Mumbai Comic Con 2026 begins with star power, anime madness and cosplay celebrations

Mumbai’s pop culture fever returned in full force as the latest edition of Mumbai Comic Con kicked off at the Jio World Convention Centre in BKC this weekend.

Presented by Maruti Suzuki Arena, powered by Crunchyroll and supported by the Government of Maharashtra Industries Department and MAITRI, the event brought together fans of comics, anime, gaming, films and cosplay under one roof.

Siddharth Malhotra and Tamannaah unveil Vvana

One of the biggest highlights of Day 1 was the unveiling of Vvana, a folklore-driven thriller presented by Indusverse. The reveal took place in the presence of Siddharth Malhotra, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ektaa R Kapoor and Arunabh Kumar, drawing loud cheers from fans gathered at the venue.

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Anime takes over Mumbai Comic Con

Anime lovers had plenty to celebrate this year. A major attraction was the Solo Leveling panel, which featured Japanese voice actor Taito Ban, who voiced the character of Sung Jin-woo, producer Atsushi Kaneko and Hindi voice actor Rajesh Shukla. The trio shared behind-the-scenes stories and later interacted with fans at the Crunchyroll booth.

Adding to the excitement, anime theme singer Hiroshi Kitadani performed iconic tracks, including the legendary We Are! from One Piece.

The anime celebrations are set to continue on Day 2 with a performance by Japanese DJ DJ Kazu.

International creators draw huge crowds

Comic book and animation fans also turned up in large numbers to meet global creators attending the event.

Canadian comic artist Ramón K. Pérez, known for work on The Amazing Spider-Man and All-New Hawkeye, participated in the “Creators Across the World” panel alongside Indian comic creator Abhijeet Kini.

Meanwhile, legendary duo Yvon Tremblay and Christian Tremblay, creators of SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, returned to India after receiving overwhelming love from fans during last year’s edition.

British artist Harry Hambley, creator of the hugely popular Ketnipz comics, also interacted with audiences during a special session.

Live comedy, rap and graffiti energise fans

The Comic Con Variety Vault stage turned into a lively entertainment hub throughout the day. Comedy duo ‘Ek Ladi Pav’ brought spontaneous humour and Mumbai nostalgia to the audience, while rapper 99Side delivered a high-energy set.

Graffiti pioneer Mooz also created a live graffiti artwork in real time, drawing large crowds around the stage.

Cosplayers steal the spotlight

As always, cosplay remained one of the biggest attractions at Mumbai Comic Con. Fans dressed as anime characters, superheroes and gaming icons transformed the showfloor into a colourful spectacle, with visitors crowding around for pictures and videos.

The excitement is expected to intensify on Day 2 with the Indian Championship of Cosplay 2026 qualifiers, where participants will compete for a prize of Rs. 50,000.

Gaming and immersive experiences

The event also featured several immersive fan zones, including the Maruti Suzuki Arena Fan Experience Zone, Crunchyroll anime hub, NODWIN Gaming Arena, Lenovo Legion Reach Your Impossible Zone, Cartoon Network Kian & Kiki Experience Zone, Bandai Namco Experience Zone, One Piece Experience Zone, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Zone and Audible’s Harry Potter audiobook experience.

Mumbai Comic Con is also hosting the Mobile Legends Masters Series (MLMS), giving Indian esports teams a shot at qualifying for the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2026, one of the biggest global Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournaments.