The burly Instagrammer says he’ll continue to dress as the female character because he doesn’t need closed-minded followers.

One of the best things about the world of cosplay is the fact that it opens up opportunities for people to become anyone – or anything – they’ve ever dreamed of. No matter what your size, age, gender, or financial situation might be, cosplay is an outlet that everyone can enjoy, and how far you take it is totally up to you.

For French cosplayer Leo Bane, his muscly physique makes him a natural choice for a whole range of burly characters, and he’s been proudly giving life to some of them over the years, posting photos of his cosplay on his Instagram account since 2015.

▼ Some of the male heroes in his portfolio include King Leonidas from the movie 300…

▼ Disney’s Hercules…

▼ Kratos, the “Ghost of Sparta”, from the God of War video game series…

▼ Udyr from League of Legends…

▼ And Khal Drogo from the Game of Thrones TV series.

▼ He’s also been known to share some of the photos behind his impressive transformations.

Despite having more than 200 photos in his online collection, there’s one particular character that seems to divide Bane’s fans: Sailor Neptune.

His muscly body might not match the physique of the female warrior from the hugely popular Sailor Moon franchise, but that hasn’t stopped him from baring his thighs and stepping out in Sailor Neptune’s high heels.

When asked why he chose to crossplay as Sailor Neptune, Bane says he didn’t want to limit himself to characters who simply matched his physique. He wants to encourage cosplayers around the world to take a chance and seize the opportunity to become whatever you want to be through the magic of cosplay.

Interestingly, Bane says that each time he posts a picture of his Sailor Neptune crossplay, he notices that he loses a number of his followers. To this, he says, “You know what? I will continue on this way because that means I’m losing some closed minded people and I only need crazy badass and open minded spartans in my phalanx.”

If some people are turned off by his crossplay, others are celebrating it, heaping praise on Bane’s creative images and leaving comments in awe of everything from his brilliant thighs to his animated poses. But more than anything, his fans are loving the message he is sending out to the world.

As long as Bane and other crossplayers around the globe continue to stand up to the naysayers and break free from the confines of traditional gender norms, the future for breaking stereotypes in the real world will continue to look bright as well.

Featured image: Instagram/leobane