The online identity of the ski slope sensation is revealed.
In Japan, being well-dressed is considered an important facet of adult life, and that applies to leisure time as well. So head to the ski slopes, and you’ll see outdoor enthusiasts outfitted in fashionable sportswear zipping down the slopes.
However, this video shows one snowboarder who’s put together an eye-catching ensemble not after flipping through the pages of a sports or fashion magazine, but after watching some classic mecha anime.
Last weekend Japanese Twitter user @kuroken01 was out on the snowy mountains of Wing Hills Shiratori, a ski resort in Gifu Prefecture. Near the top of the chairlift, he spotted a snowboarder decked out head to toe in an amazingly detailed Gundam cosplay outfit, including the titular robot’s shield and beam saber.
If you’re wondering who’s “piloting” this Gundam (which we’ve caught a glimpse of once before), it’s Twitter user Nama Gundam (@nama_gundam). Obviously, a fan who’s so hardcore as to cosplay while speeding down a mountain is also hardcore enough to faithfully replicate all of the original Gundam’s handheld weaponry, as shown in these photos.
▼ Beam rifle, beam saber, hyper bazooka, and Gundam hammer (yes, the Gundam “hammer” is actually a spiked ball on the end of a chain, and if you want to be the one to argue semantics with a giant war machine, you go right ahead).
The primary theater of operations for Nama Gundam (who says he’ll be turning 47 next month) is Gifu, and he’s often accompanied by a group of friends who share his unique mix of hobbies.
There’s a definite dramatic coolness to seeing the team in motion or posing for awesome sun-assisted poses.
▼ This shot has a bit of a fifth-generation 1990s fansub copy aesthetic going on.
But at the same time, there’s plenty of surreal comedy to seeing them doing normal out-for-a-day-of-skiing stuff, like hanging out in the lodge eating crepes.
Obviously, Nama Gundam and his friends get plenty of attention whenever they show up, and so they’re happy to stop for snapshots.
If you’re hoping to see the cosplaying snowboarder with your own eyes, Nama Gundam’s currently scheduled trips to the slopes are:
● January 27: Hyounosen Kokusai or Yappu
● February 2: Wing Hills
● February 3: Skijam Katsuyama
● February 10: Meiho Snow Resort
● February 17-21: Kiroro
● February 24: Takasu Dyna
● March 3: Skijam Katsuyama
● March 10: Takasu Dyna
● March 16: : Hyounosen Kokusai or Yappu
● March 24: Meiho Snow Resort
▼ And yes, he does own a snowboard that’s decorated to look like the G-Fighter space/aircraft that Gundam sometimes rides on in the anime.
But even if you can’t make it out to the slopes to see Nama Gundam, we have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of him online before the snow melts.