For his upcoming 12th birthday, Vinicius Souza\u2019s mom took him to SacAnime.<\/p>\n
Souza was promised a birthday gift upon the trip to his first convention.<\/p>\n
As he and his mom walked around the convention center, Souza carried a handmade head of one of his favorite characters, Prototype, from the video game, \u201cPoppy Playtime.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used paper and cardboard, and then I made a circle, cut some slits out, and then I just painted the face,\u201d Souza said as he showed off his creation.<\/p>\n
Souza was one of the many cosplayers attending SacAnime Spring the weekend of April 24 to 26 at Cal Exposition. The decades-old convention has welcomed anime fans of all ages since 2004. For many attendees, the convention is known to be an epicenter and safe space to celebrate anime and cartoons.<\/p>\n
There, fans participate in cosplay, where people dress up as their favorite anime, cartoon, video game or other media characters.<\/p>\n
![\"Vinicius](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SAC_3635_SacAnime_HA_260424.JPG\" "\\"SAC_3635_SacAnime_HA_260424.JPG\\"")
Vinicius Souva, 11, of Sacramento, carries a prop he made from the Poppy Playtime video game during SacAnime at Cal Expo on Friday, April 24, 2026. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
The convention has even welcomed a family of cosplayers like David Williams and his mother, Dodi Williams. Cosplayed as Arale Norimaki from the manga (Japanese comic books or graphic novels), \u201cDr. Slump.\u201d Dodi Williams made her own cosplay alongside her son\u2019s Tori-Bot, the avatar of the famous manga author, Akira Toriyama, who wrote the \u201cDragon Ball\u201d franchise.<\/p>\n
Dodi Williams said she loves SacAnime and has become a season regular, also attending the summer<\/a> and winter conventions.<\/p>\n \u201cSacAnime brings all kind, all types of people,\u201d she said. \u201cWe all get to let our freak flag fly, and I enjoy being around people that love the same things that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Some fans travel from out of the area to attend SacAnime, such as San Jose resident Cici Huber. Cosplayed as Keigo Takami, also known as Hawks, from \u201cMy Hero Academia,\u201d she said her cosplay was primarily handmade.<\/p>\n Her costume featured headphones crafted from heat sensitive plastic and bright red wings made of paper and craft wire which took her a month to make, she recalled.<\/p>\n Having driven three hours to Cal Expo, Huber said she was most excited about meeting Patrick Seitz, who voices her favorite \u201cMy Hero Academia\u201d character, Endeavor. For her, cosplaying and meeting the guests are the best parts.<\/p>\n \u201cSacAnime always has better guests than other conventions in Northern California,\u201d Huber said.<\/p>\n Other prominent animation voice actors such as Dan Molina, the voice of Spike from the cartoon movie series \u201cLand Before Time\u201d and \u201cDirk\u201d from the original Dragon\u2019s Lair arcade game, participated in the convention.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the people, and the people that I keep seeing over and over again,\u201d Molina said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a family reunion every time I get to go to one of these.\u201d<\/p>\n Expression through cosplay<\/p>\n SacAnime has been a longstanding tradition for fans like Chad Adamion who said he\u2019s been attending to the convention since its inception.<\/p>\n He recalls his first convention at the Scottish Rite Center years ago. Several decades later after continuous attendance, he regrets not buying a lifetime pass. He said SacAnime launched the trend of other conventions in Northern California, such as San Jose\u2019s FanimeCon and Fan Expo in San Francisco. This spring convention, he was dressed in a partially hand-made cosplay of Zoro from the anime \u201cOne Piece.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one then knew what it was going to become, but it has really sort of brought the greater Northern California area together around anime,\u201d Adamion said.<\/p>\n Cosplay and attending SacAnime is a form of expression for Sacramento residents, like Kaden Bice. For SacAnime Spring, Bice cosplayed as Boa Hancock, also from the anime \u201cOne Piece.\u201d While it\u2019s a new hobby for her, she said she\u2019s grown to love it.<\/p>\n \u201cI love dressing up and expressing my interest via cosplay,\u201d Bice said. \u201cI haven\u2019t really been to too many, but every time I go, I try to get something new. I just love getting out of the house too.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SAC_3525_SacAnime_HA_260424.JPG\" "\\"SAC_3525_SacAnime_HA_260424.JPG\\"")
John Hernandez, of West Sacramento, wears a Katsuki Bakugo costume from the My Hero Academia anime and manga series during SacAnime at Cal Expo on Friday, April 24, 2026. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SAC_SN_231129_Emma_116.JPG\")