The best cosplay we saw at UwU Con 2026 in Mesa

Tucson cosplayer Kyle Appel as the Dragon Zord from “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.”

The Mesa Convention Center had big geek energy this past weekend, thanks to UwU Con <a href="https://comicvibe.com/state-of-indie-2026-part-3-finance-and-tech/” title=”State of Indie 2026 Part 3: Finance and Tech”>2026.

Hundreds of Arizona residents flocked to the annual three-day convention celebrating anime, comics and gaming, which ran from Oct. 2 to 4. Many attendees came dressed to impress in colorful and creative costumes.

Local cosplayers brought plenty of fan-made fashion to UwU Con 2026, including costumes inspired by video games, animated series and pop culture.

Some dressed up as characters from “One Piece” and “Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation,” largely because voice actors from both shows, including Daman Mills and Nick Monteleone, appeared at the event.

Other costumes were straight outta games like “Hollow Knight” and “Undertale.”

And then there was all the “Hazbin Hotel” cosplay at UwU Con 2026. Like many Arizona geek events in recent years, UwU Con’s attendees dressed as Lucifer Morningstar, Alastor and other characters from the wildly popular Amazon Prime animated show.

UwU Con’s annual cosplay showcase on Oct. 3 also featured impressive and imaginative costumes. It’s the biggest cosplay event of the convention, but isn’t a costume contest.

Hosted by longtime Arizona costuming gurus Jinx and Thermo Cosplay, the showcase features performances by local cosplayers followed by an interview about the art and craft behind their creations.

Jinx says its a different approach to spotlighting cosplay without the pressure of competition.

“Cosplay, first and foremost, is about playing in a costume,” she says. “And a big part of it is social interaction, which gets lost when things get too competitive. So we wanted to give a space where, if you do compete, you can practice or show things off. Or if you’ve never competed, you can try things out here.”

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