Fan Meetup Celebrates Digimon's 25th Anniversary

Bandai Namco is hosting a free fan event at the L.A. Convention Center from February 23rd to 26th. The exhibition celebrates Digimon's 25-year legacy from its start as a virtual pet toy and provides fans with an update on the franchise in the present day. The event features a small art exhibit of over 140 artworks split into four sections: The Birth and Rise of Digimon, The World of Digimon, the 25th Anniversary Commemoration Corner, and the new Digimon Seekers project. Other activities include a Digimon World: Next Order game demo, a limited section dedicated to the anime series, a merchandise booth, and the Digimon Card Game 2022 Final Championship.

The Digimon Museum section displays artwork from the same event held in Akihabara, Japan on July 29-31, 2022. The commemorative event guidebook provided by the fan meetup is the translated version from that same event. It serves as an encyclopedia encapsulating the broad media of Digimon and highlights important Digimon featured in the anime series. Participants will also receive a free pack of trading cards featuring the 2021 Digimon Illustration Competition winners.

Local attendees reported learning of the event through social media within the last week, while others in the TCG community had planned their trip since October 2022. Many lined up to have cards and memorabilia signed by Kenji Watanabe, chief designer at WiZ, and Fumiya Kobayashi, chief designer at Plex. Watanabe candidly shared that he hopes to grab some Shohei Ohtani merchandise while he's in town.

Unfortunately for Digimon anime fans, there were no new announcements or artwork from the series' anime catalog. However, a section in the event's guidebook revealed the Digimon Adventure 2020 reboot series will premiere its English dub in Spring 2023. The final highlight within the exhibit is the material and key visuals from the franchise's newest project, Digimon Seekers. Although not for sale, attendees can view the new Vital Bracelet BE band set after its recent reveal at Digicon 2023.

Here is a collection of some of the artworks featured in the Digimon Museum section:

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Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.