Zero Two ( Japanese : ゼロツー , Hepburn : Zero Tsū ) , also called Code:002 ( コード:002 , Kōdo:002 ) and 9'℩ ( ナインイオタ , Nain Iota , "Nine Iota") is a fictional character in the Japanese anime television series Darling in the Franxx by A-1 Pictures , Trigger , and CloverWorks . She was designed as the most prominent character and icon of the series. Zero Two is an artificially-created life form who aspires to become fully human, and an elite pilot with an infamous reputation as the "Partner Killer". She is well known for addressing Hiro , the protagonist, by the eponymous term " darling ".
91-450: Zero Two had the most labor-intensive design process and was designed to be an iconic character to act as a flagship for Darling in the Franxx . The series' creative staff came to the consensus she should be the most eye-catching character. The inspiration for Zero Two's anime design came from character designer Masayoshi Tanaka and director Atsushi Nishigori. Tanaka explained that the design team
182-430: A blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character . Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture , and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as
273-529: A comic book convention was at the 1st Academy Con held at Broadway Central Hotel in New York in August 1965. Roy Thomas , future editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics but then just transitioning from a fanzine editor to a professional comic book writer, attended in a Plastic Man costume. The first Masquerade Ball held at San Diego Comic-Con was in 1974 during the convention's 6th event. Voice actress June Foray
364-474: A "personal disagreement" in August 2023. In November 2023, G/O Media announced it was laying off 23 people across Kotaku and the company's other websites. Jen Glennon resigned her position as editor in March 2024, citing an opposition to G/O Media's desire for the site to deprioritize news and instead focus on producing game guides. In July 2024, it was reported that Kotaku Australia would shut down as part of
455-502: A Bar Senestro costume (from the novel The Blind Spot by Austin Hall and Homer Eon Flint ). Other costumed attendees included guest of honor E. E. Smith as Northwest Smith (from C. L. Moore 's series of short stories) and both Ackerman and Douglas wearing their futuristicostumes again. Masquerades and costume balls continued to be part of World Science Fiction Convention tradition thereafter. Early Worldcon masquerade balls featured
546-531: A UK convention, and Star Trek Las Vegas , a US convention. In different comic fairs, "Thematic Areas" are set up where cosplayers can take photos in an environment that follows that of the game or animation product from which they are taken. Sometimes the cosplayers are part of the area, playing the role of staff with the task of entertaining the other visitors. Some examples are the thematic areas dedicated to Star Wars or to Fallout. The areas are set up by not for profit associations of fans, but in some major fairs it
637-431: A band, dancing, food and drinks. Contestants either walked across a stage or a cleared area of the dance floor. Ackerman wore a "Hunchbackerman of Notre Dame" costume to the 3rd Worldcon (1941), which included a mask designed and created by Ray Harryhausen , but soon stopped wearing costumes to conventions. Douglas wore an Akka costume (from A. Merritt 's novel The Moon Pool ), the mask again made by Harryhausen, to
728-535: A convention were science fiction fans Forrest J Ackerman and Myrtle R. Douglas, known in fandom as Morojo . They attended the 1939 1st World Science Fiction Convention (Nycon or 1st Worldcon ) in the Caravan Hall, New York, US dressed in "futuristicostumes", including green cape and breeches, based on the pulp magazine artwork of Frank R. Paul and the 1936 film Things to Come , designed and created by Douglas. Ackerman later stated that he thought everyone
819-643: A cost-cutting effort from third-party publisher Pedestrian Group . In October 2024, Kotaku Australia began to redirect to Kotaku and made its article archive "publicly inaccessible". Aftermath reported that "this not only means the work of dozens of Australian writers over the course of 16 years has been lost, but also thousands of Kotaku US stories as well that, thanks to various server and ownership changes, had only survived via their reposts on Kotaku AU". In 2007, attorney Jack Thompson sued Gawker Media and site editor Brian Crecente over concerns that Kotaku declined to remove threatening user comments, but
910-495: A day prior, running on Nintendo Switch emulators . The article praised the game's performance on emulators (said to be better than on the Nintendo Switch itself), thanked " pirates , emulators , modders , and hackers ", and suggested readers emulate older or expensive games themselves. The article was criticized for promoting piracy, especially of newly released games, but was also noted to have sparked wider discussions about
1001-597: A fan event in Japan was at Ashinocon (1978), in Hakone , at which future science fiction critic Mari Kotani wore a costume based on the cover art for Edgar Rice Burroughs ' novel A Fighting Man of Mars . In an interview Kotani states that there were about twenty costumed attendees at the convention's costume party—made up of members of her Triton of the Sea fan club and Kansai Entertainers ( 関西芸人 , Kansai Geinin ) , antecedent of
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#17330861696081092-702: A feature of the Carnival season in the 15th century, and involved increasingly elaborate allegorical Royal Entries , pageants, and triumphal processions celebrating marriages and other dynastic events of late medieval court life. They were extended into costumed public festivities in Italy during the 16th century Renaissance , generally elaborate dances held for members of the upper classes, which were particularly popular in Venice . In April 1877, Jules Verne sent out almost 700 invitations for an elaborate costume ball, where several of
1183-656: A fusion of different genres (e.g., a steampunk version of a character), and it is a part of the ethos of cosplay that anybody can be anything, as with genderbending , crossplay , or drag , a cosplayer playing a character of another ethnicity, or a hijabi portraying Captain America . Cosplayers obtain their apparel through many different methods. Manufacturers produce and sell packaged outfits for use in cosplay, with varying levels of quality. These costumes are often sold online, but also can be purchased from dealers at conventions. Japanese manufacturers of cosplay costumes reported
1274-412: A holiday event. As such, when in costume, some cosplayers often seek to adopt the affect, mannerisms, and body language of the characters they portray (with "out of character" breaks). The characters chosen to be cosplayed may be sourced from any movie, TV series, book, comic book, video game, music band, anime, or manga. Some cosplayers even choose to cosplay an original character of their own design or
1365-581: A literal call by one Herbert Tibbits for what would today be described as "cosplayers" was advertised for an event held from 5–10 March that year at the Royal Albert Hall in London, for the so-named Vril-Ya Bazaar and Fete based on a science fiction novel and its characters, published two decades earlier. A.D. Condo 's science fiction comic strip character Mr. Skygack, from Mars (a Martian ethnographer who comically misunderstands many Earthly affairs)
1456-478: A monster due to her red horns and klaxosaur blood. She is also known as the "partner killer" as all partners who pilot Strelizia with her always die after riding three times with her at most, with Hiro being the only exception. She always refers to Hiro by the eponym "darling". Her true age is unknown but is clearly around Hiro's age. Her ultimate wish is to become fully human so she can reunite with an important person from her past, which turned out to be Hiro. Since she
1547-422: A monster, Zero Two possesses bestial physical characteristics such as two small red horns and fangs. She began to pursue her ambition to become fully human after meeting the protagonist Hiro in her youth, and frequently questions the meaning of humanity. Zero Two has a confident and assertive personality, as well as being consistently rebellious towards the collectivist, quasi-theocratic world government depicted in
1638-547: A movement started in 2013 by Rochelle Keyhan, Erin Filson, and Anna Kegler, brought attention to the issue of sexual harassment in the convention attending cosplay community. Harassment of cosplayers include photography without permission, verbal abuse, touching, and groping. Harassment is not limited to women in provocative outfits as male cosplayers talked about being bullied for not fitting certain costume and characters. Starting in 2014, New York Comic Con placed large signs at
1729-435: A non-speaking role in her first student film, Zyzak is King (1980), and later photographing her for the cover of the first issue of Femme Fatales (1992). Stevens attributes these events to launching her acting career. As early as a year after the 1975 release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show , audience members began dressing as characters from the movie and role-playing (although the initial incentive for dressing-up
1820-669: A problem for women who cosplay, as is " slut-shaming ". Animegao kigurumi players, a niche group in the realm of cosplay, are often male cosplayers who use zentai and stylized masks to represent female anime characters. These cosplayers completely hide their real features so the original appearance of their characters may be reproduced as literally as possible, and to display all the abstractions and stylizations such as oversized eyes and tiny mouths often seen in Japanese cartoon art. This does not mean that only males perform animegao or that masks are only female. "Cosplay Is Not Consent",
1911-516: A profit of 35 billion yen in 2008. A number of individuals also work on commission, creating custom costumes, props , or wigs designed and fitted to the individual. Other cosplayers, who prefer to create their own costumes, still provide a market for individual elements, and various raw materials , such as unstyled wigs , hair dye, cloth and sewing notions, liquid latex , body paint , costume jewelry , and prop weapons. Cosplay represents an act of embodiment . Cosplay has been closely linked to
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#17330861696082002-415: A prop weapon, sew their own clothing, buy character jewelry from a cosplay accessory manufacturer, or buy a pair of off-the-rack shoes, and modify them to match the desired look. Cosplay may be presented in a number of ways and places. A subset of cosplay culture is centered on sex appeal , with cosplayers specifically choosing characters known for their attractiveness or revealing costumes. However, wearing
2093-469: A revealing costume can be a sensitive issue while appearing in public. People appearing naked at American science fiction fandom conventions during the 1970s were so common, a "no costume is no costume" rule was introduced. Some conventions throughout the United States, such as Phoenix Comicon (now known as Phoenix Fan Fusion ) and Penny Arcade Expo , have also issued rules upon which they reserve
2184-438: A screen overhead. Other contestants may simply choose to pose as their characters. Often, contestants are briefly interviewed on stage by a master of ceremonies . The audience is given a chance to take photos of the cosplayers. Cosplayers may compete solo or in a group. Awards are presented, and these awards may vary greatly. Generally, a best cosplayer award, a best group award, and runner-up prizes are given. Awards may also go to
2275-512: A story about rumored upcoming features on the PlayStation 3 , and Sony responded by temporarily blacklisting the website. In 2015, Kotaku claimed that they had been blacklisted by major video game companies Bethesda Softworks and Ubisoft . Because of this blacklist, Kotaku opted not to be a jury member in The Game Awards when invited by Geoff Keighley in 2019. In 2023, Kotaku
2366-513: A subject. Favorite sources include anime , cartoons , comic books , manga , television series , rock music performances , video games and in some cases, original characters. Cosplay grew out of the practice of fan costuming at science fiction conventions , beginning with Morojo 's "futuristicostumes" created for the 1st World Science Fiction Convention held in New York City in 1939. The Japanese term "cosplay" ( コスプレ , kosupure )
2457-431: A well-recognized figure both within and outside cosplay circuits". Jessica Nigri , used her recognition in cosplay to gain other opportunities such as voice acting and her own documentary on Rooster Teeth . Liz Katz used her fanbase to take her cosplay from a hobby to a successful business venture, sparking debate through the cosplay community whether cosplayers should be allowed to fund and profit from their work. In
2548-440: Is "easily one of the best aspects of Franxx ". Skyler Allen notes that Zero Two's energetic nature "lets her steal pretty much every scene she’s in". Tokyo Otaku Mode News ranked Zero Two twice as the best Winter 2018 character in both male and female polls. On March 5, 2018, Kim Kardashian posted a picture of Zero Two on her Instagram profile, stating that the character was the inspiration for her hairstyle. Zero Two became
2639-517: Is an elite pilot originally belonging to the special forces unit with an infamous reputation as the "Partner Killer" due to none of her previous co-pilots having survived past three rides. As an artificially-created hybrid between humans and Klaxo sapiens (a cybernetic dinosaur -like species which inhabited the Earth millions of years ago), she possesses superhuman abilities such as increased strength and rapid regeneration . Commonly viewed by others as
2730-477: Is arguably the first fictional character that people emulated by wearing costumes, as in 1908 Mr. and Mrs. William Fell of Cincinnati, Ohio , are reported to have attended a masquerade at a skating rink wearing Mr. Skygack and Miss Dillpickles costumes. Later, in 1910, an unnamed woman won first prize at masquerade ball in Tacoma, Washington , wearing another Skygack costume. The first people to wear costumes to attend
2821-505: Is perceived to be. Authenticity is measured by a cosplayer's individual ability to translate on-screen manifestation to the cosplay itself. Some have argued that cosplay can never be a true representation of the character; instead, it can only be read through the body, and that true embodiment of a character is judged based on nearness to the original character form. Cosplaying can also help some of those with self-esteem problems. Many cosplayers create their own outfits, referencing images of
Zero Two - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-670: Is possible to visit areas set up directly by the developers of the video games or the producers of the anime. The appearance of cosplayers at public events makes them a popular draw for photographers. As this became apparent in the late 1980s, a new variant of cosplay developed in which cosplayers attended events mainly for the purpose of modeling their characters for still photography rather than engaging in continuous role play. Rules of etiquette were developed to minimize awkward situations involving boundaries. Cosplayers pose for photographers and photographers do not press them for personal contact information or private sessions, follow them out of
3003-547: Is very popular among all genders, and it is not unusual to see crossplay , also referred to as gender-bending. The term "cosplay" is a Japanese blend word of the English terms costume and play. The term was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi [ ja ] of Studio Hard after he attended the 1984 World Science Fiction Convention ( Worldcon ) in Los Angeles and saw costumed fans, which he later wrote about in an article for
3094-565: The Gainax anime studio—with most attendees in ordinary clothing. One of the Kansai group, an unnamed friend of Yasuhiro Takeda , wore an impromptu Tusken Raider costume (from the film Star Wars ) made from one of the host-hotel's rolls of toilet paper. Costume contests became a permanent part of the Nihon SF Taikai conventions from Tokon VII in 1980. Possibly the first costume contest held at
3185-581: The Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith , Cecilia D'Anastasio , Tim Rogers , and Jason Schreier . Kotaku was first launched in October 2004 with Matthew Gallant as its lead writer, with an intended target audience of young men. About a month later, Brian Crecente was brought in to try to save the failing site. Since then, the site has launched several country-specific sites for Australia , Japan , Brazil and
3276-618: The UK . Crecente was named one of the 20 most influential people in the video game industry over the past 20 years by GamePro in 2009 and one of gaming's Top 50 journalists by Edge in 2006. The site has made CNET 's "Blog 100" list and was ranked 50th on PC Magazine ' s "Top 100 Classic Web Sites" list. Its name comes from the Japanese otaku (obsessive fan) and the prefix "ko-" (small in size). In 2009, Business Insider reported that Hearst Corporation sought to buy Kotaku from Gawker Media. Stephen Totilo replaced Brian Crecente as
3367-407: The presentation of self , yet cosplayers' ability to perform is limited by their physical features. The accuracy of a cosplay is judged based on the ability to accurately represent a character through the body, and individual cosplayers frequently are faced by their own "bodily limits" such as level of attractiveness, body size, and disability that often restrict and confine how accurate the cosplay
3458-418: The 1980s and started to fall thereafter. This trend was reversed when the concept of cosplay was re-imported from Japan. Cosplay costumes vary greatly and can range from simple themed clothing to highly detailed costumes. It is generally considered different from Halloween and Mardi Gras costume wear, as the intention is to replicate a specific character, rather than to reflect the culture and symbolism of
3549-495: The 1st Cytricon (1955), in Kettering , wearing costumes and continued to do so in subsequent years. The 15th Worldcon (1957) brought the first official convention masquerade to the UK. The 1960 Eastercon in London may have been the first British-based convention to hold an official fancy dress party as part of its programme. The joint winners were Ethel Lindsay and Ina Shorrock as two of
3640-403: The 2000s, cosplayers started to push the boundaries of cosplay into eroticism paving the way to "erocosplay". The advent of social media coupled with crowdfuding platforms like Patreon and OnlyFans have allowed cosplay models to turn cosplay into profitable full-time careers. Kotaku Kotaku is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of
3731-411: The 3rd Worldcon and a Snake Mother costume (another Merritt costume, from The Snake Mother ) to the 4th Worldcon (1946). Terminology was yet unsettled; the 1944 edition of Jack Speer 's Fancyclopedia used the term costume party . Rules governing costumes became established in response to specific costumes and costuming trends. The first nude contestant at a Worldcon masquerade was in 1952; but
Zero Two - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-466: The Gamergate community. Its creator attempted to shut it down in 2018, claiming that it had become "infested with racism and sexism", but it was reinstated by a Reddit administrator due to the site's guidelines. In March 2024, the narrative development studio Sweet Baby Inc. became the target of claims from online users who said that it promoted a " woke agenda ". Kotaku editor Alyssa Mercante became
3913-626: The Gawker acquisitions, operating under the Fusion Media Group , a division of Univision. The Gizmodo Media Group was later acquired by the private equity firm Great Hill Partners in April 2019, and renamed G/O Media . In December 2018 Pedestrian Group , owned by the Australian media company Nine Entertainment , acquired Kotaku Australia . . The transition to G/O Media led to several departures from
4004-592: The Japanese magazine My Anime [ ja ] . Takahashi decided to coin a new word rather than use the existing translation of the English term "masquerade" because that translates into Japanese as " an aristocratic costume party ", which did not match his experience of the Worldcon. The coinage reflects a common Japanese method of abbreviation in which the first two moras of a pair of words are used to form an independent compound: 'costume' becomes kosu (コス) and 'play' becomes pure (プレ). Masquerade balls were
4095-679: The Nordic Cosplay Championship (finals taking place at NärCon in Linköping , Sweden). This table contains a list of the most common cosplay competition judging criteria, as seen from World Cosplay Summit, Cyprus Comic Con , and ReplayFX. Portraying a character of the opposite sex is called crossplay . The practicality of crossplay and cross-dress stems in part from the abundance in manga of male characters with delicate and somewhat androgynous features. Such characters, known as bishōnen (lit. "pretty boy"), are Asian equivalent of
4186-593: The Philippines and EOY Cosplay Festival in Singapore. The single largest event featuring cosplay is the semiannual doujinshi market, Comic Market ( Comiket ), held in Japan during summer and winter. Comiket attracts hundreds of thousands of manga and anime fans, where thousands of cosplayers congregate on the roof of the exhibition center. In North America, the highest-attended fan conventions featuring cosplayers are San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con held in
4277-737: The United States, and the anime-specific Anime North in Toronto, Otakon held in Washington, D.C. and Anime Expo held in Los Angeles. Europe's largest event is Japan Expo held in Paris, while the London MCM Expo and the London Super Comic Convention are the most notable in the UK. Supanova Pop Culture Expo is Australia's biggest event. Star Trek conventions have featured cosplay for many decades. These include Destination Star Trek ,
4368-427: The area, or take photos without permission. The rules allow the collaborative relationship between photographers and cosplayers to continue with the least inconvenience to each other. Some cosplayers choose to have a professional photographer take high quality images of them in their costumes posing as the character. Cosplayers and photographers frequently exhibit their work online and sometimes sell their images. As
4459-632: The best skit and a number of cosplay skill subcategories, such as master tailor, master weapon-maker, master armorer, and so forth. The most well-known cosplay contest event is the World Cosplay Summit , selecting cosplayers from 40 countries to compete in the final round in Nagoya , Japan. Some other international events include European Cosplay Gathering (finals taking place at Japan Expo in Paris), EuroCosplay (finals taking place at London MCM Comic Con), and
4550-493: The characters in the process. In the creation of the outfits, much time is given to detail and qualities, thus the skill of a cosplayer may be measured by how difficult the details of the outfit are and how well they have been replicated. Because of the difficulty of replicating some details and materials, cosplayers often educate themselves in crafting specialties such as textiles , sculpture , face paint , fiberglass , fashion design , woodworking , and other uses of materials in
4641-448: The characters they are portraying, cosplayers might also engage in various forms of body modification . Cosplayers may opt to change their skin color utilizing make-up to more simulate the race of the character they are adopting. Contact lenses that match the color of their character's eyes are a common form of this, especially in the case of characters with particularly unique eyes as part of their trademark look. Contact lenses that make
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#17330861696084732-575: The community have been attributed to the lack of representation in the industry and in media. Issues such as blackface , brownface , and yellowface are still controversial since a large part of the cosplay community see these as separate problems, or simply an acceptable part of cosplay. Cosplay has influenced the advertising industry, in which cosplayers are often used for event work previously assigned to agency models. Some cosplayers have thus transformed their hobby into profitable, professional careers. Japan's entertainment industry has been home to
4823-489: The competition). Another costume that instigated a rule change was an attendee at the 20th Worldcon (1962) whose blaster prop fired a jet of real flame; which led to fire being banned. At the 30th WorldCon (1972), artist Scott Shaw wore a costume composed largely of peanut butter to represent his own underground comix character called "The Turd". The peanut butter rubbed off, doing damage to soft furnishings and other peoples' costumes, and then began to go rancid under
4914-430: The cosplay community. As cosplay has entered more mainstream media, ethnicity becomes a controversial point. Cosplayers of different skin color than the character are often ridiculed for not being 'accurate' or 'faithful'. Many cosplayers feel as if anyone can cosplay any character, but it becomes complicated when cosplayers are not respectful of the character's ethnicity. These views against non-white cosplayers within
5005-417: The desired hairstyle. It is also commonplace for them to shave off their eyebrows to gain a more accurate look. Some anime and video game characters have weapons or other accessories that are hard to replicate, and conventions have strict rules regarding those weapons, but most cosplayers engage in some combination of methods to obtain all the items necessary for their costumes; for example, they may commission
5096-429: The editor in chief in 2012. Totilo had previously joined Kotaku in 2009 as deputy editor. In April 2014, Gawker Media partnered with Future plc to launch Kotaku UK , and with Allure Media to launch Kotaku Australia . Kotaku was one of several websites that was purchased by Univision Communications in their acquisition of Gawker Media in August 2016; Gizmodo Media Group was subsequently founded to house
5187-464: The effort to render the look and texture of a costume accurately. Cosplayers often wear wigs in conjunction with their outfit to further improve the resemblance to the character. This is especially necessary for anime and manga or video-game characters who often have unnaturally colored and uniquely styled hair. Simpler outfits may be compensated for their lack of complexity by paying attention to material choice and overall high quality. To look more like
5278-551: The elfin boy archetype represented in Western tradition by figures such as Peter Pan and Ariel . Male to female cosplayers may experience issues when trying to portray a female character because it is hard to maintain the sexualized femininity of a character. Male cosplayers may also be subjected to discrimination, including homophobic comments and being touched without permission. This affects men possibly even more often than it affects women, despite inappropriate contact already being
5369-448: The entrance stating that "Cosplay is Not Consent". Attendees were reminded to ask permission for photos and respect the person's right to say no. The movement against sexual harassment against cosplayers has continued to gain momentum and awareness since being publicized. Traditional mainstream news media like The Mercury News and Los Angeles Times have reported on the topic, bringing awareness of sexual harassment to those outside of
5460-490: The final episode, Zero Two and Hiro are nearly defeated but they sacrifice themselves to destroy the VIRM home planet and free the souls trapped by VIRM. At some point in the future, they are reincarnated into two children. Several pieces of merchandising action figures based on Zero Two have been announced. A Nendoroid , a brand of figures manufactured by Good Smile Company that typically feature exchangeable faces and body parts,
5551-718: The first permanent establishment, Cure Maid Café, which opened in March 2001. The first World Cosplay Summit was held on 12 October 2003 at the Rose Court Hotel in Nagoya, Japan, with five cosplayers invited from Germany, France and Italy. There was no contest until 2005, when the World Cosplay Championship began. The first winners were the Italian team of Giorgia Vecchini [ it ] , Francesca Dani and Emilia Fata Livia. Worldcon masquerade attendance peaked in
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#17330861696085642-415: The flesh, in much the same way that film actors come to be identified in the public mind with specific roles. Cosplayers have modeled for print magazines like Cosmode and a successful cosplay model can become the brand ambassador for companies like Cospa . Some cosplay models can achieve significant recognition. While there are many significant cosplay models, Yaya Han was described as having emerged "as
5733-657: The guests showed up dressed as characters from Verne's novels. Costume parties (American English) or fancy dress parties (British English) were popular from the 19th century onwards. Costuming guides of the period, such as Samuel Miller's Male Character Costumes (1884) or Ardern Holt's Fancy Dresses Described (1887), feature mostly generic costumes, whether that be period costumes, national costumes, objects or abstract concepts such as "Autumn" or "Night". Most specific costumes described therein are for historical figures although some are sourced from fiction, like The Three Musketeers or Shakespeare characters. By March 1891,
5824-653: The heat of the lighting. Food, odious, and messy substances were banned as costume elements after that event. Costuming spread with the science fiction conventions and the interaction of fandom . The earliest known instance of costuming at a convention in the United Kingdom was at the London Science Fiction Convention (1953) but this was only as part of a play. However, members of the Liverpool Science Fantasy Society attended
5915-435: The height of this trend was in the 1970s and early 1980s, with a few every year. This eventually led to "No Costume is No Costume" rule, which banned full nudity, although partial nudity was still allowed as long as it was a legitimate representation of the character. Mike Resnick describes the best of the nude costumes as Kris Lundi wearing a harpy costume to the 32nd Worldcon (1974) (she received an honorable mention in
6006-535: The late 1990s. A temporary maid café was set up at the Tokyo Character Collection event in August 1998 to promote the video game Welcome to Pia Carrot 2 (1997). An occasional Pia Carrot Restaurant was held at the shop Gamers in Akihabara in the years up to 2000. Being linked to specific intellectual properties limited the lifespan of these cafés, which was solved by using generic maids, leading to
6097-411: The lawsuit was dismissed the next day. In 2010, Kotaku criticized Japanese magazine Famitsu 's glowing endorsement of Konami 's PlayStation Portable game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker as a conflict of interest. In response, Konami revoked Kotaku ' s invitation to the game's launch party. On October 9, 2021, Kotaku published an article about Metroid Dread , which had been released
6188-416: The popularity of cosplay has grown, many conventions have come to feature a contest surrounding cosplay that may be the main feature of the convention. Contestants present their cosplay, and often to be judged for an award, the cosplay must be self-made. The contestants may choose to perform a skit, which may consist of a short performed script or dance with optional accompanying audio, video, or images shown on
6279-481: The princess, Zero Two is able to mentally connect with Strelizia to save him and stop VIRM from destroying the planet but this left her body catatonic. Mentally, she continued fighting VIRM in a galactic battle in space. She and Hiro reconnect, allowing Zero Two to merge with Strelizia, becoming the Strelizia True Apus, and overpower the VIRM. She and Hiro then part ways with their friends but promise to return. In
6370-450: The professional cosplayers since the rise of Comiket and Tokyo Game Show . The phenomenon is most apparent in Japan but exists to some degree in other countries as well. Professional cosplayers who profit from their art may experience problems related to copyright infringement . A cosplay model, also known as a cosplay idol, cosplays costumes for anime and manga or video game companies. Good cosplayers are viewed as fictional characters in
6461-554: The pupil look enlarged to visually echo the large eyes of anime and manga characters are also used. Another form of body modification in which cosplayers engage is to copy any tattoos or special markings their character might have. Temporary tattoos , permanent marker , body paint, and in rare cases, permanent tattoos, are all methods used by cosplayers to achieve the desired look. Permanent and temporary hair dye , spray-in hair coloring , and specialized extreme styling products are all used by some cosplayers whose natural hair can achieve
6552-456: The right to ask attendees to leave or change their costumes if deemed to be inappropriate to a family-friendly environment or something of a similar nature. The most popular form of presenting a cosplay publicly is by wearing it to a fan convention . Multiple conventions dedicated to anime and manga, comics, TV shows, video games, science fiction, and fantasy may be found all around the world. Cosplay-centered conventions include Cosplay Mania in
6643-462: The role of emulation in video game preservation . On October 10, Kotaku revised the article to clarify they were referring to game preservation and, after a complaint from Nintendo on a later date, removed all mentions of piracy from the article. Kotaku also issued an apology and stated that, though they believed emulation was "a vital part of the world of gaming", they did not condone using it to acquire games illegally. In 2007, Kotaku ran
6734-416: The series. As a child, she was significantly more bestial in nature with red skin, blue blood, longer horns, sharper teeth, and described as having eyes "filled with hatred for the world". Growing up, Zero Two took on a significantly more humanoid-like appearance, with red blood and light skin. An elite pilot belonging to APE's special forces, Zero Two is a mysterious and rebellious girl often referred to as
6825-481: The site on April 16, 2020, citing the issues surrounding G/O Media which filtered into disruptions at their sister website Deadspin around October 2019. Schreier subsequently took a position at Bloomberg News . In May 2020, senior writer Harper Jay MacIntyre departed from Kotaku , similarly citing conflicts with management, and joined Double Fine Productions as their content and community manager. Kotaku UK closed on September 9, 2020. Totilo announced he
6916-657: The site, as well as from other sister sites under the former Gawker Media label due to conflicts with G/O Media's management. Cecilia D'Anastasio left Kotaku in December 2019 to become a journalist for Wired . Joshua Rivera and Gita Jackson left in January 2020 stating it was impossible to work with the new management. Jason Schreier , one of Kotaku ' s writers since 2012 known for his investigative in-depth coverage of working conditions at various studios and development histories for various video games, announced his departure from
7007-400: The subject of many internet memes . One scene of an emotional conversation between Zero Two and Hiro became a meme when fans realized that the animation made their mouth movements easy to manipulate and dub over with nonsensical audio. Popular edits involved audio such as dial-up modem connection sounds or popular music. The meme began when a Tumblr user posted an edit with barking noises over
7098-510: The titular witches from the novel The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz . Star Trek conventions began in 1969 and major conventions began in 1972 and they have featured cosplay throughout. In Japan, costuming at conventions was a fan activity from at least the 1970s, especially after the launch of the Comiket convention in December 1975. Costuming at this time was known as kasō ( 仮装 ) . The first documented case of costuming at
7189-469: The two characters. The scene originates from episode 15 of Darling in the Franxx . In November 2020, a video edit of Zero Two dancing to a remix version of " 2 Phút Hơn " by Pháo became viral. The dance itself was taken from "ME!ME!ME!" The trend originated in China when TikTokers began mimicking the dance. The song and the associated clip of Zero Two appeared in popular memes. Cosplay Cosplay ,
7280-461: The wake of Takahashi's report. The new term did not catch on immediately, however. It was a year or two after the article was published before it was in common use among fans at conventions. It was in the 1990s, after exposure on television and in magazines, that the term and practice of cosplaying became common knowledge in Japan. The first cosplay cafés appeared in the Akihabara area of Tokyo in
7371-523: Was a child, she was inspired by a book called “The Beast and the Prince”, which she notes is similar to the circumstances of her and Hiro. She begins creating her own version of the story but intentionally left the last page blank because of the likelihood she may have to part ways with Hiro. She later finds out she is a clone of the Klaxosaur Princess created by Dr. Franxx. When Hiro is forced to link with
7462-480: Was blacklisted by Nintendo, reportedly over articles that covered leaks of unreleased Nintendo games. Further controversy followed when then senior writer Luke Plunkett posted a picture of a fighter plane with victory markings featuring the Imperial Japanese flag. In 2014, Kotaku was part of the accusations that instigated the harassment campaign known as Gamergate when a writer from the site, Nathan Grayson,
7553-515: Was coined in 1984. A rapid growth in the number of people cosplaying as a hobby since the 1990s has made the phenomenon a significant aspect of popular culture in Japan , as well as in other parts of East Asia and in the Western world. Cosplay events are common features of fan conventions , and today there are many dedicated conventions and competitions, as well as social networks , websites, and other forms of media centered on cosplay activities. Cosplay
7644-405: Was departing as editor in chief on February 5, 2021, though will remain in games journalism elsewhere. Riley MacLeod served as interim editor in chief following Totilo's departure, before Patricia Hernandez commenced her tenure as editor in chief from June 2, 2021. Jen Glennon was appointed editor of the site in October 2023, after previous editor Patricia Hernandez was reportedly fired following
7735-542: Was exchanged for pink to assist in marketing her as the series' icon. Tanaka adapted the original design for the queen of the Klaxosaurs. The creative team considered their goal to make Zero Two an iconic character as a success, citing the abundance of cosplay and fanart . When asked by fans, Nishigori stated that Zero Two was his favorite character in the series but expressed that he was more "attracted to her charismatic personality" rather than her romantic appeal . Zero Two
7826-400: Was falsely accused of writing a favorable review of the game Depression Quest as a result of his relationship with its developer, Zoë Quinn . After conducting an internal review, it was discovered that no review of Depression Quest existed and he had only written one article that mentioned Quinn in passing before their relationship began. The subreddit KotakuInAction became a hub for
7917-520: Was free admission) in often highly accurate costumes. Costume-Con, a conference dedicated to costuming, was first held in January 1983. The International Costumers Guild, Inc., originally known as the Greater Columbia Fantasy Costumer's Guild, was launched after the 3rd Costume-Con (1985) as a parent organization and to support costuming. Costuming had been a fan activity in Japan from the 1970s, and it became much more popular in
8008-426: Was more concentrated on "what sort of existence Zero Two had", rather than her appearance, beginning with a vague image of a "badass transfer student". The initial design concepts of Zero Two were substantially subdued in comparison to her final appearance, appearing as a small, quiet, dark-haired character, before the design team decided that the design did not work with the intended personality. Her originally dark hair
8099-399: Was released in December 2018. Other figures from Kotobukiya and S.H. Figuarts were released by the end of 2018. At Newtype Anime Awards 2017–2018, Zero Two ranked second for Best Female Character. Eric Van Allen of Kotaku describes Zero Two as "much a protagonist as Hiro" and considers her character arc as "one of the show’s best parts". Kyle Rogacion of Goomba Stomp expresses that she
8190-532: Was supposed to wear a costume at a science fiction convention, although only he and Douglas did. Fan costuming caught on, however, and the 2nd Worldcon (1940) had both an unofficial masquerade held in Douglas' room and an official masquerade as part of the programme. David Kyle won the masquerade wearing a Ming the Merciless costume created by Leslie Perri , while Robert A. W. Lowndes received second place with
8281-533: Was the master of ceremonies . Future scream queen Brinke Stevens won first place wearing a Vampirella costume. Ackerman (who was the creator of Vampirella) was in attendance and posed with Stevens for photographs. They became friends and, according to Stevens "Forry and his wife, Wendayne, soon became like my god parents." Photographer Dan Golden saw a photograph of Stevens in the Vampirella costume while visiting Ackerman's house, leading to him hiring her for
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