As thousands of pop culture fans converge on New York City’s Javits Center, the East Coast’s largest anime convention is officially underway. Bringing together the biggest brands, industry titans, and creators in Japanese entertainment, Anime NYC continues to serve as the premier hub for major news. Taking center stage at this year’s event, VIZ Media kicked off the convention with a packed Industry Panel featuring exclusive reveals, high-profile streaming updates, live creator showcases, and major cultural collaborations.

BLACK TORCH and BLEACH Headliners

Creator Tsuyoshi Takaki and editor Shihei Lin delighted fans during the BLACK TORCH segment with a live drawing demonstration while discussing the inspirations behind their supernatural action series. Following teenage shinobi Jiro Azuma and the powerful mononoke Rago, the anime adaptation is now streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll.

Meanwhile, BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War took over the stage as voice actors Wendee Lee (Yoruichi Shihoin) and Doug Erholtz (Kisuke Urahara) treated attendees to live reenactments of iconic lines from the mega-hit series, which is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

MAO Dub Debut and Detective Conan Localization

Legendary creator Rumiko Takahashi’s supernatural series MAO is reaching a broader audience as its English dub arrives on Hulu on August 24, dropping Episodes 1 through 13. Produced by SUNRISE Studio, the story follows a modern-day girl transported to Japan’s Taisho era who gains mysterious powers alongside an enigmatic exorcist.

On the publishing front, Detective Conan (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1 arrives in Spring 2027. Previously localized in English as Case Closed, the legendary manga will finally be published under its original title while restoring the characters’ original Japanese names.  Visit VIZ for more information. Fans can also stream Detective Conan on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

Exhibitions and Limited Collaborations

Beyond the screen and page, VIZ announced the East Coast debut of Art of Manga at the Brooklyn Museum, marking the first major exhibition in the Americas to explore manga as an art form. The event features over 600 original drawings from series like ONE PIECE, Inuyasha, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Finishing off the panel, VIZ unveiled two major BLEACH lifestyle partnerships: a nationwide Round1 USA arcade takeover running September 10 through December 10 featuring themed drinks and exclusive gear, along with a custom pc hardware line from Starforge Systems launching in late August.