Anime conventions are usually associated with elaborate cosplay, voice actors, gaming tournaments and fans celebrating the fictional worlds they love. At this year’s DerpyCon in New Brunswick, one returning guest is bringing something less conventional to the conversation: mental health.
Karl “Uncle Yo” Custer is a New York City-based licensed clinical social worker, comedian and self-described anime therapist whose work connects the emotional themes of popular entertainment with experiences people encounter in everyday life.
DerpyCon announced Custer’s return on October 9, ahead of its October 30–November 1 convention at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick. His appearance is familiar territory for the event, but the combination of comedy, fandom and mental-health discussions raises an interesting question about why fictional characters can sometimes help people approach real problems.
Finding ourselves in fictional characters
For people unfamiliar with anime, the emotional importance of these stories can be easy to underestimate. Beneath the supernatural battles, elaborate mythology and visual spectacle, many popular series explore loneliness, rejection, grief, friendship and the search for identity.
Consider Naruto, whose central character grows up isolated and desperate for recognition. His story involves childhood trauma, belonging and the difficult process of defining himself beyond the circumstances of his upbringing. Those themes are recognizable even to someone who has never watched an anime series.
Custer has developed presentations that use these connections directly. According to his DerpyCon biography, his mental-health programming includes “Adolescent Trauma Recovery & Naruto” and “Billionaire vs Social Worker: Batman Vs Just Us,” the latter bringing questions of social responsibility into the familiar world of superheroes.
The appeal of this approach is that discussing a fictional character can sometimes feel less intimidating than discussing oneself. It may be easier to examine a character’s isolation or questionable decisions before considering similar emotions or experiences in real life. That does not make watching anime a substitute for mental-health treatment, but familiar stories can provide starting points for reflection and conversation.
When fandom becomes a shared language
Custer’s background is unusual even within convention culture. He has performed geek-focused stand-up comedy at anime, comic-book and gaming events since 2008 and presented more than 300 fan-oriented panels. His résumé also includes podcasting, playwriting and puppetry.
That experience matters because the relationship between entertainment and emotional understanding depends partly on speaking the audience’s language. Anime fans often develop strong connections to characters whose struggles reflect their own circumstances. A discussion about trauma, resilience or belonging can become more accessible when it begins with a story the audience already knows.
Humor can serve a similar purpose, making an uncomfortable subject approachable without treating the underlying issue lightly. At a convention, where enthusiasm for fictional worlds is understood rather than dismissed, these conversations can extend naturally beyond costumes, collectibles and favorite episodes.
More than escapism
Popular entertainment is frequently described as escapism, and sometimes that is exactly what people want. An anime series, comic book or video game can offer welcome distance from ordinary pressures. But fiction can also help people make sense of those pressures.
Stories allow audiences to encounter difficult emotions through characters, consider choices and consequences, and recognize experiences they may struggle to describe themselves. For some fans, those connections are part of why a fictional world remains meaningful long after the story ends.
Custer’s appearance at DerpyCon offers an opportunity to examine that relationship through someone professionally involved in mental health and personally immersed in fandom. The most interesting question may not be whether anime can teach people something about psychology. It is whether the stories people already love can help them find the words for conversations they need to have.
DerpyCon 2026 event details
DerpyCon takes place October 30–November 1, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick, 2 Albany Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey. The convention features anime, gaming, science fiction, comics, cosplay, panels, artists and vendors. Custer is listed as a community guest and emcee; his specific presentation times should be checked against the convention’s programming updates.
Sources
DerpyCon 2026, guest directory: https://derpycon.com/guests/
DerpyCon official website and October 9, 2026 announcement: https://derpycon.com/
VisitNJ event listing: https://visitnj.org/nj-events/derpycon-2026
DerpyCon 2026, guest directory: https://derpycon.com/guests/