The chaotic world of Borderlands has a lot of equally chaotic characters, but Krieg from Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3 DLC may take the crown of the most chaotic protagonist the series has to offer. It may follow that the character would also be the subject of fan adoration and cosplay, including one recent gender-bending cosplay shoot that could have been taken right out of the games.
Krieg is a playable version of one of the franchise's most basic enemies, the maddened and mutated bandits known as Pychos, with all the physical mutations and broken psyche that entails. One Borderlands 3 DLC pack, Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck, is even dedicated to exploring exactly how shattered Krieg's mind is – and whether he can find a reason to keep living in the aftermath of Maya's death. His memorable design, dark and troubled past as a human experiment, and struggle to survive and redeem himself despite barely being able to control his own actions make him stand out from the rest of the zany cast.
Twitter user Hey Monty Photography brought Krieg to life in a remarkably game-accurate gender-bent cosplay photo. The photo was taken at Pax Aus 2019 and features a cosplayer who hasn't just captured the vibe of Krieg's Borderlands 2 design – they captured the feel of the Borderlands series itself with stylized, drawn-on musculature, block shading on their outfit, and a cool but impractical weapon. Many Borderlands cosplayers use the tactic of drawing on themselves to recreate the franchise's sketchy art style.
This cosplay outfit gives Krieg a white cropped tank top featuring the radiation symbol, battered grey pants with orange accessories, shoulder-length orange hair of almost the same shade, and a hose connecting her forearm guard to a device on her back. Her weapon includes a blade, a spinning saw blade, and a can tied crudely into place on the front-facing point.
A stylized gas mask covers her face entirely, but her off-kilter body language remains incredibly expressive. Her shins and right forearm are entirely wrapped in yellow caution tape, though some pieces of the tape appear to read "RADIATION" instead of "CAUTION." The focus on bold colors, jagged edges, and pseudo-cel-shading is a hallmark of Borderlands cosplayers.
Krieg has been cast in – and shown off by – the upcoming Borderlands movie, which may say something about the character's popularity. Psychos have been something of a mascot for the series, and Krieg is no exception, especially after getting a whole DLC dedicated to him. Genderbent or not, Hey Monty Photography's picture does an excellent job of capturing the elements of Krieg's character that make him so memorable and endearing.
Borderlands 3 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.