Demonic eight-headed serpents beware: the Hero of Kamiki Village, Shiranui, has been spotted in the halls of Dragon Con. I spoke with the ordinarily silent hero in the lobby of the Hyatt at around 10:30AM Saturday morning.

Daily Dragon (DD): May I have your name and who you are cosplaying?

Beck (B): Hey! My name is Beck and I am cosplaying Shiranui from Okami!

DD: What’s one word for how you feel right now?

B: Excited!

DD: How many hours in total have you put into your cosplay?

B: I’d say probably close to 60. It took me a year and a half.

DD: What’s the last thing you finished before Dragon Con?

B: Definitely the shield backpack. I built it to hold all my con-essentials, so it’s got the zipper in there. I have everything I need inside.

DD: Accuracy vs comfort when designing cosplay?

B: Comfort, 100%. I’ve got too many back problems to not think about comfort, honestly. 

DD: Did you cut anything from the design last minute?

B: No, surprisingly. Made it all work, somehow.

DD: What is the single best piece of advice you could give to new cosplayers?

B: Don’t worry so much about public perception. If you like something, do it. If you don’t think you fit the character, you do. Don’t worry about that so much. I think this is especially true for disabled cosplayers, people with mobility aids and things like that. I’m a disabled cosplayer myself. Comfort comes first. Don’t sacrifice your comfort for cosplay but also don’t listen to what anyone says. As long as you’re having fun, that’s the important thing.

Keep an eye out for the Hero of Kamiki Village, a wonderful person who displayed incredible creativity in their design! Take a pic or team up to take down the true form of Orochi!