‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Star to Headline Tsunami Mérida Comic Con 2025

Actor-turned-NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz brings Hollywood star power to Tsunami Mérida Comic Con 2025, an anime and gaming convention, this weekend. Marking a unique intersection of entertainment worlds at the Centro de Convenciones Siglo XXI in Mérida.

The Comic Con event runs September 13-14, with Muniz as the featured celebrity guest. It will offer fans meet-and-greet sessions, photo opportunities, and speaking engagements. The 39-year-old star, best known for his role as the title character in “Malcolm in the Middle,” has reinvented himself as a professional race car driver and will compete full-time in NASCAR’s Truck Series during the 2025 season.

Muniz will appear Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., followed by Sunday sessions from noon to 2 p.m. for autographs, then 3 to 5 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for photos. He’ll give talks at 5 p.m. Saturday and 7:45 p.m. Sunday. Meet-and-greet packages cost 1,100 pesos ($61) through Friday, rising to 1,200 pesos ($67) during the event.

Convención Tsunami, or Mérida Comic Con, coincides with Muniz’s dramatic career shift from child star to professional motorsports. After “Malcolm in the Middle” ended in 2006, Muniz stepped away from acting to pursue racing, signing his first development deal in 2005 following a third-place finish in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. He spent 2024 making his debut in NASCAR’s national series, competing in four Truck Series and two Xfinity Series races before signing with Reaume Brothers Racing for a full 2025 campaign.

“I realized doing this movie, because it was so different, I realized I love [acting]. I realized that it is something I want to get back into full-time eventually,” Muniz recently told NBC. “To be a good actor or good race car driver or whatever, you really have to give it your all. You can’t do it halfway.”

This year’s Tsunami features extensive “Demon Slayer” programming, capitalizing on the anime’s massive popularity. The convention will screen “Kimetsu No Yaiba: Castillo Infinito” Thursday at 7 p.m. at Cines Siglo XXI, encouraging attendees to cosplay as their favorite characters and bring wooden or plastic katanas.

The voice acting lineup includes several prominent Mexican dubbing artists who bring “Demon Slayer” characters to life. Iván Bastidas (Tanjiro Kamado), Uraz Huerta (Inosuke Hashibara), and Cristina Hernández (Shinobu Kocho) will join first-time Mérida visitor Irwin Daayan (Kyojuro Rengoku). Marc Winslow, Meli G, and Armando Corona round out the anime voice cast.

The timing aligns with “Demon Slayer’s” continued global expansion. The franchise’s upcoming “Infinity Castle” film, set for theatrical release in fall 2025, has added Hollywood talent including Channing Tatum to its English voice cast. The movie represents the first installment of a three-part trilogy concluding the series.

Tsunami’s programming extends beyond anime to embrace Mexico’s growing obsession with Japanese popular culture. The country’s fascination with anime traces back to the 1980s, when low-cost broadcasting rights made Japanese animated series accessible to Mexican audiences, eventually creating a multi-generational fanbase.

The convention features over 200 national exhibitors selling anime merchandise, manga, cosplay items, K-pop collectibles, and related products. Seventy-five artists coordinated by Manuel Lara and Jonathan Flores from Xtakay Studio will participate in the “Artist Alley,” offering original artwork, stickers, pins, and drawings.

Eighteen invited cosplayers from Nuevo León, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatán will showcase their craft, with local ambassador Brenditz representing the host state. The Cosplay Fraternity community promotes positive values and peer support through their art form, with free participation encouraging broader involvement.

Entertainment programming includes comedian Iván Ramírez from “La Gruta del Alux” presenting his show and merchandise Saturday, while “Turix Sahuayaquito” appears Sunday. Additional anime voice actor Héctor Ireta will meet fans throughout the weekend.

The Centro de Convenciones Siglo XXI hosts the event. The venue, designed by renowned Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and inaugurated in 1999, spans 84,000 square meters (900,000 square feet) with exhibition halls named after Maya archaeological sites including Chichén Itzá, Ek Balam, and Uxmal.

General admission costs 150 pesos ($8.30) in advance with service fees, or 180 pesos ($10) at the door. VIP passes are available through tsunamimerida.com, with physical ticket sales at Redicom in Gran Plaza, Good Vibes in Plaza Altabrisa, and the convention center box office.

Organizer Jerry Sabido emphasized the convention’s family-friendly atmosphere and commitment to creating a positive environment free from negative influences sometimes associated with similar events. The approach reflects broader efforts to make anime and gaming culture accessible to all ages while maintaining authentic fan experiences.

About Frankie Muniz

Francisco James Muniz IV was born in 1985 in the New York City suburb of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, to Denise, a nurse, and Francisco Muñiz III, a Spanish-Puerto Rican restaurateur. (Frankie apparently dropped the tilde.) When Frankie was 4, his family moved to Knightdale, North Carolina.

His entry into entertainment came at age eight when he was discovered at a talent show in Raleigh, performing as Tiny Tim in a local production of “A Christmas Carol.” This early theatrical experience sparked his interest in acting, leading to appearances in commercials and television movies, including “To Dance with Olivia” and “What the Deaf Man Heard,” both in 1997.

Muniz’s childhood was marked by significant family changes when his parents divorced around his 11th birthday. He moved back to New Jersey with his mother and sister, beginning homeschooling to accommodate his growing acting schedule.

His breakthrough came with a small role in the 1999 film “Lost & Found,” which led to his career-defining opportunity as the title character in Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle.” The show premiered on January 9, 2000, with the pilot episode drawing 23 million viewers and establishing Muniz as one of television’s most recognizable child actors.

His portrayal of the gifted middle child in a chaotic family earned him an Emmy nomination in 2001. It launched him into full-scale stardom, setting the stage for film roles in “Big Fat Liar” and the “Agent Cody Banks” franchise.

Sources: Diario de Yucatán, ESPN, NASCAR.com, Variety