Spooktober is round the corner and it’s time to start sourcing for your Halloween costumes, makeup, and props. Japanese anime and manga are a great source of inspiration for Halloween costumes because of the sheer number of characters and costumes.
We know there’s a lot to sift through so we’ve compiled a list of 20 Halloween costumes inspired by Japanese anime and manga for you and your friends to choose from.
Image credit: @acary06
Kaonashi (No-Face) from Spirited Away is quite an easy look to achieve as it doesn’t require complicated face painting or an intricate costume. If your kid is obedient enough to allow you to paint their face, you can twin with them during Halloween and be an adorable No-Face family.
Image credit: 萌萌&咩咩(小小無臉男)
Hair:
Put your hair back using a hairband or hair net. You don’t have to do anything else to your hair because it should be neatly hidden under your costume.
Makeup:
Video credit: まあたそ
You will need face paint in white, purple, black and grey, all of which are available on eBay. Alternatively, you can use pigmented high-quality eyeshadow applied with a wet brush. If you’re using eyeshadow, be careful as there might be fallout and you might have to touch up on the white base again after you’re done.
Image credit: @cnge2ha.b_ayumi
Costume:
The costume is very simple as well. You can purchase the costume on eBay or from the Ghibli store. These costumes come with a Kaonashi mask, so you can choose to skip the makeup and put on the mask instead.
Alternatively, you can dress in a full-black outfit with black gloves and a black cloth covering your hair and neck if you don’t want to buy a costume.
Image credit: @amayantunes
The Female Titan is a formidable character because of her unique anatomy which gives her speed, endurance, and control.
Hair:
The Female Titan’s human form is Annie Leonhart, who has short blond hair. When she transforms into the Female Titan, her hair doesn’t change so you’ll need a blond bob wig.
Put all your hair into a hairnet to keep it in place. Put on the wig and ensure that it covers all your hair. Make sure that a section of the fringe slightly covers one of your eyes.
Makeup:
Video credit: KisaMake
As the Female Titan body consists of exposed muscle tissue, you will have to use face paint to recreate the details.
Image credit: Attack on Titan
Costume:
To look like the Female Titan, you’ll have to put on a skin-tight suit with an exposed muscle tissue design so that you look like you’re skinless. You can purchase the suit from AliExpress or eBay.
Image credit: Attack on Titan Fandom
Ymir’s Titan form, the Jaw Titan, is smaller than most Titans and bears little similarity to Ymir’s human form. Her Titan body is not well-proportioned because her head is too big for her body. Besides messy hair, the key to this look is an extra-wide mouth that contains sharp fangs.
Image credit: @carolinalbocca_mua
Hair:
Ymir’s Titan form has mid-length dark brown hair. Add curls and muss up your hair to get volume and texture. But if your hair isn’t of the right shade or length, you can get wigs here and here.
Makeup:
Video credit: Kleiner Pixel
Ymir’s Titan has extra prominent brow bones and cheekbones that protrude out of her face. This will require extra face and body wax to accomplish. You will also need face paint on hand to draw in the mouth and fangs.
Costume:
Ymir’s Titan doesn’t wear any clothes so you should dress in a flesh-tone bodysuit. You can get it from eBay or AliExpress.
Image credit: @dazed_senpai
Ken Kaneki is a half-ghoul who wears a mask and an eye patch to hide his ghoul identity.
There are 2 ways to accomplish this look – you can either put on a mask and eye patch or use face paint to paint the mask onto your face. If you don’t want to use too much paint on your face, opt for the mask and eye patch option. With the pandemic still going strong, you should be wearing a mask anyway.
Do note that using face paint will require more preparation so only go for that option if you have sufficient time to prepare before your Halloween party.
Image credit: @meraki.vic
Hair:
Ken Kaneki has short silver-white hair. You can easily purchase a similar wig on eBay and Amazon. You might need to do some trimming so that the hair is of the right length and style for your face. The length of the fringe should fall just above your eyes.
Makeup:
If you’re putting on the mask and eye patch, you only need to do makeup for your left brow and eye.
Video credit: Glam&Gore
Alternatively, follow these steps if you’re painting the mask and eye patch onto your face.
Costume:
Ken Kaneki wears a form-fitting inner bodysuit under a black shirt and knee-length black shorts. You can use similar pieces from your wardrobe if you have them, or purchase a ready-made costume on Amazon or AliExpress.
Image credit: @holaotaku_
Juuzou Suzuya from Tokyo Ghoul has a distinctive look with his white hair adorned with red hairpins, dark red eyes, and stitches on his neck and arms.
In addition to the hair, makeup and costume, you can also make or buy props like a scythe or a sword, which are often carried by Suzuya.
Image credit: @stalessia_
Image credit: @stalessia_
Hair:
Suzuya has short white hair and wears red hairpins, which form the Roman numeral XIII, to keep his bangs secured. Put your hair back using a hairnet and don a white feathered bob wig. You can find wigs that are sold together with the hairpins on eBay and AliExpress.
Makeup:
Video credit: Kleiner Pixel
Dressing up as Suzuya doesn’t require a massive makeover with face paint and wax. It can be accomplished with just regular makeup.
Costume:
Suzuya wears a white or light pink button-down shirt with blue or red suspenders and black knee-length shorts with a yellow pattern on the hem. You could probably dress up as Suzuya with things that you already have in your wardrobe. Alternatively, the whole costume is available on eBay as well.
Image credit: IMDb
Image credit: @mishkali
Izuku Midoriya, also known as Deku, is the main protagonist of My Hero Academia. The highlights of his look are his green hair, green suit, and freckles.
Hair:
You can get a green wig similar to Deku’s hair on Amazon, Wish, and eBay. Style the wig into the desired shape and style first before putting it on. Secure your hair in a hair net before putting on the wig.
Makeup:
Video credit: Weeb Chapel
Image credit: @kiomeme_
Costume:
Deku wears either the standard U.A. uniform or his green hero costume. The U.A. uniform consists of a grey coat with green trimmings, white shirt, red tie, and dark green or black dress pants. Amazon and Wish stock the whole outfit excluding the shirt, but you can use similar pieces in your wardrobe to complete the look.
Image credit: @fay.cos
Image credit: @pamsfabricationstation
For the hero costume, you can get the whole set on eBay or Wish. Pair them with red high-cut sneakers. Put on a grey or green mask to protect you while partying during Halloween and it’ll fit right into Deku’s look as he wears a grey mask along with his costume.
Image credit: @kleinerpixel
Hair:
Himiko puts her blond hair up in 2 messy buns. She has bangs and longer pieces on each side to frame her face. Style your blonde hair according to her hairstyle or get a wig on Amazon.
Makeup:
Video credit: Kleiner Pixel
Image credit: @monkey_d_lussy
Costume:
Himiko wears a navy seifuku (uniform) and an oversized beige cardigan. You can recreate the look with similar items in your wardrobe or get the entire costume on eBay and Amazon. Wish even stocks the whole set including the wig, socks, and shoes.
Image credit: @kleinerpixel
Hair:
Mina has short pink hair with 2 yellow horns protruding from her head. You can find a Mina wig which includes clip-on horns on Wish or Amazon.
Makeup:
Video credit: Kleiner Pixel
Mina has pale pink skin so you will need to use pink face paint to cover your entire face and neck.
Image credit: @cosplayurway
Costume:
Mina wears either the standard U.A. uniform or her hero costume. The uniform consists of a grey coat with green trimmings, white shirt, red tie, and dark green or black short skirt. Wish stocks the whole set sans white shirt but the look can be accomplished with items you already have in your wardrobe. Put on a pair of knee-high socks and brown shoes to complete the look.
Image credit: @evephoto.psd
Mina’s hero costume is a turquoise and purple camo skin-tight bodysuit with a fur-trimmed cropped vest ending above her waist, and knee-high boots. You can buy the costume on Amazon and eBay.
Image credit: @masukucosplays
Ichigo Kurosaki is a human who has Shinigami (grim reaper) powers and a Hollow inside his soul.
Hair:
Ichigo has spiky orange hair and you can find similar wigs on Wish and Amazon. Style the wig using hair gel to secure the spikes before putting it on.
Image credit: @nickeilgenesis
Makeup:
Video credit: Nickeil Genesis
Refer to a picture of Ichigo’s mask while recreating the look.
Image credit: @ka0riir0
Costume:
Ichigo dresses in the standard Shinigami attire which consists of a black kimono-style robe, a white undershirt layer, a long black skirt with pleats, white tabi socks, and straw sandals. Sometimes he wears a strap across the waist as well.
You can purchase the whole costume, including the wig, clothing, socks, sandals, and mask, on Wish or purchase only the clothing items on Amazon.
Image credit: @nessaja_hime
Hair:
Inuyasha has long, straight white hair and furry ears. You can get a wig with clip-on ears from eBay or purchase only the clip-on ears from Amazon.
Makeup:
Video credit: VREE브리
Image credit: @chopper_cos
Costume:
Inuyasha wears the Robe of the Fire-Rat – a bright red robe with a tight waistline. You can find the outfit on Amazon. A whole set, including the clothing, wig, ear clips, and the necklace, is available on Wish. For an even more exaggerated look, apply long fake fingernails.
Image credit: @catchcostume
Luffy is the leader of the Straw Hat Pirates and the main protagonist of One Piece. Thanks to his childish appearance and disposition, he is often underestimated by his opponents and this has proved to be advantageous for him.
Hair:
Luffy has short black hair and wears his signature straw hat with a red sash. You can buy a similar black wig on Amazon and trim and style it. The hat is also available on Amazon and eBay.
Makeup:
Video credit: Dei迪
Image credit: @akira_ikebukuro
Costume:
Luffy wears a sleeveless red top, blue shorts, and sandals. He also has a yellow sash around his waist. These are items you might already have in your wardrobe so you can work with what you have. Alternatively, the whole set – hat, wig, clothing, and sandals – is available on Wish. If you don’t need a wig, you can get this set on Amazon.
Image adapted from: sasakiasahi
Tony Tony Chopper is the youngest member of the Straw Hat Pirates. He is an adorable toddler-sized character.
Hair:
Chopper’s hair is hidden under his big fuzzy top hat. Tie your hair into a firm bun or secure it in a hair net before tucking it under the hat. The hat can be purchased on Amazon or Wish.
Makeup:
Video credit: sasakiasahi
Image credit: @matteo.placenti.ph
Costume:
Chopper is commonly seen wearing a pair of maroon or orange shorts. You might already have something similar in your wardrobe. Alternatively, you can purchase one on Amazon. Pair it with a beige or a yellow striped top. To look even more like Chopper, carry a blue backpack as your prop.
Image credit: @jellyjade_
Hair:
Sailor Moon has iconic long blonde hair that she wears in 2 odango buns. You can find the wig on Amazon and Wish.
Makeup:
Video credit: Ji-nie Cosplay
Image credit: @andaira29
Costume:
Sailor Moon wears a white top with a blue striped collar, white gloves, a blue pleated short skirt, and a red bow on the chest and back. She also wears red knee-high boots. You can shop the whole outfit on Amazon, Wish and eBay.
Image credit: @_magicalshotaboy_
Hair:
Ash has slightly long black hair that can be seen even with his cap on. You can find a similar wig on Amazon or style your hair with some hair gel to make it look like his.
Makeup:
Image credit: @tipsy_pig
Costume:
Ash wears a red and white cap in all his outfits. The most common outfit is a blue shirt with a white collar and white sleeves, a black undershirt, blue jeans, red sneakers and green fingerless gloves. You can get the blue shirt with a white collar and white sleeves together with the cap and gloves on Amazon and eBay.
Image credit: @chriscolferlovelyost
Hair:
Kusuo has pink hair and 2 antennas on both sides of his head that limit his power. You can get a pink wig with the 2 clip-on antennas from Amazon and eBay. Trim and style the wig to create a short, choppy, and shaggy look before putting it on.
Video credit: Weeb Chapel
Makeup:
Completing a Saiki K. look doesn’t require much makeup at all.
Image credit: Columbia Pictures
Costume:
Kusuo wears the standard PK Academy uniform most of the time. It is a green long-sleeved top with black stripes on the hems and matching green pants. The outfit is available on Amazon and Wish. A must-have in his outfit is his green-tinted glasses, which are also available on Amazon.
Image credit: @kimetsunoyaiba.os
Hair:
Tanjiro has black hair with burgundy tips, combed back to expose his forehead and scar. You can get a similar burgundy wig from Amazon or eBay. Style it with some gel and comb it back to expose your forehead.
Makeup:
Video credit: 小跌シャオティエ
Image credit: @kawaiikayy_
Costume:
Tanjiro wears a checkered black-and-sea-foam-green haori (traditional thigh-length top) over a white robe and black baggy pants. He wears a distinctive pair of hanafuda (flower cards) earrings with the image of a white and red flower. You can get the checkered haori from eBay and the earrings from Amazon and Wish.
If you prefer to get the full set which includes the haori, innerwear, belt, socks, and earrings, it is available on eBay, Wish, and Amazon. To complete the look, you can purchase a sword on Amazon as well.
Image credit: @_.nelphise._
Japan’s popular volleyball boys from Karasuno High are back with their long-awaited continuation from the previous season. What better way to celebrate the release than by dressing up as your favourite character from the show?
Hair:
Hinata has bright orange hair and you can get a similar wig on Amazon and eBay. Style it so that it is unruly and spiky before putting it on.
Makeup:
Video credit: Honey senqai
Image credit: @kuurissu
Costume:
The immediately recognizable Haikyuu!! volleyball uniform consists of a black jersey with matching shorts and white and orange stripes on the side. You can get this volleyball uniform from Amazon and Wish.
Image credit: @kami.samas
Hair:
Sōma has chilli red spiky hair and wears a headband around his forehead. You can find a similar red wig on Amazon and Wish.
Makeup:
Image credit: @shinryuucos
Costume:
Sōma is often seen in the Restaurant Yukihira cooking uniform – a black shirt with the restaurant’s logo on the back and a white apron over his pants. You can buy the shirt individually on Amazon and pair it with your own pants and white apron. Alternatively, the whole set – which includes the shirt, apron and headband – is available on Wish.
Image credit: @alkamicosplay
Hair:
Kakashi has spiky silver hair – you can find wigs styled like his hair on Amazon. After his left eye was injured and replaced with a Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye), he uses his forehead protector to cover it and protect it when it is not in use. You’ll find wigs bundled with the forehead protector on Amazon as well.
Image credit: @nrdy_nintndo
Makeup:
Video credit: KnRai雷
Kakashi wears a mask that covers the bottom half of his face so you don’t have to put foundation on your entire face. Slip on your mask onto your neck first before starting on your makeup. Carefully pull it up to cover the bottom half of your face after completing your makeup.
Costume:
Kakashi wears Konoha’s standard infantry clothing, which includes a jacket, dark blue pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. He also wears fingerless gloves. You can purchase the jacket on Amazon and Wish. The full outfit, which includes the shirt, jacket, and pants, is also available on both Amazon and Wish.
Image credit: @tanzoirl
Hair:
Kiki has short black hair tied back with a red bow. Use a curling iron to create slight C-shaped curls at the ends of your bob and use your own red bow or a red headband. You can get a short black wig on Amazon if your actual hairstyle and length is different from Kiki’s.
Makeup:
Video credit: Weeb Chapel
Image credit: @ladyblackwingscosplay
Costume:
Kiki wears a medium-sleeved black dress and red flats. The black dress is available on Amazon and eBay. Bring along a broom as your prop and your Kiki look is complete.
These Halloween outfits are just the tip of the iceberg. If you watch a particular anime and take a liking to any character, do a search for said character on YouTube and you just might find a tutorial on how to dress up as them. Even though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means that we have to take extra precautions to stay safe, it doesn’t mean that we can’t dress up for Halloween.
Check out these other articles to gear up for Halloween:
Cover image adapted from (left to right): @kimetsunoyaiba.os, @holaotaku_, and @_.nelphise._
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