At this past weekend at Anime NYC 2022, the cosplay was fierce and creative, with designs as creative and varied as the world of anime.

Popverse caught up with a number of cosplayers to talk about who they’re wearing today and why.

Leslie and Keyla: Tamaki & Toga from My Hero Academia

Why these characters?

Keyla: I love a villain. She’s always happy but she’s a villain.

Leslie: His personality is that he’s very anxious.

Keyla: And that’s her.

Leslie: Yeah, I’m the same way.

Have you cosplayed before?

Leslie: We’ve done minimal cosplay, very basic.

Keyla: More casual, but to do full on, this was the first time.

Leslie: She made all her own props.

What made you want to do it?

Leslie: It’s awesome.

Keyla: It brings me excitement, having it come to life instead of just seeing it on TV.

Julissa, Chelsea & Taylor: Sasha from Attack on Titan, Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon, Boa Hancock from One Piece

Why these characters?

Julissa: Attack of the Titans is one of my favorite shows, and Sasha is one of my favorite characters.

Chelsea: I grew up watching Sailor Moon, and Sailor Jupiter was always my favorite.

Taylor: I’m a very obsessive fan of One Piece. Boa Hancock is a character I resonate with because she’s a really badass female presence. She’s one of the strongest women in the anime, leading the pirate world. I just love her.

Have you cosplayed before?

Chelsea: Last year we low-key did.

Julssa: It wasn’t as intricate as it is now.

Taylor: This is my first time, actually.

What made you want to do it?

Chelsea: I always just saw it as fun.

Julissa: It’s a great way to meet people.

Taylor: Definitely, meeting fans in the same fandom, and then also I just think dressing up is fun.

Jen & Abe: Violence & Beam from Chainsaw Man

Why these characters?

Abe: Honestly I just like the look of the mask, I just thought it would be really cool to wear that.

Jen: I just really love her. I really like her design and she’s really friendly and stuff. She’s just loyal to the main character.

Have you cosplayed before?

Abe: No.

Jen: First time.

What made you want to do it?

Abe: We just thought, why not. It seems fun.

Jen: We’ve been her twice before and we haven’t done anything, but we always wanted to. So then we finally got to.

Pyro and @Panamaairway: Pyromaniac from Team Fortress 2 and Nepeta from Homestuck

Why these characters?

Pyro: It’s the only cosplay that I actually had.

@Pan: Yeah, it was a last minute thing. And I chose Nepeta because she’s my favorite character. She’s very all over the place and I just think she’s a good friend to everyone. It’s really fun.

Have you cosplayed before?

@Pan: Yeah I was here last year actually.

Pyro: I don’t really cosplay that much.

What made you want to do it?

@Pan: It’s just fun. I get to meet people who have the same interests as me.

Pyro: I think it’s more fun with my friend.

Adam, Jackson & Jacob: Mokou, Eiki & Rinnosuke from Toho Project

Why these characters?

Jacob: He’s the only male character in the entire series.

Jackson: I like the photo shoots. There’s a meet up today.

Adam: This was his and he let me borrow it.

Have you cosplayed before?

Jacob & Adam: Oh yeah.

Jackson: Last year we did the same thing.

What do you get out of it?

Jacob: it’s so fun. People with the same interests as you will come up to you and talk about it.

Jackson: I feel a lot more included, I feel a lot more into it.

Adam: Half the fun is seeing people out in public and then confusing them. Like for me, I got dressed in my dorm and then I drove to the train station and rode the train like this. I thought that was a lot of fun.

Jackson: It’s a power move.

Adam: People were definitely very confused.

Nia, Whitson, Manon and Tania: Hawks from My Hero Academia, Tengen from Demon Slayer, Froppy from My Hero Academia, Reze from Chainsaw Man

Why these characters?

Nia: Hawks is a number two hero so I love him. He’s laid back. And I don’t really see too many black people do it, but I saw a lot today, which made me very happy.

Manon: I love her personality. I’m also very cute, but I’m also a badass, and I’m really focused on protecting people.

Tania: I kind of like a villain. I’m chaotic, independent, kinda don’t want to be good or bad. And I like female characters that are more complicated.

Have you cosplayed before?

Nia: Oh yeah. We’ve been doing it for a while.

Manon: We’ve been cosplaying for years.

What do you get out of it?

Tania: I work as a massage therapist, and you have to be professional. When you’re here you can loosen up a little bit and be somebody else for a day who has powers and stuff.

Whitson: It’s fun.

Manon: It’s also so much fun meeting people.

Nia: It makes you feel great. You get to be creative.

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