Star Wars Celebration Japan: 5 reasons to get excited!
I can feel the hype building for Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025. Its starting to feel like the trip to the City of Chiba is just around the corner, with the wait of two years since Celebration London 2023 heading into the home straight. As the date draws nearer, announcements have gone from piecemeal to an encouraging trickle. Based on what we know so far, and some healthy speculation, here’s my top 5 reasons to get excited!
Guests:
One of the most thrilling aspects of any Star Wars Celebration is the lineup of guests. Seeing and meeting the guests is one of the things I enjoyed most in London, and Japan 2025 is set to be no exception. So far, we’ve got some brilliant announcements.
There are some fairly familiar but hugely exciting names announced so far, and some a bit more unique that catch the eye. Like Doug Chiang offering his first ever signing opportunity, and Manny Jacinto the standout star of The Acolyte who is sure to be very popular following a great reception at D23.
We should expect more guest announcements in the coming months and certainly in the new year, when we get within a couple of months of the event. The word on the street is that Hayden Christensen and Rosario Dawson have casually confirmed their attendance to fans. Even Mark Hamill has been on the con circuit again recently…cross your fingers. If you’re interested in guests, check out my top 5 tips for seeing and interacting with guests at Celebration.
Stunning art
The artistic direction for Celebration Japan is quickly emerging as one of the highlights. This year's key art and pass art beautifully captures the essence of the franchise while paying homage to traditional Japanese art styles and culture. It’s a significant expense and journey for fans in the West to get to Celebration in Japan, so seeing the art go the extra mile to reflect the unique location for the event is really cool. It makes me think the whole event will feel special.
The pass art in particular is epic, showcasing iconic characters and classic motifs of the seasons in Japan in a unique style reminiscent of ukiyo-e, the traditional woodblock printing. This pass art was created by Japanese artist TAKUMI, and you can read a brilliant interview about the creative process here. This design choice not only elevates the event's visual appeal but also honours the host country’s rich artistic heritage. I can’t wait to see how this translates into the venue.
Event Exclusives
As always, Celebration will offer fans the chance to grab cool exclusive items and merchandise, available only at the event, with some variation making clear it was picked up at Celebration, or very early before wider release. We can look forward to a range of exclusives from vendors like Funko, Hasbro and Figpin,
Hot Toys are already announced to be attending, which is brilliant, early, and promising news given their absence in London. Perhaps partly due to the love of statues in Japan. Hot Toys have revealed that they will be making available a worldwide exclusive Galen Erso 1/6th figure (from Rogue One, portrayed by Mads Mikelson who is attending as a guest). This is the first vendor exclusive announcement for Celebration Japan.
The other key source of exclusives is of course the Celebration Store, some initial merchandise from the store has been teased and was available for purchase alongside tickets, including a T-shirt, pin and Japanese fan. Given the amazing key and pass art, much of this store merchandise is likely to be in high demand and really eye catching. I can’t wait to check out the full list of what’s on offer which will be released online for perusal closer to the event.
Celebrating Key Anniversaries
With 2025 marking the 25th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith, and the 10th anniversary of The Force Awakens, I’m really hopeful for special panels, displays, merch and guests that celebratethe significance of these films. London was an anniversary year for Return of the Jedi, and that’s what we got.
Panels featuring cast members, directors, and other creatives involved in these films would be in-keeping with previous anniversary years, and foster nostalgia for these beloved entries in the saga. For Revenge of the Sith, the crescendo of the Prequel era, its central stars of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, has become bread and butter for Celebration in recent years with a huge renaissance of fan interest. Fingers crossed for Natalie Portman everyone.
For the Force Awakens, the first significant (and scary) anniversary year offers the potential to kindle some nostalgia and excitement ahead of the planned Rey movie. John Boyega has been seen on the con circuit this year in a rare appearance, and Daisy Ridley appeared as a surprise guest in London 2023…could we be in for a treat. I’d love to celebrate the sequels and show some love to the actors. Surely a part of the timeline Disney plans to build around for the future.
Positive vibes
I think its safe to say that whether you’ve loved recent projects like the Acolyte, Ahsoka and Andor, or not, the recent online discourse has been universally tiring. I tend to find something to love in everything Star Wars but I wholeheartedly respect other opinions. What I simply can’t stand however is the needless disrespect, intolerance and click-baiting that we’ve seen lately, disguised as expressing opinion, all in the aims of getting engagement.
Like alot of people I’ve felt a bit worn down by it all, and concerned it will damage our chances of seeing cool new stuff, so I absolutely can’t wait to get to Celebration where the energy is off the charts and the vibes are only positive. Being surrounded by like-minded fans, all there to celebrate and share a love, and collectively go crazy over new announcements and experiences, is like nothing else. Time to recharge the batteries and make some new connections.
As we look ahead to Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, the excitement continues to build. Whether you're a lifelong fan, came in through the OT, Prequels, Sequels, Mandoverse, animation, novels or comics, it is sure to be an unforgettable experience filled with joy, camaraderie, and a shared love for the franchise. These are the things that are getting me excited so far, but there is so much yet to come as the date approaches. Notifications on everyone!
MTFBWY
