Guests
Come meet some fantastic guests at Anime Midwest! Meet your favorite voice actors, TV actors, video game staff, musicians, artists, performers, culture experts, and more at the convention. Guests may charge a fee for autographs. AnimeCon.org is proud to offer free autographs with all of our amazing guests during scheduled free autograph sessions, however free autographs are limited to 1 or 2 per person, as we try to do our best to give everyone a chance to meet our guests. Guests will not sign bootlegs, Funko Pops, or items for resale for free. Some of our guests may choose to offer more than 1 free autograph. Stop by to meet some incredible voice actors, musicians, industry members, and more.
Greg Ayres
Greg Ayres has been screaming into microphones for close to 25 years now! With over 376 credits to his name, he has managed to play a variety of characters that are almost as colorful as his hair. He was honored to recently return to his role of Son Goku in Saiyuki Reload Zeroin, having worked on the Saiyuki franchise for over 20 years. He can currently be heard as Po in Eminence and Shadow, As Kenta Kanzaki in The Dangers in My Heart, Yu Nishinoya in Haikyu, Chai in Shenmue The Animation on Adult swim, and a super bad demon known only as “God” in Dark Gathering. Some other recent roles include Chota Segawa in Alice in Borderland (OAV), Sho Utsumi in SSSSGridman, Frost in DragonBall Super, Geo in Sony Picture’s Starship Troopers : Traitor of Mars, Jiro in Concrete Revolutio, Ryuuou Edogawa in Doreiku, Koji Koda in My Hero Academia, and he even makes an appearance as Popuko in Pop Team Epic.
He is proud to be a part of the new “Pink Harvest” productions from Sentai Filmworks, in the roles of Izumi Sena in Lovestage, and Yabase in Hitorijime My Hero. Some other recent favorites include Nagisa Haruki in Free, and Free Eternal Summer, MonoKuma in Danganronpa, Clear in Dramatical Murder, Doug in Gangsta, Zenji Marui in Food Wars, Ganta Igarashi in Deadman Wonderland, Heihachi Hayashida in Samurai 7, and Kouichi Sakakibara in Another. Some of his all-time favorite roles include Chrono in Chrono Crusade, Kaoru Hitachiin in Ouran High School Host Club, Hideki in Nerima Daikon Brothers, Youhei Sunohara in Clannad, Yuki in The Wallflower, Leo in Ghost Stories, Satoshi Hiwatari in DNAngel, Kaworu Nagisa in the Director’s Cut of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tomoki Sakurai in Heaven’s Lost Property, and Negi Springfield in Negima.
Of all of his many roles, his favorite will always be the real life role of “Little Brother” to voice actor Christopher Ayres. The little guy with a big Sippy Cup, and even bigger heart – who touched the world with his “Love and Laughter”.
Gareth West
Gareth is an actor, model, and voice actor based out of Texas. He is known for such Anime roles as; Ittetsu Takeda in Haikyu, Seiya Takehaya in Tsurune, Kanichi Konishi in Food Wars, Haruka Shinozaki in My Girlfriend Is Shobitch, Lizard Misty in Saint Seiya, 2D in Golden Time, Akihiro Tsukaba in Chihayafuru, Tomoaki Yamagishi in O Maidens In Your Savage Season, and Dinkuron in Log Horizon. He is also currently playing the role of Jason Lee Scott the Red Power Ranger in the upcoming release Red Rising: A Power Rangers Fan Film. When not making anime voices or acting, Gareth enjoys basically anything nerdy under the sun. So whatever it is you are into, chances are you can come up and geek out. Because there is nothing he likes more than getting enthusiastic, and making new friends!
Jay Hickman
Jay began his career in anime in the 1990s, when he landed his first role at ADV Films in Master of Mosquiton. Since then, he has appeared in more than 100 titles with studios including ADV Films, Funimation, Sentai Filmworks, Switchblade Pictures, Okratron 5000, and others. As a character actor, Jay has been able to voice a broad variety of colorful roles, with the occasional romantic lead thrown in for good measure. His notable credits over the past two decades are Mechazawa in Cromartie High School, Spitfire in Air Gear, Sho Zama in Aura Battler Dunbine, Shiryu in Saint Seiya, Chuu and Hammond in One Piece, Kagetane Hiruko in Black Bullet, Chief Kurama in Elfen Lied, Koji in Generator Gawl, Toru Watanabe in Excel Saga, The Fool in Kaleido Star, Crusty in Log Horizon, SSS in Madlax, Dera Mochimazzi in Tamako Market, Sanetoshi Watase in Penguindrum, Prince Mytho in Princess Tutu, and Giraffe in Revue Starlight, among many others.
Jay’s voice has also been featured in live action series and films such as Dark Water, Synesthesia, Conduct Zero, The Fuccons, Touching Wild Horses, Gamera – Attack of Legion, as well as in the video game Unlimited Saga. Jay had his Toonami debut playing Dr. Stylish in Akame ga KILL!, followed by Shiro Kuramori in Parasyte – the maxim, and now Joichiro Yukihira in Food Wars!
Robert L. Mungle
Robert L. Mungle is a voice actor for Funimation, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital/Sentai Filmworks, and OkraTron 5000. The Right Reverend Robert L. Mungle founded The Whiskey Brothers in 1998. Since then, while the line-up has changed, it has been his outrageously loud voice that has led the group. Mungle has taken the stage everywhere from sold out theaters to seedy strip clubs. His IMDB page boasts over 100 different anime roles, from “Ghost Stories” to “Lady Death” to “Excel Saga.” He was born in Houston and you might recognize him from any of tons of anime roles, some of which include Amanojaku from Ghost Stories, Mr.8 from One Piece, Matsushita from Angel Beats, and Pedro Domingo from Excel Saga. He’s appeared in Akame ga Kill!, 009-1, Broken Blade, Gantz, Halo Legends, and many others.
Samurai Dan and Jillian
The husband and wife team of Daniel and Jillian Coglan are full-time martial art instructors, specializing in 16th century Samurai Arts. When not teaching at their dojo, the Kojokan, they travel the United States performing and teaching the ancient ways of the most famous warriors in history.
With a combined 35 years of experience, their show is a unique blend of history, combative skill, and humor, designed to educate and entertain audiences both large and small.
Beyond their martial skills, the dynamic duo collaborated to write, direct, host, and star in a 12 episode TV series entitled, “The Way of The Samurai.”
Daniel is also an author, with several martial art articles published, and is currently working on his second full-length novel.
Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld
Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld is a voice actor best known for her roles as Bonnie, Nurse Joy & Sophocles on Pokémon, Aina Ardebit in Promare; Strawberry Shortcake on Strawberry Shortcake; Polly Pocket on Polly Pocket; Olivia on Nella the Princess Knight; Rio Kastle, Queen, Grace & Gloria Tyler on Yu-Gi-Oh!; Siri on LastMan; LunaMaria Hawke in Gundam Seed Destiny; Kahori Harukawa in Psychic School Wars; Hansel in Secret Magic Control Agency; Joy LeFrog on Regal Academy; Musa in Winx Club; and Fraw Bow in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. She has provided voices for numerous cartoons, video games, toys and commercials. She can also be seen performing theatre in New York City (most recently in the critically-acclaimed Once Upon A Mattress), and on-screen in her web series Crumbly Kitchen (crumblykitchen.com). For more info, check out her website (alysonleighrosenfeld.com), follow her on Twitter (AlysonRosenfeld), Instagram (alysonleighrosenfeld), or TikTok (@alysonleighrosenfeld).
Frenchy and the Punk
Through their unmistakable blend of influences ranging from post-punk and dark folk to new wave and goth, Frenchy and the Punk have forged their own distinct path since 2005, touring across the US and Europe with their artful two-person powerhouse of sound. Drawing inspiration from post-punk legends like The Cure, the upbeat energy and percussive textures of Adam and the Ants, the bewitching mystique of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the quirky charm of The B-52’s, they have crafted a sound that is both nostalgic and refreshingly modern and authentic delivered in an unorthodox way. They create a wall of sound for two people by way of live looping and acoustic percussion creating a high energy and danceable show with songs about seances, immortality, dancing in the woods at night, mind phantoms and chasing inner demons into the void. Their most recent album, Midnight Garden, is available worldwide. www.frenchyandthepunk.com
Kohei
Kohei, a singer from Tokyo, Japan and moved to New York in the summer of 2011. Kohei is well known for singing R&B and Soul and has performed over 300 shows in the course of four years. He has performed in the all famous Apollo theater 8 times and got first place in 2014. He has opened up for Wu Tang Clan(Raekwon) R&B Legend Case, Lyfe Jennings and Lil mama in 2015 2016. He has done everything such as hosting a music event at the Jay-Z’s Moms restaurant, and being the Official Japan Fes MC. He was a finalist of McDonald’s Gospelfest 2016 and 2017, and featured on M-On TV with Japanese recording artist The RAMPAGE.
Britney Hamada
Britney Hamada, born in 1979 in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, is a versatile manga artist and entrepreneur known for her dynamic career. She debuted in 2006 with Hyper Detective Linker in Big Comic Spirits Casual and quickly gained recognition for her unique voice. In 2007, her serialized manga Pagyaru! explored the vibrant subculture of Shibuya gals, complete with their distinctive slang, cementing her reputation as a pioneer in representing urban youth culture.
By 2008, Hamada earned the nickname “homeless gal manga artist” as her unconventional lifestyle drew media attention. Expanding her creative pursuits, she founded her own company, PIECE EIGHT Co., Ltd., in 2012. A year later, she launched Okaoka House, a multipurpose rental space that would later evolve into CAFE Okaoka with Manga Gallery in 2024, blending her love of storytelling with hospitality.
Hamada is also a dedicated mother, raising her two children, Shizuku (born 2018) and Chazo (born 2021), as a single parent. Beyond her manga and writing, she produces illustrations, manages other manga artists, and teaches both in Japan and internationally, with workshops and lectures in countries like Italy, France, Dubai, and Singapore. Her career spans a wide range of creative and educational fields, reflecting her passion for storytelling and cultural exchange.
Guest appearances are subject to change as circumstances and events change. Some guests may get conflicting film shooting dates or may have travel difficulties.
