Summary
One clever and creative fan ofPokemonandThe Mandalorianrecently combined their two passions into a mash-up cosplay that they proudly displayed at New York Comic Con. The Ash-Dalorian, as this cosplayer calls it, combines features ofPokemon’s Ash Ketchum and the popular theStar Warsstreaming series' Din Djarin, but the centerpiece is clearly the tiny original Pokemon riding around on their back.
The annual convention, which has been held in New York City since 2006, sees upwards of 200,000 visitors according to figures from the 2023 event. While many people go toComic Con for movie trailer reveals, celebrity panels, and the like, it’s also a magnet for those who want to dress up as their favorite fictional characters.
Shared online in a series of photos by Reddit user father_of_bluberry, the cosplay features a set ofStar Wars-themed Mandalorian armorpainted to reflect the clothing style of Ash in thePokemonanime, such as a red and white visor-adorned helmet to match Ash’s iconic hat and fingerless green gauntlets to mirror his gloves. The images also show off a variety of instruments attached to the cosplay’s belt, such as a Poke Flute and purple bottle of potion, though they’ve all been dirtied up to match the setting of the wildly popular space western. But probably the part that stands out the most is the original critter riding around in the costume’s backpack: a replica of Grogu painted yellow, black, and red to match the color pattern on Ash’s best pal, Pikachu.
Cosplayer Reveals Pikachu and Grogu Fusion at New York Comic Con
The cosplayer seems proud of their mash-up creation, which has received plenty of attention both online and from other patrons at the convention. The cosplay contains a lot of details matching both characters, and its creator said some people at Comic Con looked it over for up to 10 minutes, admiring inclusions like thediscarded Cubone skullhanging off the backpack, the bottle of Repel spray at the waist, and a variety of Poke balls attached to various points around the original costume.
Cosplaying at conventions is a time-honored tradition, and a lot of fans come to them to show off their wearable creations or to marvel at the work of talented cosplay artists. ThePokemonfranchise provides more than 1,000 monsters that can be adapted into cosplays, making it a popular choice. Revealed earlier this year, a Dragon Con attendee’sPokemon cosplay took a whole year to pull off, as they showed up to the 2023 event as a track-suit wearing shiny Magikarp and evolved the cosplay in September to shiny Gyarados.
Pokemon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.