Anime Expo 2023 is coming to the Los Angeles Convention Center July 1-4, 2023. This year appears to be a return to form, with dozens of impressive panels and premieres to check out each day of the event. Especially if you want to learn about games as well. So here are the some of the recommended video game and anime panels at Anime Expo 2023 that I think you should put on your schedule.

Which Anime Expo 2023 panels should someone consider attending?

With so many video game and anime events going on all at once across the many Anime Expo 2023 halls and rooms at the LA Convention Center, it can be a bit overwhelming. If you had to pick 10 non-ticketed events to go to that stand out among the crowd and don’t start at the same time, these are the ones you should check out.

Zom 100 World Premiere

• Time: 12:30 pm (July 1)
• Location: Petree Hall

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead appears to be one of the most exciting new series of the Summer 2023 anime season. Based on a hit manga series, Akira Tendo has a bucket list of activities he wants to complete before the zombie apocalypse takes him. This event includes the first episode’s world premiere, behind-the-scenes activities, and freebies.

Studio Trigger World Premiere

• Time: 1:45 pm (July 1)
• Location: Main Events

The fabled Studio Trigger of Kill la Kill and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners fame is showing off the first episode of its new series, in addition to another announcement.

Bandai Namco Entertainment Summer Showcase 2023

• Time: 4:30 pm (July 1)
• Location: Petree Hall

Bandai Namco is hosting its almost annual panel with hotly anticipated new game announcements and plenty of freebies. It’s one of the few Anime Expo 2023 game panels!

Spy x Family Panel

• Time: 5 pm (July 1)
• Location: Main Events

This exciting event will dive deep into one of the best anime series in recent memory alongside Loid Forger’s voice actor Takuya Eguchi.

Fate/strange Fake – Whispers of Dawn – World Premiere

• Time: 7 pm (July 1)
• Location: Main Events

The long-awaited feature film adaptation of the Fate series light novel will be shown off for the first time in its entirety.

Jujutsu Kaisen Panel

• Time: 3 pm (July 2)
• Location: Main Events

Crunchyroll is hosting some special guests to discuss the upcoming second season of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Special Event

• Time: 4:30 pm (July 2)
• Location: Main Events

Special guests Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro Kamado) and Kengo Kawanishi (Muichiro Tokito) will discuss the recent Swordsmith Village Arc of the series.

Like a Dragon Inaugural Panel

• Time: 5:30 pm (July 2)
• Location: Petree Hall

Atlus and Sega are usually great proponents of Anime Expo, including some equally recommended Persona panels this year, but the surprising one is the first Like a Dragon panel. It even includes Takaya Kuroda (Kazuma Kiryu) as a special guest.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out Premiere

• Time: 6:30 pm (July 3)
• Location: J.W. Marriott Platinum (this is outside of the LA Convention Center)

The second movie in the Bunny Girl Senpai franchise will have its world premiere, adapting the eighth book in the light novel series.

Free! – The Final Stroke Part 2 Premiere

• Time: 11 am (July 4)
• Location: 403AB

While there isn’t much on the final, shorter day of the event, Crunchyroll is hosting the grand finale to the Free series and Haruka’s story.

From April 26 to May 26, 2024, a collaboration event and cafe will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Bleach. The event will have two parts: an exhibition of signature scenes from the anime and manga and a collaboration cafe. [Thanks, PR Times!]

News of this event first appeared in late March 2024. However, at the time, it was unclear what kind of event this would be. The Locus of Brave part of the event will allow visitors to look at dynamic decorations, as well as artwork from the Bleach anime and manga. As for the collaboration cafe, the characters will look like regular high schoolers. This includes people who weren’t high schoolers in the original setting.

The reason why the characters look like regular high schoolers is because this is from the High School Warfare April Fool’s joke. Because of that, the food items you can get are either jokes on common Japanese school tropes or references to the characters’ in-universe seating numbers. For example, Ichigo and Renji’s dishes are “Hayaben Taiketsu,” which are lunch boxes. “Hayaben” in Japanese is a term for when you eat your lunch before it’s actually lunchtime. Here are the menu items you can get at the Bleach collaboration cafe:

As for the limited goods, you can expect to find pretty ordinary items. There will be can badges, acrylic stands, postcards, and keychains. Merchandise will use both the Locus of Brave key visual and the High School Warfare designs.

The Bleach event in Japan will take place from April 26 to May 26, 2024. Tickets start from 1300 JPY ($8.55), and they’ll take place at the Yokohama Landmark Tower.