Mac Uchawi, a Kansas City-based drag artist, and the Cos-lesque Performers, who merged cosplay with burlesque entertainment. 

Additional artists and performers included Amelie Belcher, Bee Nerdish, Luna Flare, Kora Kayyy, Madison May, Sam Villanueva, Ratty Creations, and Japanese sensation Getty [ゲッティー].
Naka-Kon has already locked in their next date for March 2026! Stay tuned as we prepare our in-depth follow up and video.