What Cosplay Means to These LA Comic Con Attendees

There were a lot of cosplayers at Stan Lee's annual event celebrating the best in comics and fan culture.

Stan Lee's Los Angeles Comic Con (formerly known as Comikaze) took place this past weekend, and cosplayers from all walks of life came out in droves and packed LA's Convention Center to celebrate the movies, TV shows, comics, and characters that mean so much to them. PRIDE got an inside look at the goings-on of LA Comic Con, and we asked a bunch of cosplayers why they love cosplay, and what it means to them...

All photos by Raffy Ermac

Haku, Spirited Away

"Cosplay has been a huge part of my life for years," LA Comic Con attendee Taylor said. "It means creativity, and it's self expression. It's really an amazing thing."

Khal Drogo, Game of Thrones

Kaname Madoka, Madoka Magica and Luciel Choi, Submarine 707R and Minami Kotori, Love Life and Jaehee Kong, Mystic Messenger

"It means being able to do something I enjoy and express myself," Valentine (far left) who played a character from Kaname Madoka and attended with her friends said of what cosplay means to her. 

"I'm broke because of my hobby," Zack (middle left) said.

"I get to hang out with a bunch of cool people and be myself without being judged," Autumn (middle right) said.

"I get to have fun and meet new friends and just be who I want to be," Felix (far right) said.

Cosplay is not consent!

A sign outside of the convention grounds reminding attendees that just because someone is in cool and awesome cosplay, it doesn't mean you can touch or take pictures of them without their explicit consent. 

Star-Lord, Guardians of the Galaxy

"It's just a fine time. Why not?" Grace Toyonaga said of what cosplay means to her.

Venusaur, Pokémon

"Cosplay is just a way for me and my friends to really get together and we get to express ourselves in a way that kind of we don't get to anywhere else," said Emily. "It's the way I met my friends. It really is just how I got to be who I am."

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars

"It's just really great to be able to represent your favorite characters in such a form of actually being able to look like them for a little bit," said said Courtney Everett, who cosplayed Anakin Skywalker and attended LA Comic Con with Jamie Wells, who cosplayed Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

Storm, X-Men

"I like seeing myself represented on the big screen, so it was really important for me to cosplay Storm," said cosplayer and attendee Corey. "Black womanhood is taken so much for granted, and I wanted to express that and to show my support for what they're doing over at Marvel. She's one of my favorite superheroes, and I feel like cosplay means stepping into the character that makes you feel like you can be a better you. It's the best you you can be. Expression is really important, and cosplay is one way that you can do that. It's a way for you to reflect on the outside how you feel on the inside."

Sailor Neptune, Sailor Moon

"It means that I can literally do whatever I want and I can pretend for that minute that I am invincible and independent and awesome," Sailor Moon fan Marissa said.

James and Jessie, Team Rocket, Pokémon

"Cosplay is just getting out there, having fun, finding the things you love, and being those characters," Christin, who played Jessie, said.

"It means expression. Who we really are and what we really love," said Jimmy, who played James, said.

Ghost Rider

Evil Clown (Original Character)

"I love that when you attend comic cons or any con, you can escape reality for that brief matter of time and be whoever you want to be without being judged. It's as if you are with a whole new and bigger family who don't look at you any different," said Bianca Sanchez, a makeup artist who came up with her own original clown cosplay character when she attended LA Comic Con on Saturday.

Wolverine, Bishop, and Cyclops, X-Men

Scorpion, Mortal Kombat

Rick, Rick and Morty

Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff, Pokémon

Luke Cage's Mike Colter

One of the main panels during LA Comic Con was a Q&A session with Luke Cage actor Mike Colter! Fans went crazy for him, and he talked about what it was like representing people of color in the superhero landscape and the popularity behind the hit Netlix show.

...and Stan Lee made a special appearance during Mike's panel!

The crowd went crazy for the iconic face behind so many Marvel comics!

The Black Knight, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon

"I do it because it makes people happy," said Nick, who dressed up as Sailor Moon and attended Stan Lee's LA Comic Con with his friend Dominique. "I like looking around at all the stuff. I love the anime, and sometimes there's a hentai booth every now and then that I like to look at."

Star Wars Storm Trooper/Deadpool crossover

Scorpion, Mortal Kombat

"Everyone gathers together, gets to have fun, be themselves, and meet new people," said cosplayer Gabrielle Cruz.

Finn, Adventure Time and Ness, EarthBound/Super Smash Bros.

Evil Eye

Little Bo Peep, Toy Story

Link and Ganondorf, The Legend of Zelda

Cruella Deville, 101 Dalmatians and Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty

Demonic Sonic the Hedgehog

Princess Anastasia

Power Rangers

Jubilee and Magneto, X-Men

Princess Zelda and a Fairy, The Legend of Zelda

The Joker and Harley Quinn, Batman/Suicide Squad

Princess Mononoke

"[Cosplay] means having fun, expressing yourself, and roleplaying as a character that you really, really, really like," said Princess Mononoke cosplayer Cindy.

Warrior, Skyrim (far right)

Spider-Man and Chun Li, Street Fighter

Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Moon

"It's just a really nice way to meet people and have conversations, and to personify characters that you really like," said Tom. "Sailor Jupiter was my favorite as a kid, and now I can dress up as her."

Harley Quinn and Deadshot, Batman/Suicide Squad

Sailor Moon/Spider-Man crossover

Roadhog and Junkrat, Overwatch

Wonder Woman and Superman

Rosalina, Mario Kart

"It's an outlet for me to be creative, be myself, bring my characters that I love from video games or movies and TV shows to life," said Seti. "That's the only time that I can show my love for them; how much I love them and how much I adore them." 

Aquaman and Wonder Woman

Ryu, Street Fighter