名誉嘉宾

In order to encourage and spur the kemono community’s unique and widely diverse creativity, we here at JMoF invite distinguished individuals who’ve made great strides both within and outside of kemono culture as Guests of Honor (GoH), and organize events that are bound to inspire all participants to envision a bright future.

We’ve invited Mr. Kenji Watanabe (渡辺けんじ) to JMoF 2026 as our Guest of Honor, and will hold various events with him.

Mr. Kenji Watanabe

It’s no exaggeration to say that Kenji Watanabe, a veteran illustrator and character designer, has had an enormous influence on Japanese pop and youth culture from the 1990s through the early 2000s.

He was in charge of the numerous character designs that appeared in the worldwide hits “Tamagotchi” and “Digimon (Digital Monsters)” during his time as chief designer in the toy planning company WiZ. His other representative works include such ones as “Onmyou Taisenki” and “Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings”, where his unique worldview has helped foster the imagination and creativity of people across many generations and countries.

Today, Mr. Watanabe is working as head of WOW FACTORY and as a character designer. He had a hand in producing a variety show using dolls and voice actors called “Dolly☆Variety”, along with the production and selling of the VisuaDolls featured on the show. From WOW FACTORY’s unofficial mascot character, “Wowgon”, to other creations, he’s continuing to breathe life into characters that are beloved by people worldwide.

In the planned events related to the Guest of Honor, we’ll delve into Mr. Watanabe’s personality and roots while we offer the chance to experience his artistic approach and technique firsthand. This is a rare opportunity to meet face-to-face Kenji Watanabe, a driving force behind iconic designs in the histories of virtual pets, boy-meets-monster shonen anime, trading card games, and more. We hope you’ll come and join us!

Note: Details about the events related to the Guest of Honor will be announced at a later date.

Important Points to Note

• To participate in this event, a convention badge is required. For details on how to sign up for registration, please see the Registration page.
• It is forbidden to use any of the photographs on this page without prior permission.