Lucca Comics & Games 2025 Reveals a Comprehensive Agenda Including Comics, Games, and Other Highlights
Lucca Comics & Games 2025 has revealed the program for this year, showcasing an array of comics, games, music, a tribute to France, and much more.
Unveiled earlier today, the upcoming iteration of the cultural festival highlights Lucca’s artistic legacy and its continued impact on worldwide creativity. The theme for 2025 takes cues from the Institut Français and its three core tenets—freedom, creativity, and diversity—which resonate with the philosophies of the French Revolution. These principles closely mirror Lucca Comics & Games’ own pillars of community, inclusion, exploration, respect, and appreciation.
Announced back in July, this year’s festival theme is “French Kiss,” with an initial poster by French artist Rébecca Dautremer showcasing this concept, interpreting a kiss as “a narrative starter.” The “French Kiss” is a personal, consensual act shared among individuals that transcends generations, using this intimate interaction as a foundational element for artistic expression and storytelling.
This collective experience has become a crucial aspect of every pop culture narrative—from film to fantasy writings and graphic novels—prompting Lucca Comics & Games to embrace that intimacy to underline the festival’s deep-seated connection to culture itself. Below are all the details of the program and everything set to be featured at this year’s grand celebration of pop culture.
### Lucca Comics & Games 2025 — Comics & Games
– COAMIX Inc., the first Japanese publisher officially involved in Lucca, arrives with two significant projects: a solo exhibition focused on Tetsuo Hara (the iconic creator of *Fist of the North Star*) and a designated pavilion in Japan Town.
– Akemi Takada (the renowned designer behind *Orange Road* and *Patlabor*) will take on the role of the “Godmother of Japan Town,” featuring exhibitions, signings, and unique artwork created for Lucca Comics & Games 2025.
– The Artist in Residence for 2025 is Rébecca Dautremer (the same artist who designed the key poster for French Kiss), and she will create and work live in her studio at Palazzo Guinigi, providing fans a closer look at her creative journey at Lucca Comics & Games 2025.
– Kevin Eastman: A Twisted Ronin Ninja features a retrospective on the co-creator of the *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*.
– Lucca Comics & Games 2025 will commemorate several anniversaries in gaming this year, including the 40th Anniversary of *Dungeons & Dragons* “Red Box,” celebrating with a unique *Lucca Bacia il Cielo* campaign, featuring characters inspired by Rébecca Dautremer.
– Renowned figures in fantasy art will be present, including Seb McKinnon, Jesper Eising, Tyler Jacobson, Karl Kopinski, Ciruelo, and Alberto Dal Lago. Attendees will have opportunities to meet these artists at the festival as well.
– Matthew Mercer and Marisha Ray, the faces of *Critical Role*, will make their debut at Lucca Comics & Games, presenting *Daggerheart*, their new RPG.
– An extensive LEGO brick diorama of Lucca’s historical center by Riccardo Zangelmi will be showcased, alongside interactive zones dedicated to *Star Wars*, *One Piece*, and *Minecraft*.
### Lucca Comics & Games 2025 — Video Games and Film
– Lucca Comics & Games is fully committing to video games in 2025, with the *Death Stranding 2: On The Beach* World Tour making Lucca its concluding stop. Hideo Kojima will be attending this year’s event. John Romero (the creator of *DOOM* and *Quake*) will also be in attendance, joining Keiichiro Toyama (*Silent Hill*, *Siren*) for discussions on innovation and horror in video games.
– Poncle and Luca Galante will present an immersive *Vampire Survivors* experience at Casa Del Poia.
– Samsung will host the world premiere of Riot Games’ fighter *2XKO*, along with exclusive *Valorant* content.
– Netflix will present the fifth and final season of *Stranger Things* (prior to its release), featuring stars from the acclaimed series: Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, along with showrunners, the Duffer Brothers.
– Prime Video will showcase *The Traitors Italia* and the cult phenomenon *Hazbin Hotel*, featuring the Italian dubbing cast at Lucca Comics & Games.
– Crunchyroll will provide exclusive anime screenings and panels with Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou, and voice actress Rie Takahashi.
Beyond the highlights noted above, Lucca Comics & Games 2025 celebrates creativity—an event where generations unite to