Before you apply for a NARUTO Teaching Session: the full BANDAI TCG+ face photo (facial recognition) guide — 9 eligible regions, 13 rejected photo types, two stated review periods
The NARUTO Card Game “Teaching Session” demos at BANDAI CARD GAMES Fest 26-27 are lottery events in all seven cities, and applying requires face photo registration in the BANDAI TCG+ app.
Added September 21, 2026: BANDAI CARD GAMES Fest 26-27 in TOKYO (February and March 2027) is also application-only, and applying requires the same face photo registration. Its Main Event window is November 20–29, and the official page says review and registration can take more than a week, so if you plan to apply for Tokyo, register early using the steps below.
Until now we have only been able to quote what the city pages say about it: your profile must show “Face Photo Verified” during the application window, and screening can take over a week.
The page those notes link to — the official BANDAI TCG+ “Facial Recognition” help page — carries conditions the city pages never mention: the feature covers only nine regions, thirteen kinds of photo are rejected, and the page gives two different answers about how long screening takes.
Basis for this article: everything below comes from the BANDAI TCG+ “Facial Recognition” help page (Japanese and English versions, checked September 11, 2026) and the NARUTO pages for each BANDAI CARD GAMES Fest 26-27 city. The official page notes that the app screens shown are still under development, so the steps may change.
Why a face photo is required at all
The help page opens by stating the purpose outright:
BANDAI TCG+ prohibits the creation of multiple accounts and proxy participation in events. Accordingly, facial information registration is required to apply for or participate in certain events.
So the goal is one account per person, and no reselling or handing off a won seat.
The NARUTO Teaching Sessions give every attendee a CP-001 Chakra Card, and there are still zero distribution opportunities inside Japan. A won seat carries real value, which makes this the natural place to apply the rule.
Nine eligible regions — and all seven lottery cities are inside them
The help page names the regions explicitly:
The target regions for the face recognition function are Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, and Taiwan.
Now overlay the seven cities running a NARUTO Teaching Session:
| City | Country / region | Face recognition |
|---|---|---|
| Jakarta | Indonesia | Covered |
| Manila | Philippines | Covered |
| Bangkok | Thailand | Covered |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Covered |
| Singapore | Singapore | Covered |
| Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | Covered |
| Taipei | Taiwan | Covered |
All seven fall inside the nine regions. Going the other way, the only covered regions without a NARUTO “Teaching Session” are Japan and Macau ([Added September 27, 2026] the Tokyo stop’s pages went live on September 15, but what NARUTO will run there is still unannounced. Entry is by advance application only, and that application requires this same face photo registration).
The remaining two Fest cities — Orlando (USA) and London (UK) — are not on the list. Both have confirmed dates and venues, yet their NARUTO pages still show only a “Main Event” and “Tutorial Session” slot plus the line “Details will be updated in the future.” Note that even the name differs from the Asian cities’ “Teaching Session” (checked September 11, 2026).
That said, Bandai has never connected these two things. What is written here is a correspondence we observed by placing two official pages side by side — no official statement says “not covered, therefore not a lottery.”
The page also never explains what “target region” is measured against: your account’s country setting, your place of residence, or the event location.
Registration is a seven-step flow
The steps as listed on the help page:
- "Others"Bottom menu of the app
- "Profile"
- "Face Photo Registration"
- Agree and proceedPrivacy Notice
- Register via MOALACreate account, take photo
- "Under Review" showsOn your app profile
- Screening completeRegistration finished
Two things are easy to miss:
- The photo itself is registered through a MOALA account. That is a separate account from BANDAI TCG+, created by following the flow out of the app
- You may need to reset your default browser. The help page states that if you have changed the default browser app on the device you use for BANDAI TCG+, you must switch back to Safari on iOS or Chrome on Android before starting. If Firefox or Edge is your default, change it back first
After steps 5–6, your profile shows “Under Review.” That is not “Face Photo Verified” yet, so you cannot apply while in this state.
Thirteen kinds of photo are rejected
The help page lists photos that cannot be registered:
- Glasses are reflecting light
- Thick glasses frames obscuring eyes or face
- Tinted glasses
- Blurry
- Reflecting light
- Photo is too dark
- Face is covered by a mask or hair
- Head is covered by a hat
- Wearing headphones or earphones
- Smiling
- Exaggerated expressions
- Head is cut off
- Not facing forward
Alongside the passport-photo staples (no mask, no hat, no glare), “smiling” and “exaggerated expressions” are explicitly disallowed. Neutral expression, facing forward, no headwear, well lit.
The page also warns that “if your current appearance differs significantly from the photo, you may be asked to re-register.” A re-registration pushes your screening back by that much.
The page gives two different screening times
This is the practically important part. The help page says two different things about how long screening takes:
| Where | Japanese version | English version |
|---|---|---|
| Note at the top of the page | “may take several days” | “screening may take several days” |
| Note at step 6 | “may take over a week” | “The screening may take over a week” |
Step 6 adds that “screening will be temporarily suspended during summer holidays and year-end/New Year holidays.”
Both are phrased as “may take,” with no stated ceiling, so assume the longer figure (over a week) when working backwards. That longer figure is also the one the Fest city pages quote as an application condition.
And the help page closes off the obvious appeal:
We cannot accept applications or participation in events even if you were unable to do so due to the time taken for facial photo registration.
Read that as: there is no remedy if you miss the window.
Working backwards from each deadline
For the stops still open, here is each application deadline minus seven days, and how many days are left to that date as of September 28, 2026.
The seven days are not an official figure — it is our subtraction from the official “may take over a week” note. Since “over a week” has no stated upper bound, earlier is always safer.
[Updated September 28, 2026] Here is where each window stands.
| City | Application deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Jakarta | August 24 | Closed (winners from September 10) |
| Manila | September 3 | Closed (winners from September 17) |
| Hong Kong | September 27 | Closed (winners from October 15) |
| Bangkok | October 4 | Open — next to close |
| Singapore | October 12 | Open |
| Kuala Lumpur | October 25 | Open |
| Taipei | November 3 | Open |
Hong Kong closed at the end of September 27, 2026 (local time). Three of the seven cities have now closed — Jakarta, Manila and Hong Kong — leaving Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei open.
Note that the Hong Kong NARUTO page, checked on September 28, still carries an update stamp of “2026.08.28” with no wording added to say applications have closed. The pre-opening note — registration is scheduled to open on September 1 — is also still there. You cannot tell from the look of the page whether a window has closed, so read the stated period instead (registration September 1 – September 27).
Bangkok’s October 4 deadline is next, and its target registration date of September 27 has already passed. If your profile still reads “Under Review,” assume you may not make Bangkok in time (on screening the official page says only that it “may take over a week”). The stops you can still start comfortably are Singapore (target October 5), Kuala Lumpur (October 18) and Taipei (October 27). Every window is tracked on the pre-order and lottery hub.
Tokyo’s “closes Nov 29” is taken from the last day of the main event application window (November 20–29). If you want to apply on opening day, November 20, your target becomes November 13 — lining up with the earlier date is the safe choice.
Valid for three years — one registration covers every city
Per the help page, a registered face photo is valid for three years from registration or update. Six months before it expires, an “Update Facial Photo” option appears on your profile screen.
That means applying to several cities still only takes one registration. [Updated September 28, 2026] Register now and you can apply to all four cities still open — Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei — and the same registration carries over to the Tokyo stop, whose window opens November 20, 2026.
Three years also reaches past the worldwide simultaneous launch planned for summer 2027 and into the tournament seasons that follow.
On the day: show your face and the code together
The help page also covers check-in on the day you attend.
- "My Events"Open "Event Details"
- "2D code check-in"
- Show face and code togetherTo the terminal's camera
- AuthenticatedIf it fails, ask staff
You hold the phone displaying the 2D barcode next to your face so the terminal’s camera sees both at once. Anything covering your face, such as a mask, must be removed during recognition. If authentication fails, ask a nearby staff member.
Minors cannot register a photo, but can still take part
The Fest city pages state that minors cannot register a face photo, and that they are still eligible to participate. In that case the application is still made from the minor’s own account — this is not proxy entry.
Still unannounced
- What “target region” is measured against (account country setting, residence, or event location)
- Whether someone living outside the nine regions can apply to an event held inside them
- How a failed screening is communicated, and whether re-registration is limited
- The format of Orlando’s and London’s “Tutorial Session” (pre-registered or on-site, and whether a face photo is needed)
- The Tokyo stop’s dates, venue, and NARUTO Card Game content
The application calendar and current status for all seven cities is on our pre-order and lottery hub. The separate BANDAI TCG+ notification channel setup guide covers a different flow.
Sources
Source: lp.bandai-tcg-plus.com