Funimation Announces First FunimationCon 2020 Panels, Performances, and More

Funimation recently announced they will be holding a special virtual convention, FunimationCon, this July and now they have revealed the first details for its upcoming panels, performances, and more. With the convention circuit essentially completely shut down due to the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and Funimation has stepped up to the plate with a fun new way to bring fans together from across the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Fans who register for this completely free event will be able to attend virtual panels for One Piece, Fire Force, Fruits Basket and more.

FunimationCon 2020 will be taking place on July 3-4, and the first slate of panels includes the English voice casts of One Piece, Fruits Basket, and Fire Force who will be discussing their respective series and have a special Q&A portion. Here's a breakdown of the announced panels thus far according to Funimation's press release:

• Fruits Basket Voice Actor Panel - Celebrate the hit shoujo classic's new second season with the English voice cast of Fruits Basket! Join Eric Vale (Yuki), Jerry Jewell (Kyo), Mikaela Krantz (Momiji), and Colleen Clinkenbeard (Akito), as well as season two's new character cast Aaron Dismuke (Kakeru) and Caitlin Glass (Machi, ADR Director) for some Q&A, a live reading, and even an advice corner courtesy of the Student Council! The panel is hosted by Caitlin Glass.
• One Piece - The One Piece panel brings together the voice actors behind your favorite characters to celebrate the series and the return of dubbed episodes, including Colleen Clinkenbeard (Luffy), Brina Palencia (Tony Chopper), Mike McFarland (Buggy the Clown) and more. Funimation's Josellie Rios (host of the One Piece at a Time podcast) is moderating the panel.
• Fire Force - With a new season launching on Funimation's streaming service in July, this panel is not to be missed! The panel features voice actors Derick Snow (Shinra), Justin Briner (Sho), Eric Vale (Arthur), Christopher Wehcamp (Hinawa), and is moderated by Matt Acevedo.

FunimationCon 2020 will also be teaming up with Sony Music Labels Inc to provide special messages, concert footage, and music videos from prominent artists such as BLUE ENCOUNT, FLOW, KANA-BOON, and Luna Haruna. There will also be a special DJ set during the event provided by DJ MarGenal. Additional panels, updates, programming, and more will be updated in the coming weeks leading into the virtual convention, and fans interested in attending the free event can find more information and register at the link here.

Will you be attending Funimation's special virtual convention this year? What are you looking forward to? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!