As the pandemic subsides in many parts of the world, more and more in-person events are returning, including comic book conventions that serve as a playground for both amateur and professional cosplayers. If you and your friends are planning to attend a comic con in costumes but don’t know which characters to cosplay, then this new study by electrical retailer Ebuyer can help you pick the perfect cosplay characters for you.
Using Linkfluence data from the past 12 years, Ebuyer ranked the 30 most loved characters to cosplay in the past year, unveiling a list of diverse pop culture characters from manga series like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer; video games such as Final Fantasy and League of Legends; and the long-running entertainment franchise Star Wars.
Most loved characters to cosplay
Bakugou of the manga series My Hero Academia is the most loved cosplay character of the past year, with 30.3% of the generated online conversations about the character showing a positive sentiment. Bakugou, however, is also the most controversial character in the ranking, as 18.9% of the generated online conversations about him show a negative sentiment. Bakugou is often described as arrogant and aggressive, so the polarized view of the character isn’t surprising at all.
Adored for her strength and personality, Final Fantasy character Tifa scores the second spot, generating the second most positive sentiment (29.7%) in conversations online. Tifa is followed by the wild and reckless Inosuke from the manga Demon Slayer, with 28.3% of positive conversations about the character. Rounding out the top 5 are Naruto’s Sakura and League of Legends’ Jinx, with 27.3% and 26.2% positive sentiment, respectively.
Most hated characters to cosplay
Though Star Wars’ Stormtrooper is the 30th most loved character to cosplay in the past year, Ebuyer revealed that it’s also the most hated among all the characters in the list. 19.1% of the generated online conversations about the character show negative sentiment, suggesting that people are getting bored of the character that has been around since the 1970s.
As mentioned above, 18.9% of the generated online conversations about Bakugou show negative sentiment, making the character the second most hated cosplay character of the past 12 months. Landing in the third spot is Star Wars’ Rebel Pilots, with 16.6% of negative conversations online. Surprisingly, despite being such a strong character in League of Legends, Ezreal is in the fourth spot, with 16.2% of the generated online conversations about the character being of negative sentiment. Following Ezreal in the ranking is Paimon (15.6%), the traveler’s guide in the video game Genshin Impact.
Here’s the full ranking of the most loved and most hated characters to cosplay in the past year:
| Character | Character Origin | Positive Sentiment in % | Negative Sentiment in % |
| Bakugou | My Hero Academia | 30.3 | 18.9 |
| Tifa | Final Fantasy | 29.7 | 7.27 |
| Inosuke | Demon Slayer | 28.3 | 10.7 |
| Sakura | Naruto | 27.3 | 5.98 |
| Jinx | League of Legends | 26.2 | 14.6 |
| Nezuko | Demon Slayer | 26.2 | 10.1 |
| Evelynn | KD/A (League of Legends) | 25.7 | 6.57 |
| Rebel pilots | Star Wars | 23.1 | 16.6 |
| Aeris | Final Fantasy | 23.1 | 8.04 |
| Ezreal | League of Legends | 22.7 | 16.2 |
| Ashe | League of Legends | 22.2 | 15.1 |
| Mitsuri | Demon Slayer | 22.2 | 5.67 |
| Camie | My Hero Academia | 21.7 | 4.75 |
| Shinobu | Demon Slayer | 21.5 | 7.67 |
| Rey | Star Wars | 21.3 | 9.49 |
| Paimon | Genshin Impact | 20.7 | 15.6 |
| Naruto | Naruto | 20 | 10.3 |
| Shenhe | Genshin Impact | 19.7 | 7.85 |
| Todoroki | My Hero Academia | 18.5 | 6.47 |
| Sasuke | Naruto | 18.2 | 12.3 |
| Amber | Genshin Impact | 18.1 | 13.9 |
| Deku | My Hero Academia | 18.1 | 12.7 |
| Tanjiro | Demon Slayer | 17.4 | 11.1 |
| Giyuu | Demon Slayer | 17.4 | 11 |
| Mazen | Demon Slayer | 17.3 | 10.9 |
| Kakashi | Naruto | 16.7 | 9.38 |
| Hinata | Naruto | 16.6 | 7.09 |
| Princess Leia | Star Wars | 16.1 | 2.42 |
| Darth Vader | Star Wars | 11.9 | 6.95 |
| Stormtroopers | Star Wars | 7.21 | 19.1 |
Commenting on the study, Ebuyer marketing manager Courtney Williamson said that “cosplaying has polarized like no other trend over the past years and brings a whole new culture with it.” But at the end of the day, Williamson said that “if you’re looking to pick your next cosplay character pick the one you can identify with the most and show off your creativity!”