SF Godzillafest Guests Of Honor 2026
MIZUHO YOSHIDA
Mizuho Yoshida is a Japanese suit actor best known to kaiju fans for portraying Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) and Legion in Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996).
Born September 12, 1965, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Yoshida began his career with a role as the villain Shoki in Keita Amemiya’s Cyber Ninja (1988). He went on to collaborate with Amemiya on several projects, including the title creature Zeiram in Zeiram (1991) and Zeiram 2 (1994), as well as the classic Kikaida antagonist, Hakaida in Mechanical Violator Hakaida (1995).
Yoshida’s extensive kaiju credits also include Death Ghidorah in Rebirth of Mothra (1996), Dagahra in Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997), and Zedus in Gamera the Brave (2006). He has also performed in video games and numerous other film and television productions.
Please join us at Godzillafest in welcoming legendary Japanese suit
actor Mizuho Yoshida!
2026!
DIRECTOR SHUSUKE KANEKO
Godzillafest welcomes heralded director Shusuke Kaneko.
Shusuke Kaneko grew up (as all of us have) with a love for science fiction, particularly Godzilla and Gamera films. He started his career at Nikkatsu Studios in the early 1980s.
His first genre film was actually “The Cold”, a segment of the film NECRONOMICON in 1993. After that he went on a direct the Heisei Gamera films for Daiei/Kodakawa. These included GAMERA GUARDIAN
OF THE UNIVERSE (1995), GAMERA 2 ATTACK OF LEGION (1996) and GAMERA 3 REVENGE OF IRIS (1999), which he also co-wrote.
During this time, he also directed HAUNTED SCHOOL 3 (1997) and PYROKENESIS (2000).
In 2001, he wrote and directed GODZILLA, MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK for Toho, which is considered one of the best films of the Godzilla series.
Other genre films that he has directed include AZUMI 2: DEATH OR LOVE (2005), DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE 2: THE LAST NAME (both in 2006) and episodes of the TV series ULTRAMAN MAX (2005).
2026!
ACTOR KATSUHIKO SASAKI
Godzillafest welcomes actor Katsuhiko Sasaki.
Sasaki was born into Godzilla films with an established pedigree, being the son of Minoru Chiaki who played Koji Kobayashi in 1955’s GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN.
Sasaki would play Goro Ibuki, the inventor of Jet Jaguar in GODZILLA VS MEGALON (1973). He went on to appear with another cyborg (Katsura, played by last year’s Godzillafest guest Tomoko Ai) in 1975’s
TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA. He would also play a soldier in GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE (1989) and Professor Mazaki in 1991’s GODZILLA VS KING GHIDORAH.
Other genre films included LAST DAYS OF PLANET EARTH (PROPHESIES OF NOSTRADAMUS) (1974), EVIL OF DRACULA (also 1974), and the TV series DAITETSUJIN 17 (1977).
Later in his career he did a lot of voice work on THE BIG O (2003), BLACK LAGOON (2006), GOLGO 13 (2009), YU-GI-OH! Zexal (2013), THE BOY AND THE BEAST (2015) and others.
He also provided voices in quite a few dubbed films for both Robert DeNiro and Alec Baldwin.
2026!
ACTOR TJ STORM
TJ Storm is an American actor, stuntman, dancer, and martial artist. He is best known for his role as Bayu in Conan the Adventurer and for his motion capture performances in Tron: Legacy, Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, and as Godzilla in the Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla King of the Monsters (2019). His latest role was that of The Red Hulk in Captain America Brave New World.​
SF Godzillafest Featured Cosplayers 2026
SUNECOSPLAYS
Sune is a Sacramento-area cosplayer with eight years of experience and a passion for science fiction and fantasy. After attending SacAnime as a birthday gift in 2019, she quickly became a regular at conventions throughout Northern California. Her favorite costumes include Spock from Star Trek,
Duchess Satine from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Yuki Mori from Space Battleship Yamato. She enjoys sewing, styling wigs, and adding her own sparkling touch to every costume. Sune has also modeled in the Geek Fashion Show and performs with The D Squad at SacAnime.
RJ AXEN
RJ Axen has been cosplaying for three years, including the past two portraying Godzilla. Inspired by the late suit actor Ken Satsuma, RJ built his costume as a tribute to one of the franchise's greatest performers. His goal is to honor Satsuma's legacy by bringing Godzilla to life in a way that makes fans smile.
ODIN MAKES
With more than 35 years of prop and costume-building experience, Odin is a self-taught maker whose work has ranged from elaborate cosplay creations to professional film and television productions. After
building props for SMOSH, he launched his popular YouTube channel, Odin Makes, where he shares accessible prop-building tutorials. His impressive 1974 Mechagodzilla suit will be roaming Godzillafest
throughout the weekend.
DENNIS LANCASTER
Dennis and Sher Lancaster have entertained audiences together for more than 30 years through their company, Intermission Productions. Their creative partnership has produced award-winning live shows, custom mascots, and the nationally recognized Dangerous Dinos. Godzilla even served as the ring bearer
at their wedding in 2010. Look for Dennis's Godzilla and Gamera suits throughout Godzillafest—and perhaps even an appearance by Mothra!
BARRIE EVANS
Barrie Evans began his career as a suit actor portraying Ultraman Jack in live stage shows before performing in Super Sentai productions and appearing at conventions including Power Morphicon. His film credits include Gage: Mind City Terror and the Japanese feature Pretty Executer. Look for Barrie
throughout Godzillafest as Ultraman and Ultraman Zero.
ROGER PRESA
Bay Area cosplayer, cosplaying for over 10 years. But have been making costumes for over 20 years.
Main love for costumes was in the horror genre. Lots of prosthetics, make-up, gore. True main love was Marvel. Always enjoyed reading comics and seeing the characters. When I would go to conventions, I never really saw the big characters. Good or evil. So I wanted to bring the big bad guys to life.
There has to be a bad guy cosplay for all the hero cosplays! So my love for bringing the big cosplays grew as there was a lot of characters to choose from.
Always enjoyed seeing the reactions of people when they get to see a 7ft Rhino cosplay or a big Juggernaut suit walking around. I love interacting with people and being in character. Becoming the character and acting like them is a huge part in making the suit come to life!
SF Godzillafest Featured Artists 2026
RICARDO DELGADO
Ricardo Delgado created the iconic Godzilla design for the unproduced 1990s Jan de Bont film. He is also the creator of the acclaimed Age of Reptiles comic series and the illustrated novels Dracula of Transylvania and the upcoming Warhead. His film credits include Men in Black and The Incredibles.
MATT FRANK
Known worldwide as the "Kaiju King", Matt Frank has been one of Godzilla's leading artists since 2011.
His work includes IDW's Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, projects for Tsuburaya Productions, and artwork for franchises including Transformers, Power Rangers, and Ultraman. He also created artwork for Arrow Video's Gamera: The Complete Collection and numerous Blu-ray releases. Most recently, Matt illustrated the Eisner Award-winning Godzilla 70th Anniversary Anthology and continues celebrating 15 years of official Godzilla work with Godzilla vs. Texas and his original series, State of the Monsters.
JESSIE HERNANDEZ (URBAN AZTEC)
Los Angeles-based artist Jessie Hernandez is known for his vibrant Urban Aztec style, blending graffiti, Aztec imagery, and Indigenous influences. A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, his work has appeared in museums, video games, designer products, and projects for Run the Jewels. His distinctive artwork has earned international recognition in the contemporary art world.
JAMES GROMAN
Legendary toy designer and sculptor James Groman has worked on beloved properties including Godzilla, Star Wars, Transformers, Care Bears, My Pet Monster, Marvel, and DC Comics. Over a career spanning nearly four decades, he has created toys, collectibles, and original monster designs for major companies around the world. His latest creations include King Korpse, B.C. Blasters, and Kaiju Killer.
ARTHUR ADAMS
Arthur Adams is one of the most celebrated comic book artists of the modern era. Since breaking into comics with Longshot in 1985, he has illustrated titles featuring the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Godzilla, and countless other iconic characters. He is also the creator of Monkeyman and O'Brien and was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame in 2024.
KEITH AIKEN
Keith Aiken is an illustrator, storyboard artist, writer, and one of America's foremost Godzilla historians.
His career includes work on Dark Horse Comics; Godzilla, Godzilla: The Series, numerous DVD and Blu-ray releases, and major Godzilla film festivals. He has also served as a consultant on Ultraman releases
and contributed to countless books, documentaries, and home video projects celebrating Japanese monster cinema.
BRANDON MCKINNEY
Brandon McKinney is a storyboard artist, director, comic book artist, and children's book illustrator whose career has spanned almost every area of genre entertainment. He has worked with Warner Bros. Animation, Hasbro Animation, Marvel Animation, Dark Horse Comics, Darby Pop Comics, Electronic Arts, Lucasfilm, and many other leading studios and publishers. In 1999, Brandon began a new chapter in his career as a storyboard artist on Batman Beyond. Today, Brandon continues to storyboard and direct for
television animation, with credits including Star Trek: Lower Decks, Solar Opposites, and Harley Quinn for Warner Bros. Animation.
