For anyone who attends the larger conventions, one of the booths with the biggest footprint on the show floor is always the family of Bandai Namco booths, featuring Dragon Ball, One Piece, Godzilla, and Tamagotchi. At times, it feels like it’s a mini-con for them inside the con. Along with the ever-present Gunpla, their booths are always a must-see. I took some time to speak with Justin Cavender, Senior Marketing Manager, again to see what new things they had at SDCC 2025.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Julian Lytle: This is our second interview. Last year, we did one at New York Comic Con. This is San Diego Comic Con 2025. And what are the wonderful things that Bandai Namco toys are bringing and debuting here this year?
Justin Cavender: Yeah, so we have brought a lot to the table. But we have four booths at San Diego Comic-Con. We are currently in the Tamashi Nations booth. We have four event exclusives. There are the Exclusive Editions of SON GOHAN (Beast), GREAT DEMON KING PICCOLO, and GREAT APE VEGETA. We also have GODZILLA, which is truly amazing. It’s the 2023 Minus One version. He has blue-tinted fins and atomic breath. It’s pretty beautiful. They’re flying right off the shelves, man. Everybody is just picking these things up. And it’s amazing. I love all the support that the fans are giving to the product line. It’s always delightful. We also have a Godzilla booth. It is located right next door and has a Fallout Shelter vibe to it. It’s a beautiful aesthetic. It looks like it’s been destroyed by Kaiju. It has Kaiju sympathizers tagging at the walls. It looks nuts, and we’re super proud of that. And there’s also a gold Godzilla Minus One figure over there. And when you purchase it, you receive a limited-edition print. It’s an awesome poster that’s done by Tim Seeley, who writes the Godzilla comic book for IDW.
Lytle: He’s an amazing writer.
Cavender: Yes, and he will be at the Godzilla booth signing posters for people who have them, which is super cool. And then sharing that space is Tamagotchi. Everyone loves the Tamagotchi and the nostalgic vibe, and they brought three limited-edition models with them to Comic-Con, including a Peanuts Snoopy one and a Darth Vader one. And then we have our Gundam booth, which is celebrating 30 years of Gundam Wing. So, all you Toonami fans out there from the late ’90s, who got your first dose of Gundam with Gundam Wing, we had an awesome panel last night. Jackie Jing hosted it, and we had the English voice actors for Gundam Wing. And it was just a packed house. Two thousand people roaring and screaming over Gundam Wing.
Lytle: This year seems a little different in terms of your booth setup. It looks a bit more intimate than in previous years, with giant balloon statues of amazing characters, including Goku, Luffy, and Naruto. You’re not as spread out beyond the convention center – last year, you had to go to the Marriott for some things. What was the decision process in terms of focusing on bringing everybody directly to the show?
Cavender: Yeah, I mean, I think you hit it on the head there with the intimacy, right? Keeping it all together, not having people go back and forth. Last year, the Dragon Ball activation was where people would pick up their tickets, essentially securing a spot in line to obtain the exclusives. This year, we decided to use the [Comic-Con] portal system, a lottery system, to give people the opportunity to get the figures first. All the figures were available to walk up and purchase as well. It was just a limited quantity.
Lytle: Okay, so this is the half-year point. There are a lot of things going on in the world. What are your plans for the rest of 2025? Without revealing too much, because I know you have more events and more shows. More anime cons and Comic Cons? What are some of the things you plan to focus on for the fans?
Cavender: Right, so we’ve got a couple of things. You know, we have New York Comic Con coming up in October. However, in the meantime, we have the Gundam-based Mobile Tour, which is currently underway. 12 stops in 12 different states. We also have the Tamagotchi Mobile Tour, which is scheduled to take place this year. I believe that’s six different stops in multiple states. So we like to bring the convention experience on the road. Not everyone can attend New York Comic Con or San Diego Comic Con. The coasts always get the love, but middle America, you know, gets glossed. We love the opportunity to bring them a convention experience.
Lytle: I’ve seen a significant expansion in your anime-focused figures. I’ve been buying your guys this stuff for a while. There’s always a heavy dominance of Dragon Ball, followed by Naruto. And I’ve seen a lot more expansion in the last couple of months between Kaiju No. 8, Demon Slayer, and even Gundam Wing, where you debuted Hiiro Yui. Were there any plans to expand on some of these other newer hit franchises? And for things like Gundam Wing, do you plan to make the rest of the, at least the core cast?
Cavender: Yeah, so speaking of Gundam, we have a lot of model kits, Gunpla. Everyone loves to build model kits. Well, I say everyone, but some people just want to play with the figures. That’s a great opportunity with Gundam Universe: you just tear it out of the package and have your Gundam ready to rock and roll. You don’t have to worry about assembling it. All you have to do is slap on the accessories, and it’s ready to go.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from SDCC ’25.
