FanimeCon 2019: Our Favorite Cosplays, From Fate's Saber To God Of War's Kratos

FanimeCon celebrated its 25th anniversary with style this year, introducing a jam-packed weekend of cosplay, panels, and special guests. We're always impressed by the cosplay we encounter while navigating the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, and decided to once again compile a gallery of our favorites.

First held in 1994, FanimeCon is an anime and gaming convention that was first put together by several college anime clubs. Today, it's one of northern California's more well-known anime conventions, attracting various anime fans from across the state. FanimeCon 2019 saw several special guests in attendance this year, including Funimation ADR director and voice actor Jād Saxton and Studio Bones co-founder and director Toshihiro Kawamoto. Saxton has had a rather cat-filled career, voicing the likes of Carla in Fairy Tail, Koneko in High School DxD, and Haru in My Roommate is a Cat, but her voice has been heard in dozens of series dating back to Masako Hara in 2008's Ghost Hunt. Meanwhile, Kawamoto has worked on anime such as Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Space Dandy.

FanimeCon is most well-known for its massive cosplay turnout, as cosplayers flood the quad right outside the convention hall. Despite the blazing sun, you typically run into hundreds of cosplayers jam-packed into the space. We saw numerous anime and video game characters throughout the weekend. There were far too many for us to snap a picture of everyone, so we grabbed photos of some of our favorites.

My Hero Academia and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes cosplayers were out in full force. Little surprise there considering how popular the anime is for the former and manga for the latter. Seeing Game of Thrones cosplayers at FanimeCon was a little surprising though. Despite the popularity of the show, public opinion for it seems to have shifted slightly in the past few weeks with the final season. We saw all the Spider-folk from Into the Spider-Verse too, several characters from God of War, and the occasional deranged monster from BioShock, Bloodborne, or other spooky video games. All that and more can be found in the gallery below.

Both teachers at U.A. High School in the hit manga/anime series My Hero Academia, Hizashi "Present Mic" Yamada and Shota "Eraserhead" Aizawa are veteran professional superheroes. Present Mic's Quirk, Voice, allows him to amplify the volume of his voice. Eraserhead's Quirk, Erasure, lets him disable the Quirk of anyone in his sight.

Present Mic -- @Sutrodesigns

Eraserhead -- @Suzannehalka

Dante is one of the main heroes from the Devil May Cry series. He's most recently seen in Devil May Cry 5 as one of the three playable characters alongside series veteran Virgil and newcomer V.

Dante -- @Ragegearprops

Goku is the main character of Dragon Ball, a massively popular Shonen Jump manga that became a world-renowned anime. Similarly to Kal-El in the Superman comic, Goku is an alien sent from his doomed planet to crash land on Earth as a child, and his inherent biology makes him far stronger than normal humans. One of his most noteworthy superpowers is the ability to transform into Super Saiyan, a more powerful form that enhances Goku's strength and speed.

Super Saiyan Goku -- @Churrosandflan

Also from Dragon Ball, Cell is an organism sent back in time from the future in order to kill Goku and his allies. The antagonist is one of the strongest beings in Dragon Ball, composed of the genetic material from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, and King Cold. As a result of his genetic makeup, he possesses the abilities of all five fighters.

Cell -- @Deadpouch

Kakashi Hatake is the leader of Team 7, a group also composed of Kakashi's students Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Though he doesn't enjoy holding a position of leadership, Kakashi has proven to be a beneficial teacher for his students, instilling within them the importance of working together. Kakashi is one of the strongest ninjas in the Naruto manga/anime, proving his prodigious talent on more than one occasion.

Kakashi #1 -- @Stevoren

Kakashi #2 -- @sexykakashi

Morrigan Aesnland is the main protagonist of the Darkstalkers series, the most recent of which is 2013's Darkstalkers Resurrection, and she's also appeared in certain Marvel vs. Capcom and SNK vs. Capcom titles. A succubus princess, Morrigan is initially self-serving and bloodthirsty, but she has matured over the years to become a responsible ruler to her people.

Morrigan -- @Makeupyourreality (She was at FanimeCon 2018 as well)

The R-rated superhero Midnight is also a teacher at U.A. High School in the manga/anime series My Hero Academia. Nemuri "Midnight" Kayama uses her Quirk, Somnambulist, to spread a sleep-inducing pheromone from her bare skin, before sadistically dominating those who've fallen under her control.

Midnight -- @ashlynne_dae

Every good team needs a strong healer, and for Overwatch, that's Mercy. Her Valkyrie Suit allows her to both look and act like a guardian angel, soaring through the sky and along city streets to heal wounded allies and strengthen those on the front lines.

Mercy -- @Luckylai_

Another member of Overwatch, D.Va is a professional gamer turned hero. Much like her teammates, D.Va relies on advanced technology to increase her abilities in battle. Though unlike Genji's bionic suit or Solder: 76's visor, D.Va flies into battle in a battle mech (nicknamed Tokki).

D.VA -- @Yunikorn

The titular hero of the action-focused, hack and slash franchise, Bayonetta utilizes a various assortment of shapeshifting abilities, firearms, and her exceptional flexibility to hunt down and kill demons. Bayonetta has crossed over into other mediums, like anime, and gaming franchise, such as Super Smash Bros, as well.

Bayonetta -- @Vera.lucille

All four of these characters are from the manga/anime My Hero Academia, but they're not all on the same side. Katsuki Bakugo, Fumikage Tokoyami, and Ochaco Uraraka are all aspiring heroes studying at U.A. High School. Himiko Toga, on the other hand, is a high school drop out who's joined the League of Villians. Bakugo's Quirk is Explosion, allowing him to ignite the nitroglycerin-like sweat he secretes from his palms. Tokoyami's Quirk is Dark Shadow, which allows him to control a living shadow that's connected to his body. Uraraka's Zero Gravity Quirk lets her control the gravity of any object she touches with her fingertips. Finally, Toga has the Quirk Transform, which allows her to shapeshift into anyone after ingesting their blood. If she wants to become the person enough, she acquires their Quirk too.

Bakugo -- @_okamizer0

Uraraka -- @Airis.xi

Toga -- @Hiuunn__

Makoto Niijima, Ann Takamaki, and Futaba Sakura are all members of Persona 5's Phantom Thieves, a group of high school students who invade the minds and subconsciousness of criminals in order to get them to confess to their illegal actions. Makoto, whose codename is Queen, is the Phantom Thieves' strategist. Ann, called Panther, is the group's moral center. Futaba, who goes by Oracle, is the organization's resident hacker.

Makoto -- @Loricosplay

Ann -- @Oreoshima

Futaba -- @Mandifuru

Juvia Lockser is one of the many enemies-turned-allies in the shonen manga/anime Fairy Tail. Originally a member of the villainous Element 4, she decides to join Fairy Tail after being defeated by--and subsequently falling in love with--the rambunctious guild's ice mage, Gray Fullbuster. Juvia is a powerful water mage, able to manipulate the liquid in almost any way she desires.

Kratos is the main protagonist of the God of War series. A swirling maelstrom of blood-soaked rage in God of War, God of War 2, and God of War 3, the vengeful Spartan put down his Blades of Chaos and decided to become a husband and father in 2018's God of War. A son of Zeus, Kratos is a Greek god, but his recent exploits have put him into conflict with the gods of Norse mythology.

Kratos -- Solomon Black

In the manga/anime franchise, Fate, chosen Masters summon Servants to assist them in a free-for-all war for the Holy Grail. All Servants are historically powerful warriors and sorcerers, so to protect their identities (as myths and legends most likely detail how to kill you), they go by code names based on what they use in battle. Every war features a random allotment of classes, with Saber, Archer, Rider, Berserker, Lancer, Assassin, and Caster being the most popular. Altria Pendragon is the most recognizable Servant in the Fate series, and her Saber variant is the class she chooses in the Fate/Stay series.

Mecha Saber -- @discaliber

In the Titanfall franchise, Pilots are specially trained soldiers who know how to fight in Titans, giant mech-like weapons. Pilots are also given jump jet packs that allow them to survive falls of any height, both run and slide across the ground at great speeds, and run along walls.

Titan Pilot -- @Migoto

The Avenger that kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe arrived at FanimeCon in style. Though his armor had seen some wear and tear, the cosplay incorporated elements seen of Tony Stark's armor from Avengers Endgame.

Iron Man -- @jj510to415

Steampunk is one of the more fascinating fantasy subgenres out there, exploring themes normally associated with a cyberpunk setting, but replacing high-tech gadgets with steam-powered ones. If you're interested in exploring the genre, consider the Lady Mechanika comic book or Princess Principle original anime series.

Isabelle doesn't have any social media, but you can see more of her cosplay outfits in our FanimeCon 2017 cosplay gallery.

Alex Armstrong is one of the State Alchemists that aid Edward and Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist. Because of the nature of his alchemy--reshaping physical objects by punching them--Armstrong is one of the most physically fit characters in the manga/anime. Despite his intimidating physique, however, Armstrong is a rather lovable guy who enjoys praising his friends and giving them hugs.

Armstrong -- @karlschmahl

Above, remember how we said that Altria Pendragon is one of the Saber classes in Fate? Well, this is a different Saber. The true name of Saber Venus (also referred to as Red Saber) is Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. So instead of King Arthur, this Saber is based on a Roman emperor.

Saber Venus -- @stellachuuuuu

One of Disney's latest villains turned anti-hero, Maleficent is the antagonist of Sleeping Beauty and protagonist of the 2014 Maleficent film. The protector of a magical forest filled with fantastical creatures, Maleficent is a formidable fighter and terrifyingly powerful sorceress.

Maleficent -- @simoneybaloney98

He's a duck dressed as Katsuki "King Explosion Murder" Bakugo. That's all we got.

King Explosion Murder -- @titotheducky