If you’re just getting started with cosplay, you’ve probably asked…does cosplay have to be Anime? When you see a bunch of Naruto or My Hero Academia cosplays on social media or at a cosplay convention, you might to start wonder if it’s necessary to cosplay an Anime character. So…

Does cosplay to have to be Anime related? The answer is absolutely No! Although Anime cosplays are very popular and make for some great character choices, there are plenty of other options outside of Anime you can cosplay. Non-Anime characters you can cosplay include: video games, comic books, Western cartoons, TV shows, movies and much more.

In this post, we’ll go over whether does cosplay have to be Anime, why it absolutely doesn’t have to be, and great cosplay ideas and options that are NOT Anime.

Here we go!

Does cosplay have to be Anime?

Whatever your situation is, just know that you don’t need to enjoy or watch Anime to cosplay! There are tons of cosplay options that don’t involve Anime. I will show you some great examples of non-Anime cosplay later down in the article, but maybe you have some concerns for not wearing an Anime cosplay…

Maybe you haven’t watched any Anime whatsoever. Or you’re more into other fandoms like comics or video games.

Hey, even I will admit that I’m more of a video gamer than I am an Anime fan. And that’s okay, because you can proudly enjoy both at the same time.

Where did this idea about “does cosplay have to be Anime” come from?

does cosplay have to be Anime
Anime cosplays are prominent at conventions, but that doesn’t mean you have to dress up as one yourself! Photo by Mooshu. Licensed by CC BY 2.0.

As mentioned in the beginning, Anime is huge in the cosplay community. Not only are most of us cosplayers proud Weebs, Anime characters tend to look awesome and pretty! It’s no wonder why Anime costumes represent a large portion of all the cosplays out there. Maybe one day I’ll be able to pull out an actual percentage of cosplays from a variety of fandoms.

So of course, if you search cosplay on Google or on a costume store, the top results will likely be Anime costumes. Even at Halloween shops, we’re starting to see more Anime characters like Naruto and Deku being offered at these stores.

In short, Anime is huge and it’s not going away anytime soon. It’s no wonder why some beginners in cosplay assume that you must cosplay from an Anime. But of course, that is definitely not true.

Wouldn’t it be weird to wear a sci-fi/Marvel/Harry Potter/etc. cosplay at an ANIME convention?

Marvel Cosplay
You’re not the only person who may not be a big fan of Anime. The Avengers Crew (From left to right: Daniel Flavelle, TonyStarkImpersonator, Patrick James Asselin, Brampton Ironman, Nathan Sterner and Babyinblack Cosplay). Taken by J.R. Neil T. Photography.

You’d be surprised! While yes, there are a lot of Anime cosplays at Anime cons, there are also tons of cosplayers who are cosplaying from other stuff like video games or movies. Not everyone wants to cosplay the popular character like Nezuko from Demon Slayeror Camie from My Hero Academia. At cosplay conventions, you have a variety of attendees who show up: video gamers, comic lovers, geeks, normies, etc. Not all of them are into Anime.

Anime is popular, but so are a bunch of video game series and comic book superheroes. If anything, you’ll probably run into someone who is cosplaying the same character as you, even if it’s not from an Anime. Even more so if you’re attending a comic con. At those types of comic book conventions, you’ll find less Anime cosplays.

So don’t worry! If you cosplay a non-Anime character, you’re not going to be an outsider!

Take Anime Expo for example. Here in this Cosplay Music Video below, you can see non-Anime cosplays such as Doctor Strange!

What about Masquerades or cosplay contests? Would I lose points for not cosplaying Anime?

I’m no masquerade judge. But if you’re attending a large convention with a big Masquerade/cosplay contest event, I’m sure they don’t care whether your character is from an Anime or not. So no, you won’t lose points if you do a character not from an Anime.

You’ll likely have a bigger advantage to steal the show if you avoid Anime cosplays. As I mention in my article about how much does cosplay cost, Anime cosplays tend to be on the cheaper-to mid-range in terms of expenses. Unless your cosplay is super spectacular, you probably won’t be winning Masquerades with your $20 sports Anime cosplay. But you sure can do a lot with your Worbla video game cosplay with super-detailed crafting and embroidery!

In short, if I was a cosplay contest judge and had to pick between a Haikyuu! cosplay or an Iron Man cosplay…I’d probably pick the Iron Man cosplay cause it takes far more work to create an armored suit than a regular volleyball outfit. You wouldn’t get disqualified simply because Iron Man is not an Anime!

Wouldn’t it be awkward to go to an Anime convention full of Weebs? I’d be left out in conversations!

I cosplay non-Anime characters all the time…have no issue socializing with fellow attendees at cons. 🙂

If you were attending Anime conventions 15-20 years ago, then maaybeee I’d say this would be an issue. But now that so many people attend cons, you’ll have no problems fitting in if you’re not wearing an Anime cosplay or know nothing about Anime. Remember that attendees come from a variety of backgrounds, so it’s not just Otakus/Weebs attending cons. Cosplay is so mainstream now, you’ll find tons of people who know nothing about Anime. I mentioned in my cosplay rules post that tons of cosplayers dress up as characters they’ve never watched or played.

Take me for example. I actually am not a hardcore Anime fan, so my knowledge is pretty limited on the more popular Anime. It would be nice, but I haven’t watched all of Naruto. And I just started watching My Hero Academia. I’ve never watched One Piece or Fairy Tail. Despite not knowing much about Anime, I’ve still made so many friends at Anime conventions!

So yes, you’ll still make friends at conventions, even if you don’t know a dam thing about Anime!

Cosplay Ideas for non-Anime characters

There are sooooo many, many, many other options you can do for cosplay that doesn’t involve Anime series or characters. Let’s go through some:

Video games

Klara is a new character from the latest Sword and Shield expansion pack! Cosplayer: phantomiris.
Lisa (Genshin Impact cosplay)
Genshin Impact players already simping hard for Lisa, and for good reason! Cosplayer: colette.cosplay.
Senpai Joker
Joker from Persona 5.

If you’re not into Anime, then you’ll have a TON of options when it comes to video game cosplay. Since I know more about video games than Anime, I actually enjoy seeing game cosplays more. Like Anime, video game cosplays have a wide range of difficulty and costs, from dirt cheap to splurging expensive. A Pokémon Trainer cosplay you can easily do for cheap or use your closet. While a full-blown World of Warcraft cosplay will cost you a few paycheques!

Here are some other ideas:

  • Nintendo characters (e.g. Mario, Zelda, Zero Suit Samus, Animal Crossing)
  • League of Legends (e.g. K/DA, Spirit Blossom, Jinx)
  • Genshin Impact
  • Pokémon
  • Nier: Automata

Comics

Deadpool
Deadpool is an awesome character and great option to cosplay. Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash.

Marvel and DC have been super popular in the theatres in the past decade! That has translated into the cosplay world, and you certainly can’t attend a comic con without seeing your favourite superheroes. So if you’re into this, you’re definitely in luck with the variety of characters you can choose from, including:

  • Spider-Man/Spider Gwen
  • Harley Quinn (overdone but who cares?)
  • Deadpool (overdone as well but who cares?)
  • Captain Marvel
  • Poison Ivy
  • Cyclops
  • Wonder Woman
  • Batman

Western cartoons and TV shows

Katara Avatar cosplay
Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Cosplayer: totlamadi. Photo taken by jenxnoir.

Yes, you can even cosplay from TV series! Video game, comic and Anime series usually get all the love and attention in the cosplay world. But there are many popular shows on TV, so much so that it gets cosplayers wanting to dress up as them. Who are some of these characters?

(Ms. Frizzle cosplay)

  • Avatar
  • My Little Pony
  • Kim Possible
  • Wednesday Addams
  • She-Ra
  • Powerpuff Girls

Movies

Rapunzel cosplay
Rapunzel from Tangled. Cosplayer: witch.cos. Photo taken by wendy.snaps.

Some series may only have 1 film, but that doesn’t mean they’re forgettable! Quite the opposite. There are a lot of cosplays from movies that only came out once, even from a long time ago! Here are some examples:

  • Disney films (e.g. Pocahontas, Frozen, Snow White)
  • Aquaman
  • Star Wars
  • Harry Potter
  • Pirates of the Caribbean

Creative or Original Cosplay

Ms. Frizzle from Magic School Bus! Cosplayer: wonder_chelle.
Jif Peanut butter. Cosplayer: layvendercos.

Last but not least, we have original and creative cosplays you can do. It’s not common for cosplayers to do something original/creative (because it’s pretty difficult). But you can pull it off then you’ll get rewarded with tons of engagement and likes on social media and at conventions.

Some example of unusual/creative/original cosplays:

  • Peanut butter cosplay
  • Starbucks mascot
  • Wendy’s/Ronald McDonald
  • Cosplaying the convention center building (this actually does happen!)
  • Pokestop from Pokémon GO

And there you have it! We have answered the question: does cosplay to have to be Anime related? The answer is a definite no, as you have plenty of other options outside of Anime. And cosplaying something different will not change your experience at a cosplay convention at all.

What type of cosplays do you like to do? Are you into Anime and like to stick those types of costumes? Or are you into different fandoms and rather do video games or comic cosplays? Or are you into originality and like doing characters that are obscure? Let me know in the comments below!

does cosplay have to be Anime
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