Benjamin Leatherman
Audio By Carbonatix
Joystick jockeys, gaming fiends and esports competitors weren’t the only people who attended Phoenix’s Game On Expo 2024. Local cosplayers were also in abundance at the three-day multimedia and gaming event from Friday to Sunday at the Phoenix Convention Center.
And they were wearing some fantastic costumes inspired by video games, anime and other geeky subject matter. Game On Expo attendees dressed as characters from the “Halo,” “Metal Gear” and “The Legend of Zelda” franchises, as well as popular anime series like “Chainsaw Man.”
There was even cosplay inspired by historical figures at the Expo. Katherine and Joshua Tongret of Surprise, for instance, came as Catherine the Great, the 18th-century empress of Russia, and her husband, Peter III. Both wore intricate and elegant formal wear.
Here’s a look at all of the impressive and amazing costumes Phoenix New Times encountered at Game On Expo 2024.
This group came dressed as characters from the “Super Mario” series. Clockwise from left: Gael Jimenez as Luigi, Zachary Reyes as Mario, Nahyma Loya as Princess Peach, Faustino Loya as Bowser and and Nia Montes as Toad.
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A scary character from “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”
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Streetlight Cosplay of Phoenix as Light Dragon Zelda from “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom.”
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This cosplayer created the Evangelion Unit-01 armor from the anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion.”
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Race Michael of Scottsdale spent two to three months creating his fantastic-looking cosplay of Gabriel, Judge of Hell from the video game “ULTRAKILL.”
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Queen Creek resident Yajaira Eve’s original cosplay was a “humanoid representation” of the ocean.
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Admit it, you’d love to see a crossover between “The Legend of Zelda” and “Borderlands.”
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Scorpion from “Mortal Kombat.”
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Members of local “Halo” cosplay group Fireteam Phoenix.
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Dr. Mario makes an appearance at Game On Expo 2024.
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Phoenix cosplayers Jesus Watson (left) as Venti Barbados and EeveeChan (right) as Raiden Shogun, both characters from the video game “Genshin Impact.”
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Jake McCormick of El Mirage dressed up as legendary Nintendo character Donkey Kong.
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Chandler cosplayer Schrei205 as a Blood Elf Priest from “World of Warcraft.”
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Texas resident Beau Autin as Kano from the “Mortal Kombat” series.
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Lady Dimitrescu (left) and Karl Heisenberg from “Resident Evil Village.”
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A fursuit version of Majora’s Mask from “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.”
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Little Mac from the “Punch Out!” series.
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ThermoCosplay as Sofina, one of the the Red Wizards of Thay from the 2023 movie “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.”
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Chandler cosplayer king_zotic as a character from the indie video game “Cult of the Lamb.”
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Chicago resident Ceekaycosplays won the “Best in Show” award at Game On Expo’s costume contest while portraying Orin the Red from the fantasy role-playing video game “Baldur’s Gate 3.”
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Shadow the Hedgehog and Tails from the “Sonic the Hedgehog” series.
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This Los Angeles-based cosplayer portrayed the dwarf warrior Senshi from the Japanese manga series “Delicious in Dungeon.”
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Laura Gwynn from Maricopa crafted this cosplay of Lute from the Amazon animated series “Hazbin Hotel.”
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This Phoenix cosplayer, who called himself “The Last Samurai,” came to Game On Expo as Seto Kaiba from the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” anime series.
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Local cosplayer Dauphine Clara as a lamb version of Haru Okumura from the video game “Persona 5.”
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Fans of the Netflix anime series “High-Rise Invasion” will recognize this cosplay of the anti-hero character Sniper Mask.
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Albuquerque-based cosplayer NocturneCrow as Bad Girl, an assassin from the video game “No More Heroes III.”
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This attendee of Game On Expo came as Shorty from the 1988 cult classic film “Killer Klowns From Outer Space.”
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Local cosplayer Mayah_Damage as Sandrone from the video game “Genshin Impact.”
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Mooncat Peach from Litchfield Park says she cosplayed Bowsette from the “Super Mario” universe because it fit her “brazen personality” and helped boost her confidence.
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A cosplayer at Game On Expo dressed as Ball Guy from “Pokémon Sword” and “Pokémon Shield.”
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Tucson artist and cosplayer DuckyAfterDark as Beatrice from the anime and video game “Umineko When They Cry.”
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Evey.c0sp14ly of Phoenix created this amusing cosplay of Azura from the action role-playing video game series “The Elder Scrolls.”
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A cosplay of the character Jester Lavorre from popular tabletop gaming web series “Critical Role” we encountered in the exhibitor hall.
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Detroit resident Sadie Huggler as Starfire from the DC Comics fighting game “Injustice 2.”
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