Crunchyroll’s First-Ever Anime Future Forum Lands a Speaker Lineup Anime Fans Won’t Believe

Guillermo del Toro, James Gunn, and the president of Sony Group all showing up at the same anime event? Crunchyroll just confirmed it’s happening. The streaming giant unveiled its first slate of speakers for the inaugural Anime Future Forum, and the lineup reads like a wishlist for anyone who’s ever wondered what happens when Hollywood, Japan’s anime industry, and pop culture superfans share a stage.

Crunchyroll’s Anime Future Forum takes place October 7, 2026, in New York, bringing together anime industry leaders, Hollywood filmmakers, and global entertainment figures for the platform’s first-ever thought leadership summit.

Crunchyroll Details

The speaker roster is genuinely stacked. From the anime industry side, confirmed names include Yuta Momiyama of Shueisha, Taichi Ueda of TOHO, Manabu Otsuka of MAPPA, and Atsuhiro Iwakami, who chairs Aniplex. On the Hollywood front, Guillermo del Toro — a longtime anime and manga enthusiast — is confirmed alongside James Gunn, whose visual style has publicly drawn from anime influences over the years.

Beyond the industry executives, the event is also pulling in anime’s biggest celebrity fans: Olympic gold medalist figure skater Amber Glenn, multi-platinum artist Big Sean, and content creator Jordan Howlett are all set to appear. Adding another layer of star power, directors Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson from the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will join a panel moderated by Sony Pictures Animation President Kristine Belson.

The day’s structure carries serious corporate weight too — Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki opens the event, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Ravi Ahuja speaks midday, and Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini closes things out. Programming tracks will dig into transmedia storytelling across gaming and live action, the evolution of theatrical anime experiences, the future of manga publishing, and the growing influence of content creators on anime fandom.

This event marks a notable moment for the medium — it’s essentially the first time an anime-focused thought leadership summit of this scale has brought together studio executives, Hollywood directors, and celebrity fans under one roof to discuss where the industry goes next.

For more background on anime’s global growth and cultural reach, Wikipedia’s page on anime offers a useful overview of the medium’s history and industry structure.

And for more entertainment industry event coverage and announcements as they break, TechnoSports’ entertainment section keeps you updated on everything worth following.

With this many major players at the table, October 7 could end up being a genuinely pivotal day for how anime evolves over the next decade.

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