 | For Month of Light Yagami, we're corralling all the Kira cosplayers into Death Note News to share their tips on being God. (Remember when blAIRbender sold out Matt and started cosplaying that Yagami bloke instead? We do. The entire Mello and Matt fandom haven't stopped crying yet. The sadness. The horror. The betrayal in loss of all comfort and hope. The opportunities to troll during Gami-given moments like this - when the threat of a Force10 tempest couldn't give us pause to resist. Which is probably why Blair wrote her own introduction, instead of leaving me notes to compile one for her, like everyone else.) Here now to shed light on costuming Death Note's protagonist is blAIRbender - a cosplayer who has long-since had Kira all sewn up. |  |
I've been a cosplayer since the summer of 2008. I started as a Death Note cosplayer, mostly cosplaying as Matt and L. Then I made a Mello and a Light cosplay. I did the four of them for a few years, then started branching out into other series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Red Garden, and Venture Bros.
A few years ago, I made a Cersei Lannister cosplay from the show Game of Thrones. Nowadays I mostly just wear that and traipse around conventions with a group of Game of Thrones cosplayers called the Throne Bros. Oh, and I've also started cosplaying as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.
Matt makes an appearance every now and again, but for the most part, I don't do Death Note cosplay anymore.
Aside from cosplay things, I've been attending a university in PA where I'm studying costuming. In the fall, I was the assistant costume designer for the production of Ibsen's Ghosts that we did, which was an amazing experience. This semester we are doing Shakespeare's The Tempest and I have the honor of being one of three costume designers for it (thank God because there are a TON of characters in it). It's a lot of work, but I love it.
A few years ago, I made a Cersei Lannister cosplay from the show Game of Thrones. Nowadays I mostly just wear that and traipse around conventions with a group of Game of Thrones cosplayers called the Throne Bros. Oh, and I've also started cosplaying as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.
Matt makes an appearance every now and again, but for the most part, I don't do Death Note cosplay anymore.
Aside from cosplay things, I've been attending a university in PA where I'm studying costuming. In the fall, I was the assistant costume designer for the production of Ibsen's Ghosts that we did, which was an amazing experience. This semester we are doing Shakespeare's The Tempest and I have the honor of being one of three costume designers for it (thank God because there are a TON of characters in it). It's a lot of work, but I love it.
blAIRbender on How to Make a Light Yagami Costume with Goodwill Alone
| Do you/have you cosplayed Kira now or in the past? Yes - in the past Any anecdotes about your experiences cosplaying Light? Heh, Light was always fun to do. I would usually cosplay him while with Maru-Light and Anda-chan. Any time the three of us get together, some kind of hilarity ensues. Light was never someone I would act necessarily in character as while wearing. I mean, I would more or less act like a caricature of his personality. Especially when with Maru and Anda, we would make a lot of references to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho and a bunch of jokes surrounding that. The more bullshitting and banter, the better. How would you go about creating a costume for Light Yagami? I actually bought almost my entire Light cosplay from a Goodwill. He wears normal clothes, unlike the people I cosplay as nowadays. I was still in high school when I first cosplayed as him, so I had a very tight budget. Somehow I got lucky and found some pretty nice quality stuff that cost next to nothing.  blAIRbender stars as Light Lights Up Light Light - Kira cosplay at its finest (Oh! Hold on! That's also Matt trolling by cosplaying as Kira in a lampshade being light Light. OMG! blAIRbender never sold out! She subverted from the inside. HaX0R3d teh God of teh nub world! Gf! How could we ever have doubted her? Matt Jeevas cosplayer supreme, inside AND out!) |  What's Up, People? blAIRbender Light Yagami cosplayer, with L (Maru-Light), Mello (Anda-Chan) and Matt (KitsuneCowgirl) What clothing and/or props do you feel are essential Light Yagami costume items? A Death Note, red contacts, and a beautiful wig. Is there more to cosplaying Kira than the outfit? (Look/behaviour etc.) Well, I mean I would always act like an narcissistic asshole as Light. It's so much more fun that way. More opportunities for hilarious bullshitting. What's your professional opinion about ready-made Light Yagami outfits, such as those in the Death Note News Cosplay Store? Any other pieces in there decent enough for a Kira cosplay? (Be honest!) Never ever ever buy ready-made Light cosplays online. His clothes aren't unique. He just wears normal clothes that you could easily find in any store. It doesn't make sense to break the bank trying to cosplay as Light. Where would YOU source items to cosplay Light Yagami? Honestly, just go to a Goodwill or some cheap clothing store. It's so cheap and easy and you can find really nice looking stuff without spending a bunch of money. Any last tips for anyone reading, who wishes to create their Kira cosplay from scratch? Make-up, friends. It's crazy how much of a difference a little bit of contouring can make. |
More from blAIRbender  blAIRbender previously popped up in an older article about the things that can go wrong whilst in costume as a Death Note character: It Surely Must Happen to Mello Too - Death Note Secrets Gleaned from Cosplay | Cosplayers! Would you like to have a go at answering these questions yourself? A different Death Note character forms the focus each month. If you cosplay Death Note - or indeed a cosplayer of any tale - and you're willing to share your tips, thoughts and advice with the fandom, then visit our cosplayer's questionnaire page to fill in the form. Thank you in advance! | Posted as part of  |
