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    The best costumes we saw at Saboten Con 2026 in Phoenix

    JamesBy 11 Comments3 Mins Read
    The best costumes we saw at Saboten Con 2026 in Phoenix

    Anime-inspired cosplay at Saboten Con 2026 in downtown Phoenix.

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    Anime is a vibrant art form powered largely by imagination. So it’s only natural that an event like the annual Saboten Con in downtown Phoenix would be just as wildly colorful.

    That was certainly the case this past weekend, when anime-inspired cosplay took over two downtown hotels as Saboten Con brought costumed geeks from across Arizona together for four days of fandom-fueled fashion.

    The annual anime convention ran Sept. 4 to 7 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel and Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel. Tens of thousands of fans attended the con, and many came dressed for the occasion.

    Hundreds of Saboten Con 2026 attendees costumed up as characters from video games like “Final Fantasy VII,” popular anime series like “One Piece” and animated shows like “Hazbin Hotel.”

    Cosplaying Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife from the popular video game “Final Fantasy VII.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Some Saboten Con went all out with epic props, fantastical armors and costumes that took many hours to create. Others kept things simple but colorful.

    Saboten Con co-founder Greg Fennell says cosplay has been a “huge part” of Saboten Con since the event launched in 2008. Its since become Arizona’s largest anime event, while its cosplay offerings have grown along with it.

    Saboten Con’s annual cosplay masquerade is one of the convention’s biggest events, showcasing the weekend’s most attention-grabbing and intricately crafted costumes.

    These friends came to Saboten Con 2026 as characters from “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Fennell says the quality of Arizona’s cosplay scene routinely surprises the guest judges brought in for the competition.

    “Arizona has the best cosplay community I’ve seen anywhere in the United States,” Fennell says. “We always have judges that come in for the masquerade every year that always tell us, ‘Wow, we did not realize the level of talent that’s here for the masquerade.’”

    Here’s the best cosplay we spotted at Saboten Con 2026 in downtown Phoenix.

    Cosplay was everywhere at Saboten Con 2026 in downtown Phoenix.

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Saboten Con attendees cosplay as Buggy the Clown and other characters from “One Piece.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    A Saboten Con attendee cosplays as Malenia, Blade of Miquella from the video game “Elden Ring.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Friends cosplay characters from the first-person shooter “Team Fortress 2.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    This Saboten Con attendee dressed up as Ryland Grace from the sci-fi flick “Project Hail Mary.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    A Saboten Con attendee cosplays as Hua Cheng from “Heaven Official’s Blessing.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    This local mother and daughter came as characters from the animated series “Invincible.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Two Saboten Con attendees as Vocaloid characters Len Kagamine, left, and Rin Kagamine.

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Arizona’s Starlit Memory Cosplay shows off an elegant gown she created to portray Princess Zelda.

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Squirrel Girl from Marvel Comics makes an appearance at Saboten Con 2026.

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Starlight and Homelander from “The Boys.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Cosplaying characters from the “Sonic the Hedgehog” video game series.

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Cosplaying Mew Ichigo from “Tokyo Mew Mew” at Saboten Con 2026.

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Cosplaying Messmer the Impaler from “Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    A Saboten Con cosplayer as Madoka Kaname from “Puella Magi Madoka Magica.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    A Saboten Con attendee cosplays as Himiko Toga from “My Hero Academia.”

    Benjamin Leatherman

    This cosplay of Nightmare Chica from “Five Nights at Freddy’s 4″ was both impressive and scary.

    Benjamin Leatherman

    Anime-inspired cosplay at Saboten Con 2026.

    Benjamin Leatherman

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