Cosplay has become increasingly popular in recent years as fans of all kinds of pop culture franchises pay homage to the characters they love the most. These hardcore fans are so dedicated to their favorite fictional characters; they can spend days working on the perfect costumes for conventions and parties. Check out the best examples below.
A Magical Costume in Every Sense of the Word
Any fans of Diablo III will immediately recognize this fantastic costume! This cosplayer decided to pay homage to one of her favorite video game series by styling herself as a Diablo wizard, complete with purple hair to match her magical orb. She even has a magical look in her eyes and looks like she jumped right out from the game and into reality.
The Devil Is in the Detail
The level of detail in this costume is simply extraordinary. If you don’t recognize the character, this is Sindragosa, a kind of zombie ice dragon from the World of Warcraft universe. This woman cleverly took inspiration from the legendary dragon design to create her own alluring, eerie, mysterious version of it. The dragon scales and claws on her headpiece are a real highlight of the outfit.
Two Looks, One Woman
This costume is a nod to the X-Men series of movies and comic books, with this woman brilliantly using her costume-creating skills to come up with a fantastic Mystique outfit. In the comics and movies, Mystique is actually a blue-skinned woman who has the power to transform her physical appearance, as evidenced by the half-blue, half-clothed costume here.
One for the 90s Kids
A cult classic that many 90s kids will undoubtedly remember, Xena: The Warrior Princess charted the adventures of the titular heroine and her sidekick, Gabrielle. These cosplayers have entirely nailed the iconic looks of the two female stars of the show, complete with their classic weapons. They both look pretty sturdy and ready to defend themselves against any villainous thugs or rogues in the area.
A Comic Book Mash-Up
It seems like this woman couldn’t quite decide which DC character she wanted to dress up as, so she decided to combine two outfits in one! On the left, we can recognize the iconic outfit of Wonder Woman. Over on the other side, we see a more monstrous image, designed in the same style as the villainous Two-Face from the Batman universe.
A French Femme Fatale
Players of the popular video game Overwatch will fall head over heels in love with this outfit. This woman, who is a famous cosplayer, brought the character of Widowmaker to life. She perfectly embodies the villainous French sniper, with a perfectly designed helmet and sniper rifle. She’s even nailed Widowmaker’s dark and distant gaze in her eyes.
A Scary Level of Similarity
This man could genuinely be mistaken for Ray Park, the actor who played Darth Maul in the Star Wars Episode I. He’s nailed entirely every single aspect of this excellent Star Wars villain design, complete with the horns on his head and the detailed red and black skin pattern across the chest, arms, and face. He’s even carrying Maul’s dual-edged lightsaber.
A Queen from a Galaxy Far, Far Away
This female cosplayer needs no introduction in her role as Queen Amidala, the iconic Naboo ruler from the Star Wars movies. First appearing in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and being portrayed by Natalie Portman, the character was a big part of the prequel trilogy and well-known for her unique look that this woman has managed to perfectly and faithfully recreate.
Don’t Mess with This Princess
This female cosplayer has perfectly captured one of the toughest female protagonists of the anime world, San from Princess Mononoke. In the movie, San is a fierce princess who was raised by wolves and fights with all her might to defend them from any enemy. This cosplayer has got the face paint for San on point and has even nailed her tough expression.
The One True Queen
Game of Thrones is one of the biggest shows on TV, so plenty of people will recognize this costume as Daenerys, also known as Khaleesi or the Mother of Dragons. With her bold blue dress and silky, silvery hair, this cosplayer has perfectly mastered the special look that has helped Daenerys become such a recognizable character all over the globe.
Winter Is on the Way
Sticking with the Game of Thrones theme, here’s the Night King, the villainous leader of the White Walkers. The level of detail in this costume is scarily good, right down to the zombie-like wrinkles on the face and the way the king’s horns seem to just protrude from beneath his skin like a dragon’s.
Ready To Save The Day
This cosplayer took on a big challenge by trying to recreate Robert Downey Jr’s iconic Iron Man from the Avengers movies, but he’s done a fantastic job. He actually looks quite like the Hollywood A-lister physically and has created a superb Iron Man outfit, with several light-up areas and Tony Stark’s classic shades to match.
A Gender Flip for Batman Villains
This talented young woman decided to give a fresh, fun spin to some classic comic characters. They dressed up as various villains from the Batman universe like the Riddler and the Joker, giving each one a distinctly feminine twist with fun hairstyles and cool accessories. This just proves that no costume should be off-limits based on gender.
Another Overwatch Hero Brought to Life
This costume must have taken a very long time to make, but it was worth every single ounce of effort. The costume honors D.Va, one of the many playable heroes in the Overwatch video game for consoles and PC. All of the little details of the in-game costume have been brought to life here, from D.Va’s face make-up to her signature on the robot’s right arm.
Two American Heroes in One
This woman was very clever with her costume design, taking two iconic World War II heroes and symbols of American courage and combining them into one fantastic outfit. She’s got the outfit of Captain America, the Marvel superhero, but is wearing bold makeup and striking a pose just like Rosie the Riveter, the classic Second World War pin-up.