The Association of Japanese Animations has announced the program details for TOKYO ANIME NEXT, a four-day event running from October 30 to November 2, 2026, with most of its programs in Tokyo's Ikebukuro area, according to a PR TIMES release issued on October 7, 2026. The November 2 main event will pair scenes from the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime, the Attack on Titan TV anime and Detective Conan with a live orchestra.
Main Event and Tickets
The main event is held at TOKYO TATEMONO Brillia HALL, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the performance starting at 6:30 p.m. Japan time. It is planned at about 90 minutes in three parts: a roughly 30-minute Opening Ceremony, a roughly 40-minute Orchestra Premium Stage, and a roughly 20-minute segment announcing a new anime award being prepared for 2027.
The second part covers the three works through scene footage, live orchestral performance and artist performances. Mai Kuraki, Nami Nakagawa and Ai Higuchi are listed as the performing artists, and Hirofumi Kurita conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. The release says additional performers will be announced on the official site and official X account once decided.
According to the release's artist profiles, Kuraki has handled theme songs for the Detective Conan anime since 2000; Nakagawa sang the Demon Slayer character songs for Tanjiro and Nezuko and recorded chorus work for the score; and Higuchi wrote "Akuma no Ko," the 2022 ending theme for Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2.
Admission to the main event is free, with all seats reserved and applications handled through the ticketing service e+. The first lottery runs from October 8 at 7:00 p.m. JST to October 12 at 11:59 p.m., with results on October 15 at 1:00 p.m., and a second lottery runs from October 15 at 7:00 p.m. to October 19, with results on October 22. Each application covers up to two tickets. First-come general applications open October 28 at 7:00 p.m. and close November 2 at 6:00 p.m., 30 minutes before the start.
Characters from the three works are also scheduled to greet visitors at the venue that day, and people without main event tickets can take part. Times and how to join will be posted on the official site once set.
Screenings, Workshops and Seminars
Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas and TOHO Cinemas Ikebukuro will screen about 10 anime titles on October 31 and November 1. Four screenings with staff and cast talk shows have been announced:
- Episode 1 of the TV anime LONA, a premiere screening on October 31, with cast members including Anna Nagase, who voices Sango, and the director. The series is scheduled to begin broadcasting in spring 2027, according to Animate Times.
- Expelled from Paradise: Resonance, a premiere screening on November 1, with director Seiji Mizushima and four other staff members.
- Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night on October 31, marking five years since its release, with Haruka Tomatsu (Asuna), Inori Minase (Mito) and the film's director.
- My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising on November 1, marking the anime's 10th anniversary, with production staff planned as guests and details to be announced later.
Screening tickets cost ¥2,500 through e+, with a lottery from October 8 to October 12 and first-come sales from October 20 at 7:00 p.m. The release says further lineup announcements will follow.
The experience and learning programs are all free to join. A children's workshop at WACCA Ikebukuro on October 31 and November 1 uses Chibi Maruko-chan to show how animation moves, in sessions of about 30 minutes, and Toshima Civic Center hosts anime staff seminars and a creator course on November 2. October 30 is set aside for industry attendees, with a special animation symposium at TIFFCOM 2026 that includes a conference on launching the 2027 award.
The award's name and outline will be revealed on stage for the first time on November 2. The release describes TOKYO ANIME NEXT as a prologue leading to it.