 |
| Photo by Cantera Cosplay |
I've got another interview for you guys with the badass and lovely Kitsune Kid! Formerly known as KO Cosplay, Kitsune is a cosplayer based in the New Jersey that I discovered alongside Byndo Gehk (more on the two of them later!) when she debuted her awesome Wartortle gijinka from Pokemon. Since then I enjoy seeing her wear many outfits from a wide range of pop culture media and have even used her Wartortle as inspiration for my Greninja which I debuted at NYCC last year! I even got a chance to meet her during the con and she loved seeing Greninja which meant the world to me! Growing up on Nintendo, Studio Ghibli films and Toonami, Kitsune really had a love for all geeky things. She says that she had two types of first cosplays when she started in college. One was a zombie version of Link for a zombie crawl event back in 2011 and the other was Yoko Littner from the anime Gurren Lagan!
 |
| Photo by Mikey Mongol Photography |
Yoko was created with the intention of wearing her at an actual convention. Speaking of cons, this past weekend was MagFest and marked as Kitsune's last convention she attended. In terms of cosplays worn there, Kitsune brought some of her classic cosplays such as Tifa Lockheart, Crimson Viper and various rave outfits matching with Byndo Gehk. Kitsune and Byndo are like sisters which is even apparent to their families as they are often mistaken for each other in cosplay pics. I definitely identify them as one of my OTP's <3.
Various outfits really stand out to Kitsune as she can't really pin down a favorite outfit. Crimson Viper has sort of evolved into her "trademark cosplay", the Pokemon gijinkas show off her creativity side since each are designed solely by her, and her Miqo'te Monk which was made for Final Fantasy Fan Fest (which she was a guest at!) has quickly earned a spot on her list. Most of Kitsune's cosplays come from anime with video games coming up as a second outlet! Comic books have been something she's looking into more after being encouraged by her friends!
I really enjoyed reading these answers she gave me and I hope you guys do as well! :)
What got you into cosplay and how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been cosplaying for about 4 years now. I got into cosplay originally because a few
friends in college thought I’d be good at it but it ended up becoming so much more to
me. It’s now a creative outlet and a way to challenge myself to learn new skills, make
new goals and meet new people!
Which cosplay was the first you ever created?
That depends on your definition of created! I made a cringeworthy “Zombie Link” for a
zombie crawl back in 2011 but my first cosplay I made with the intention of wearing it
to a convention was Yoko Littner. (I made bits and pieces of the costume. Some parts
were ordered and I commissioned my rifle, which I still use with my updated Yoko
Littner cosplay)
Thinking back to the last convention you were at, did you enjoy it?
Of course! MAGfest was one of my favorite conventions last year and even though I
had a lot of challenges along the way, it didn’t disappoint this year either. :D
What cosplay(s) did you bring to this convention?
Not very much because of time and money constraints but I brought classic Crimson
Viper, Tifa Lockhart and Vinyl Scratch among a couple of rave outfits to wear with my
best friend, Byndo Gehk!
What is your favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
That’s really tough to answer. I love Crimson Viper and she’s become somewhat of a
trademark cosplay for me. All my Pokemon gijinkas hold a special place in my heart
since I designed each of them myself and really show off my creativity. Angewomon
was my most expensive, intensive and painful costume but also one of the most
popular (not to mention one of my favorite characters from anime history) but of my
recent additions to my cosplay roster, my Miqo’te Monk, has quickly become one of
my favorites as well. Since I was sponsored by Square Enix to make it for Final Fantasy
Fan Fest, I was pretty much financially unrestricted while I had only a week to make it.
I can’t wait to wear it again! :D
 |
| Photo by Eurobeat Kasumi Photography |
What got you into being a geek?
Family! I was raised on a steady diet of Nintendo, Studio Ghibli and Toonami.
Do you have any other members of your family who are into what you enjoy? Or are you
at present the only “geek” in the family?
See previous statement. :) Naturally, my sister is also a huge geek.
What first drew me to your cosplay work was your incredible Wartortle gijinka! I even
used it to help with my Greninja gijinka (which you saw in person!). What made you
decide on the Valkyrie look? What was it like creating the cosplay as a whole?
Wartortle’s little winged ears reminded me of Valkyrie healms! I just took that idea
and ran with it, researching how Valkyries were depicted in Norse lore and taking bits
and pieces of their looks to add to my design while still staying true to Wartortle’s
general appearance. I chose Wartortle because when I first played through Pokemon
Blue, I did indeed choose Squirtle. I kept my Wartortle from evolving for the longest
time because I thought he looked so cool!
You seem to mainly cosplay from video games and comic book characters. Do you a
preferable medium that you enjoy more than another?
Actually, the majority of my cosplays are from anime series! Video game cosplays
come in a close second place though, followed by comics books. The majority of my
cosplays are steeply video games and anime because I only recently delved into the
world of comics! After I got into cosplay, I was urged by many friends to look into it
and I’m glad I did. Comic books just weren’t something I was raised with. The only
exposure to comics I had as a kid was the X-Men animated series (which I loved) and
Batman:TAS. I enjoy cosplaying from all mediums of geekery because I connect to
every character I cosplay.
 |
| Photo by OhHeyItsSK |
One of your cosplay partners in crime is Byndo Gehk, who I think I discovered at around
the same time I found your page! Both of you have done team up cosplays like more
recently Polaris and Scarlet Witch. What’s it like working with her and having photo
shoots together?
We are basically sisters. In fact, even our mothers have confused us in photos when
we show them our cosplays! Working with someone I’m so close with just comes
naturally. We are into really similar stuff while still retaining our individuality. We
nearly always agree on everything and lean on each other through thick and thin,
whether cosplaying or otherwise.
We plan on making so many more cosplays together that we might even make a
dedicated duo cosplaying page just for our stuff together. <3
I mentioned how amazing your Wartortle gijinka was and loved seeing he wasn’t the
only Pokémon you created a humanoid version for! I’m guessing you have a love for the
franchise which drove you to create multiple Pokémon outfits? What goes into selecting
the ones you want to cosplay as?
Selecting Pokemon to cosplay is surprisingly not such a lucrative process. I have many
Pokemon that are my favorites. I tend to like Fire, Electric and Dragon types. If a
Pokemon looks cool and I think it would translate into a neat gijinka design, I usually
sit down and sketch it and then decide if I like my design enough to cosplay it! That’s
it, really. :) Pokemon are also fantastic for group cosplays because there are so many
to choose from so everyone can pick one!
 |
| Photo by Photosnxs |
Do you have a certain favorite video game genre?
I love RPG’s, MMO’s (former WoW junkie here!), and fighting games, although I
recently got into FPS games and I’m slowly getting better at them. :D Lately, I’ve been
binging on Destiny and Diablo III when I’m not working!
What do you think about cosplay as it is now hitting the mainstream?
No matter where cosplay goes, it will always be the same thing to me. It’s a medium
through which I challenge myself to create a different form of art and through which
I can connect with friends and geeks everywhere. Most importantly, it’s nice that so
many people take the time to like my page and follow my work BUT in the end, it
makes me happy and that’s all that matters.
Do you have any upcoming cosplays for this year that you’re able to share?
Me and Byndo are always bouncing ideas back and forth but some things I’d like to
be able to pursue this year if I can afford it are some more Pokemon gijinkas I’ve
been sitting on for a while and possibly redoing some old cosplays that deserve more
love. :)
Do you imagine cosplaying being a part of your life within the next 5 years and do you
hope to evolve your skill set?
I might have to take a break from cosplaying for a while due to some financial
struggles but I definitely don’t plan on dropping it entirely. I’d like to save up and
make some really impressive armor pieces. I have the isolated skills, I just need to
combine them and give myself enough time to make something I can really be proud
of.
What’s a day in the life of Kitsune Kid? How did you come up with that name change
from KO Cosplay?
I’m honestly not very interesting. I work a lot. When I’m not at work, I’m working on
my small businesses at home, either sewing or knitting! I try to get some gaming in
even though I’m so busy since it helps me de-stress. I’m going to be a lot more active
on my Twitch channel in the upcoming months.
Well, it's no secret that I love canid and lupine creatures and Japanese culture.
More specifically, the Kitsune (or "fox" in Japanese) is a common occurrence in
Japanese folklore. They can be both benevolent and malevolent, can have magical
powers and, most relevantly, can shapeshift into people! As a cosplayer, I take on
many different forms every time I cosplay a new character, so I thought this was
quite a fitting name. Adding "Kid" into the end just makes it sound punky. I'm a bit
of a punk and that alliteration does sound awfully nice.
Any upcoming game releases you’re looking forward to?
THE BORDERLANDS HANDSOME COLLECTIONS SO I CAN PLAY WITH MY FRIENDS ON
PS4 HNNNNG thank you, basedgod Gearbox.
 |
| Photo by M1photo. Polaris by Byndo Gehk. |
Do you have a favorite convention?
I’d have to say Colossalcon.
What was the last TV Show you binge watched?
I rewatched MLP:FIM with my roommate. It was my 4th time.
 |
| Photo by Felix Wong Photography |
I really want to thank Kitsune Kid for taking the time out of her busy life to answer these questions for me and I hope you enjoyed them! To Kitsune, I miss you so much and I hope I get to see you again soon :D. Please be sure to check out Kitsune Kid on these sites!
