I had watched K-Pop Demon Hunters once before and just knew I had to share it with my bestie. She’d heard about it already, but the hype hadn’t quite caught her attention.
“It’s actually a fun, feel-good movie. You’d like it.”
That’s all it took to coax her into watching it with me.
Within minutes, we were both leaning forward, eyes wide, and in perfect unison:
“We have to cosplay KPDH!”
And honestly, choosing who to cosplay was an easy decision for me.
My favorite quotes:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the baddest? Us, hello!”
“Don’t worry. It’s totally legit.”
“Hehe … wazzup.”
“The leather has betrayed us!”
“They will face my wrath!”
“Before I joined HUNTR/X, I felt like my thoughts and lyrics and all my notebooks were just useless… and weird. But with the two of you, they mean something. I mean something.”
“You’re too much … and not enough … you’ll never belong anywhere.”
“You’re just my type! Oh well.”
Shop the Outfit
I was so determined to make Zoey’s outfit myself – I even started sketching out patterns and collecting fabric samples. But between getting sick and juggling work, reality hit: there just wasn’t enough time.
So, I caved and bought the “leather” costume from EZ Cosplay. If I’m going to purchase a cosplay, it has to be a complex one to make it worthwhile – and Zoey’s demon hunter outfit definitely checked that box. It was supposed to arrive just in time for October 30th, which gave me the perfect excuse to plan a “demon Zoey” version as well!
When the costume finally arrived, I was both excited and… confused. The listing had already been removed from the website, so I had no clue where all the pins and chains were supposed to go! It wasn’t exactly movie-accurate, but it was close enough to capture Zoey’s essence – and honestly, that’s what mattered most.
I already had a hair fringe accessory from Amazon – something I bought nearly a decade ago – but it needed a serious trim since Zoey’s bangs are super short. Naturally, I got a little too committed and ended up cutting my real bangs. Now I have a small section that’s noticeably shorter than the rest of my hair – a permanent reminder of this cosplay adventure.
For her shin-kal, I improvised with Styx’s rainbow kunai and my “banishing” kunai. I figured, if the rest wasn’t movie-accurate anyway, a weapon replacement was totally fair game!
Cosplaying Zoey reminded me exactly why I love bringing animated characters to life. It’s not about perfect stitching or screen-accurate props – it’s about connection. Every mistake, every last-minute fix, every impulsive haircut becomes part of the story.
That’s the real magic of cosplay – stepping into a world that inspires you, and making it uniquely your own.