Top 11 Future Cosplays

As many people know, I'm an avid cosplayer. For those who don't know what a cosplayer is, here's a definition: "Cosplay (コスプレ, kosupure. ), short for "costume play", is a performance art in which participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character or idea that is usually identified with a unique name." I started doing this in 2008 when I got my first imported costume - a black version of Vergil's jacket and vest from Devil May Cry 3. After that, I was hooked. Here are my top 11 cosplays I'd like to do in the future. Why top 11? C'mon, do I have to copy the Nostalgia Critic?

11. The Emperor of Darkness, Zed (Ressha Sentai ToQger)

I have recently gotten back into watching the Power Rangers, or more accurately Super Sentai, starting with Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. ToQger is the recent addition, the 38th in its series, and it has revealed its main villain as the Emperor of Darkness, Zed. I know what you're thinking, "That's not Lord Zedd! Thieves!" Okay, yes, it is a possibility the villain got his name from the American exclusive villain Lord Zedd. However, the difference between these two is that Zed - with one d - is obsessed with the light and shining things. These are not common traits for a guy called "The Emperor of Darkness". For God's sake, he rides around in a WHITE train and dresses in white clothes every time you see him. The first time he's shown, he's in a carnival carrying around a silver star balloon and having fun with humans. The only time he does anything evil is to see if people's "shining" can be extinguished with tests he runs. This may change as he's only done this in one episode. Either way, this guy is awesome. His outfit, simple and to the point. Why is it so low on this list? Because it's so recent no one has even decided to craft his outfit. Plus, it could change as the series progresses. To finalize, I believe this guy could eventually become a future ToQger as the white ranger as a scan was recently revealed of one (ToQ0). It's hinted at that his second-in-command, Baron Nero, could possibly betray him and overthrow him as emperor for his obsession of light. This could just be the inner fan boy in me talking, but it's possible.

10. Shikamaru Nara (Naruto)

My favorite character from the Naruto series. Why do I like this guy? No, it's not because he's lazy or his shadow ability is awesome, it's because I have a thing for smart guys. Despite his lazy exterior, Shikamaru is a certified genius. He crafted so many foolproof plans on the fly many times in his encounters with Orochimaru's goons and Temari in their Chunin Exam battle. Why not go the Shippuden route like everyone else? I don't like Shippuden. My opinion, Shippuden is convoluted, redundant, and overall it's gone on for far too long. Shikamaru is still awesome in that rendition, but I liked him better in his early teens stage where he was a young and break-out genin. Yes, I'll go the fan boy route and say "Shikamaru x Temari FTW". There, I said it. I attempted a Shikamaru back in 2006 where my dad spent so much money getting me a fish net shirt and a huge Leaf Village headband. Still have the headband today, but no shirt. Damn. Back in 2010, my friend Jesse unintentionally bought a pair of Naruto sandals from ACEN's mystery bag. He didn't want them, so I offered to take them. All I need is the entire costume and I'm sure my brother can let me borrow his kunai. Now why is this so low? Naruto fans are EVERYWHERE in the convention world. Going as Shikamaru now would be like getting lost in the herd. No offense, guys, you know it's true.

9. Cody Rhodes or Goldust (WWE)

A WWE cosplay? People do that? Of course they do! ACEN 2013 and 2014 proved that. I thank my friend, Steve, for the inspiration. Now this was actually a tie - I'm a big fan of the Rhodes family. Hell, back in my e-fed days, I played an awesome Goldust. I was the residential troll on the forum where I had Goldust stalk people on their birthdays and have him pop out of cakes. His first act was stalking The Hurricane, which everybody loved. For the record, I'm never going shirtless nor am I wearing a speedo. Not unless people want to turn to stone by my pale thin ass. So what to do? I have seen people sell Assassin Creed-like coats that look remarkably similar to the ones the Rhodes brothers are wearing. Do I wear a black and purple one for Cody or do I get a black and gold for Goldust? Choices. Either way, I have a Cody Rhodes shirt and I could possibly get the Goldust mask/T-shirt soon. WWE Photoshoot better look out, cause a Rhodes may show up at the next one if they're lucky.

8. Knight Rai Sumeragi (Code Geass: Lost Colors)

This is kind of cheating, considering I have dressed as Rai in the past, but in the Ashford Academy uniform. For those who have no idea who Rai is, here's a history lesson. In 2008, a PS2 and PSP game for the Code Geass series was released called Lost Colors. In this game, you played the role of the amnesiac Rai, who is suppose to look like a white haired-blue eyed version of Lelouch. He, too, has a Geass ability similar to Lelouch, except his is by vocals rather than eye contact. Later, it's revealed Rai was a member of the Britannia family as a bastard child to the Sumeragi family. Because of his Japanese heritage, he wasn't allowed to ascend to the throne. With his ability, he rose to power, but this proved to be his downfall. His Geass went out of control and his mesmeric voice destroyed his kingdom and his family. He felt the only way to atone for his sins was to use his power against himself to put himself in a deep sleep. Upon awakening, he forgot everything. Now, in this game, you can choose to have Rai become a member of the Black Knights or the Britannia Knights. It's possible to date some of the girls: Nunnally, Kallen, Nonette, or Milly. For all the gushing fan girls, Rai could use his Geass to make Lelouch or Suzaku become his lover, too. Be forewarned, the Geass can turn against you. This was even Rollo's debut before R2. Why do this version of Rai? I ran into an old friend, Braden, dressed as Zero!Suzaku my first year at ACEN with his girlfriend as Kallen. He had photos later posted of himself in the Knight uniform. I figured, "I could so pull that off with Rai." Maybe one of these days.

7. Kouki Tsubasa (Digimon Savers)

Digimon cosplayers are hard to come by nowadays. Heck, I was surprised to see at least most of the Digi-Destined from season 1, the Tamers, and some from Frontier at ACEN 2014. There was no love for the Savers guys. Yeah, I get it, Savers is not everyone's favorite of the series. Personally, mine is Tamers. I like Kouki, because he's that type of bad guy the series needed. A cynical asshole who's obsessed with one thing: destroying. He could become his own Digimon: BioThunderbirdmon and BioDarkdramon. What's the most crucial element for this cosplay aside from a blonde wig? The hoodie, for one, which no one has available, and his shoes. Do you know how expensive it is to get custom shoes? Ridiculous. Unless someone knows where to order yellow and blue shoes online, this ain't happening. And no, I will not be wearing the lip rings, cause frankly I hate piercings.

6. Tohma H. Norstein (Digimon Savers)

Okay, yes, I have a thing for blonde characters. I can't help it. Blondes are hot. Oops, did I say that out loud? Any case, Tohma - or Thomas for the English speaking crowd - is another certified genius like Shikamaru with his Digimon partner Gaomon. I could go the route of dressing in his Data Squad uniform, but I don't think I could ever pull that off. I have a blonde wig, I just need the green vest and a blue tie. I'd probably need a clip on, considering I suck at tie tying. Gaomon plushie is optional, and the Digivice is a given. Luckily, someone on Ebay has one. I just have to wait for my bank account to recover from ACEN 2014 and the month of May altogether. Maybe I can ask my friend, Thalia, pretty please if I could borrow hers - if she still has it - or hell, ask if I can buy it off her. Either way, the Digivice is the most crucial element in the Tohma cosplay.

5. Souji Rippukan (Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger)

This could very well be my next cosplay to display. I had my doubts about Kyoryuger when I first saw the transformation dance, the ending dance, and the villains. I thought the show was going to be ridiculously kiddie and was going to be a drag like Go-Busters was. Sorry, guys, I didn't like Go-Busters. However, Kyoryuger blew my expectations out of the water and made me a fan. I recently purchased the Gaburivolver, but forgot to grab the Gaburicalibur from the same booth (lack of money and exits were blocked to get back into the vender hall). The costume is in my Watch List on ebay, plus some peeps on Amazon sell the sword for relatively cheap. Those two elements are crucial for Souji, and so is his Zyudenchi - Zakutor. I need to get the transformation dance memorized. It's simple and to the point, but I have no coordination. Seriously, I screwed up during the Gokai Change at the tokusatsu photoshoot. How do I mess that up?

4. Guy Cecil (Tales of the Abyss)

I've always wanted to do a Guy cosplay since I first saw him in the opening video of Tales of the Abyss. I like that he's a loyal friend to Luke, but what threw me off was his gynophobia. Yeah, he's afraid of women, but that's mainly because of a childhood trauma. Everyone and their grandmothers have a Guy costume for sell, so it's not going to be hard to snag this.

3. Blue Ranger/Billy Cranston (Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers)

I said to myself I'd never wear the sentai suit because of how hot it can get in those things. Billy has always been my favorite Power Ranger since the show started. Hell, I told myself one day I would grow up to be just like him. It's easy to get a Blue Ranger outfit and the helmet, that's not the issue. The main issue is actually wearing the stupid thing. Do I wear my boxers underneath or do I go commando? There's also a possibility the suit could split and BOOM! Exposed for the world to see. All in all, this is the only Power Ranger I'd ever want to cosplay. One day, it'll happen.

2. Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Shinji's always been my favorite character in Evangelion. Before the reboot where he was made into a badass, I admired him because him and I had so many similarities. Hell, I was told he looked like an anime version of me. The only difference is that I don't want to end the world any time soon nor do I get my rocks off on comatose girls. Sorry, that scene was unnecessary and out of character for him. Point is, I don't see many people dressed in the plugsuit as Shinji, mainly only as Asuka, Rei, Mari, or even Kaworu. ACEN 2014, there was so many Shinjis there, even a singlet version from the episode him and Asuka had to be synchronized. Much like the sentai suit, I worry about what I can and can't wear underneath the plugsuit. Do I wear boxers or do I go commando and hope the suit doesn't split? The plugsuit is an over glorified wet suit, and I've never worn one of those before.

1. Ted (Suikoden)

This is kind of another cheat, since Ted has two attires to choose from: his Suikoden 1 and his Suikoden 4. He is my all-time favorite Suikoden character. This was before I discovered his Soul Eater. I liked him for being a true, loyal, and caring friend to Tir McDohl. When he showed the Soul Eater and sacrificed himself to save everyone, that sealed the deal. Suikoden IV was rushed and made no sense, but including Ted in it was my sole reason for getting it. Sure, he was different in this game than his happy-go-lucky self in the first. The reason being is that the Soul Eater Rune on his right hand gets stronger every time he suffers. If someone he's close to dies, the stronger it becomes. He's carried the burden of the rune for 300 years before he finally found the family and friends he's always wanted. Sadly, this wouldn't last thanks to the witch Windy, who has pursued him from day one. Ted is a beloved character in the Suikoden universe, and I would love to cosplay as him in the future. Heck, I ran into a Flik and Odessa at ACEN 2014 who told me to go through with this since the game is a rarity.
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And those are my top 11 future cosplays. What do you guys think? Questions, comments? Message me on Facebook or wherever.