Cosplay and Costumes - Dragon Ball
The global fandom of Dragon Ball manga, anime, and merchandise such as action figures influenced the creation of many Dragon Ball cosplay and costumes. The anime series and its characters have had a strong presence during Halloween each year, as well as during Comic-Con, a convention dedicated to anime and comics, and manga. The popularity of the Dragon Ball franchise spurred an insurmountable number of designs and customizable DIY apparel, often by fans hungry to be relatable to the inspiring martial arts and mystical adventure-based hit series. Dragon ball cosplay draws upon specifics when it comes to the design of Goku's outfit by the costumes having different Kanji, or symbol variations relating to certain parts of the series.
All of the main characters from Dragon Ball have cosplayers worldwide, sparking interest even among people who are not necessarily interested in the series. The most apparent female character from the series, Bulma, has a fandom of her own with the different outfits she's seen wearing in the anime being heavily mimicked. The continued creativity in cosplay and DIY costuming has further spurred interest in other Dragon ball items such as collaborative clothing releases, namely the Dragon Ball Uniqlo collection. Dragon Ball cosplay has been so influential that even an MMA champion has embraced dressing up in Dragon Ball Z costumes, and making Dragon Ball poses during a match. Additionally, there have been pop stars and wrestlers who have worn Dragon Ball cosplay. Some of the most popular cosplay costumes that fans admire include bulma cosplay, and goku cosplay.
Goku Cosplay and Costumes
As the main protagonist in Dragon Ball, and Dragon Ball Z, the Goku, or
Son Goku costume is one of the most recognizable outfits in all Japanese animation. The widespread popularity of Dragon Ball cosplay has earned Goku cosplayers easy access to purchasing or even creating the look.
Goku's costume design differs depending on the specific part of the anime series. Although Goku's iconic orange martial arts-inspired uniform may appear the same throughout the series, the only difference between most Goku costumes is the symbol on the back and the symbol on the upper right front of his uniform. Notably, there are two different symbols to Goku's uniform which are first, 亀 (kame), meaning “turtle” in Japanese, secondly, 界 above 王 (kai and o), meaning “world king” in Japanese, and thirdly 悟 (go) meaning “wisdom” or “enlightenment” in Japanese.”
Goku’s Costume Symbol Variations
- 亀 (kame) or “turtle” - A name given to Goku in the series, when he trained under Master Roshi. All students who practice under Master Roshi were assigned the name 亀 (kame) on their uniforms. In the series, Master Roshi is also known as The Turtle Hermit.
- 界 above 王 (kai and o) or “world king” - A name given to Goku in the series, when he travels to King Kai’s planet and trains under 界王様 (kaiō-sama). All students who practiced under King Kai were assigned the symbol “界王” on their uniforms.
- 悟 (go) or “wisdom” or “enlightenment” - After the Earth dragon ball disappears, Goku increases his strength, and then returns with the symbol 悟 (go) on his uniform, which is the first half of his name.
Bulma Cosplay and Costumes
Although initially in Dragon Ball, Bulma was not a leading character, her role increased to one that commanded attention, and influence among cosplayers. If it wasn't for Bulma's research and scientific innovations such as the Dragon Ball radar, several battles wouldn't have been won. As the wife of Vegeta, Bulma gained even more fame among fans when she proved to be a useful and pleasant character, often donning feminine costumes that became popular although she was not a battle character in the animated series.
Dragon Ball Cosplay and Costumes In MMA Fighting
Itsuki Hirata, a ONE championship MMA fighter dressed up in cosplay as Dragon Ball's Android 18. In the series, Android 18 marries Krillin, and they have a daughter named Marron. In addition to posting photos of her costume on Instagram, Hirata made a Kamehameha pose inside the ring during a match. The MMA fighter noted that she regularly receives comments that she looks like the Android 18, a character designed to be an ally of Gero, an arch-enemy of Goku.
Dragon Ball Cosplay and Costumes In Pop Culture
On October 13th, 2016, Brittney Spears posted an Instagram post of her son dressed up as Frieza, Goku's most powerful nemesis. Britney Spears referred to Frieza as "Lord Frieza", signaling that she may be an anime fan.
Dragon Ball Cosplay and Costumes In DJing
DJ Soda, a popular DJ, who's known for her signature blonde hair did an Android 18 cosplay at Comic-Con in 2017.
Dragon Ball Cosplay and Costumes In WWE
On April 3rd, 2016 at Wrestlemania 32, a professional wrestling event, WWE tag team champion Xavier Woods and his teammates all appeared dressed as characters from Dragon Ball Z.
Links
Dragon Ball Series
Dragon Ball Z Series
Dragon Ball Kai Series
Dragon Ball Super Series
Dragon Ball GT Series
Super Dragon Ball Heros
Akira Toriyama