At least 70 000 were expected to attend Comic Con Africa, the continent's biggest celebration of pop culture and gaming where the stars were the fans.
Tens of thousands of South African comic book fans and cosplayers flocked to Nasrec recently to celebrate the sixth edition of Comic Con Africa, with big-name celebrities sharing the love, beauty and warmth of South Africa and its people.
Comic Con Africa, which began on Thursday, celebrated anime, gaming, comics and cosplay with a variety of entertainment, including vintage arcade games, e-sports and costume competitions.
Thousands attend
The four-day festival is being held at the venue set to host G20 leaders in November,
At least 70 000 were expected to attend Comic Con Africa, the continent’s biggest celebration of pop culture and gaming, where the stars were the fans.
Misha Collins
Misha Collins, best known for his role as Castiel in Supernatural, told The Citizen he loves South Africa and its people.
“Because my time here has been so short, the main thing that has happened for me is that I saw little glimpses of things that made me think oh sh** I’ve got to come back here and spend more time. The people that I’ve met have been lovely and warm and inviting and gracious, but also, there seems to be a real spirit here.
“I was in this little shanty town, two hours outside of Cape Town, and the kids there were singing the most beautiful songs, like South African music, which is of course world-renowned, but it was just breathtaking and beautiful to hear,” Collins said.
Misha Collins who plays Castiel in Supernatural says he loves South Africa and it's people. #MishaCollins #ComicConAfrica @TheCitizen_News pic.twitter.com/Ewv43J8X4X
— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) August 31, 2025
ALSO READ: PICTURES: Comic Con Africa features epic cosplay
Jessie T. Usher
US actor Jessie T. Usher from the Amazon Prime series The Boys and Independence Day: Resurgence who brought his family along, also praised South Africa.
Usher told The Citizen, he and his family will be doing a lot more exploring, including visiting late former president Nelson Mandela’s house in Vilakazi Street, Soweto and also Sun City in the North West province.
He praised the friendliness of the South African people.
“The people have been the most standout of being here so far. Engaging with the people has been very unique in the sense of like walking down the street in Los Angeles, people are just passing by without really acknowledging each other, but it’s not like that here.
“Here, everyone makes eye contact, they ask you how you are doing and it’s very nice to see,” Usher said.
U.S. actor Jessie T. Usher from the Amazon Prime series The Boys and Independence Day Resurgence praised South Africa and wants to do a lot more exploring. #ComicConAfrica pic.twitter.com/tETy2gRXWe
— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) August 31, 2025
Dan Fogler
Actor, comedian and writer Dan Fogler, known for playing Jacob Kowalski in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts, also praised South Africa.
“I have always wanted to visit South Africa. My wife has aunts and cousins who actually grew up here in Joburg and now migrated to Cape Town, and they were saying you are going to where we all started, so that was cool.
“I only had a sense of Africa from the movies, and I expected to be in a sauna, like incredibly hot, and when you get here, it’s like the best weather I have ever seen in my life, it’s wonderful,” Fogler said.
Also in attendance at Comic Con Africa was Chioma Umeala, a South African actress who stars in Netflix’s One Piece series. Umeala plays the character Nojiko on the show.
Actor, comedian and writer Dan Fogler known for playing Jacob Kowalski in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts says he loves South Africa #ComicConAfrica pic.twitter.com/jFfpnVHjNu
— 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚕 𝙿𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕 ⚡️ (@FaizelPatel143) August 31, 2025
Ubuntu
One fan told The Citizen Comic Con Africa was a “safe space” where South Africans of all races and classes can forget social issues and have fun together.
“Just like rugby brings people of all races together, Comic Con is also creating that kind of space for us,” he said.
Gaming
Gaming was also the focus at Comic Con Africa. Nintendo pulled out all the stops, occupying a large zone filled with stations where attendees could try out the new Nintendo Switch 2, along with games like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and many others.
Nintendo senior marketing manager Ronelle Crighton said that, while the company faces competition from Sony with the PlayStation and Microsoft with the Xbox, the Switch 2 is versatile.
“The Switch 2, the previous Switch, apart from the Lite, can transform with the three modes of play, really creating a massive differential between PlayStation and X Box, which is a home console.”
Gaming fans also got a chance to win a PS5. The Doritos Crunch Crew was not only giving away PS5 consoles, they also brought Nasty C to the event. Fans went wild as this musical hero rapped out his hits.
Streaming
During the festival, Acer Africa launched its new 4K UHD Google TV Box, a compact device that transforms any television into an AI-powered entertainment and gaming hub.
The device offers movie buffs and gamers a next-gen streaming experience with features like AI Super-Resolution and seamless voice control.
At the Eduvos stand, the institution showcased qualifications, such as the Higher Certificate in Information Systems (Game Design and Development), designed to equip students for the careers of tomorrow.
The stand also featured dynamic activations, a Marvel Rivals e-sports tournament.
Entertainment
Disney+ drew crowds with multiple experiences based on the platform’s hit shows. The Homer Simpson Hedge had fans in stitches as they recreated the iconic meme among the faux foliage.
AXE gave away loads of merchandise, including deodorant, to thrilled fans, while inside M-Net’s Fan Favourites train, event-goers snapped selfies of themselves in recreations of iconic sets.
A feature of 2025 has been the number of iconic mascots coming to life in the event’s aisles. Kids and adults alike were thrilled to see larger-than-life versions of characters like Noodle and Bun, as well as gaming legends Mario and Luigi.
ALSO READ: Comic Con Africa 2025: Pop culture fever heating up in SA
