Here are 21 Cosplay Ideas That’ll Be Popular In 2021!

Man, what a year 2020 was. Almost every con was cancelled because of the pandemic…and who knows when they will be back. But in any case, whether we get conventions back this year though, we’ll still be cosplaying at home no matter what!

And with that said, I’m sure you’d like to know what’s going to be popular and trendy in terms of cosplay for 2021. It’s always fun cosplaying the same characters as others and not only does it help you socialize with people who are into the same series, it’s also more budget-friendly for your wallet as well.

In this post, I will discuss popular cosplay ideas for 2021. Here’s how we’ll do this:

• The definite picks cosplay picks for 2021 that will for sure be popular this year (you guys who follow my IG wanted me to start with the definite ones first, so I’m giving what you want!)
• My bold predictions that I have a good feeling will become viral and popular
• Characters or series that MIGHT be popular, but also the chance that they may not

Of course, it’s always difficult to predict with absolute certainty what people will be cosplaying as; memes always pop up out of the blue (e.g. Bowsette, Among Us) and various series can end up being popular all of a sudden (e.g. Demon Slayer, She-Ra).

With that out of the way, let’s get started!

    DISCLAIMER: I have some affiliate links in this article if you’re looking to wear any of these cosplays. Either I myself have bought from those stores, or I believe they are fairly sweet deals. If you’re buying from these sites, you’re also supporting me and my hobby so I appreciate it!

Definite Picks

1. Genshin Impact

Let’s start with the newest addition to this list that’s fairly obvious at this point.

Genshin Impact has taken over the gaming world by storm; this gacha game has generated nearly $400 million in revenue already. For a game that can be played for free, Genshin Impact has it all; beautiful world landscape (similar to Breath of the Wild), lots of Waifus and Husbandos, addicting gameplay and quite the immersive story and quests.

With so many unique characters in this game, you can bet that Genshin Impact will be HUGE for popular cosplay ideas in 2021. It helps that the character designs are so awesome that we’re already seeing a bunch of Genshin Impact cosplays pop up. Give it a few more months and we’ll get to see some amazing cosplays from this game. If/when we are ever able to have conventions or social gatherings again, Genshin Impact will make for the perfect photoshoot for groups.

Cosplay ideas for Genshin Impact

Where do I even begin? There are so many characters in this game that look fabulous and totally fun to cosplay!

If you’ve played this game, I’d say you should cosplay your favourite character if you can handle the difficulty. Pretty much every character has lots of specific detailing and embroidery with their clothing. So if you can pull it off yourself, you’re gonna look AMAZING.

But with that said, you can always do a casual version. For example, you can cosplay Kaeya and Diluc casually by wearing a blue or red wig and a dress shirt. Most Genshin players would recognize you, as both of those characters are really popular!

Other favourites are Amber, Lisa, Sucrose, Fischl, Venti, Mona and Bennett. Definitely the most recognizable would be Paimon, your fairy-sized travel companion/emergency food!

If you’re looking to get started on a Genshin Impact cosplay and jump on the hype, check out these costumes on RoleCosplay! This Paimon one is awesome.

2. My Hero Academia

Plus Ultra!

What’s there to be said about My Hero Academia (MHA) that hasn’t been said already?

This top Shonen Anime has been superhot for the past few years and 2021 will be no exception. MHA characters have wonderful designs and the Anime is highly acclaimed.  All these things will ensure that MHA characters will remain a popular series to cosplay for a long time.

Cosplay Ideas for My Hero Academia

The nice thing about MHA is that despite having a ton of characters, they’re all unique in their own way with their “quirks.” And in terms of cosplay, every character is so cool-looking!

The main characters like Deku, Bakugo, All Might, Ochaco and Todoroki will always be a great choice. During season 4 last year, new characters like Camie were highly popular cosplay choices. Season 5 is coming out in 2021, so be on the lookout for new characters. (NOTE: you can always read the manga to skip ahead, but all I will say is…be ready for a shock).

Since MHA is probably the biggest Shonen Anime right now, online cosplay stores are mass-producing costumes from the series. So it’ll be relatively cheap to buy one off those sites. You can pick up the basic UA School Uniform for only $40 here!

3. League of Legends (or K/DA to be exact)

Ever since the first K/DA music video Pop Stars was released, the League of Legends world was never the same. Now you see cosplays Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai’Sa all the time! And that’s definitely not going to change in 2021, especially with the newest KD/A videos More and Baddest.

In addition to K/DA, Riot Games continues to release new music videos and skins for other League characters. So not only will this game be relevant into the 2020s, so will the cosplays.

Cosplay ideas for League of Legends

K/DA is obviously the first option. The Pop Stars outfit has been so popular for a while now, so you can definitely snag an outfit for very cheap now, like this Kai’Sa outfit.

If you’re looking for their newer outfits from Baddest or More, you still don’t have to break the bank either. RoleCosplay has an amazing deal for Ahri; only $10 for her Baddest outfit! (link to Rolecosplay)

By far the K/DA crew is the hottest League cosplays at the moment, but you don’t have to go the mainstream route; there are several champions to choose from. League has tons of cool-looking characters such as Jinx, Ashe and Ezreal. And there are a variety of looks to choose from; either you can cosplay the looks that the characters sported when the game first came out, or you can go for the more recent looks like the Spirit Blossom.

4. Fate

There have been so many Fate spinoffs for several years! Not to mention the mobile game, Fate/Grand Order. This shows how popular the series has been with fans. Not to mention there was a Fate tour at various Anime conventions in 2019 before the pandemic hit. So you can bet that many will be cosplaying from Fate.

Cosplay Ideas for Fate

There are several characters from Fate you could cosplay. You could go for the favorites such as Saber, Rin or Archer. The mobile game, Fate/Grand Order, has spawned tons of different cosplays such as Scathach and Shielder. I suggest picking a character that either suits your personality or whether you like the character design. For example, if you want to be a nice lady knight, then Saber is perfect for you. Or if you rather be a character that’s simple to do, the cold-hearted Rin Tohsaka would be a great choice.

5. Fire Emblem

It’s been almost a couple of years since the last game, Fire Emblem: Three Houses was released. But the Fire Emblem hype hasn’t died down ever since. There were so many amazing 3H cosplays in 2020 like Byleth, Hilda, Rhea, Edelgard, etc.

The lack of cosplay conventions has slowed down the Fire Emblem hype just a little; we’re so used to seeing those amazing Fire Emblem group photoshoots. Sadly, that wasn’t really a thing in 2020 (except for Katsucon). But we still get to enjoy seeing them online.

When conventions return, Fire Emblem is a great series that will help you socialize and interact with cosplayers!

Cosplay Ideas for Fire Emblem

There are so many Fire Emblem characters to choose from, so you have plenty of options.

You can opt for classic characters like Marth, Celica or Tiki. Or you can go for newer characters like Chrom, Lucina, Tharja or Robin. The newest game, Three Houses, has some pretty cool characters such as Edelgard and of course Byleth.

Fire Emblem cosplays tend to be more on the mid-range to high-end in terms of cosplays costs. Many characters have fine detailing and intricate design with their outfits, as well as embroidery and armor to help their costume stand out. Not to mention that many of them carry cool-looking weapons such as swords and staves. So unless you’re going for a low budget or “beach/summer” version of a character, be prepared to fork out a bit more money to either buy or create a Fire Emblem cosplay.

6. Love Live!

Can you believe that Love Live! is over half a decade old? Yet the series is still the classic idol Anime series that’s going to stay on top for a very long time. And who doesn’t love idol groups? Everyone seems to be starting or continuing idol groups based on Love Live! So unless a new series comes out that’s just as good as Love Live! it’s going to stick around for years to come.

Cosplay ideas for Love Live!

You don’t need any cosplay ideas for Love Live! because there are so many outfits and variations for every character and they’ll always be adored by many. Fortunately, Love Live! cosplays tend to be on the cheaper side. You can buy the basic outfit for dirt cheap under $30 USD. However, some of the dresses (e.g. Arabian dancer) will be more expensive. So while you might pay more for some Love Live! costumes, all of them are still in the low and middle-end of cosplay pricing.

Note that you’ll stand out even more if you have a group to cosplay Love Live! together with. Check out my post on how to start a Love Live! group.

Now that we know what’s definitely going to be popular cosplay ideas for 2021, let’s move onto my bold predictions for what else will be hot this year. There’s no guarantee that these cosplays will be popular, but I have a good feeling they will be.

Bold Predictions

7. Anonymous;Code

Now before you go off and say, “Senpai what the **** is Anonymous;Code?!” Here me out.

Anonymous;Code is a visual novel video game that’s coming out later this year. It’s your typical apocalyptic story where the world is in grave danger of annihilation due to a computer glitch. You, the main character, are a hacker that tries to stop this from happening.

Based on some of the early photos I’ve seen of this game, Anonymous;Code has the recipe to become a hit in the cosplay community: cool-looking characters and an even more intriguing story. The art style and story reminds me of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei. As long as the game doesn’t end up being delayed, this series could be popular in the cosplay scene in 2021!

Cosplay ideas for Anonymous;Code

Isn’t it crazy how you can have cosplay ideas for a game that hasn’t even been released yet? What a time we live in!

Right now I see three characters worth doing:

• Pollon Takaoka: The main character of the game, he’s a biker with green hair and wears a yellow sweater.
• Momo Aizaki: A cute but mysterious girl who wears a pink Onesie.
• Cross Yumikawa: Pollon’s best friend, he’s a dude with jet black hair and wears a blue cardigan.

EZCosplay already has costumes you can pre-order! Or if you rather save a few extra bucks, you can hit the thrift store to get some of these items on your own.

8. Space Jam

I *might* be a little biased here, since I loved the original movie back in the 90s (it’s what got me into basketball and the NBA). But we FINALLY get to see a sequel to Space Jam. For those who don’t know, Space Jam is a crossover between Looney Tunes characters and real NBA players. The first movie starred Michael Jordan. This one will feature LeBron James.

We’ve seen a bunch of Lola Bunny cosplays over the years. With the new film coming out in 2021, I have a good feeling that Space Jam 2 will be hyped with a lot of fans. We’ll start seeing more Lola and Bugs Bunny cosplays again, and if there are new characters in the movie, we’ll definitely see those as well!

9. Cyberpunk 2077

I was expecting Cyberpunk 2077 to gain a lot of hype in the later part of 2020. But because of the pandemic and the gazillion delays with this game, that never happened. Cyberpunk 2077 was finally released in December, so only now should we start seeing the hype for this game that will infiltrate the cosplay scene.

The game was developed by CD Projekt, the same studio that created The Witcher 3 – one of the greatest games ever. And who can forget that iconic reveal of Keanu Reeves at E3 2019?

Cosplay Ideas for Cyberpunk 2077

The whole gimmick of Cyberpunk 2077 is customizing your character with whatever features you want, because you are an artificial being after all. So that leaves a lot of flexibility in how you want to dress up as. There is V, the main character humanoid. Also, don’t forget about Johnny Silverhand, aka Keanu Reeves!

10. Beastars

This is an Anime that’s been getting quite a bit of attention. It’s an interesting series to say the least; the story takes place in an anthropomorphic world where herbivores and carnivores live together. The main character is Legoshi, a high school student who is surprisingly timid and shy considering he’s a wolf! One day at the school, Tem the alpaca is eaten by a predatory animal, which sets the tension between the herbivores and carnivores at the school.

I feel Beastars is gonna be popular in the cosplay world in 2021! Especially with the 2nd season being  released this year!

Cosplay ideas for Beastars

Despite the characters in Beastars being animals, most of them are dressed up in student clothing. So all you have to do is wear a school outfit and maybe a special animal head (depending on which characters you do). A mix of casual clothing and a bit of furry!

As for characters, you can opt for Legoshi, the main character. Haru the rabbit is another great choice; for a small bunny, she is quite bold and fierce! Louis the deer is another option as well.

11. Azur Lane

Azur Lane is a popular mobile game that’s been out for a few years now. And people love cosplaying from this series, especially in Asia! Who doesn’t love cute sailor outfits? No wonder why Azur Lane is a great choice for cosplay! And there’s a new Anime season for Azur Lane coming in 2021, so I have a good feeling there will be much cosplay hype for this series.

As for which characters to cosplay, there are over 400 characters in Azur Lane! Many of them personify historic battleships from World Wars.  Some great characters worth cosplaying include Atago, Gangt, Perseus, Kashino, Takao, Rinoa and Enterprise!

12. Cells At Work

This cute little Anime is getting a second season in 2021! When it was first released in 2018, there were a lot of cosplays from the show at conventions. I feel with the second season on the horizon, the hype for Cells At Work will only continue.

Cosplay ideas for Cells at work

Even though the characters are actually humanoid versions of body cells, the clothes they wear are pretty casual. So no need to shell out a ton of money for a special costume or materials. You can opt for the main characters like White Blood Cell or Red Blood Cell. Or go for other characters like Killer T Cell or Helper T Cell.

13. Final Fantasy VII

With the first episode of the Final Fantasy VII Remake released last year, the series became popular in the cosplay world. On top of that, Sephiroth is now in Smash Bros Ultimate, so even more FF7 hype!

Even though the 2nd part of the remake isn’t going to be released for a while, I still think Final Fantasy VII is gonna be a popular cosplay for 2021!

Cosplay ideas for FF7

Final Fantasy VII has so many memorable characters that you have lots to choose from. The most notable ones will definitely be Cloud, Tifa, Aeris and Sephiroth. They’ve already gotten a new look in the remake/Smash Bros, so it makes sense to cosplay them. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do the other memorable characters like Yuffie or Barret.

14. Attack On Titan

When Attack on Titan first came out in 2013-2014, it took the Anime world by storm and became so popular with cosplay groups, especially those who were just starting out. Those cool-looking outfits worked really well together as a group.

Over the years the cosplay hype has slowed down. But 2021 will be the final season of Attack on Titan, so there’s a lot of anticipation in the fandom. So I am betting that Attack on Titan cosplays will be huge this year!

Cosplay ideas for Attack on Titan

While many of the characters wear similar outfits, each one has a slightly different style. There are a variety of characters, including Eren, Levi, Mikasa, Hange, Armin and more. And you can also cosplay the Titan demons as well; you can either wear a bodysuit or go all out with body makeup!

Now that we’ve gone through what will definitely be popular and some of the wild guesses/bold predictions, let’s go through some series I feel that could be popular but not entirely certain. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cosplay them…just don’t expect much hype around them in 2021.

Longshots

15. Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Legend of Korra stopped airing a few years back, and the series hasn’t seen a new film or television series in a long time.

But despite that, I’m seeing a LOT of renewed interest in Avatar. There’s recently been a bunch of cool Avatar cosplays like Asami, Katara, Toph, Azula and Aang! So I will go out and boldly predict that Avatar cosplays will be hyped in 2021, despite no new series coming out. And who can blame cosplayers for wanting to cosplay from Avatar again? It’s one of the best cartoons out there!

16. The Rising of the Shield Hero

I’m a huge fan of Shield Hero, so much that I decided to cosplay Naofumi myself! While Shield Hero cosplays aren’t as common as say KD/A, the series got a lot of hype from the first season.

I’m putting Shield Hero as a maybe because we don’t know if the second season is coming out in 2021 yet. If it does, then we’re gonna see a lot of Shield Hero cosplays, which is a good thing. If not then, then we’ll have to wait.

Still, if you’re looking to cosplay from the series then Naofumi, Raphtalia or Filo are your best options. You can also do Melty or the b****…I mean Malty!

17. Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer was released back in 2019, becoming insanely popular in a short amount of time. We saw tons of Nezuko cosplayers running around at conventions before the pandemic hit.

However, this year may be the year that the Demon Slayer cosplay hype will die down. Unless a second season is announced for 2021, the Demon Slayer hype train could come to a stop this year.

That being said, that shouldn’t stop you from cosplaying from the series! I personally haven’t watched it (yet), but it’s been getting rave reviews and apparently it’s a damn awesome Anime. Tanjiro and Nezuko are lovable characters! And who doesn’t enjoy seeing demons getting their ass kicked?

18. Overwatch

Overwatch is one of the hottest multiplayer games out there. Why? Because the game is easy to learn (although difficult to master), the characters are interesting and the competitive eSports scene keeps this game relevant.

But while Overwatch has maintained a permanent cosplay presence at conventions for a few years now, it feels like the cosplay hype for this game is starting to whittle down, especially during 2020. Maybe we’ve seen so many awesome Overwatch cosplays, that there really isn’t anything new to experiment with. Or the game itself hasn’t changed much recently.

Overwatch 2 needs to be released in order to maintain the hype for this game. But knowing Blizzard, that’s probably not going to happen in 2021. So Overwatch is a huge maybe for 2021.

Still, if you want to cosplay from the game, there are lots of cool-looking characters and unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve already seen a bunch of them at various conventions. If you’re looking for someone easy to do, D.va and Soldier 76 are good choices. If you want to cosplay someone more challenging, then try characters like Mercy and Lucio. Blizzard occasionally releases skins and updates for characters, so keep an eye on those for new Overwatch cosplay ideas.

19. Suicide Squad

Harley Quinn is a cosplay that’s been way overdone, but at least she has a different outfit for each new film. The Birds Of Prey costume was fabulous!

The reason why I have Suicide Squad as a maybe for 2021 is because the past couple of films have been lackluster in terms of ratings. Suicide Squad back in 2016 wasn’t well-received. Birds Of Prey was pretty much the same lukewarm reception.

So basically, the 2021 edition of Suicide Squad needs to be a damn good movie in order to see some cosplay hype!

20. Among Us

The interesting thing is that Among Us was released back in 2018. It’s a fun multiplayer party game created by indie developers. Due to the nature of the pandemic, as well as a few famous Twitch gamers showcasing the game, Among Us became viral and meme-worthy in 2020. And we even saw quite a few cosplays from the game already!

I expect Among Us to be popular even by the end of 2021. Hopefully I’m not wrong because I love to see small indie developers become super successful!

21. RE: Zero

In 2019, I thought RE: Zero cosplays would make a resurgence with a second season on the horizon. That didn’t quite happen. But with the second part coming out in 2021, maybe that will change? Who doesn’t love RE: Zero?!

In any case if you want to cosplay from RE: Zero,you can always opt for the fan favourite character, Rem, as her outfit is awesome and she herself is a well-known character. You can also cosplay her sister Ram if you want to change things up. Emilia and Beatrice are other good options. And while Subaru isn’t as common or as popular as the other RE: Zero characters, he is another option as well.

Summary

To sum it all up, here are the 21 cosplays ideas that will be popular in 2021:

1. Genshin Impact
2. My Hero Academia
3. League of Legends (or K/DA to be exact)
4. Fate
5. Fire Emblem
6. Love Live!
7. Anonymous;Code
8. Space Jam
9. Cyberpunk 2077
10. Beastars
11. Azur Lane
12. Cells At Work
13. Final Fantasy VII
14. Attack On Titan
15. Avatar: The Last Airbender
16. The Rising of the Shield Hero
17. Demon Slayer
18. Overwatch
19. Suicide Squad
20. Among Us
21. RE: Zero

And there you have it; 21 popular cosplay ideas for 2021. I’m really excited for the cosplay season and look forward to seeing what you guys will be cosplaying at the cons!

Which cosplays you think will be popular this year? Do you agree with my picks? Let me know in the comments!