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| Photo by David Ngo |
Struck First gives you a first look at a cosplay just as it's been debuted/had its first photoshoot. Cosplayers have been kind enough to let me have a first crack at analyzing the cosplay by providing me with brand new pictures.
I'm easily pleased by Final Fantasy cosplays so when Kadu=Out was teaming up with his friend and fellow cosplayer Jihatsu for an interesting take on one of the most iconic gaming pairs, I was intrigued as all hell. Specifically, Cloud and Sephiroth were drawn by a friend of Kadu and the cosplays you see above look intense as all hell. One of the defining features of these iterations has to be the hair styles. Curled up in some areas, along with resembling the original hair designs (even Cloud's crazy spikes), both of them did an excellent job in recreating what the artist envisioned. The cosplays themselves were debuted officially at Anime Expo last month and garnered quite a bit of popularity. Not to mention the photos I found of these are stellar as all hell! Why not get started on talking about them down below?
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| Photo by Photographes Sans Frontieres |
Starting with Kadu=Out's Cloud, the outfit resembles his default SOLDIER garb that he wears for pretty much the entirety of the game. There's some slight deviations here and there such as the fur lining on some of the armor and belt buckle, and the paw print on the latter piece. The shoulder piece looks absolutely insane and the bolts coming out of it are colored up very nicely. The weathering details too are pretty rad. Straps come down each side connecting to giant pouches that are part of the belt. The pouches themselves are decorated with an X on the front.
Bandanna like pieces are seen extending down off of them. The infamous Buster Sword looks straight out of the game and Kadu did an amazing job in constructing it. The light silver/gray shade that covers the blade shines in some of the pictures I have picked out for you guys. Black boots round out the bottom with long pants and a turtleneck top. For Sephiroth, Jihatsu's wig looks just as crazy as Cloud's. The added goat-tee is a pretty badass decision from the artist. This cosplay consists of a long black coat with an opening in the chest. Held together by straps in an X pattern. The 2 shoulder pieces have a lion sculpted in with tiny dreads coming off of them at the bottom.
White lining can be seen traveling throughout the coat with some bands on Jihatsu's wrists. The wig includes black wraps on the dreads included in it. Regarding Sephiroth's Masamune, I doubt it's as long as it is in the game but it's long enough in order to have been bought into the con I bet XD. Plus, the photos of it in action off camera can easily give off that illusion. The duo shots and solo shots bring so much of these characters to life. I am superbly impressed by the skill these guys have and this made me excited for what they have planned next! Enjoy the pictures guys :).
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| Photo by David Ngo |
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| Photo by Lo Res Photography |
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| Photo by MH Photography |
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| Photo by MH Photography |
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| Photo by Photographes Sans Frontieres |
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| Photo by The Steel Shark |
I highly recommend you guys check out Kadu=Out and Jihatsu if these cosplays made you even more interested in their work. If not well, maybe you'll find some other cosplay they did to your liking!
Kadu=Out:
Jihatsu:
