In a mesmerizing new My Hero Academia cosplay, the bubbly, moody Deku admirer and League of Villains member Himiko Toga is brought to life in all her sadistic and toxic deviousness.
Despite her vivacious personality and friendly attitude, Himiko is a stone-cold killer with a long list of victims. While she may not have started off wanting to be a villain, her quirk left her with no choice. Himiko's quirk allows her to assume the physical and mental traits of another down to their voice. However, in order to accomplish the transformation, Himiko must drink their blood, much like a vampire. However, once Himiko tastes a victim's blood, it's nearly impossible for her to stop until she has drained them dry. Once she gave in to the powers of her quirk, she completely committed to its requirements, and in turn became the epitome of a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Himiko's menacingly cheerful vibe is captured by cosplay performer luckylai and photographer marco_parc in a photo taken at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. While she is first introduced in the manga as already being a part of the League of Villains, it's not hard to imagine how she approached convincing its leader Tomura Shigaraki to let her in, nor why she was accepted, as her dangerous powers and obsessive, warped nature make her a huge asset to the bad guys.
Luckylai perfectly depicts the characteristics that make Himiko so monstrously deadly, as her seemingly joyous demeanor hides a more prolific serial killer than Jack the Ripper. My Hero Academia is filled with larger opponents who have mistaken the ferocity of her abilities to their detriment. As depicted in the cosplay, the only inkling of her dangerousness is the ever-present knives that she uses to stab and slice her victims. A video shared by thevideochef.lv showcases the cosplay further, and plays like an audition tape to join Shigaraki's organization.
The cosplay is a fantastic live-action depiction of the character, but it's the attitude that accompanies the performance that communicates the danger posed by the villain. Himiko is a fan-favorite character because she is not purely evil, but rather has a messed-up idea of interpersonal relations. There's always the distant possibility she could be redeemed, but up until then she's a deadly threat who could be anywhere and anyone. This awesome My Hero Academia cosplay brings Himiko Toga to life, emphasizing how scary she'd actually be to encounter out in the world.
Sources: @marco_parc, @thevideochef.lv