Top Ten Cosplay Costumes Of All-Time

The strange and wonderful world of cosplay; which for those who don't know is dressing up as your favorite character from pretty much anything. Quick word of warning for any wannabe cosplayers - go with your strengths when deciding who to be (you'll see what I mean).

It is kind of a double whammy this time because not only is it the top ten cosplay costumes of all-time it is the top ten worst cosplay costumes of all-time. With the worst costume you are left wondering if someone ever said "Yeah you look just like them". Kind of like wondering if someone once told the Kardashians "Yeah you have talent you should be on a reality program. No I don't think Honey BooBoo makes you look bad; although some may think there is a distant relationship."

Anyway; on with the list.

10. Spiderman

If your body weight exceeds the 200lb mark Spiderman is definitely not the costume you should chose. There are loads and loads of 'larger' characters you could be. A quick look at Spiderman tells you it is a figure-hugging spandex suit so why on God's green Earth would you do this?

Now if you are in shape and you know your way around a yoga mat or two then by all means get in a Spiderman costume and sling your webs until your heart is content. Like this guy:

09. Joker

OK I have seen all the Batman films, even the really bad one with Val Kilmer, I have read hundreds of comics, I have read most of the graphic novels, and I grew up watching Adam West play Batman on a Saturday morning. And in all the times that the Joker has appeared in said media never did I see any mention of him having homosexual tendencies. I may have missed something but I'm pretty sure that as he has Harley Quinn as a girlfriend it is unlikely. So when doing the Joker (from Cesar Romero to Heath Ledger) try not to camp it up so much that he looks like a Village People reject:

Below is an example of the Joker as it should be done:

And remember when attending your comic conventions try to get the kids involved:

08. Iron Man

I am Iron Man. No, I'm not. I just needed to get that out my system. Tony Stark develops the Iron Man suit uses state-of-the-art technology. He does not cut anything out of cardboard. There is no tape of any kind on the suit. He is not some redneck living in his parents basement either. So why would you do this to yourself:

You don't need Stark's billions to make a convincing Iron Man and you don't need to risk radiation poisoning trying to make the arc reactor power supply for the suit. So, for a fraction of the cost, here is Iron Man:

07. Ronald McDonald

You can't go wrong with Ronald McDonald. Basically it is a clown. Nothing technical - no flashing lights or special weapons - it is just a clown. Get the colors right and don a red wig and you are good to rock it as the child obesity peddler himself:

OK. You can go wrong. There is always someone that is the exception to the rule. Not sure what the hell this person was thinking but I'm thinking they were trying to decide between Ronald McDonald, John Wayne Gacy, Marilyn Manson, Where's Waldo, or The Insane Clown Posse. They never made up their mind and went as all of them combined. All we can hope is that Colonel Sanders takes them out before they embarrass themselves too much:

06. Superman

Nobody can be Superman. Reality sucks some times; but the old 'stopping a speeding bullet' test is always a tell-tale sign. But just because you can't stop bullets, and kryptonite doesn't do anything for you, doesn't mean that when the comic conventions come around you cannot dress up as Superman. But let us be honest here; like Spiderman (at number 10) you have to have the figure to wear that tight-fitting Lycra gear:

However; if you don't have the physique don't feel upset. But more importantly don't be making a fool of yourself. The bad Superman cosplay would have been better off going out as Clark Kent rather than Superman:

05. InuYasha

If I have to explain who, and what, InuYasha is you obviously never caught the manga series. So a quick description - The series follows the half demon, InuYasha, and a teenager from Tokyo, Kagome Higurashi, who is transported to the Sengoku period, where she meets him. When a monster from that era tries to take the magical Jewel of Four Souls embodied in Kagome, she accidentally splits the Jewel into various shards, which are dispersed across Japan. InuYasha and Kagome start travelling to recover it, gaining allies and enemies throughout the journey. (Thanks Wikipedia). With that said InuYasha is obviously known by a few things: the long white hair, claws, yellow eyes, and an over-sized sword. That is it really. A good example is:

A bad example is:

04. Chun-Li

Chun-Li first appeared in Street Fighter II; way back in 1991. Famous for her 'spinning bird kick' where she turns upside-down and spins; kicking her opponent repeatedly. Chun-Li wears a distinctive blue dress (qipao), large spiked bracelets, and white boots. She is the first lady of fighting games. A great example:

There is no getting around it. Chun-Li is female. With that said I have no clue why the following guy decided he could pull off being Chun-Li. With so many things wrong it is difficult what to pick on; but the hair band has to be the most obvious (apart from the meat and two veg in the nether region). If you can't be bothered to get the head gear right why even bother:

And if you are getting the kids involved; do it right like this:

03. Felicia

This one may or may not be safe for work. Felicia is a character from the Darkstalkers video game. Felicia is a bakeneko - which is, according to Japanese folklore, is a cat with supernatural abilities. One of those abilities is shape-shifting into a human form. There are two ways to do a Felicia cosplay - the good way:

And the bad way:

Sometimes words fail me and I just shake my head.

02. E. Honda

Eddie Honda, from the Street Fighter series, is the saving grace for cosplayers of a larger size. And even better; the costume is as easy as anything. You need a blue/white striped towel. That is it. Wrap it around your waist and you are done. Add the red markings with either face paint or lipstick and you can head out to the nearest convention and practise your 1000 hand slap. This guy looks like he's ready to go:

Now, the skinny people should not try this one at home or anywhere else for that matter. It is ONLY for larger people. Otherwise you just look like you are crazy:

01. Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero is a character in Mortal Kombat. Famous for freezing anything and everything that gets in his way. And he is also famous for ripping his opponents spines out. Hey, I never said he was a nice guy. If you are going to be Sub-Zero, carrying a spine around from a fallen enemy just makes everything in the world seem right. And this guy knows that everything is right:

However, there are always imitators. This next person should have took at a shot at being Eddie Honda rather than Sub-Zero. As they say in the cosplay world: "Either go big or go home." Luckily, by the looks of the photo, this one may have actually stayed at home:

Well, that is the top 10 best and worst cosplay costumes. But don't take my word for it get down to the nearest comic convention and see for yourself the people there. And don't feel too bad for the people I classed as 'worst' they may in time refine, and improve, their cosplay skills to become the World Champion of Cosplay; which in 2012 was won by Team Japan (Yukari Shimotsuki and Kaito).