Within the anime fandom, cosplay is one of the most popular ways for fans to express their love for various characters. A new online survey has officially revealed which anime character reigns as the most cherished cosplay choice for Japanese women.
According to PR Times, the aforementioned survey was conducted by Japan-based internet research group NEXER INC. In response to the survey question, “Which anime character would you like to cosplay as?” A total of 300 female participants submitted their choices along with brief explanatory comments. Taking first place with a total of 35 votes was Usagi Tsukino, the main heroine of the iconic 1990s girls series Sailor Moon. The remaining picks come from a wide range of anime genres, from high fantasy works like Freelen: Beyond Journey’s End to spy thrillers like Lupine the Third. The complete list, ranked from most popular to least popular, can be found below.
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Usagi Tsukino – Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Kiki – Kiki’s Delivery Service Fujiko Mine – Lupine the Third Maetel – Galaxy Express 999 (Thailand) Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) and Freelen (Freelen: Beyond the Journey’s End) Nezuko Kamado – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Conan Edogawa – Detective Conan Cat Cat – The Pharmacist’s Monologue Lum-chan – Urusei Yatsura
Hailing from a series aimed primarily at young girls, Usagi Tsukino, aka Sailor Moon, is a childhood icon beloved by millions of fans. Among the many elements that made the character popular, one that ranks high is Sailor Moon’s costume, which combines a blue and white high school uniform with various cute accessories. According to responses from many Usagi voters, the sailor uniform style uniform seems to have a unique appeal to Japanese fans. “…a sailor suit is something I have always dreamed of,” one participant wrote. Another feature that fans noticed is the typical pose Usagi takes after transforming into her famous alter ego. “…easy to pose and photogenic,” another voter explained.
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It’s worth noting that the top two characters are from classic series from the 60s and 70s. In the manga Lupine the Third, first published in 1967, Fujiko Mine serves as Arsène Lupine and his partner, Jigen and Goemon’s occasional partner in crime. In most animated works, she is depicted as a buxom brunette who wears costumes that show off her figure. Fujiko’s “voluptuous figure,” which one voter calls a “symbol of feminine beauty,” appears to be a big part of her appeal to female cosplayers. In contrast to Fujiko, Maetel, who appears in the 1977 science fiction manga Galaxy Express 999, is a mysterious blonde woman who is usually covered head to toe in black. However, due to her presence as a “beautiful adult woman,” she is extremely popular among Japanese women in their 50s and 60s.
While most of the Japanese cosplayers originate from anime aired on television, NEXER’s second place winner comes from Studio Ghibli’s iconic animated film Kiki’s Delivery Service, which itself takes inspiration from the popular children’s novel. Kiki, a 13-year-old witch who goes on a training journey to become independent, chooses a long black dress and a big red hair ribbon as her costume. Ironically, Kiki’s minimal fashion sense is what helps elevate her in the eyes of cosplayers. Voters in their 40s praised it as “simple but cute.” Another wrote: “I’ve been watching this for a long time. Looks easy.” For many people, “low barriers to cosplay” is considered a positive quality for anime characters.
