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Anime Expo Hosts My Hero Academia's Director & English Dub Actors

The organizers of the Anime Expo convention announced on Monday that it will host My Hero Academia director Kenji Nagasaki and the anime's English voice actors Justin Briner and Chris Sabat, as well as dance and vocal unit Dancing Dolls.

Aside from My Hero Academia, Nagasaki has directed the No. 6, Gundam Build Fighters, and Classroom Crisis anime, and has also worked as unit director, episode director, or on storyboards for such anime as Blood Blockade Battlefront, Guilty Crown, and Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

Briner voices protagonist Izuku Midoriya in My Hero Academia. He has also performed in the English dubs of such anime as Garo the Animation (Alfonso San Valiante), Seraph of the End (Mikaela Hyakuya), Prince of Stride: Alternative (Reiji Suwa), and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash (Manato). Sabat voices All-Might in My Hero Academia. He has also performed in the English dubs of such anime as One Piece (Roronoa Zoro), Rage of Bahamut: Genesis (Martinet), Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (Daisuke Jigen), Fairy Tail (Elfman Strauss), and Fullmetal Alchemist (Alex Louis Armstrong).

Nagasaki, Briner, and Sabat will conduct a panel and will be available for autograph sessions throughout the weekend.

Before Dancing Dolls debuted professionally in 2012, they performed as a dance group in Osaka. The group uploaded their performances to Nico Nico Video and Youtube. They released their debut single "Touch -A.S.A.P.- / Shanghai Darling" in 2012. Since then, the group has released five more singles, with their latest, "My Way / Love Me, Love Me," released in March 2015. The group's current lineup consists of Misaki, Hono, Mii, Miu, and Kanon. The latter two members joined in January 2015, after former members and sisters Asuka and Kyoka left in 2014.

The group performed the opening theme song "monochrome" for the Soul Eater Not! anime.

The group will appear and perform in various events throughout Anime Expo, including the opening ceremony, the community stage, AXDance, and the J-Pop Dance Battle, where they will be guest judges.

Anime Expo will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year from July 1 to July 4. The convention will also host Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano; Mega Man co-creator and comcept founder Keiji Inafune; director Makoto Shinkai; Blue Exorcist creator Kazue Kato; Your Lie in April manga creator Naoshi Arakawa; singer Michi; voice actress Chika Anzai; voice actor Junichi Suwabe; Monster Musume creator OKAYADO; Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto creator Nami Sano; BONES studio president Masahiko Minami; Castlevania: Symphony of the Night designer Koji Igarashi; Macross creator Shoji Kawamori; P.A. Works CEO, founder, and producer Kenji Horikawa; musician TeddyLoid; FLCL 2 guests Kazuya Tsurumaki and Mayumi Shintani; voice actor Tetsuya Kakihara; minori producer nbkz (Nobukazu Sakai); CLOCKUP illustrator Shigeo Hamashima; Anju Inami, Rikako Aida, Nanaka Suwa, Arisa Komiya, Kanako Takatsuki, and Ai Furihata from the Love Live! Sunshine!! idol group Aqours; and One-Punch Man anime director Shingo Natsume, voice actor Makoto Furukawa (Saitama) and opening theme song performers JAM Project.

Other musical guests include Eir Aoi, Luna Haruna, Minami, Sphere, T.M. Revolution, Yoko Ishida, DJ Kazu, FLOW, and OLDCODEX.

The convention will also host a P.A. Works 15th Anniversary Exhibit in the Entertainment Hall, presented by Horikawa. Additionally Anime Expo will host a "Cowboy Bebop Jazz Cat Experience" performance event, the world premiere of Shinkai's newest film your name. (Kimi no Na wa.), and the the premiere of the first English-dubbed episode of the One-Punch Man anime.