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Saboten Con 2016 Brings Anime Fans to Downtown Phoenix

By Benjamin Leatherman

Tuesday, September 6, 2016 at 3:22 p.m.

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 1/92

Benjamin Leatherman Local cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 2/92

Benjamin Leatherman Local cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 3/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 4/92

Benjamin Leatherman A pair of cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 5/92

Benjamin Leatherman Cosplaying characters from Ouran High School Host Club. 6/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 7/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 8/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 9/92

Benjamin Leatherman Cosplaying characters from Dragon Ball Z. 10/92

Benjamin Leatherman That's a mess of Magikarp right there. 11/92

Benjamin Leatherman Domo arigato. 12/92

Benjamin Leatherman We've got a statue with the exact same pose. 13/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 14/92

Benjamin Leatherman Dancing like a fly, bite like a mosquito! 15/92

Benjamin Leatherman Cosplaying Officer Judy Hopps from Zootopia. 16/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 17/92

Benjamin Leatherman This cosplayer doesn't screw around. 18/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 19/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees cross Third Street on their way to the Sheraton. 20/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 21/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 22/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 23/92

Benjamin Leatherman Mysterio, one of Spider-Man's more dreaded foes. 24/92

Benjamin Leatherman Two generations of cosplayers. 25/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 26/92

Benjamin Leatherman Even wizards were welcome at Saboten Con 2016. 27/92

Benjamin Leatherman Just don't feed 'em after midnight. 28/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 29/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 30/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 31/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 32/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 33/92

Benjamin Leatherman A trio of Attack on Titan cosplayers zoom through the crosswalk at Third and Van Buren streets outside of the Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel. 34/92

Benjamin Leatherman Master Roshi from Dragon Ball Z. 35/92

Benjamin Leatherman Skater Link is probably one of the coolest things ever. 36/92

Benjamin Leatherman An Attack on Titan cosplayer poses for a photo. 37/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 38/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 39/92

Benjamin Leatherman A local cosplayer poses for a photo outside of the Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel. 40/92

Benjamin Leatherman Can't have a geek gathering without Harley Quinn. 41/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplay at Saboten Con 2016. 42/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 43/92

Benjamin Leatherman Local cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 44/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 45/92

Benjamin Leatherman Saboten Con 2016 attendees. 46/92

Benjamin Leatherman Walk softly and carry a big scythe. 47/92

Benjamin Leatherman A father and son in attendance at the Sheraton. 48/92

Benjamin Leatherman Japanese rock band The Slants perform at Saboten Con 2016. 49/92

Benjamin Leatherman Voice actor Eric Stuart discusses his craft during his panel at Saboten Con 2016. 50/92

Benjamin Leatherman A group cosplay of Steven Universe characters. 51/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 52/92

Benjamin Leatherman Attendees of Saboten Con 2016. 53/92

Benjamin Leatherman Local cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 54/92

Benjamin Leatherman Naruto cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 55/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 56/92

Benjamin Leatherman Mimikyu, a ghostly version of Pikachu. 57/92

Benjamin Leatherman Attendees of Saboten Con 2016. 58/92

Benjamin Leatherman Playing Dance Dance Revolution in the game room. 59/92

Benjamin Leatherman Getting ready to play a game during a panel put on by Team Rocket Arizona. 60/92

Benjamin Leatherman Doing the limbo during a panel put on by Team Rocket Arizona. 61/92

Benjamin Leatherman A local cosplayer at Saboten Con 2016. 62/92

Benjamin Leatherman Playing a round of Boss Monster in the Saboten Con game room. 63/92

Benjamin Leatherman Attendees of Saboten Con 2016. 64/92

Benjamin Leatherman Say hello to her little friend. 65/92

Benjamin Leatherman Attendees of Saboten Con 2016. 66/92

Benjamin Leatherman Having fun in the Saboten Con game room. 67/92

Benjamin Leatherman Geeks gather around a booth for a prize raffle. 68/92

Benjamin Leatherman Pick a side. 69/92

Benjamin Leatherman Attendees of Saboten Con 2016. 70/92

Benjamin Leatherman Local artist CN Hikari at her booth in the vendor hall. 71/92

Benjamin Leatherman Local artist Mintandapple at his booth in the vendor hall. 72/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime figurines for sale in Saboten Con's vendor hall. 73/92

Benjamin Leatherman Got Gundam? 74/92

Benjamin Leatherman Attendees of Saboten Con 2016. 75/92

Benjamin Leatherman Star Wars - Episode VIII: Rey and Kylo's Anime Adventure. 76/92

Benjamin Leatherman Cube cats for sale in the vendor hall. 77/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 78/92

Benjamin Leatherman Spotted in the Saboten Con vendor hall. 79/92

Benjamin Leatherman Anime characters are cute. Plush doll versions of anime characters are even cuter. 80/92

Benjamin Leatherman Fullmetal Alchemist artwork on display at Saboten Con 2016. 81/92

Benjamin Leatherman Local cosplayers at Saboten Con 2016. 82/92

Benjamin Leatherman Cosplaying at Saboten Con 2016. 83/92

Benjamin Leatherman Panda-monium. 84/92

Benjamin Leatherman A local cosplayer at Saboten Con 2016. 85/92

Benjamin Leatherman Japanese rock band Kazha performs at Saboten Con 2016. 86/92

Benjamin Leatherman Japanese rock band Kazha performs at Saboten Con 2016. 87/92

Benjamin Leatherman Indie video game developer Chris Tang shows off his current project, Strike Harbinger, in the Saboten Con 88/92

Benjamin Leatherman Attendees of Saboten Con 2016. 89/92

Benjamin Leatherman Cosplaying at Saboten Con 2016. 90/92

Benjamin Leatherman Cosplaying at Saboten Con 2016. 91/92

Benjamin Leatherman He's the bomb. 92/92

Saboten Con 2016 Brings Anime Fans to Downtown Phoenix

Fans of anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture flocked to the Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel from Friday, September 2, to Monday, September 5. The weekend-long extravaganza, which is the largest anime convention in Arizona, featured four days of cosplay, gaming, panels, Q&A sessions with voice actors, concerts and other fun.

Photos by Benjamin Leatherman

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