Anime Expo hosts Votoms director Takahashi

Anime Expo just made one of those guest-booking moves that lands hard if you care about old-school mecha. Ryōsuke Takahashi — the director who helped define “real robot” anime through Armored Trooper VOTOMS and Fang of the Sun Dougram — is coming to Los Angeles this July. He’s not showing up alone, either. Tōru Yoshida and Moriyasu Taniguchi are on the 2026 guest list too, which turns this into a small but meaningful VOTOMS-side reunion at one of the biggest anime events in North America. (anime-expo.org) ### Why is Takahashi the big name? Takahashi matters because he sits in a very specific lane of anime history. He’s one of the creators most associated with grounded mecha stories — less superhero robot fantasy, more war machines, politics, and exhausted soldiers. Anime Expo’s guest page puts VOTOMS, Dougram, Layzner, Galient, and even the much newer The Fable on his résumé, which tells you this is not just a nostalgia booking. It’s a creator with a line running from the 1970s to now. (anime-expo.org) ### Why do Yoshida and Taniguchi matter too? Because this is not just “famous director attends con.” Yoshida is one of the animators tied to mechanical action itself — the person Anime Expo highlights for mecha effects work on VOTOMS, Layzner, G Gundam, Fullmetal Alchemist, and multiple Gundam projects. Taniguchi brings a different kind of weight. He founded Anime R and has credits across more than 100 productions over six decades, wit(anime-expo.org)ically, AX didn’t just book a headline name. It booked craft history. (anime-expo.org) ### What exactly changed this week? The concrete change is that these three creators are now part of Anime Expo 2026’s official guest lineup. The event itself is set for July 2 through July 5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the guest archive already lists all three on the 2026 roster. That matters because AX’s schedule page is still filling in, so guest confirmations are one of the clearest signals right now about what kind of programming the show is building toward. (anime-expo.org) ### Is this only an anime-storyline thing? Not really — there’s a parallel games story here. Smilegate said on April 29 that it will attend Anime Expo for the first time, bringing both Chaos Zero Nightmare and Miresi: The Invisible Future. Its booth plan includes giveaways, cosplay activities, and a playable demo zone for Miresi, while Chaos Zero Nightmare is getting pushed with the new ARISE update. So the show floor isn’t just about legacy anime gu(anime-expo.org)launchpad too. (gamespress.com) ### What is in the ARISE update? The headline addition is Sortie Mode, which Smilegate describes as a harsher run-based mode that removes save data and leans harder into high-risk decisions. ARISE also adds Season 3 — “A Song Rippling Through the Stars” — plus system changes aimed at reducing repetition, a full release for Spiral Tower of Screams, and half-anniversary rewards including(gamespress.com) appearance. (gamespress.com) ### Why does that mix matter? Because Anime Expo keeps acting like two events at once. One side is a giant fan convention with autograph lines and cosplay. The other side is an industry marketplace where companies test what lands with American audiences. A guest trio like Takahashi, Yoshida, and Taniguchi gives AX credibility with older, deeply invested anime fans. A first-time Smilegate booth gives it commercial momentum with players who may not care about 1980s mecha at all. (laconventioncenter.com) ### So what should fans take from this? If you’re going to AX 2026, the signal is pretty clear — this year’s event is leaning both backward and forward. You’ve got a rare chance to see creators tied directly to VOTOMS and the realistic-mecha tradition. And you’ve got game companies treating the same convention as a live demo stage for new updates and upcoming releases. That combination is why this guest drop feels bigger than a routine convention listing.