Unique Final Fantasy X Cosplays: Minor Characters

KNOWN LUCIL COSPLAYS
ebonaskavi: photo1 | photo2

One solitary, valiant Lucil cosplayer? This cannot be!

As an older woman who was desperate for strong sword-wielding female characters prior to FFXIII, I say: give Lucil her due. She charges Sin on a chocobo, kicks ass, and gives more inspiring speeches than her boss Nooj.

So. Here's Lucil screencaps, painstakingly gathered in the hopes someone will fulfill my wish.

Notes: Lucil's puffy white sleeves actually stop at her armpits; when she raises her arms, I see bare skin underneath. Not that anyone on the planet will notice if you wear a poofy shirt instead. (Credit where due: the ubiquitous "Nomura Battle Wedgie" was first identified by The Skies Above's hilarious FFXII article: "Basch, A Study in Fashion Disaster.")

Also note that the most high-res screenshots were done with an emulator, which occasionally mis-rendered particular facets of the model too dark (noticeable on her white leggings, the armor flap on her left thigh, or shoulder armor in a few shots).

Click thumbnails for full-sized:

(See also video references for Elma, below)

KNOWN ELMA COSPLAYS
LagunaFlare: photo1 | photo2

Video References: Mi'ihen Highroad [0:36], Djose Temple [5:00], Elma fighting in X2 tournament [11:45]

Lagunaflare's adorable Elma cosplay captures the character's gung ho personality. (You gotta hear Elma's Japanese voice: MUCH better.)

I should be content, as that's a great cosplay. But I still wanna see Elma and Lucil as loyal soldier and stalwart captain. Besides, if you cosplay as a pair, you have a better chance of being recognized. Reference photos ahoy!

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KNOWN CLASKO COSPLAYS
Jason: Photo

Video References: Djose [1:30], Macalania Agency [2:10]

Wow, I'm impressed! One bona-fide Clasko cosplay has occurred. (I've seen a few comments on the web suggesting other people working on a Clasko costume, but nothing definitive.) If you get Elma and Lucil, you really need a Clasko, too. Bonus points (I think) if he's carrying a plushie chocobo of some sort.

Cosplaying Clasko is really difficult, because, again, there's a dearth of screenshots. So, here you go.

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KNOWN LUZZU or GATTA COSPLAYS
Justin: photo1 | photo2 | photo3

Video References: Crusader Lodge [10:30],
Ochu [2:55,5:25], Operation Mi'ihen [8:55]

I've always been rather partial to Luzzu. Justin looks great -- and even has the right physique -- but I still think there's room for more than one Luzzu cosplayer in Final Fantasy X fandom.

Gatta, on the other hand, has never, ever been cosplayed. No wonder: obscure character, plus you'd have to walk around in a "battle wedgie," bare feet and stirrup tights. But at least it's supposed to look like handmade armor pieced together with string!

Costume notes: Luzzu has a rope belt whose ends are actually loose; when Wakka punches him, the ends fly out. The concept art shows the criss-crosses on his pants (left) as uniformly yellow, but in the game, they seem to alternate a slight orangish-brown and yellow to add more interest. Gatta's wearing a variation of a chonmage hairstyle, a medieval Japanese warrior's topknot with part of the hair shaved, part of it pulled back in a topknot or short ponytail.

Most of these are from Zashtheman's useful channel, but he's using a PS emulator which occasionally renders dark artifacts (on Luzzu's green waist padding) or makes sharp lines where there shouldn't be any (the horizontal lines above the fringe on Gatta's cutoffs). Use the concept art above and the outlined screenshots, PS2 renders, to verify.

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More than with most Japanese games, Final Fantasy X costumes are modern riffs on medieval Japanese clothing and armor.

Here's some vintage photos of medieval Japanese soldiers. Note details like the baggy sleeves with armor strapped around them, greaves (shin-guards) often stopping at the top of the foot so the flip-flop-like sandal and sock are visible, as opposed to western boots. Reworked elements of these appear in both warrior monk and Crusader gear.

Game designer Tetsyuo Nomura mentioned using Okinawan fashions as inspiration for Final Fantasy X clothing. See especially this video on Ryuku Bingata, the traditional craft of Okinawan weaving and dyeing. Besaid has a house of weavers and a couple different villagers identifying themselves as fabric merchants selling to the mainland, almost certainly modeled on this well-known island tradition. The stylized flowers ("rosettes" on Yuna's obi and the "vestments of Yevon" (below) resemble those on Ryukyu Bingata designs (above).

Ryukyu Bingata dyed fabric // Photo Credit: Bruno Cordioli, Creative Commons

KNOWN ISAARU COSPLAYS
Isaaru by Electro650(?): photo1 | photo2
Isaaru by SchizoIori: photo1 | photo2
MARODA/PACCE COSPLAYS: none

Hey, fans, did you know Isaaru (English dub) is voiced by Reno/Axel?There's been a cople excellent Isaaru cosplays, but as cute as he is, I'm surprised there aren't more. His brothers, none so far.

Video References: Djose Temple [7:40], Home [1:10], Airship [8:05],
Duel with Isaaru [0:35], Maroda & Pacce endgame cutscene [0:00]

Costume Notes: Isaaru's got a bunch of layers: outer coat (whose back looks strangely like a boxspring mattress), a bathrobe-like overlap in front which might be an inner part of the same coat, a yellow cloak (?) that extends below the coat in the back, and a white pleated garment under that. Pacce's outfit is (I think) adorable, a medieval Japanese warrior outfit complete with topknot. I don't think the hood is medieval, however. Maroda's metal chunk of armor on one side of his chest actually goes under his armpit (I think) and is a square piece over his shoulderblade in back.

Click thumbnails to enlarge:

KNOWN DONA / BARTHELLO COSPLAYS:
VertigoVendetta: Photo1 | Photo2
Romann: Photos1 | Photos2
Kukii-San: Photo1

Video References: Kilika Temple [0:29], Highroad [3:30], Djose [8:35], FFX-2 [0:20, 2:25]

Wow. Well, that's refreshing: there haven't been many Dona cosplays, but these few are excellent, particularly the first one. But where's her loyal lunk, Barthello? If you have a beefy partner, or you've got a body that's fun to flaunt, Dona's a great choice.

So here's to Dona, and here's hoping her loyal guardian can finally get his own day in the sun.

One ...small... question: Dona's got black gloves, heavier half-gauntlets overtop of them, and arm warmers. Why are her wrists more covered than 90% of her body? She's wearing black high heels, by the way.

BONUS: Here's the game data textures for Dona's model, which are pieced together to render her in-game. (Some pieces are duplicated and flipped.)

Note on screencaps: PS emulator having issues again; that side-piece on Barthello's right hip with the circle pattern has a faulty facet that's rendering too dark in a few screenshots...ignore the darker triangular area; it's not darker in the actual game.

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Before we go any further, allow me to introduce you to what I've dubbed the "toilet paper of Yevon," a long, wide ceremonial band hanging down the front of clerical garments in Spira.

It is worn by: Shelinda, Maester Mika, Maester Kinoc, Maester Kelk, the unnamed priests and nuns of Spira's temples, Trema, and Baralai (who's wearing it on his back, to be a rebel).

The band is decorated with a rosette (see Shelinda for rosette's in-game colors) at the top, a black panel with six special Yevon Glyphs enclosed in white circles connected by a vertical white line, an elaborate sign of Yevon over the navel, another black panel with the six signs, and a tab at the bottom. The six signs appear on decorations around the temples, and they're even on the sleeves of Seymour's wedding outfit.

Click Thumbnails for Full-sized Images:


Shelinda in FFX-2 shows the "rosette" at the top of the band:

KNOWN SHELINDA COSPLAYS
toeskater91: photo gallery
Rivenchan: photo1 | photo2
LaRae (w/ chocobo!): photo1 | photo2 | photo3

Video References: Highroad [3:30], Macalania [3:35], Bevelle [2:45], FFX-2 [2:05]

The chocobo is quite original, and all three cosplays are great. But still, I've seen four times as many Quinas. You'll get more compliments wearing this costume!

See the Vestment of Yevon section above for the symbols on the band down the front. Note that the band was shortened from concept art to in-game design, and the tunic lengthened, so that the band does not cover up the arched cutaway on the tunic's bottom hem.

Also see this great prop of Shelinda's microphone in FFX-2, which might be fun to make if you want to "interview" people like toeskater did!

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*

*far right, top row: another character holding same microphone in FFX; clearer screencap of prop.

KNOWN LADY BELGEMINE COSPLAYS:
Flavia Akane: Gallery | Photo Collage     Colibri Photo1 | Photo2 | Photo3
Flower Sceptre: Photo   Louise: Photo   Barbara: Photo Misao: Photo Unknown: Photo
KNOWN LADY GINNEM COSPLAYS: artflower: WOW

Video References: Highroad [Belgemine, 2:09], Remiem Temple [Belgemine, 0:30]
Farplane [Ginnem, 0:25], Cavern of Stolen Fayth [Ginnem, 8:40]

There's a few really astonishing cosplays there: these ladies have thrown down the gauntlet!

Not everybody gets to be High Summoner. Lady Ginnem, Lulu's first summoner, who died in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth while on pilgrimage. Lady Belgemine seems to have died in the Final Summoning without defeating Sin (my guess is the Magus Sisters were Final Aeons), but lingered in Spira as unsent.

Costume Notes: Obviously Ginnem and Belgemine had the same tailors. Lady Ginnem's got interesting face paint, like some of the islanders.

CGI Render glitches: the bottom of Belgemine's skirt, with the yellow crisscrosses over green, should NOT have a faint blue horizontal line -- that's the edge of the white underskirt poking through the rendering layer above. (It doesn't show on a normal PS2, only on the high-detail emulator).

Thanks to Renmiri for the purple-background Ginnem model images below: she managed to port Ginnem into a 3D model viewer.

Click Thumbnails for Full-sized Images:

KNOWN MAECHEN COSPLAYS:
Leumas: Gallery, including a bored Paine
ianiceboy: Photo | Video1 *dies* | Video2 | Video3
Maechen: Photo1 | Photo2

KNOWN ZUKE COSPLAYS Argh! I know I've seen one...where is it?!

Video References: Mi'ihen Highroad [Maechen, 11:25]
Calm Lands [Maechen, 4:50; Zuke, 8:40]

Okay, I'm asphyxiating from ianiceboy's magnificent video of Maechen performing Yuna's "1000 words," and I have nothing intelligent to say except... Maechen rocks. (One small costume note: on the screenshots below, he was always backlit, and in the process of brightening up the images enough to show details, the crossed straps came out crimson. They're orange, as in the screencap above.)

Father Zuke, by contrast, barely gets any lines at all, but manages to impress with his common sense and tact in a few lines. In the Japanese, Lulu calls him sensei, which could be the standard title for "priest," but their exchange sounds like a mentor-student relationship.

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KNOWN YUNALESCA COSPLAYS:
IdleAmbition:Photo1 | Photo2
Hoshi Astraea: Gallery   Unknown: Photo
Maria Bella: Photo1 | Photo2

Video References: [1:33], Zanarkand [3:20]. NOTE: those vids have rendering artifacts, dark facets caused by emulator glitches. See this video and this for lower resolution but no glitches.]

special bonus points to Hoshi Astraea for her Yu Yevon Tick handbag. Very fashionable. :D

I'm impressed by the number of Yunalesca cosplayers! Let me see if I can get you some in-game screenshots with a few more details on the sash and hair. I don't know how on earth you could do any of that without plastic boning or graphite struts meant for kites (just a thought; the whole ensemble reminds me of a tail on a dragon kite.)

I think Yunalesca has topaz or golden eyes.

As for the glyphs on the wide teal ribbons falling away from her belt, it just so happens I've done a study of Yevon's sacred glyphs and symbols, and I can tell you what they are:

Above, and the top sign on her ribbons, is the glyph of Yevon, also the "A" in Yevon's sacred alphabet (just as God is sometimes referred to as Alpha in Greek).

The "e" in Yevon's sacred alphabet. Okay, I confess: I haven't figured out the symbolic meaning of this one. It also shows up on the banner of the High Court of Yevon and on the sashes worn by the Yevon clergy.

The "B" in Yevon's sacred alphabet, the sign of Darkness. This glyph is also used for Anima/Baaj.

Below that I think there's just shading or shadow. But if you want to continue decorating, I would recommend the "No-Self" sign (which appears several places in the pilgrimage, symbolizing the summoner's self-sacrifice...and maybe the guardian's, too), and the "Sin" sign at the very bottom. See Final fantasy X Sacred Symbols and Glyphs for these.

Click Thumbnails to Enlarge:

KNOWN AL BHED COSPLAYS:
BalthierFlare's Dad and Shane Cid, Brother
Shane: Cool!  Shobbs photo1
RIN: NONE

Videos: Cid's Intro [1:05], Leaving Home [0:00], Airship [0:00], FFX Brother [0:40]
FFX-2 Brother [all], X-2 Brother [O.o;;]
Rin's Intro: [1:10, 7:10], Airship [5:50], X-2 [4:05], Mystery [4:55]

Costume notes: On close examination, I believe that really is Rin's hair. The Al Bhed seem to be quite blond if they have any hair at all. Rin also has lace trim on his sleeves and coat (see close-up below). Cid's tattoo says "love" in Al Bhed script.

Also helpful: Here's the textures for Cid's in-game model, stored like jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Thumbnails (click for full-size):

KNOWN O'AKA XXIII / WANTZ COSPLAYS: NONE

Video References: Ferry, [2:30], Wantz [4:30]
"Where's Wantz?" Sightings (just for fun): Kilika [3:00], ferry [6:08], Luca [8:17], Highroad [8:30], Thunder Plains [9:45]. (Wanted: "Payoff" scene of Wantz showing photos to sister on the Farplane. Unlocked when party first enters Thunder Plains.)

Neither of these crafty merchants have been cosplayed -- unsurprisingly -- but I bet Final Fantasy fans will recognize O'aka.

Wantz and O'aka XXIII have larger roles and a more interesting backstory than you probably realized: see my profile of their dead sister for the full story. Wantz is a celebrity photographer, so to speak, so a camera would not be out of place with his cosplay. Plus, O'aka is voiced by Dwight Schultz. Why say more?

NOTE: There are some high-res rendering artifacts on the white poofy part at the end of Wantz's sleeves. That part is all white with 2 buttons on it, not white with blue cross-hatching. Use the low-resolution screenshots of Wantz for that part of the sleeve.

KNOWN MAESTER MIKA / KINOC COSPLAYS: NONE

Video References: Mika and Kinoc [1:30], Court of Yevon [5:10]
Mika: Luca [1:10, 4:25], endgame [5:00]     Kinoc: Command Center [9:20], Aftermath [2:52], Bevelle [2:30, 10:20], Auron's Sphere [5:30]

Costume Notes: If you want plus sized characters to cosplay, try Kinoc (Belgemine also works well, although the model is more petite). See vestments of Yevon above for the decorative band down the front of both maesters' robes. It almost appears as if Kinoc's rosette may have a Sin glyph in the concept art, but I don't see it in game (it's hard to tell).

Maester Mika's shoes are turned-up-toe slippers like Shelinda's, but gray in color. They're visible when he disembarks in Luca (video, timestamp 1:30). A few of the screenshots below have rendering artifacts from PS2 emulator: certain facets are darker than they should be, especially on last Mika screenshot. But the detail otherwise is sharper.

Click Thumbnails for Full-sized Images:

KNOWN KELK, BIRAN & YENKE COSPLAYS: None

Videos: Court of Yevon [3:10], Gagazet [0:45]

Is it my imagination, or do Kelk's fur pattern and armguards match Kimahri's much more closely than any other Ronso? I wonder if Kelk is Kimahri's father.

There are some rendering artifacts on these screenshots, again done with an emulator that has a little trouble with hair and transparency, but despite those glitches it shows more detail than I've found anywhere else.

Keeping them straight: Biran is blonde, Yenke is dark.)

Click Thumbnails for full-sized: