Hibari-sensei’s Guide to Cosplay – Part 2: Types of Cosplay
When I talk about types of cosplay here, I am not referring to whether someone is dressed up as an anime character or a visual kei artist. That is covered in the next section, “Cosplay Genres”. Here, “types of cosplay” refers to costume construction, as well as specific forms of cosplay.
Made, Bought, or Found
Made, or homemade, cosplays are the work of the cosplayer. They originate from fabric, duct tape, or whatever raw material is used. On the other hand, bought cosplays are made by someone else. There are two types: official licensed costumes sold at stores like ACos and complete outfits sold on-line. Lastly, found cosplays, also known as “closet cosplays”, are assembled from regular clothes sold in stores. The extent to which an article of clothing is altered determines whether it falls in the “made” category or “found” category.
A cosplay, including accessories and props, can be a combination of these three types. Classification is based on the garment though. Commissioned costumes are technically somewhere between “made” and “bought”, but they are considered made cosplays because they are constructed from scratch by another cosplayers to the wearer’s specific measurements.
Can you tell which costume is made, bought, or found in these three pictures?
![DSCN2303]()
![A-kon 030]()
![DSCN1431]()
Left: Amy and Dolly-chan as Hanabusa Aido and Akatsuki Kain (Vampire Knight).
Center: Jesse and cubic_u as Ichigo Kurosaki and Soi Fon (Bleach).
Right: Canon as Dino Chiavorone (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
The photo on the left features a made cosplay and a bought cosplay. Dolly-chan made her Kain costume, altering a white jacket to match the uniform’s design. Amy (right) bought most of her Aido costume. Since the pants were sold separately, she opted to find something cheaper at a non-cosplay store.
The photo in the middle features two commissioned (made by another) cosplays. In this case, the kimonos and hakama were sewn by a friend, not someone offering his/her services. Also, Jesse and cubic_u made their own props.
The photo of the right features a found/closet cosplay. Everything came from items she already had in her possession (or that she borrowed from a friend) As with our Bleach cosplayers, Canon did her own hair and make-up (with the help of a friend), which includes the "Bucking Horse" tattoo.
Crossplay
“Crossplay” refers to cosplaying a member of the opposite sex—basically cross-dressing + cosplay. It is a fairly straightforward term until we start dealing with cross-dressing visual kei artists. If the artist is male and wearing women’s clothes, then a girl cosplaying him is crossplaying but not cross-dressing.
Dolly and Amy would be considered female crossplayers in their Vampire Knight costumes, as Kain and Aido are both guys. Although male crossplayers are rare, they do exist.
![DSCN2304]()
![DSCN2492]()
Left: Female crossplayers Yasako and ?? as Hayato Gokudera and Takeshi Yamamoto (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
Right: Male crossplayer 禅 (Zen) as Yuyuko Saigyouji (Touhou Project)
Kigurumi
着ぐるみ, or kigurumi, is an umbrella term that translates as “cartoon character costume” (tangorin.com). It can refer to mascot suits that employees wear, disguise pajamas, fursuits, or animegao.
Disguise pajamas are full-body pajamas based on animals and cartoon characters. They have a hood but unlike the other two types of kigurumi cosplay, do not cover the face. They can be either fashion or cosplay. A popular trend within the ganguro subculture, some girls will wear them on the street. Others treat them as costumes and only wear them to certain events.
Fursuits are anthropomorphic animal costumes that, much like mascot suits, cover the wearer from head to toe. There are two types of fursuit wearers: cosplayers who have decided to dress up as a non-human character like Totoro and members of the furry fandom who love anthropomorphic animals (“furries”).
アニメ顔, or animegao, means “anime face” (tangorin.com) and describes humanoid cosplays where the face is covered with a mask. The mask helps the cosplayer accurately replicate the appearance of the character. Animegao cosplayers, sometimes called “dollers”, also wear flesh-colored zentai—skin-tight body suits that cover the entire body, including the face—to mimic the monotone shading of an anime character’s skin.
References
tangorin.com Japanese Dictionary
Kigurumin-related links:![[info]]()
animegao_kigu, The FURSUIT TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL, ![[info]]()
kigurumin
Continued in Part 3: Cosplay Taxonomy
When I talk about types of cosplay here, I am not referring to whether someone is dressed up as an anime character or a visual kei artist. That is covered in the next section, “Cosplay Genres”. Here, “types of cosplay” refers to costume construction, as well as specific forms of cosplay.
Made, Bought, or Found
Made, or homemade, cosplays are the work of the cosplayer. They originate from fabric, duct tape, or whatever raw material is used. On the other hand, bought cosplays are made by someone else. There are two types: official licensed costumes sold at stores like ACos and complete outfits sold on-line. Lastly, found cosplays, also known as “closet cosplays”, are assembled from regular clothes sold in stores. The extent to which an article of clothing is altered determines whether it falls in the “made” category or “found” category.
A cosplay, including accessories and props, can be a combination of these three types. Classification is based on the garment though. Commissioned costumes are technically somewhere between “made” and “bought”, but they are considered made cosplays because they are constructed from scratch by another cosplayers to the wearer’s specific measurements.
Can you tell which costume is made, bought, or found in these three pictures?
Left: Amy and Dolly-chan as Hanabusa Aido and Akatsuki Kain (Vampire Knight).
Center: Jesse and cubic_u as Ichigo Kurosaki and Soi Fon (Bleach).
Right: Canon as Dino Chiavorone (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
The photo on the left features a made cosplay and a bought cosplay. Dolly-chan made her Kain costume, altering a white jacket to match the uniform’s design. Amy (right) bought most of her Aido costume. Since the pants were sold separately, she opted to find something cheaper at a non-cosplay store.
The photo in the middle features two commissioned (made by another) cosplays. In this case, the kimonos and hakama were sewn by a friend, not someone offering his/her services. Also, Jesse and cubic_u made their own props.
The photo of the right features a found/closet cosplay. Everything came from items she already had in her possession (or that she borrowed from a friend) As with our Bleach cosplayers, Canon did her own hair and make-up (with the help of a friend), which includes the "Bucking Horse" tattoo.
Crossplay
“Crossplay” refers to cosplaying a member of the opposite sex—basically cross-dressing + cosplay. It is a fairly straightforward term until we start dealing with cross-dressing visual kei artists. If the artist is male and wearing women’s clothes, then a girl cosplaying him is crossplaying but not cross-dressing.
Dolly and Amy would be considered female crossplayers in their Vampire Knight costumes, as Kain and Aido are both guys. Although male crossplayers are rare, they do exist.
Left: Female crossplayers Yasako and ?? as Hayato Gokudera and Takeshi Yamamoto (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
Right: Male crossplayer 禅 (Zen) as Yuyuko Saigyouji (Touhou Project)
Kigurumi
着ぐるみ, or kigurumi, is an umbrella term that translates as “cartoon character costume” (tangorin.com). It can refer to mascot suits that employees wear, disguise pajamas, fursuits, or animegao.
Disguise pajamas are full-body pajamas based on animals and cartoon characters. They have a hood but unlike the other two types of kigurumi cosplay, do not cover the face. They can be either fashion or cosplay. A popular trend within the ganguro subculture, some girls will wear them on the street. Others treat them as costumes and only wear them to certain events.
Fursuits are anthropomorphic animal costumes that, much like mascot suits, cover the wearer from head to toe. There are two types of fursuit wearers: cosplayers who have decided to dress up as a non-human character like Totoro and members of the furry fandom who love anthropomorphic animals (“furries”).
アニメ顔, or animegao, means “anime face” (tangorin.com) and describes humanoid cosplays where the face is covered with a mask. The mask helps the cosplayer accurately replicate the appearance of the character. Animegao cosplayers, sometimes called “dollers”, also wear flesh-colored zentai—skin-tight body suits that cover the entire body, including the face—to mimic the monotone shading of an anime character’s skin.
References
tangorin.com Japanese Dictionary
Kigurumin-related links:
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
animegao_kigu, The FURSUIT TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL, kiguruminContinued in Part 3: Cosplay Taxonomy
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
