Anime Revolution (abbreviated as Anirevo) is a three-day anime convention held annually in August in Vancouver, BC. Initially held in the East Wing of the Vancouver Convention Centre (Canada Place), it has been held in the newer West Wing since 2017 before expanding eastward to Toronto's Metro Toronto Convention Centre beginning in 2025.
While the name is similar, the convention has no connection to Anime Evolution.
Programming
Anime Revolution is notable for being the first anime convention in Vancouver to host voice actor guests from Japan and often features high-profile recording session performances. They also regularly bring in representatives from North American anime distributors such as Bandai and Crunchyroll. Their regular programming includes anime and AMV screenings, voice actor panels, as well as stage events including cosplay shows and the 70s Anime Dating Show. Other events have included contests, industry/fan panels, workshops, vendor and artist rooms, video game groups, concerts, raves/masquerades and photo shoots.
Mascot The Mascot for Anime Revolution is Senkaku Mei, or Senmei for short. She is a blunt, spontaneous, energetic attention grabber who loves to be the center of attention. She can usually be found dressed in her race-queen outfit with her two mini megaphones. A live action version of Senmei was portrayed by cosplay model Jessica Nigri in 2013.
History Anime Revolution was launched in 2012 to meet demand for a new anime-focused convention in Metro Vancouver, after Anime Evolution (run by AE Convention Corp) had been cancelled in 2010. The convention was founded by Can Ngo, who serves as its current president.
Since it began, the convention has grown significantly, being the first anime convention in Metro Vancouver to surpass 10,000 attendees and eventually expanding its audience to more areas of Japanese pop culture such as gunpla and maid cafés.
As of 2026, it is the largest anime convention in Western Canada.
From 2016 to 2020, a separate winter event was also held, but has now been discontinued in favour of a single annual summer convention.
The event was cancelled from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed in 2022, with masks being mandatory.
In 2025, Anime Revolution expanded to Eastern Canada with the launch of Anime Revolution Toronto. The inaugural event was held from November 21 to 23 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Event history
Anime Revolution Vancouver Dates Location Attendance Guests
Anime Revolution Toronto Dates Location Attendance Guests
Controversies
Sex offender attendance
In 2019, Anime Revolution faced intense criticism after allowing convicted sex offenders Bram Kleiman and Alex McMullen to attend the event. Kleiman had been previously banned from Anime Revolution due to harassment. However, he attempted to attend the convention anyways, leading to a confrontation with president Can Ngo upon his arrival. A letter from Kleiman's psychiatrist was presented which stated that he was not a threat to the public, and his mother informed Ngo that Kleiman would be attending with his girlfriend as a chaperone. Additionally, Kleiman used his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis as an explanation for his past behaviour. Based on this information, Ngo ultimately chose to allow Kleiman to attend the event. McMullen attended the event for one day but left early due to posts circulating about his presence at AniRevo. On August 15, 2019, an apology was posted on Anime Revolution's website for allowing the two individuals to attend. They were explicitly banned from all future events.
References