Cosplay event sets the stage for Vizag Comic Con

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Arindam Paul and Kiran Raj bump fists in the hand-made gauntlets. | Photo Credit: Paul Nicodemus

Not every costume begins with a sewing machine. Some begin with a sheet of 6mm EVA foam, a paper template and a sharp blade. At Pawffe, a pet-friendly café on Beach Road, that was the starting point last weekend for a live demonstration of how to make the Helm of Solitude, a helmet from the video game Elden Ring. It was the centrepiece of a Cosplay Masterclass held ahead of the first edition of Vizag Comic Con.

The session was led by Arindam Paul, grand champion of the Indian Championship of Cosplay (ICC) 2025-26, and Kiran Raj, winner of the 2025 Hyderabad Comic Con Cosplay Competition. Nabaneet Mondal, assistant manager (community), Comic Con, who oversaw the masterclass, described it as the city’s first dedicated cosplay masterclass. The programme was pitched at all levels and covered foam shaping, metallic finishes, prop weathering, VFX makeup and wig styling.

“Cosplay is a unique hobby because it involves art,” says Kiran, a software and data engineer from Hyderabad who has been cosplaying for about five years. “It brings a character to life.” Like many in the community, he came to it through anime. After years of watching series such as One Piece, Naruto and Bleach, he began meeting people who dressed as their favourite characters. “I thought why shouldn’t I give it a try?” he says. He has since made more than 10 costumes.

Kiran Raj, winner of the 2025 Hyderabad Comic Con Cosplay Competition, in Zinogre Male Armour from Monster Hunter: Iceborne. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

His most ambitious build, the Zinogre armour from Monster Hunter: Iceborne, won him the Grand Prize at the 2025 Hyderabad Comic Con Cosplay Competition. It took him about six months, and he kept adding details afterwards. The armour is made of EVA foam of varying thicknesses, with some translucent foam. The detailing was done with a soldering iron, a rotary tool and a mixture of adhesive and fine sand. Its lighting is driven by an Arduino Nano microcontroller. Raj learnt about electronics specifically for the project.

Arindam, who is from Assam and lives in Bengaluru, came to the craft through painting. After the pandemic, friends told him that Bengaluru Comic Con was returning. “I thought of challenging myself,” he says. Within three months, he had made his first costume, Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima. Four to five years on, he holds the national title for the male Fatalis Beta+ armour set from Monster Hunter: Iceborne. Much of what he learnt, he says, came from veteran cosplayers across the country.

The materials for that build show how far the craft goes beyond cardboard and glue. EVA foam from 2mm to 10mm forms the base, shaped with a heat gun. Foam clay and silicone rubber add texture, while primer, gesso, spray paints, acrylic and oil colours, and epoxy resin give the surface depth. Magnets, hinges and aluminium wire take care of fit, and the electronics include LED boards and microcontrollers.