20 People Share Cosplay They'll Never Do Again

From /u/bgrein1993:

Nami from One PieceA dude jumped in front of me and covered me while I fixed my nip-slip. He then spent two days thanking me for the experience.

He spent two days thanking me for the experience. One thank you is weird.

From /u/TheOriginalH1h:

I did a One-Punch ManAt Comic-Con, I cosplayed. About an hour later, a guy playing an enemy character from the first season—I think he was the alien leader from the invasion ship—sprinted down the walkway and punched me hard in the stomach. My muscles tightened, absorbing much of the force, but I felt my lungs collapse and three ribs puncture my stomach.

From /u/Crimson_poppies:

I dressed as Link and got the normal ‘Oh hi Zelda.’ I found that funny and laughed it off. Many nerdy guys questioned my dedication to The Legend of Zelda.The Legend of ZeldaSomeone said, ‘you’re not a true fan if you didn’t play (insert their [favorite] )’. If I said I played it, they questioned every detail to prove it.Zeldagame here

A girl could dress up as anyone and get harassed, honestly.

From /u/sasksasquatch:

I rented a wheelchair because I tore my LCL and still wanted to attend the event. Many people sat in my lap thinking I was just cosplaying Professor X. My friend's parents lived nearby, and we got ice packs thrown on my knee to make people stop.

From /u/theorangehorns:

Any version of Harley Quinn.

Nobody knows how to act around Harley. Thirsty Harley fans do not. Joker cosplayers who are too in character do not. Neckbeards who quiz you on Harley knowledge do not. Other Harley cosplayers who dislike your version or accuracy do not.

Every Harley I met faced trouble for their cosplay. I did LEGO Harley twice and got little trouble. I met multiple Suicide Squad Harleys who were online suicide bait and pushed around by people who hated the character.

I performed as Harley at two events: a convention and a paid performance at a comic book shop’s ‘Harley Quinn Day.’ My cosplay was handmade, the wig was safe, and the colors matched perfectly, though it lacked LEGO Harley’s pads.

At the con, few problems arose. A creepy Joker latched onto me all con, repeatedly getting up on my face and wrapping an arm around me. Still, I felt no real fear because we remained in a crowd. People asked me which Harley I was, or they offered critiques on my "original" design before I told them I was Harley from.The LEGO MovieI did not feel I should shelf Harley; it was not that bad. I had a worse time that weekend cosplaying a podcast character nobody could identify correctly.

Working the event shelved the cosplay. I worked with two other Harleys, greeting people for Harley Quinn merchandise and taking pictures. They promised $20 each for three hours. That was not bad. Most cosplayers do this for fun and will do events for free if they like the gig. The email said we could choose store credit or cash upfront. Remember that.

Between photo ops, I talked to the other two Harleys. They told me horror stories. One mentioned she was posted on cringe pages, leading people to harass her and suicide bait her because she cosplayed Suicide Squad Harley, and people quickly called.Suicide SquadHarley’s fake fans claimed they were not real cosplayers. The other mentioned she touched up her makeup in the bathroom at the con. Someone cosplaying the original Harley grilled her, saying she would never do it.Suicide SquadHarley because it is "trashy."

By the end of the event, the comic shop owner cheated us. He gave us each three $5 coupons for the shop. I had to find the email to prove he offered us cash. After all that, I was done with Harley.

It is a shame; I spent money on the wig.

From /u/wayfinder111:

Snow White. People would not let me walk to a major comic convention. Parents shoved their children into my arms and made me take pictures with their kids. Kids flocked to me, which was the only good part. Parents pushed each other to get a picture with me and their child first. I tried to get the shuttle to the convention and had a small crowd that barely moved so I could board. My boyfriend had to yank me and run into the shuttle because we almost missed it. The same thing happened in the shuttle, off it, and while walking to the convention, and at the convention. After two more hours of this, I asked them to go back to the hotel so I could change and actually enjoy the convention.

The worst part was people shouting: "IT’S CINDERELLA! IT’S SLEEPING BEAUTY!" No people, NO, I’m Snow White, dang it!

From /u/-lyrota-:

Motoko from Ghost in the ShellShe got heat stroke in the first 30 minutes wearing her SAC full tech suit gear, which included a full body suit with gortex. She has not worn it since.

From /u/beetjuicex3:

Faye Valentine for Cowboy BebopOther lady cosplayers approached me and said Faye was a good starting cosplay because it wasn't intricate enough. I got tired of the condescension, not awkward guy comments.

From /u/Jelix01:

I will never cosplay full anime "plate" armour again. I wore Gilgamesh from Fate/stay night, 3D-printed, for 8 hours trapped in a plastic cocoon. Skin couldn't breathe, I felt pinching and serious chafing, huge welts and blisters covered me. On the way home, I ripped the armor off, tossed it in the nearest bin, and walked home barefoot in cycling shorts and a red cape.

From /u/MrKains84:

I refuse to dress as Deadpool again. I like the character but hate the community. People constantly approach me screaming about chimichangas or saying I'm not a real Deadpool fan and just riding a trend. The worst part is people take pictures without consent. I am fine with some photos, like if I am heading to a panel. But with Deadpool, people make me stop. Once, guys grabbed me while I was making a transaction in the dealers room because a friend dressed as Rouge wanted me to help her in a sexy photoshoot. My ex-girlfriend watched in horror. They even offered me money to force the other cosplayer into a sexual act. Luckily, friends were in the room with us.NarutoThey ran over to help during the photoshoot. I immediately said f*ck it and put on regular clothes; never again.

From /u/Procrasturbator2000:

No-Face from Spirited Away. I was accused of racism and told to leave the subway. An angry security guard took me aside, and I frantically found a photo of No-Face to show him and avoid more trouble. He became concerned and helpful, advising me to take the costume off before someone beat me up. My hometown has a large Arabic population, so I see why they thought I was an asshole because of the black cloak, black paint on my arms, and gold painted pebbles in my hands.

From /u/squished_squashes:

Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail.

The costume itself was not the issue; it is simple to say, but it had other problems.

First, I have small breasts, and the character does not. Many people mentioned this.

The character wore a very short skirt. Older men followed and harassed me because of it. Mid-October in the north of Scotland made it freezing cold.

From /u/TheyKilledFlipyap:

Star WarsCosplay frustrates people. No matter your character, some person starts talking and argues why Disney ruined their childhood. If someone shares their passion, do not criticize their view on it.

I cosplayed as Kanan Jarrus (The Jedi Knight character in RebelsSomeone stopped me in a hallway at a convention. They gave me a lecture on why "The Clone Warsis better than Rebels" while I cosplayed a f*cking Rebelscharacter.

I had the same thing happen when I did a Rogue Onecosplay (Krennic). Someone tried to convince me "Revenge of the Sith is better," even though I kept saying "Okay" and ending the talk.

I am working on a Mandalorian cosplay now. I already dread what I will hear next.

Let people enjoy things.

From /u/Trevor-On-Reddit:

Master Chief. Every Halloween at school, I wore an over-the-top costume. For my senior year, I wanted more. So I worked extra hours to buy Halo 4Master Chief armor. The problem was the plastic pieces. I could not sit down fully without breaking the thigh pieces. I had to squat over my seat in every class instead of sitting. My legs hurt badly by the end of the day. The costume was also very loud; the plastic rubbing made terrible noise.

From /u/Boop_Olive:

Baymax from Big Hero 6I usually do anime cosplays and I never have to deal with a large suit like that. For the hospital I was volunteering for I offered to cosplay for them. They chose the outfit for me: one plastic mask covered my eyes a little, and the inflatable suit broke after five minutes. Down the street, another Baymax with a perfect suit and a light-up screen was there. I felt embarrassed the whole time.

From /u/MissAcedia:

Back when the Assassins Creedgames were popular, I cosplayed as an assassin with friends who were also assassins (e.g., Connor, Ezio, Edward). I spent much time on those costumes and props, so I have no issue saying they looked good. We got attention, including being stopped for hours at the PlayStation booth for pictures because other assassins joined, and our whole family showed up.

I am short. My friends who cosplayed with me are tall boys. To avoid looking like a POP vinyl next to them, I wore boots with a high heel for height. This was brutal. We only got one day of tickets. Hours passed standing in poses, and we stopped constantly for pictures. The pictures were great; the time and effort paid off. But I felt awful. During a bathroom break, I took off my boots and placed my throbbing feet on the cold tile floor. It felt amazing. Some people who wanted photos saw my pain and costume. They chatted with me and waited for pictures until I put the boots back on.

I had to end early. I missed seeing around as much as I wanted. Leaving the huge convention center was slow too; I kept getting stopped.

Back at the hotel, I took off my boots. Huge blisters formed on the tops of my feet, heels, everywhere. This ruined the rest of the weekend for me.

A couple of years later, I cosplayed Lara Croft from the newer games. I wore flat, grippy boots with a gel insert. It felt like heaven.

/u/DJ780:

Jessica Rabbit. People really disliked seeing a grown man in a red dress and lipstick.

/u/thefauxmarialaura:

Edna, from The Incredibles. I am a short gothic lady and had the same haircut as her. I went as her for a Halloween party, and it became my nickname, especially when I'm angry. I hate it.

/u/Portarossa:

It wasn't cosplay. It was a Halloween costume for a university party. I dressed as Two-Face with a group of Batman villains. I used liquid latex for the face makeup. It looked grotesque. I felt proud.

A guy from my course I thought I was with was at the party. Fake horror burns do not work for drunken makeouts. He ended up with someone wearing a corset, booty shorts, and cat ears.

(Me? Bitter? Nonononono...)

/u/emHale:

Widowmaker. I felt my tits would pop out of the suit any second. The body paint and tattoos kept rubbing off because of the suit and armor. Someone bumped me, breaking a piece of my gun and some armor. It was so uncomfortable. Never again.