The best cosplay we saw at Arizona Matsuri 2026 in Phoenix

Phoenix residents packed Steele Indian School Park this past weekend for Arizona Matsuri, the two-day festival of Japanese culture.

This year’s event, which took place on Feb. 21 and 22, was filled with vibrant sights and traditional cultural activities. While Arizona Matsuri’s taiko drumming performances and bustling vendor rows were as popular as ever, the event’s numerous cosplayers were also one of the more attention-grabbing aspects of the weekend.

Dozens of Arizona Matsuri attendees roamed the park in colorful and elaborate outfits inspired by anime, manga and video games, turning the event into a living comic con. They also participated in daily cosplay contests that took place at the cultural stage.

This year’s crop of cosplayers at Arizona Matsuri were inspired by many staples of anime and Japanese pop culture. There were multiple people dressed as characters from series like “One Piece” and “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” as well as “Pokémon” and video games like “Genshin Impact.”

Some local cosplayers opted for lesser-known but still popular characters. Valley residents Arabella Noire and Daniel Krupela drew inspiration from the Japanese web manga series “Spy x Family.” Along with Noire’s cousin Fae, they became the Forger family, a spy, a telepath and an assassin posing as a picture-perfect household for a deep-cover mission.

The crowd loved it. Their appearance drew huge cheers during the cosplay contest at Arizona Matsuri on Feb. 22, where Noire and Krupela won first prize.

Yuhki Kanetani, the local comedian and anime superfan known as “Uncle Yuhki,” hosts the contest and says you can feel the energy shift when certain characters take the stage.

“You can hear it from the audience when certain niche characters come up on stage. Their cheers are louder,” Kanetani says. “It’s also really cool and overwhelming when everyone knows the character and everybody loves it, like with the Forger family.”

Kanetani says he’s always impressed by the cosplay contest at Arizona Matsuri. More than 50 people competed in 2026, up from 40 last year.

“The numbers are growing. I see a lot of people who are coming up with even more show-stopping cosplays than they did before,” Kanetani says. “But I also love the fact there are people who are just putting on regular cosplays, getting onstage and having a good time. It’s fantastic.”

Here’s a look at the best costumes and cosplayers at Arizona Matsuri 2026.