A mother and daughter find their bond through cosplay at Abu Dhabi Comic Con

Yuna Kairi Ausan, seven years old, will walk onto a stage at MEFCC Abu Dhabi this weekend beside her mother, Kat. It is something Kat Ausan, a Filipino graphic designer living in the UAE, says she rarely sees others doing. For them, cosplay is not competition. It is a shared language, a way of spending time together that neither of them quite has words for.

Kat’s own journey began fourteen years ago at the very first MEFCC in Dubai in 2012. “I’ve been a fan of anime and movies since my high school years,” she says. “I enjoyed portraying my favourite anime characters for fun back then, but mostly through closet cosplay only.” Around 2018, something shifted. “The Filipino cosplay community, in particular, had grown tremendously, and being part of such a welcoming and passionate community encouraged me to become even more involved.”

Additional reference context is available at https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/how-uae-cosplayers-turn-passion-and-family-into-comic-con-magic-bones-bandanas-and-a-mother-daughter-duo-1.500666779.

Finding the right characters for mother-and-daughter cosplay presents its own challenge. “I always try to choose mom-and-daughter characters. I don’t see too many people doing mother-and-daughter cosplays, so I really enjoy looking for characters that we can portray together,” Kat explains. Budget shapes her choices further. “Cosplay isn’t the cheapest hobby either, so I always try to find ways to keep the costs as low as possible.” Her graphic design background helps her channel those skills into different costume components. As for her process, she is refreshingly honest. “I’m usually a last-minute costume maker. I tend to wing it, put everything together really quickly, and somehow make it to the event on time. You know how busy mom life can get!” Yuna contributes where she can, though Kat handles most of the construction given her daughter’s age. Still, she describes Yuna as very creative and someone who genuinely enjoys the props and crafting side.

The pair performed together at MEFCC last year in the Kids Category, an experience Kat credits to the convention’s Ayman. “It was such a fun and unforgettable experience for both of us, and definitely one of our core memories,” she says. “Being able to share the stage with her and experience that moment together made it even more special for me as a mom.” She keeps expectations realistic. “Cosplay is really just a fun side hobby for me, so I try not to put too much pressure on myself and simply enjoy the creative process.” Schedules permitting, the two plan to attend Saturday and Sunday at ADNEC.

Meanwhile, at the Animenia festival in Abu Dhabi, Zubair Abdul Rahman, known as Myrkul, The Lord of Bones, spent two months building a staff adorned with plastic skeletons, drawing on his engineering knowledge to assemble the frame and add a smoke effect. Dressed entirely in black, skeletons looming from his shoulders and a glowing lantern in hand, he explained his seven-year commitment to cosplay simply. “I just love being an actor and entertaining people, too,” he said, giving a child a high-five with his gloved and skulled hand. Nearby, another cosplayer dressed as Tengen Uzui from Demon Slayer wore a black buttoned shirt, tucked-in pants, and bandanas around his arm and head. His weapons were crafted entirely from cardboard. “Tengzen Uzui is all about being flashy, and I wanted to look cool and flash as well,” he explained, noting he had been into anime since childhood.

For Bibi Zumot, cosplay is self-expression and art. “I am able to portray myself as that character which I see representing me or bringing me nostalgia from my childhood,” he says. His journey began early, his first unofficial cosplay being Thing 1 and Thing 2 done with a partner for Halloween. As he became more involved in Dubai’s pop culture scene, he and a partner cosplayed as Mario and Luigi, which he notes was not done as much before. Over the years he has pushed for the unexpected: Flintstones, Superman, Kirito, Homer Simpson, and many others. Couple and duo cosplay has become central to his creative life. “We come up with very innovative ideas and we have done cute cosplays include Fred and Daphne and The Adams Family.” His message to hesitant newcomers is direct. “I highly encourage anyone to get into cosplay and really give it a shot. I have seen a lot of people rejecting the idea but as soon as they start their first cosplay it just snowballs from there and they start cosplaying regularly.” He closes with gratitude. “I just want to give a huge shoutout to the UAE and every organisation that really supports this community and builds events for us to be able to get into cosplay and be able to feel safe in our own world.”

Wilbert Arthur discovered competitive cosplay in 2023, years after most of his peers had already mastered the craft. What he found was not a closed door but an open invitation. “At first, cosplay was simply about becoming the game characters I loved and having fun with friends,” he explains. “Eventually, I became more interested in the process behind the costume, how the armor was made, how props worked, how you could use lighting and effects, and how you could bring the character to life on stage.” Competition reframed everything. “It became another challenge for me. I didn’t just want to wear the character; I wanted to see how far I could push my skills. Every competition gave me a reason to learn something new, whether it was foamsmithing, 3D printing, sewing, electronics, painting, or stage performance. That constant learning is probably what made competitive cosplay so addictive for me.”

The work behind a single costume is staggering. Wilbert typically begins by choosing a character that excites him but also stretches his abilities. He studies silhouettes, armor, fabrics, and props. He collects references, breaks the costume into parts, decides which materials and techniques will work best, and figures out how everything attaches to his body and survives transport. The build itself can consume hundreds of hours. “Depending on the costume, I might be working with EVA foam, 3D printing, sewing, painting, electronics, LEDs and different fabrication techniques. And things rarely work perfectly the first time, so there’s always testing, failing, fixing and rebuilding,” he says. Even after construction ends, performance planning begins. Wilbert thinks about music, movements, poses, timing, and which costume details he wants judges and audiences to notice. Then comes what he calls “the traditional final stage of every cosplay build: promising yourself you won’t con crunch… and you con crunching anyway.”

Judges examine craftsmanship, accuracy, creativity, difficulty, finishing, attention to detail, and stage performance. Bigger costumes do not automatically score higher. “Being able to explain your work during prejudging is also very important,” Wilbert notes. On stage, the goal is transformation: making audiences forget they are watching someone in a costume and feel, even briefly, that they are seeing the actual character. Still, he cautions, “Judging is subjective. Don’t let one competition result define the quality of their work.”

The UAE’s cosplay scene has matured significantly alongside events like Comic Con. “When you look at events like Comic Con, cosplay isn’t just a small side activity anymore. It has become one of the things people genuinely look forward to,” Wilbert observes. What strikes him most is the range. Beginners compete alongside seasoned crafters. Costumes grow more ambitious, featuring bigger props, electronics, mechanical elements, detailed sewing, and stronger stage performances. “It gives us a place to meet other creators, exchange knowledge, take photos, make friends and inspire people who might be thinking about trying cosplay themselves. That community aspect is just as important as the competition.”

The biggest barrier to entry, according to Wilbert, lives in people’s minds. Common misconceptions hold that you need to be extremely talented, have expensive equipment, or look exactly like the character. None of that is true. The best costumes are made from basic materials with creativity. “Your first costume probably won’t be perfect and it shouldn’t have to be,” he says. Craftsmanship is only one entry point among many. For some people it is crafting; for others it is performance, photography, makeup, sewing, or simply enjoying a character with friends.

His parting advice carries particular weight given his own late start. “Pick a character you genuinely love and just try. Learn one skill at a time. Make mistakes. Ask other cosplayers questions. Most importantly, don’t compare your chapter one to somebody else’s chapter ten.” He reflects on moments when he wonders what he might have achieved had he started earlier, then turns that thought into an invitation for anyone still hesitating at the door.

More information about cosplay in the UAE can be found at gulfnews.com/lifestyle/how-uae-cosplayers-turn-passion-and-family-into-comic-con-magic-bones-bandanas-and-a-mother-daughter-duo-1.500666779, which details how the community continues to grow and welcome newcomers.