MetroCon 2026 wrapped up this weekend at the Tampa Convention Center, and if the halls, staircases, and photo lines are any indication, Florida’s largest anime convention just delivered one of its strongest years yet. Three days of anime, gaming, and cosplay took over the waterfront, and the energy never dipped once from Friday morning to the closing ceremony Sunday night.

A Weekend Built on Group Photos

If there was one theme defining this year’s MetroCon, it was the sheer scale of the group cosplay meetups. The main staircase inside the convention center turned into an unofficial photo studio all weekend, with massive crews posing shoulder to shoulder between panels. A JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure group stacked the steps with Stand users in full color coordinated outfits, while a separate Marvel gathering brought out everyone from Wolverine and Rogue to Scarlet Witch and a full row of Spider-People. One Piece crews assembled outside the building in full Straw Hat regalia, complete with Trafalgar Law’s crew and a Zoro carrying three swords at once. Critical Role fans brought an entire tavern’s worth of characters to the front steps too, blue skinned tieflings and all.

The Kingdom Hearts community also showed up in force, with a staircase full of Sora, Riku, and Organization XIII members holding oversized foam Keyblades that towered over the crowd. Elsewhere, an Amazing Digital Circus meetup brought Caine, Pomni, Jax, and the rest of the cast to life in full costume, right down to the chattering teeth mascot head that had people stopping in their tracks all weekend.

Alex Rochon Joins the Fun

One of the best moments of the whole convention happened when Alex Rochon, the voice actor behind Caine in The Amazing Digital Circus, made his way down to join the Digital Circus group photo in person. Rather than staying tucked away at his table, Rochon walked straight into the middle of the meetup and posed alongside dozens of fans dressed as his own character and the rest of the cast. Anyone who has watched him talk about his convention appearances knows he brings a goofy, high energy presence wherever he goes, and that showed the moment he stepped in front of the cameras with the group. Fans who spent months building their Caine costumes suddenly found themselves standing next to the man who gave the character his voice, and the reaction in the crowd said it all. Moments like that are exactly why these guest appearances matter so much to conventions like MetroCon. It is one thing to get an autograph at a table, and a completely different thing to have a guest genuinely show up for the community’s own event.

The Cosplay Craftsmanship Competition stage delivered once again, with this year’s Best in Show and category winners lining up under the spotlights for photos with their awards. The lineup on stage included elaborate armor builds, towering headpieces, and full scale prop work that clearly represented months of effort. Watching the winners pose together with their certificates and gift bags, it was obvious the judges had their hands full this year given the level of detail on display.

Vendor Hall and Artist Alley Delivered

The exhibit hall lived up to expectations as always. Vendor booths overflowed with imported figures, from Hatsune Miku statues to Mega Man collectibles, and artist alley walls were covered floor to ceiling with vibrant prints spanning everything from Bleach to Jujutsu Kaisen to One Piece bounty posters. Browsing tables full of “Wanted” style prints and half off deals kept foot traffic steady in that hall well into the afternoons each day.

Gaming Room and Arcade Stayed Packed

The gaming room ran nonstop all weekend, with fighting game setups lined wall to wall and attendees settling in for long sessions between panels. It was the kind of space where you could walk through at any hour and find every seat filled, whether people were deep into a ranked match or just catching up with friends between rounds.

Costumes That Stole the Show

Beyond the big group shoots, plenty of standout individual and small group cosplay turned heads throughout the weekend. A Devil May Cry gathering brought a full roster of Dantes and Vergils together, rocket launchers and all, while a Marvel meetup produced one of the most detailed Captain America shield builds seen at the con this year. A group dressed as classic Saturday morning superheroes brought a wonderfully weird energy to the halls, and a family cosplaying Demon Slayer together, kids included, was easily one of the sweetest sights of the weekend.

Between the guest interactions, the packed panel rooms, the arcade that never seemed to empty out, and cosplay crews that clearly poured everything they had into their costumes, this year’s MetroCon delivered exactly the kind of weekend Central Florida’s geek community looks forward to all year.

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