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[Hakkari]

I went to AUSA as Tali, and I really didn't get much attention but the people who knew who I was got really excited haha. It was great seeing their faces light up. I also got a picture with a Commander Shepard so that was really great too!

Basically, cosplay as someone you love not because of the popularity. If you don't like who you're cosplaying/are only into it to get as many pictures as possible, you find yourself really not enjoying it as much as you could. I was disheartened at first by the fact that no one really knew who I was, but I had a blast as the day went on so it didn't really matter in the end.

[Shirayuki~Chan]

It's fine to cosplay anything, you wont know how many people will recognize the character, anyways.

I cosplay Ryouko Ookami, and I think my group got a total of 4 pictures taken of us. It's cool, though! I love Ryouko, and it's fun to cosplay her!

[Blood_Sword]

Originally Posted by MotherSilver

I didn't get as much recognition from Vanessa at Metrocon which I thought was surprising but I guess Luminous Arc isn't that well known with the younger crowd? I thought it was really well known (or maybe my cosplay needed some serious work which I am in the process of fine tuning XD)

I don't know how it is in US but I've got the impression that Luminous Arc is obscure. I haven't cosplayed from it yet myself (or even played the game, my twin owns it though) but I've only came across maybe 2 people who even knew what it was. I plan to cosplay Kai someday.

[Musouka_Ningyou]

This is my cosplay life, lol.

Typically, I don't factor popularity into my cosplay choices too much. I'll factor it in a bit, mostly in deciding if something is worth making and wearing, but my most obscure cosplays (I can count on one hand how many different people have recognized my Legend of Mana cosplay in person, and no one has recognized my Radiant Historia cosplay, for example) tend to be ones that I choose because I really love the character. Actually making the costumes is a huge part of cosplay for me, so I also like to have something to push me a little further in my cosplaying skills, like making a different type of prop, doing something with lots of detail, working with a new material, etc. I also factor in how eye-catching the costume is, and if people will still want to take my picture even though no one will have a clue what I'm cosplaying from (I've only once continually pushed back a cosplay of a character that I love -- Kino from Kino's Journey -- because I have felt like it was too simple [and I couldn't pull it off...] to warrant making and wearing to a con), but typically the things that I find challenging and fun to make are eye-catching because of that work I put in, even though I don't have any truly elaborate cosplays (yet...). The only anime characters I have done have been from very popular series (Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop), or so I thought, but I have had a shocking number of people at cons tell me that they don't even know what GitS is, so who knows. (It's understandable to not recognize, say, Maj. Kusanagi's manga outfit, but I thought Hard Disc was fairly iconic? I did get a lot of recognition, but maybe only 2/3 of the people I talked to had any clue who I was cosplaying!) My most consistently popular/most recognizable cosplay is from a 10+-year-old Sega Dreamcast game, which is only surprising because it seems to be even more recognizable than Maj. Kusanagi or Julia, since Ulala is fairly iconic. Maj. Kusanagi is my favorite character ever, though, so even her seemingly totally unrecognizable manga outfit is fun to wear, despite not being the least bit challenging to make, but I think my love for her is a bit of an exception! (Again, I'd think that people would get it even if they haven't read the manga or remembered that she wore that outfit briefly in the film, but I guess not...maybe I just have bad luck? Or I'm a bad cosplayer, haha.)

Typically, if I really love a character, I will cosplay them, and that goes double for characters that I love that have eye-catching outfits. Even if they don't, sometimes I'll still decide that it's worth it. I primarily go to cons to cosplay, though, so I want to get as much out of it as I can. If I were someone who went to cons primarily to hang out with friends, go to panels, etc., I might have a different view on things.

Really, it can be very rewarding on that rare occasion that someone does recognize my character, but even if no one does, it can still be really rewarding to make and wear a costume of a character I love (or from a series that I love, but I tend to be less in love with wearing my cosplays of characters I'm not a huge fan of and chose based on my love of the series), especially when I feel accomplished by making it, since it provided some sort of a challenge or was my first time working with a certain type of material. It doesn't hurt when people recognize, say, the hard work that went into making my 6' fishhammer and ombre dyeing my fabric, even if no one has a clue who Lady Blackpearl is.

I have to admit that I also enjoy being the only ____ at a con, even if no one knows who ____ is, haha. I don't purposely choose things based on their relative obscurity, but my tastes do tend to run a bit older and more obscure. Now that I'm into Homestuck, I've been into making up new designs for characters or changing their designs in order to make it more unique and more eye-catching, but this is also one of the few series where this is widely accepted, given the huge fanbase and the simplistic art style of the actual webcomic. While my Condesce will be mostly canon, I chose her entirely so I can bling her up even more (and for the prop and wig work), but my other HS cosplays (both already done and planned) are either entirely original outfits inspired by canon outfits of the characters (it can be fun to balance an entirely new outfit with signature elements of the character) or reimaginings of canon outfits, adding detail, changing materials, etc. I wouldn't not make a costume just because the character or outfit was popular and done often, but I'd probably try to do something to make mine stand apart in some way (such as fancying up grimdark Rose, since there are zillions of grimdarks at every con and the basic outfit is a bit boring to me, but I love her character quite a bit and I want to show my support for her character!).

Really, we all cosplay for different reasons, and just because I like to have a challenge in making something and some degree of recognition (either of my work or of the character) doesn't mean that everyone has to value those things. I choose most of my costumes based on a love of the character and/or series, and tend to just choose to go a little further to make it still eye-catching even to people who don't know what it is.


Basically, this all sums up to "if you like it, go for it!!" If you love a character and/or a series enough to cosplay it, then just do it. You might have to choose some priorities, like I have, if you tend towards older and/or more obscure series, but it's still a lot of fun to go as a character you love and show your love and support of that character and/or series, even if very few or no one else knows what it is. Maybe you're the type to have fun telling people about a really cool game they've never played or show they've never watched, and you can then tell people about it when they ask, and who knows, someone might actually get into the series? (I'm not that type, but I know that some people really like telling people about new things like that.)

[BrokenAlice]

Of course it's okay! As long as you love the character, that's all that should matter~ I've cosplayed as Schneewittchen from Sound Horizon(which isn't that really well known) at an anime convention before and it made me happy even when only a few people recognized who I was cosplaying ; v ;

[sooyong]

Originally Posted by Loveless12

Of course it's okay. Personally I'd rather be the only Claude Kenni at a con than one of a hundred Dave Striders.

Claude Kenni!!!!! I once cosplayed as Opera Vectra Hardly anyone recognized me but it felt good when a photographer did almost immediately after I got out of the con registration line.

I always cosplay as video game characters, which I feel are less recognizable compared to anime or comic characters. I don't really mind not being recognized by the majority--I actually like it when that one person spots me and is overjoyed to see my costume. That happened two years ago and I made some great friends that time.

[Musouka_Ningyou]

Originally Posted by sooyong

I always cosplay as video game characters, which I feel are less recognizable compared to anime or comic characters. I don't really mind not being recognized by the majority--I actually like it when that one person spots me and is overjoyed to see my costume. That happened two years ago and I made some great friends that time.

I've only fairly recently done some anime characters (and from very popular anime, though I have had worse luck with recognition on both of them than I'd thought I would!), and consider myself more of a video game cosplayer than an anime cosplayer, by far. (I'm not even really much of an anime fan), so I know the feeling!

Also, I see a JSR character on your planned cosplay list!! High-five! It's actually incredibly fun to cosplay from, and now with the first game's digital re-release, I have a feeling that a lot more people will know what it is. (I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who recognized my Ryth cosplay, back in '09 or so when I first wore it, and now that more people have had a chance to be exposed to the series, I'm sure there will be even more, even though you're doing JSRF, judging by the reactions I've gotten to my own JSRF cosplay.)

[kuroi_shi]

If I'm going to cosplay an obscure character, than I'll pick a crazy detailed costume.. that way, I'll get lots of attention, even if people don't know the character.

[Kokoro Hane]

Definitely support cosplaying the obscure! Someone needs to show 'em the love! 'Cause if no one tackles it, they'll never get cosplayed! Like me? Added 2 characters from my favorite free OELVN entitled "Doppleganger: Dawn of The Inverted Soul" it's an EXCELLENT visual novel, and the people developed it to play for free! So, of course I am gonna show this a lot of love~ It's epic, and I love the characters, so I plan to do either Lucia Nicol or Jun Suwabara from it~

[Lurrdoc]

If you cosplay as a more unknown character then you don't really get stopped as often for photos which is kinda a plus. The time people do ask to take pics it's cuz they are real fans or just really like your costume and I value it that much more when they ask. ^u^

[MotherSilver]

Originally Posted by Blood_Sword

I don't know how it is in US but I've got the impression that Luminous Arc is obscure. I haven't cosplayed from it yet myself (or even played the game, my twin owns it though) but I've only came across maybe 2 people who even knew what it was. I plan to cosplay Kai someday.

Really? I had no idea it was obscure I thought it would be popular with the anime style opening, and the gorgeous graphics and story line D: But that also might be why not many people recognized Vanessa.

Still I think with the scythe people will be drawn more to her just because THIS THING IS HUGE.

I'd love to see Kai, I'm trying to get my bf to do a character from the game but he's kind of big and buff. Not sure which one he should do as he hasn't played the game yet but I think he'd like it.

[Volkswagenbus]

I had thought of cosplaying Rakka or Reki from Haibane Renmei, a fairly unpopular series. Despite that, I love the show and the characters, so I'll love doing it anyway.

[pinoycosplay]

Originally Posted by Volkswagenbus

I had thought of cosplaying Rakka or Reki from Haibane Renmei, a fairly unpopular series. Despite that, I love the show and the characters, so I'll love doing it anyway.

If I saw you cosplaying Reki i would definitely recognize and try to get a pic with you. To me Haibane renmei was a popular anime, even if it is now a bit older.

What people have to remember is that all characters, no matter how obscure, have their fans. So those people appreciate it when they see a character they recognize who they know doesn't show up in large numbers at cons.

I have to admit that a an obscure character,that i recognize, that is fairly well done catches my eye more readily than a character that is perfectly done, but shows up in large numbers at every con.

The best compliments I have gotten at cons are from the costumes with the fewest number of compliments. It's like the number of people knowing who you are goes down, but the heartfelt appreciation from the people who do compliment you goes up because you took the time and effort to bring a niche character to life.

In a way I feel it does create a special bond of sorts between the cosplayer and the person appreciating the cosplay when a niche character is cosplayed. (I think this is also the reason some fans may get upset when the cosplayer isn't super well versed in their characters background) The fan thinks its awesome that another person likes their niche character enough to cosplay it and they just want the cosplayer to be as excited to cosplay the character as they are to see it. But all of that is another topic

[Disasterbate]

A few years ago me and a friend were cosplaying Reno and Rude respectively from FFVII.
Out of all the pictures we got that day, maybe 2-3 people actually recognized my friends character. A few times some people would come up for a picture but would state, "Reno! Can I get a picture?" With Rude standing right next to me.

I think that bothered him.

[Musouka_Ningyou]

Originally Posted by Disasterbate

A few years ago me and a friend were cosplaying Reno and Rude respectively from FFVII.
Out of all the pictures we got that day, maybe 2-3 people actually recognized my friends character. A few times some people would come up for a picture but would state, "Reno! Can I get a picture?" With Rude standing right next to me.

I think that bothered him.

I've been in this situation before~ I tend to not let it bother me, or sometimes I'll gently point out that I'm from the same series or make a joke about it. Then again, it pretty much only happens to me when my sis and I are cosplaying from Ghost Trick, and I go as a pretty minor character (Memry -- I seriously didn't know she had a name until -after- I cosplayed her the first time, I just called her "Odd Girl," lol), and it's not really a well-known game, so it's understandable that people would recognize her cosplay of a major character and maybe not my cosplay of a minor character, especially since without the giant chicken drumstick on my head, I could just be a generic waitress. Whenever people realize who I am cosplaying, they are always really excited to see me, and often marvel at my chicken hat. FFVII is obviously quite a bit more popular, so more people are likely to recognize the characters from it, and more people are likely to know a little bit about it but not be huge fans (instead of it having a small but quite dedicated fanbase [like, say, a quirky visual novel puzzle game would have]), but I'm sure that if it is maybe gently pointed out that you two are from the same game, or a joke is made about it, or something, then people who then recognize the character might be happy to see them once they realize who they are.

Don't be pushy about it, and just gently ask "hey, can Rude and I do a pose together?" or make an in-character joke about it (I usually tell people that they have to ring the bell three times for a photo, and if they don't ring the bell three times, they can't get a photo, since those are the rules...apparently. If you don't know the game, it's an in-character joke based on a line she says, but if you do know the game, it typically jogs people's memories about who I am cosplaying, since the original line is memorable. Of course, you'd have to make up your own in-character joke!), or even just start posing together, and even if someone didn't originally want a picture of your friend for whatever reason, they'll probably take one anyway, just to be nice, or they'll realize that you two are in a group and be happy to take their picture, as well.

I'm not a FFVII fan, but I'd probably recognize a Reno cosplayer over a Rude cosplayer, to be honest. People might not want to assume you are in a group, or might not want to be that awkward person that takes a picture of an entire group of friends hanging out in cosplay, even though the characters obviously don't belong together. If it's upsetting your friend, just asking if they can be included in the photo can go a long way.