Myanmar has its own traditions of elaborate clothing, head-pieces, jewelry, sashes and makeup, but these items are a far cry from the fantastical forms of dress that cosplayers enjoy. Cosplay styles are as varied as the fictional characters they emulate, often from science fiction comics or Japanese anime.





They are anything but “normal”, or traditional – especially in Myanmar.

To hone her cosplay fashion sense May Zin first visited an event in Yangon several years ago, where she also spent time meeting with fellow cosplay and anime enthusiasts.

For her, cosplaying is a hobby like shopping, she says. She likes to dress up as a princess and enjoys making the costumes herself, crafting accessories and building fantasy weapons.

“I have no time to be depressed. Whenever I feel stress, I make costumes and instantly feel better,” she said.

The Myanmar cosplay community meets at conventions and prepares for competitions, both in Myanmar and overseas. Most cosplayers dress up as Japanese anime characters, whilst others opt for Western super heroes or video game protagonists.





A global cosplay culture emerged in the early 2000s, developing from the earlier trend among Japanese teenagers. Cosplay came to Myanmar in the 2010s, with just a handful of players. There are currently over 100 in the Yangon sub-culture, who have their own fans and followers on social media.

Cosplaying in Myanmar is often perceived as a Japanese craze, despite it being over 20 years old. “Some people see it as a waste of money, which could be better spent on donations,” said local cosplayer Aung Pyae Sone.

Cosplay enthusiast Zaw Myo Aung, who organises events for the community, said that he noticed a change in attitude over the past year. “People have become far more accepting of the community and no longer judge us so negatively anymore,” he said.

Attitudes within the community have also changed.

“Participants used to judge fellow cosplayers based on the person’s appearance, for example their weight and skin colour. Nowadays, the community increasingly focuses on the quality of the costume and resemblance with the character,” Zaw Myo Aung said.

Though most of the local cosplayers enjoy emulating their favourite Japanese anime characters, participants also noticed that this trend was also changing. A small number of cosplayers experimented with DC comic costumes, and there were even those who dressed as characters from the popular Chinese historical drama The Untamed.

From hobby to career

At first, cosplaying in Myanmar started with a handful of like-minded locals who enjoyed creating their own fanciful clothing and accessories. As the trend has gained more media attention, the best cosplayers are sometimes commissioned to appear in overseas gaming shows and promotional events.

Competition is fierce, and only the very best are able to make any profit from their passion.

“It is difficult to be a professional at cosplay, and almost impossible in Myanmar. One needs to travel overseas to have any chance of success,” Zaw Myo Aung said.

However, a small demand for costumes and paraphernalia has sprung up from the community’s activities. Some people specialise in costume designs, while others focus on crafting mock weapons and accessories. Zaw Myo Aung and his friends even started a cosplay photo-studio called the Studio Hikari and work as agents to book cosplayers at parties and events.

The most serious cosplayers in Myanmar compete as often as possible for the best outfit and impersonations. When cosplaying started there were no more than one or two competitions a year. Currently, such events attract much larger crowds with competitions organised every few months.

Myanmar selects its representatives for international competitions, including the World Cosplay Summit. Local cosplayers have attended the event for the past three years, but so far have not won any prizes.

Most often teenagers join the community while at school, and become less active when starting university. Even Myanmar’s premier representative Hsu Thinzar Maung, who has been an active cosplayer for the past 5 years, said she will hang up her costumes to follow an overseas career at the end of the year.

Nonetheless, she has valued her time in this small but very creative sub-culture, and is keen to see how the community will grow in the future.