Anime Expo 2025 Weekend Recap by hololive TODAY
Anime Expo 2025 weekend was an absolute blast! We at hololive TODAY had the amazing opportunity to attend AX2025 and the Dodgers x hololive collaboration game as members of the press.
Anime Expo 2025 IKZ!
Anime Expo is the largest anime and manga convention in North America, hosted by SPJA. Just like last year, we saw passionate fans of anime, manga, VTubers, and other forms of Japanese entertainment gather under one roof, including cosplayers, artists, journalists, industry professionals, and more.
Outside the convention, Anime Expo weekend was packed with related events: VTuber concerts, restaurant collabs, and themed nights at Dodger Stadium. Notably, both One Piece and hololive production collaborated with the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 3 and July 5, respectively.
Here’s a list of hololive production activities we covered inside and outside of Anime Expo 2025:
[Table of Contents - Click to Navigate]:
For AX2025, we focused on visiting company booths that have collaborated with hololive production, either in the past or present.
We met amazing folks from FuRyu, iBUYPOWER/HYTE, GiGO, and Rimi Star Production. Here’s a breakdown of our conversations, starting with FuRyu!
FuRyu
FuRyu, the company behind the popular hololive puppet and lying-down plushies, had a booth showcasing their latest figures and plushies. They partnered with Round1 to host a crane game where attendees could win free plush prizes, including plushies from hololive and NemuNeko Cat.
In the hololive crane game, fans could win a Suisei Puppet Plush or a Pekora Puppet Plush.
The hololive crane game would close early every day, fans had to be lucky to enter!
We spoke with the FuRyu team to ask about plushie availability at Round1 USA locations. According to them, it varies by location and depends on individual store orders.
This aligns with the responses we’ve gathered in our ongoing direct outreach to stores. You can read our earlier reporting on this here:
hololive JP FuRyu Plushies at Round1 USA
More updates are coming soon as we continue checking in with Round1 locations in the USA!
[PRESS INVITE] iBUYPOWER x HYTE — Anime Expo Booth Tour
We were invited once again by the iBUYPOWER and HYTE team to tour their Entertainment Hall booth at AX2025. Just like last year, we got a behind-the-scenes look at their current and upcoming projects.
We were especially excited to see the Hoshimachi Suisei Collection, which includes:
Y70 PC Case
Keycap Set
Desk Pad
All featuring Suisei artwork by Rosuuri!
Buy here:
PC Case: https://hyte.com/store/hoshimachi-suisei-y70/cs-hyte-y70-suisei
Keycap + Desk Pad Bundle: https://hyte.com/store/hoshimachi-suisei-keycap-deskpad-bundle/key-hyte-suisei
They also showcased the hololive 4th Generation Keycap Set, designed for Kanata, Watame, Towa, and Luna. Shop for the set here: https://hyte.com/store/hololive-gen4-keycaps/key-hyte-hologen4
I gotta buy these and the Suisei ones next time.
Some of the other projects they were showcasing include the following:
ASUS x iBUYPOWER and their Hatsune Miku launch
HYTE x Bandai Namco and their official Gundam Wing collaboration
X50 and X50 Air Modern Performance Cases
These trended not too long ago in the hololive community because of Iofi’s post on X/Twitter and due to their resemblance to hololive Indonesia’s 1st Generation AREA15
HYTE x Metaphor: ReFantazio Collection Pre-Orders
A huge thanks to iBUYPOWER and HYTE for being our first media invite last year, and for inviting us again this year!
GiGO
GiGO, the next-gen arcade experience from Japan, had a strong presence at AX in the Entertainment Hall this year!
Won a few more prizes on the last day of AX!
Operated by GENDA, GiGO is behind numerous game centers and karaoke venues in Japan. In the U.S., they recently acquired Kiddleton and National Entertainment Network (NEN), expanding their reach into crane games stateside.
We talked with the team at the GiGO booth, who were were eager to showcase their GiGO and Kiddleton crane games at Anime Expo, giving prizes to lucky crane game winners.
While GiGO machines aren’t yet physically in the U.S., they hinted that might change soon, which is very exciting for hololive fans!
The booth spotlighted hololive prizes from 3rd Gen, 5th Gen, and ReGLOSS, including:
Acrylic stands
Badges
Pillowcases & plushies
And more items featuring Marine, Pekora, Noel, Flare, Nene, Polka, Lamy, Botan, Ririka, Kanade, Raden, Ao, and Hajime
GENDA’s U.S. expansion could position them as a key competitor to Round1USA, especially as they continue licensing hololive prizes.
The future looks promising for hololive fans in the U.S., especially those good at arcade games!
Rimi Star Production
We visited Rimi Star Production, the makers of the Fuwamoco Pliffin Buddies Plushies.
BAU BAU!
We were really impressed by their dedication to quality. From the way they described the design and manufacturing process, it’s clear that they care deeply about their work.
A giveaway at the booth included a free Pero balloon, and they even had a giant Pero plushie on display! While not currently for sale, they mentioned there's strong interest and it's something they're exploring. As big fans of Pero, we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
I want the big Pero plushie.
When asked about plushies for other hololive talents, they hinted that more are on the way, though they couldn’t share details just yet.
Stay tuned!
[PRESS INVITE] hololive Night Returns to Dodger Stadium
hololive night returned to Dodger Stadium this year, featuring hololive English members Ninomae Ina’nis, IRyS, and Koseki Bijou!
We were happy to be invited to the game this year by COVER Corp. to attend the game as a special guest.
Arrived early, maybe a bit too early? Lines were short atleast!
The giveaway this year included trading cards of the three talents, but this time now with printed signatures!
Entering the field early this year, we headed straight for the collaboration merch lines, but not before taking a couple pictures of the Shuba Duck and Udin mascots present near the hololive night entrance.
This year, hololive night collaboration merch was available at multiple stores inside the stadium. This was huge upgrade from last year, where there was only one merch tent and a long line encircling the entire stadium.
While lines within the store we entered were still a bit long, it was not as bad as the chaos that ensued last year.
Here’s a list of some of the merch that was on sale:
Shirts (various sizes)
Tote bags
Towels
Stickers
Acrylic stands
Beer can coolers
Specially designed drink cups and popcorn buckets were available in various food shops in the stadium. We were able to purchase a Dodger Dog at the top of the stadium along with a collaboration soda cup.
I thought about getting popcorn but then settled with this nice cup.
Before the game began, COVER CEO Motoaki “YAGOO” Tanigo took to the mound for the commemorative first pitch, with pretty great form too! You watch him throw the first pitch below.
Throughout the game, the talents made live jumbotron appearances, and all three sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch.
For the first time ever, a VTuber livestream was hosted live from Dodger Stadium on the hololive English YouTube channel!
Segments included crowd games, a mascot race (Shuba Duck vs. Udin!), and a special encore performance from the hololive English 2nd Concert.
Having been invited by COVER Corp., we were able to meet some of the amazing staff and partners invited to the game.
One of the individuals we met was Michael from USC Annenberg Media, a student-led news organization overseen by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He published his own article on the hololive night event, which you can find here:
Hololive VTubers make a special appearance at the Astros vs. Dodgers series
Initially we were invited to interview YAGOO, but unfortunately due to time restrictions this was delayed. While we weren’t able to interview YAGOO as initially planned, we are hoping to interview him some time in the future, whether online or in person!
Other hololive-related Images
Here’s some extra photos from our Anime Expo 2025 weekend!
Final Thoughts
AX2025 was an incredibly fun and productive weekend. This year, we leaned more into vendor meetings and behind-the-scenes reporting than we have before. We learned a lot and made valuable connections, especially around licensing and brand collaborations.
The fun isn’t over yet! The Kura Sushi x hololive English collaboration is still ongoing. We'll be visiting soon and posting a separate article on that, so stay tuned!
Personal Afterthoughts
This AX was different in a good way. Last year was my first time attending as press, and I was still learning the ropes. This year, I doubled down on the press angle, especially on vendor-side coverage.
I spent more time in face-to-face conversations with industry pros, which was incredibly valuable, though at times overwhelming. Next year, I’m seriously considering getting helping hands to cover more ground.
AX is the biggest anime-related event in North America, and I’ve learned it’s tough to do it all alone. But I’m grateful for the lessons, the growth, and the opportunities.
Here’s to next year and even more opportunities!
-hololive TODAY
I’ve got big plans for next year. I just need to stick to it!
