“Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12b

Although we had been told what to expect as we ventured into the fashionable Harajuku district of Tokyo, what we saw still caught us by surprise. As we waded through the crowds of shoppers, onlookers and performers on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, a veritable ocean of color and unparalleled array of fashion styles pummeled our senses. In particular, the popularity of cosplay was on display wherever our eyes wandered, which added to the gaiety of the general atmosphere. Now a world-wide phenomenon, the modern-day custom of cosplay can be traced back to Japan where the term was initially coined. It first appeared in an article by Nobuyuki Takahashi, after he participated in a science fiction convention accompanied by many costumed fans. In an attempt to verbally capture what he had witnessed, Takahashi took the two English words “costume” and “play” and amalgamated them to form a new Japanese word: “cosplay.” That unique term quickly caught on and is now commonly used for the act of dressing up to resemble famous characters from popular anime, manga, movies, video games and TV shows.

Many cosplay fans create their own costumes as they attempt to capture the appearance of a particular character. As part of the outfit, cosplay participants often try to emulate their chosen character’s persona and behavior. Social interaction between cosplay aficionados steadily increased and created a subculture that dominates certain locales and is promulgated through social media. The cosplay world has now mushroomed to such an extent that fans from around the world often participate in major conventions or events where they are judged by celebrity panels. Winners are chosen according to the craftmanship of their costume, accuracy, presentation and audience appeal.

Many cosplayers utilize a type of body suit as the base of their costume which is referred to as a “kigurumi” (着ぐるみ) which means literally “to wear a stuffed animal.”  Animegao (アニメ顔 or “anime face”), which refers to a mask that replicates the face of the character the participant is trying to portray, is becoming increasingly popular within the cosplay world. The more elaborate costumes can be quite expensive and demand a tremendous amount of skill to produce. The increasing popularity of cosplay has given rise to numerous business ventures to meet ever-growing demands and is said to generate over a quarter billion dollars in revenue per year in Japan.

From the dawn of time, clothing has been considered an essential human need, but clothing styles, colors and fabrics are constantly changing in accordance with cultural and generational preferences. However, there is another form of “clothing” that should always be the focal point of our wardrobe choices. The Apostle Paul urged the followers of Jesus to “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12b) He uses this metaphor in an even broader sense in Romans 13:14 where new believers are instructed to “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” This powerful imagery captures the thought that the virtues of our Savior should be the same qualities others will hopefully see in us. Just as cosplay fans try to emulate not just the appearance, but also the persona of their favorite character, our goal should be to reflect Jesus in all we say, think and do. But this is not a form of cosplay that we can manufacture or duplicate through our own efforts and God is ultimately the only Judge in such matters. He is also the only one who can truly remove our filthy rags of sinfulness through the cross and clothe us with His righteousness. That is our eternal garment.