Your guide to the 2nd annual Anime Corpus Christi convention

It's time to let your geek flag fly high. Anime Corpus Christi returns for its second year for three days starting Friday.

Co-founder Daniel Benavides said he and his team are looking forward to bringing more festivities at this year's convention.

Some new things include community panels, photo ops at three different sets and more vendors for shoppers to grab a memento.

Here's your guide on how to prepare:

How to get tickets

• Friday passes are $35, Saturday $45 and Sunday $40.

• Weekend passes are $60.

• VIP passes are $100 and come with a VIP badge and lanyard, Gallery Panda acrylic exclusive print, an exclusive shirt, a collector's enamel pin, an exclusive Kodo plush, a Gallery Panda tote bag, priority access for celebrity autographs and panels.

• Children's one-day passes, ages 6 to 10, are $15 for any day and $2 for weekend passes.

Tickets can be purchased online at animecorpuschristi.com/tickets.

Guest celebrities

There will be 17 celebrities visiting this year's Comic Con. Be sure to double-check who is coming before you miss your chance to score a selfie and autograph.

• Tia Ballard: Hare Menjou in "Guilty Crown" and Happy in "Fairy Tail."

• Bryson Baugus: Bell Cranel in "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?" and Shoyo Hinata in "Haikyuu!!"

• Leah Clark: Hikari Horaki in "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone" and Noah in "Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa."

• Dameon Clarke: Handsome Jack in the "Borderlands" series and Cell in the "Dragon Ball" series.

• Justin Cook: Dende in the "Dragon Ball" series and Eijiro Kirishima in "My Hero Academia."

• Chris Guerrero: Dr. Gero in "Super Android 13 Abridged" and Ains Ooal Gown in "Overlord."

• Todd Haberkorn: Anna in "Fairy Tail" and Motomiya in "A Whisker Away."

• Brittney Karbowski: Migi in "Parasyte: The Maxim" and Ikaros in "Heaven's Lost Property the Movie: The Angeloid of Clockwork."

• Trina Nishimura: Mikasa Ackerman in "Attack on Titan" and Kuriso Makine in the "Steins;Gate" series.

• Lee Quick: Misako in "Here is Greenwood" and Officer Jenny in the "Pokémon" series.

• Jad Saxton: Yuki in "Wolf Children" and Koneko in "High School DxD."

• Sean Schemmel: Goku in the "Dragon Ball" series and Lucario in "Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew."

• Lindsay Seidel: Nagisa Shiota in "Assassination Classroom" and Ruka Urushibara in the "Steins;Gate" series.

• Joshua Seth: Tai in the "Digimon" series and Chaos in the "Xenosaga" series.

• Veronica Taylor: Ash Ketchum in the "Pokémon" series and April O'Neil in the 2003 series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

• Mark Whitten: Kyojuro Rengoku in the "Demon Slayer" series and Dr. Curt Connors in the video game "Spider-Man 2".

• Linda Young: Baba in the "Dragon Ball" series and Fumiyo Yamada in "Dead Mount Death Play."

Featured artists

• Kitsune Tattoo: Two tattoo artists from the North Houston tattoo studio.

• Paulee Smith: Co-owner of Orchid Moon, a popular tattoo studio in San Antonio.

• Ninja Tatz: A tattoo artist that specializes in anime.

• David Angelo Roman: A comic book artist that has done work for "Rick and Morty," "The Walking Dead" and "Steven Universe."

Panel schedule

There will be two stages, Super Bitfest and Aibō, holding panels, cosplay contests and more over the three-day event.

Super Bitfest Stage

Friday

• 3 p.m.: Hero or Villain? with Bryson Baugus, Mark Whitten and Chris Guerrero

• 4 p.m.: Taiko Drum Team

• 5 p.m.: String Player Gamer with Diwa De Leon

• 6 p.m.: Creative Cosplay & More

Saturday

• Noon: Cosplay Karaoke

• 1 p.m.: Goku vs. ??? with Sean Schemmel, Linda Young, Dameon Clarke and Justin Cook

• 2 p.m.: My Hero Ladies with Lindsay Seidel, Trina Nishimura and Leak Clark

• 3 p.m.: Taiko Drum Team

• 4 p.m.: String Player Gamer with Diwa De Leon

• 5 p.m.: Lolita Fashion 101: Japanese Street Fashion

• 6 p.m.: Adult Cosplay Contest

Sunday

• Noon: It's a Fairy Tail with Brittney Karbowski, Tia Ballard, Todd Haberkorn and Jad Saxton

• 1 p.m.: String Player Gamer with Diwa De Leon

• 2 p.m.: Digi-Ball with Joshua Seth, Veronica Taylor and Lee Quick

• 3 p.m.: Taiko Drum Team

• 4 p.m.: Kid's Cosplay Contest

Aibō Stage

Friday

• 1 p.m.: Beginner's Guide to Wig Styling with Freya and Seth

• 2 p.m.: Guess the Anime Theme Song! with Elenor Sprague

• 3 p.m.: The Kamado Siblings Host a Gameshow

• 4 p.m.: Anime Family Feud & More

• 5 p.m.: History of the Ninja with Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures

• 6 p.m.: Cosplay on a Budget with Madam Merluvli

Saturday

• 11 a.m.: Shojo Beat Retrospective with Elsa Parr

• 11 a.m.: Anime Zumba with Lindsey (Henry Garrett Ballroom C)

• Noon: Sewing Tips for Beginners with Elsa Parr

• 1 p.m.: Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Character Debate

• 2 p.m.: History of the Samurai with Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures

• 3 p.m.: Meme Royal

• 4 p.m.: Fabulous World of Foam with Xylia Morgan

Sunday

• 11 a.m.: Intro to SFX Makeup Demonstration with Reyner Garza

• 11 a.m.: Anime Zumba with Lindsey (Henry Garrett Ballroom C)

• Noon: Furry Group Meetup with Coastal Bend Furries

• 1 p.m.: Security Breach Mayhem with Media Mayhem

• 2 p.m.: Japanese Folklore with Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures

• 3 p.m.: Kandi Kulture Make 'N Take with Elsa Parr

Cosplay contest

To participate in the contest, contestants must apply at animecorpuschristi.com/cosplay-contest before the event, which is 6 p.m. Saturday. Online applications will close two hours before the start of the contest.

Contestants should arrive 45 minutes early to receive an entry number and be evaluated by professional judges who will examine their costumes and ask questions. It is important to hold onto the entry number, as it will be used during the contest, which will begin after the pre-judging period.

You must have a ticket to Anime Corpus Christi to participate. Costumes entered must comply with the rules regarding coverage of "swimsuit areas" and avoidance of nudity. Costumes made entirely of body paint are not allowed.

The use of inappropriate language or hand gestures will result in disqualification. In addition, such behavior may lead to expulsion from the event with no refund.

Contestants are prohibited from using any substances, throwing objects or creating a mess during the contest. For safety reasons, special effects including pyrotechnics, explosives, live animals and certain devices are not allowed.

All props must be tagged by Anime Corpus Christi's weapons check department prior to entering the convention.

If you go

WHAT: Anime Corpus Christi

WHEN: Noon to 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: American Bank Center

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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or X @johnpoliva.

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Anime Corpus Christi: What celebrities, artists will visit