Find out why Ikebukuro slays Shibuya when it comes to Halloween. 

In Japan, Halloween comes early every year, as cosplayers and partygoers start celebrating the festival on the weekend prior to 31 October. This gives people plenty of time to enjoy the festivities without having to worry about going to work or school the next day, and that’s exactly what happened this weekend, as people came out to enjoy a very Japanese Halloween costume parade in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district.

Called Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fest, or “Ikehalo” for short, this annual gathering of cosplayers first started in 2014 and has since grown to become one of the largest Halloween events in Japan. One of the main highlights of the festival is the fact that cosplayers roam around the streets in their costumes, so you’re likely to see them in parks, stores and main streets around Ikebukuro Station’s east exit during the two-day affair.

And with Japan’s top cosplayer Enako appearing at the opening ceremony, we knew this year’s iteration of the festival was going to be a good one. So let’s get to it and check out the cosplayers and their costumes!

▼ Takeshi “Gian” Gouda from Doraemon | Cosplayer: @kumachabin

▼ Gian caught everyone’s eye with his “charity concert” performance.

▼ Kagura from Gin Tama | Cosplayer: @CosHinata

▼ Konjiki no Yami from To Love Ru | Cosplayer: @cos69_aris

▼ Nightingale from Arknights | Cosplayer: @saya_yukikaze

▼ Megumin from KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! | Cosplayer: @KAPI_827MP

▼ Kanao Tsuyuri from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Cosplayer: @nnesaka_arisa

▼ Kaito Kid from Case Closed | Cosplayer: @Ryh1n

▼ Mari Ohara from Love Live! Sunshine!! | Cosplayer: @Yukinozomi3

▼  VTuber Kana Sukoya | Cosplayer: @sharo_1125

▼ Kyoushinsha from Jinro Judgement | Cosplayer: @unikouni

▼ Itto no Ookami from Jinro Judgement | Cosplayer: @xxx10yuu

▼ Lisa Imai from BanG Dream! | Cosplayer: @amane_ayari

▼ Miyamoto Frederica from The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls | Cosplayer: @JILL_mw (day one)

▼ Edward Scissorhands (Shunya Yamashita ver.) | Cosplayer: @JILL_mw (day two)

▼ Goku from Dragon Ball | Cosplayer: @kashimastars

▼ Fukkin Hokai Taro from Kamen Rider Zero-One | Cosplayer: @nakazi555

▼ Giyu Tomioka from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Cosplayer: @hayatiiiiin

▼ Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Cosplayer: @momomovv8

▼ Muichiro Tokito from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Cosplayer: @kotori_rikako

So there you have it, the fantastic cosplayers from Ikebukuro Halloween Cosplay Fest 2019! The cosplay we saw over the weekend was definitely on par with the quality we saw at Comiket earlier this year, only this gathering is much closer to downtown Tokyo and much closer to Halloween.

That’s two reasons why we’ll be heading out to Ikebukuro over Shibuya again next year, and while we’re there we might finally work up the courage to zipline from their skyscraper for the ultimate sky-high cosplay.

Photos: ©SoraNews24  
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