Mumbai’s much-awaited Comic Con 2026 officially kicked off with full pop-culture chaos, anime screams, celebrity appearances, and some seriously impressive cosplay transformations. Day 1 at the Jio World Convention Centre in BKC on May 9 turned into a colourful celebration of comics, gaming, anime, and fandom as thousands of fans queued up early to soak in the excitement.
Take a look at Mumbai Comic Con 2026 Day 1 highlights:
Tamannaah & Sidharth set the tone
One of the biggest highlights of the day was the launch of Vvana, a folklore-inspired thriller unveiled in the presence of Sidharth Malhotra, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ekta Kapoor, and Arunabh Kumar alongside Indusverse.
Meanwhile, actor-author Prajakta Koli also drew massive crowds during her audiobook session, where she spoke about storytelling, books, relationships, and writing, making it one of the most interactive sessions of the day.
Anime legends & international guests bring the hype
International comic-book icon Ramón K. Pérez, known for works like The Amazing Spider-Man and Hawkeye, met Indian fans during a special “Creators Across the World” panel with Abhijeet Kini.
Fan-favourite duo Yvon Tremblay and Christian Tremblay also returned to India for the second consecutive year, receiving loud cheers from nostalgic fans of SWAT Kats.
Anime lovers had their own major moment during the Solo Leveling panel featuring Japanese voice actor Taito Ban, producer Atsushi Kaneko, and Hindi voice artist Rajesh Shukla.
The energy peaked when anime singer Hiroshi Kitadani performed iconic anime tracks live, including One Piece anthem “We Are!”, turning the venue into one giant singalong.
Cosplayers completely stole the show
While celebrities grabbed headlines, the real stars of Comic Con remained the cosplayers. Fans arrived in jaw-dropping costumes inspired by anime, gaming, and comic-book universes.
Characters like Pennywise, Obito from Naruto, Dante, Luffy and Zoro from One Piece, and Kamado Tanjiro from Demon Slayer dominated the convention floor. From detailed armour builds to dramatic wigs and makeup transformations, the effort and creativity on display made every corner of the venue feel like a live-action fandom universe.
Check out the cosplayers:
After an action-packed opening day, Mumbai Comic Con 2026 is only getting bigger, with Day 2 promising even more fandom madness, creator moments, anime energy, and unforgettable experiences.
