GK-O Anime Ayanami Rei Asuka Langley Sohryu School uniform Cosplay Costume

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For Rios, accusations that she culturally appropriated Japanese cosplay culture have made her question how long she wants—or will even be allowed—to stay in the cosplay community. What was once an activity that brought her joy was now a task she has to emotionally prepare for and be wary of. But what really frightened her was when she was accused of hurting Japanese people with her cosplay. “I just want to celebrate the character and have fun. There’s no intention of harming anybody,” she said.

The spokesperson also said they were working to “incorporate the evolution of expression into our policies and train our enforcement teams to better understand more nuanced content like cultural appropriation and slurs.” TikTok did not respond to questions about why Rios’ account was banned. The processing times for presale items are estimated based on the factory's past production experience, we can’t promise it will delay or come out sooner. But in September, after posting photos of what she thought was a proud achievement of cosplaying Asuka, the 23-year-old cosplayer was accused of culturally appropriating and fetishizing the character. Shortly after, the comments turned to Rios’ race.

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She said kawaii culture is for everyone. “It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner. Nor does your nationality, gender, age, or skin color matter,” she said.

I don’t want to get deplatformed again. I don’t want to get harassed again. I don’t want to do all this stuff because it doesn’t matter if what I do is right and wrong—I’m still going to get negative interactions,” she said. The modern cosplay boom started in Japan. Since the 1980s, fans of anime and manga would cosplay, a portmanteau of the English words “costume play,” and role play as a specific character. The subculture has since taken off globally, with anime conventions held in Australia, the United States, and parts of Europe.