Gallery: Gallery: Cosplayers Dream Big at Tokyo Game Show
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TOKYO -- Among the thousands of people who flock to the Tokyo Game Show every year in order to see the latest games is a small group of people who go to *be* seen. In between the massive show rooms of the Makuhari Convention Center is a small cement corridor filled with cosplayers and paparazzi. On Saturday, the first day of Tokyo Game Show 2010 open to the public, I spent the entire day walking this corridor, interviewing cosplayers about why they cosplay and what kind of games they're into. It was a real mishmash of genres, costumes, veterans and amateurs, dominated by females. I combed the area looking for shy cosplayers hiding in corners or people who were otherwise off the beaten path. __Above:__ This trio of girls, dressed as *[Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Megami_Tensei_III:_Nocturne)* characters, are easily the nicest people I talked to all day. Ran, on the right, cosplayed the Shiva demon. She chose Shiva because she's interested in Indian gods, and wanted to do an Indian couple cosplay with her friend Ruri (on the left). Ran's favorite videogame is the mysterious *Mujin*, which she says is "so hard-core that hardly anyone even knows it exists." Ran's dream is to communicate with foreign cosplayers. In the middle is Yukiya, cosplaying the game's main character, Naoki Kashima. She said she originally started cosplaying for the challenge of trying to really "become" a favorite character. Her favorite game is *Mugen no Frontier: Super Robot Taisen OG Saga*. She also wishes she could communicate with foreign cosplayers more. Then I found out that Yukiya is actually fluent in English, and used to live in London. "Then, you can communicate, online!" I told her. Yukiya is apparently too timid to write things online, however, and prefers meeting people in person. On the left we have Ruri, cosplaying as the Parvati demon. Her favorite game is *Itadaki Street*, a dicelike board game for the Famicom, because she likes making other people bankrupt. Not surprisingly, her dream is to become filthy rich.
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The first cosplayers I spotted in the morning were four girls dressed as characters from *Final Fantasy VI*. Mint, on the left, dressed as the character Gogo and insisted on leaving on her glasses under the costume's hood. She said she started cosplaying because it's fun teaming up and doing something with her friends. Her favorite game is *Breath of Fire V*, which she says has the best battle and gameplay system of any other game she's played. Her dream is to draw fantasy manga for a living. Next up was Himitsu, dressed as Terra. She said she's wanted to cosplay for more than 10 years, but never had the time or money to actually do it. Now that she's finally gotten her chance, she's loving every minute of it. Her favorite game is *Persona 2*, because the story is "amazing." She also mentioned that the newer Persona games are too shallow and upbeat for her tastes, but she's glad that it's gotten other people into the series. Her dream is to get better at cosplaying. Then there was Magumarashi, cosplaying as Locke. She was invited by her friends to cosplay, and said she wouldn't want to do it more than once a year. Her favorite game is *Demon's Souls*, for the atmosphere and gameplay. Her dream is to write boys' manga for a living. On the far right is Bun, cosplaying as Relm. Like Mint, she just enjoys dressing up with her friends. Her favorite game is *Suikoden*, because she likes the historic and Chinese influences. Her dream is to create her own cafe.
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Here we have two men and a woman cosplaying as the main characters from *Wild Arms 3*. On the left is cosplayer Griff, dressed as Clive Winslett. He said his reason for cosplaying was "because I like it, and that's reason enough." His favorite game is *Tales of Destiny*, because it made him cry. "I want developers to be freer when they create games," he said. In the middle is Tazu, cosplaying as Jet Enduro. She said she started cosplaying because it allowed her to meet a bunch of different people, and she likes teaching people about lesser-known games with her costumes. (They were shocked that I actually knew and liked *Wild Arms 3*.) Her favorite game is *Eternal Sonate*, because she likes its fusion of classical music with videogames. As for the game industry, she's curious to see how well the Nintendo 3DS does, and thinks it will be a success. Last we have UA, cosplaying as Gallows Carradine. UA started cosplaying because he wanted to be seen by as many people as possible, and gets a sensual rush from the act. His favorite game is *Suikoden*, because it was the first game he played on the PlayStation, and it had a big impact on him. His personal dream is to get married, but his dream as a cosplayer is to get known by as many people as possible.
holiday pack stats. Image from Cards Against Humanity website, used with permission.04p1030012
Kaninabe dresses in the Rajang equipment set from the *Monster Hunter* series. Why did he pick this specific set of equipment? "I think foreign people will like this, and I want to teach them more about the *Monster Hunter* games," he says. Kaninabe's favorite game, as you might expect, is *Monster Hunter Potable 2nd G* for the PSP, because it's the easiest to play. His dream is to garner fame for his elaborate costumes. As far as the game industry goes, he thinks "they are relying too much on older games to make sequels and remakes. I want more new games. And the new games are relying too much on graphics, I want to see them compete with ideas instead."
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On the right we have Takito, cosplaying as Gracia from *Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends*. She says she cosplays because "it's fun." Her favorite game is *Dragon Quest V*, because it has the best story she's ever seen. On the left is Ankou, cosplaying as Mitsuhide Akechi from *Samurai Warriors 3*. She cosplays because it's cool and fun to talk with people. Her favorite game is *Samurai Warriors 2*, because she loves Mitsunari Nishida. Her dream is to take a picture with people cosplaying every character in the *Samurai Warriors* series.
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Cosplayer Ruika dresses as Dante in his costume from *Devil May Cry 2*. She likes becoming someone else, and feels cool when she cosplays. Her favorite game is *Samurai Warriors 3*, because she loves the history. And what is her dream? "Well, I'm old, so I have no dreams," she answered somberly.
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Meet Noel Yukiha. He's cosplaying as Ryo Akizuki from *[The iDolmaster: Dearly Stars](http://www.giantbomb.com/the-idolmster-dearly-stars/61-27313/)* for Nintendo DS. In the game, the character Ryo Akizuki is a cross-dressing boy trying to pass himself off as a Lolita idol. Noel, who has been cosplaying since high school, chose Ryo because he "loves the character." The DS iteration of the popular *iDolmaster* series is his favorite game. His dream is to get even better at cosplaying.
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Acguy cosplays as a Vocaloid named Kai. He likes cosplaying as characters like this because he thinks it's more fun to be an amusing character than a cool one. He started out taking pictures of cosplayers, but finally decided to give it a go himself, and loved it. His favorite game is *[Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2](http://www.moetron.com/2010/03/03/hatsune-miku-project-diva-2nd-psp-sequel-announced/)* for the PSP, because he likes the characters and the rhythm-game aspect. His dream is to live a normal life as an otaku. "Last question: Are you hot right now?" "Yes!!"
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Rita dresses as Leona from *King of Fighters '96*, her favorite character both design-wise and fighting-wise. She used to make clothes as a hobby, then gradually got more and more into cosplay. Her favorite game is *King of Fighters '98*, which she calls the most balanced of the series. Her dream is to see Leona and her father, Heidern, in the same game. Question: Your outfit is very revealing. How do you feel about showing so much skin? Answer: At first, I was really embarrassed, but I gradually got used to it. It's great for forcing yourself to go on a diet.
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Oichi and Nouhime, who portray *Samurai Warriors 3* characters, were surrounded by photographers for the better part of the day.
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This fully suited person is cosplaying Air Man, and was certainly not feeling any strong breezes wearing this thick armor on such a hot day. He should be commended, however, for bearing the heat to show his love for an iconic boss robot from an iconic game, *Mega Man 2*.
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A survey appears! Command? You take the survey.
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Burapolio fashioned this amazing *Dragon Quest 9* outfit based on his own character. "It's the setup I use normally, so I wanted to try and wear it myself," he said. "I aim for cute and cool." His favorite game is *Dragon Quest IX*, which he loves for the balanced gameplay and interesting scenarios. His dream is to become a famous cosplayer.
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Kamosuke, dressed as Keiji Maeda from *Sengoku Basara 2*, has been cosplaying for more than 10 years. He started out simply reading cosplay magazines, then was invited to participate by a friend, and "that was it." His favorite game is *Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G*, and he thinks that the game industry is focusing on series games too much, and needs to come out with more original works. His dream is to get a girlfriend, since he was dumped a few months ago.
