ASTANA — Comic Con Astana 2026 drew more than 76,000 visitors from 40 countries over four days, underscoring the growing popularity of pop culture in Kazakhstan and the festival’s expanding international profile.

With our Evo 2026 Las Vegas cosplay video, I wanted to do something different with its production than I’d seen anywhere else in my time covering fighting games.

Comic Con Astana, Central Asia’s largest pop culture festival, has transformed Kazakhstan’s capital, bringing together international actors, cosplay enthusiasts, gamers and artists.

With the anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II approaching, Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine has introduced new rules banning visitors from wearing military uniforms or costumes on its grounds.