When Justin Briner was a kid, he never would’ve imagined he’d become the voice of one of anime’s most iconic characters, Izuku Midoriya (affectionately known as “Deku”). Like Deku, Briner came from humble beginnings. “Before I could really even remember, my parents were doing local dinner theater and community theater,” says Briner. “So I was always sort of keyed into that, that world, that community.”

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, which hits U.S. and Canadian theaters today, starts off simple enough. All Might heads to I-Island, a jaw-dropping Quirk research facility that doubles as a support item development center, at the invitation of his longtime friend’s, David Shield, daughter, Melissa Shield. But he doesn’t show up alone. He brings his protege, Izuku Midoriya (Deku) with him. However, in true My Hero Academia fashion, Deku and All Might’s getaway gets interrupted by Deku’s classmates who have also received invites to the island. As if that wasn’t enough to throw a wrench in their plans, a group of villains takes over the island, holding its guests hostage. Now, it’s up to Deku, his classmates, and the intelligent Melissa Shield to find a way to save the day.

Alita: Battle Angel, the live-action adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s cyberpunk action manga Gunnm (known as Battle Angel Alita in the West), hits U.S. theaters this December. The Hollywood film hopes to achieve something no other adaptation has: box office success. FANDOM got the chance to sit down with Alita's producer, Jon Landau; writer/director, Robert Rodriguez; and Alita herself, Rosa Salazar, at Crunchyroll Expo to discuss the difficulties the filmmakers have faced, the importance of diversity in Alita: Battle Angel, and the possibility of a sequel.

Nintendo surprised us all when they unexpectedly released Pokémon Quest on the Switch in May. The casual, free-to-start adventure game wasn’t what Pokémon fans expected, but, like nearly every other title in the franchise, the game’s addictive gameplay and adorable design won us over. Now that the game is out on mobile, Pokémon Quest fever is at an all-time high. There’s only one problem: it’s hard to catch ’em all when you don’t know which recipe to use to attract each type. So, we create this recipe guide to help you out. We’ll cover the recipes with the best chance to attract each Pokémon — knowledge that you will need to complete your Pokédex.

DC finally dropped the trailer for their new live-action Titans series, and it has got the internet abuzz. The dark, gritty trailer is a stark departure from DC’s current comical take on the comic book series, Teen Titans GO! But why is it so dark, and what is it about? Well, FANDOM’s got the answers.

By the end of Attack on Titan Season 2, fans were left with a number of questions surrounding Eren’s newfound Coordinate powers and the identity of the Beast Titan. Attack on Titan Season 3, Episode 1 picks up where the previous left off, but it rightfully doesn’t answer any of the questions from the previous season. Instead, we begin with a time jump. A much older Eren recalls his talk with Armin about what’s beyond the sea. It’s a serene moment and one that’s meant to set the tone and give the new season direction.

The third season of Attack on Titan kicked things off with a cute slice-of-life scene between Eren and his comrades about Levi’s clean freak ways. It was a welcome break from the emotional trauma that dominated the second season. But, as expected, our joy is cut short when a mysterious murder sets off a chain of events that hint at a larger scandal and government corruption. The only problem is that no one knows who is pulling the strings behind-the-scenes or why. But the premiere dropped a few clues for fans to theorize over. So, put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and prepare to make some deductions. Here are five suspicious things that happened in the first episode of Attack on Titan Season 3 and how they could impact the future of humanity.

Once-defunct manga publisher Tokyopop is back with a new initiative to bring a number of new, unique voices to the forefront. “The International Women of Manga” features several new manga series by women from all over the world and highlights women’s stories in an industry dominated by men. Non-Japanese manga creators rarely receive recognition in the industry. But these incredible titles may be just what the industry needs to push the medium forward. Here are five manga titles you should read this summer. Hopefully, they’ll lead to more female creators in the industry.

It’s no secret that Netflix has gotten serious about anime. The relative newcomer to the medium has had great success with originals like Devilman Crybaby and Aggretsuko, and they hope to continue the trend in 2019. Their lineup is full of diverse titles from veterans in the animation industry. If you’re looking for new anime series featuring unique characters like friendship bots or corporate gladiators, then Netflix has something for you. Here are the anime series we can’t wait to binge-watch on Netflix in 2019.

Two years ago, we learned that Insomniac Games was developing Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4, and the game wall-crawled into all of our hearts. But, of course, the trailer we saw back then wasn’t enough. We needed to know more, and tonight Sony delivered at their E3 conference, revealing new characters and gameplay. However, there is one lesser-known character from the Spider-Verse who fans have questions about: Yuriko Watanabe. Here are five things you need to know about Spider-Man’s latest sidekick.

Microsoft recently dropped the trailer for Jump Force during their E3 conference. The crossover, 3-on-3 brawler, which celebrates 50 years of Shōnen Jump, features characters from the magazine’s most popular franchises, including Goku, Naruto, Luffy — and the most surprising reveal, Light and Ryuk from Death Note. Details for this game are scarce. But we do know that these worlds have somehow merged into with our own. Now, the heroes of these massive franchises must take on the toughest big bad yet.

Earlier this month, the anime Cowboy Bebop celebrated its 20th anniversary. That means for two decades fans have been debating the iconic show’s ending and shipping different characters. FANDOM recently caught up with Steve Blum, Spike Spiegel’s English voice actor, to discuss Spike’s fate and his relationship with Julia. And he revealed several things about these beloved anime characters.

Today, Niantic announced that Pokémon GO will add the Alolan forms of everyone’s favorite Gen 1 Pokémon to the mobile game “in the coming weeks.” This is great news for current players of the game looking for a bit of variety. The Alolan Pokémon not only look different, their abilities, stats, and elemental types differ, as well. But this update, while cool (just check out Dugtrio’s fabulous locks), isn’t enough to get retired (read: over it) Pokémon GO players to mistakenly wander into their neighbor’s backyard in the middle of the night again.

Lu Over the Wall (Yoake Tsugeru Rū no Uta in Japanese), Masaaki Yuasa’s (Devilman Crybaby and The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl) latest feature-length anime film, will hit US theaters this week. The fantasy film brings together mermaids, superstitious townspeople, and a teenage rock band to create a fun-filled adventure that is perfect for the whole family. In celebration of the film’s upcoming US release and its groundbreaking Sundance run, FANDOM sat down with the film’s lead voice actors and co-directors — Stephanie Sheh (voice of Yūho) and Michael Sinterniklaas (voice of Kai). The veteran Your Name voice actors discuss Lu Over the Wall‘s appeal, who should see it, and why it’s the movie we need right now.

Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple takes fans back to Yokohama to solve a new mystery that takes place six years after the Dragon’s Head Rush Conflict, the bloodiest 88 days in the history of the city. The incident may have ended but the man behind it, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko (aka “The Collector”) has reappeared along with a mysterious, deadly fog. Whenever the fog rolls in, it leaves behind gifted who appear to have been killed by their own powers. Naturally, the Armed Detective Agency is asked to investigate the puzzling deaths. Unfortunately, before they can track down The Collector, he releases the eerie green fog in their hometown of Yokohama. The citizens of the town mysteriously disappear, leaving only the gifted behind. Now powerless, the gifted from the agency must conquer the darker sides of themselves — their powers in physical form.

When Katsuhiro Otomo watched the first rush (or daily) of his classic post-apocalyptic sci-fi anime film Akira (1988), he went home and told his wife the film was a failure. The now-famous director, like many creatives, couldn’t foresee the impact his film would have on animation and film beyond Japan’s borders. In fact, nearly 30 years later, Akira’s influence is still felt today.

Many consider Cowboy Bebop’s English dub to be one of the best in the history of anime. As the first anime to be broadcast on Adult Swim, for many, the English voice actors are all they know. So, to celebrate Cowboy Bebop’s 20th anniversary, FANDOM sat down with voice actor Wendee Lee to discuss the iconic anime, Faye Valentine’s all-around badassery, and the art of voice acting. Wendee Lee has brought over 500 characters to life, but when asked which was her favorite, she doesn’t even hesitate. “I think that’s self-evident,” Lee says with a chuckle. “Faye is the most iconic girl, chick, woman, child, badass, femme fatale, you name it. She encompasses it all, and I feel like she is somebody that was almost written for me.”

When you’ve been a fan of a show like Cowboy Bebop for 20 years, you may assume you’ve seen it all. After all, you’ve had two decades to learn everything you needed to know about the show. However, no matter how much time you have on your hands, things still slip through the cracks. Here are seven things you didn’t know about Cowboy Bebop.

It’s been 20 years since the Bebop crew descended on our television screens. Cowboy Bebop quickly became a cult classic among anime and non-anime fans alike thanks to its pop culture references and Yoko Kanno’s brilliant soundtrack. While many agree that the show is nearly perfect, its episodic narrative style and ambiguous ending leave room for Watanabe’s tale to continue. That’s exactly what Wendee Lee, the voice of Faye Valentine, is looking forward to happening.

Check out any of Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe‘s work, and you are bound to find an unbelievable number of movie and television references. The talented director is known for his love of pop culture, often littering his work with Easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers to discover. To list every single reference in Cowboy Bebop would be an insurmountable feat, which is why we focused on the subtle ones that you may not have picked up on 20 years ago.