Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has been a massive worldwide success, so it’s always nice to revisit the anime’s beginnings with Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko. As it turns out, Nezuko's origin story makes her perfect for a hyperrealistic demonic cosplay.
While Demon Slayer was already making beautiful traditional art style waves in Japan in 2019, the anime didn’t really take off to its current spectacular form in the west until 2020, and even that was before its mainline feature film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train set all kinds records in its home nation. Now that the Demon Slayer train landed in America, it doesn’t hurt to remember that at its heart, the show is all about a young man trying to cure his sister’s curse after losing the rest of their family.
Both of Nezuko Kamado’s forms are equally popular among Demon Slayer fans, but Nezuko’s demonized form presents the bigger and better challenge for Russian cosplayer Alina Fish. In this case, Alina is able to masterfully recreate every single one of the elements that make up Nezuko’s demon design, whether it’s the orange highlights in her hair, the pink kimono, the eerie possessed stare, the vine tattoo-like patterns that adorn her skin, and, of course, the horn on the right side of her head. It all combines for a look that would have Tanjiro terrified.
Naturally, human Nezuko is very different from her demon version and the latter becomes even scarier when she drops the character’s signature bamboo gag to get ready to fight with all of the anime's watercolored powers. Regardless of that, it’s easy to believe this cosplayer would have no problem pulling off any of Nezuko’s forms or even other Demon Slayer girls like Shinobu Kocho. As Demon Slayer's appeal expands into the cosplay realm, it becomes clear that the franchise’s popularity is no coincidence.
After all, the Demon Slayer film premiered with perfect timing in Japan, when the pandemic had eased a bit in the country and no other films were available. A very similar scenario to what in Japan followed in the United States as the film tore through whatever competition Mortal Kombat could bring to the table at the time, despite the language barrier imposed by subtitles for some.
Now that there’s a trailer for Demon Slayer season 2, and with even more platforms like Netflix serving as a home for the anime phenomenon, one can only imagine the anime getting bigger. This is especially true as more video games continue to release and the manga becomes an even more popular read for those dipping their toes in the anime.
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is now available on Funimation.
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