Every year, going to the Bandai Namco booths at New York Comic Con proves a show floor highlight. And part of the reason for that is because Bandai Namco has a variety of booths. This year, you practically can’t throw a Poké Ball, Gashapon, or Tamagotchi without hitting one of their booths. And these are just a few of the brand collaborations Bandai Namco has in store. Gundam, Nanoblock, and Godzilla return, and Ultraman marks his first booth at the con through Bandai Namco.
Every year, the Gundam booth marks itself as a kind of flagship for Bandai Namco. And this year is no different. On Thursday, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance premiered on Netflix. Kits from the anime are available now at the New York Comic Con booth as well as online.
The popular Gundam model-building workshop has returned. At the Pokémon booth, Bandai Namco has added a model-building workshop as well, new for 2024. Bandai Namco has had the Pokémon models for a few years, but this is their first booth dedicated to Pokémon at NYCC.
Nanoblock returns with Pokémon, Dragon Ball, and other miniature brick-building sets. Nanoblock has recently announced some new sets for Dragon Ball Super and Yu-gi-oh. Hello Kitty has some new Sanrio figures available. Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, and My Melody clear variants are on display. The Kuromi and My Melody clear figures are currently available at Hot Topic as well. And the Cinnamoroll clear figure will be available through BoxLunch later this year.
And Gashapon has returned with a more elaborate booth this year. There’s a photo op section if you to become a Gashapon yourself, popping out of your very own capsule. There’s a contest you can win at the con if you take the photo. Post about it on Instagram with #GASHAPONUS and follow @GASHAPONUS and you can win 15 tokens to use at the many capsule dispensers at the booth.
Of course, Godzilla has a big presence on the show floor, figuratively and literally. There’s a meet and greet with Godzilla himself, classic rubber suit and all. Gold Godzilla is currently an event exclusive action figure available. One particular standout that caught my attention is the mini collection. The boxes actually double as a city you can set up to stage the figures you find within.
And Ultraman has a new presence at the con. Ultraman himself looms large as a statue on the show floor. And the voice of Ultraman, Christopher Sean, appears in a panel tomorrow at 2pm entitled Tsuburaya Productions: Ultraman’s New Universe. Sean voices Ultraman in Ultraman: Rising, ranked #2 globally on Netflix in June.
Last but not least, Tamagotchi has a bigger presence this year as it makes a resurgence. For San Diego Comic Con, Tamagotchi had a panel as it did for New York Comic this year as well. There’s a limited-edition Hello Kitty Tamagotchi that’s exclusive to events this year for the 50th anniversary. Come early, as there’s a limited amount each day. And in case you were wondering like me, the new Tamagotchi critters don’t die. Instead, they get taken away by a UFO if you’re a bad parent.
And if that sounds like too much pressure, Bandai Namco has gotten more into lifestyle with apparel, plushies, and even makeup. Yes, you can get Tamagotchi makeup at New York Comic Con. Between that, gold Godzilla, the see-through Nanoblock, and more, there’s a lot on the New York Comic Con show floor.
Correction: Updated to note that The Kuromi and My Melody clear figures are also available at Hot Topic. The Cinnamoroll clear figure will be available through BoxLunch later this year.
