Final Fantasy 9 may not be at the same level of popularity as Final Fantasy 7, but it still has its share of dedicated fans still working on incredibly detailed fan tributes. One Final Fantasy 9 fan has put their cosplay talents to work bringing Kuja, one of the franchise's most fabulous and theatrical villains, to life.
Kuja's outfit is legendary for its odd design and reliance on anime physics to function, but Redditor lidiagumi has taken the challenge of translating the mess of flowing skirts, leather straps, and thigh-high boots into something that a real person could wear. The result is an intricate costume that would fit on any list of best Final Fantasy 9 cosplays.
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The cosplay lidiagumi made uses different kinds of cloth to represent the different materials used in Kuja's outfit, probably because sewing with leather can be quite difficult and not everyone has access to Worbla for modeling faux metal. Although the limitations of its materials and the laws of physics have kept the resulting outfit from being quite as gravity-defying as the in-game version, their Kuja cosplay is still very recognizable and striking in its own right.
The cosplay features long white sleeves, a white skirt cape, layers of artfully tattered fabric and black faux armor, ruffled black leggings on top of pointed black shoes, and a slightly more modest version of Kuja's iconic strappy black battle thong. All in all, the outfit contains a level of detail comparable to Tomia's Final Fantasy 10 Yuna cosplay.
This cosplay depicts Kuja in his usual state, not his Trance form, which means he's shown without a tail or fur. However, a bit of editing gave lidiagumi the ability to juggle Kuja's iconic blue and red magical spheres. Their body language also screams arrogance and the willingness to do whatever they have to in order to get what they want, which fits Kuja very well. Despite his campy attitude and bizarre fashion choices, Kuja is one of the most active–and most effective–Final Fantasy villains out there, easily plotting rings around Final Fantasy 8's equally fabulous Ultimecia.
The cosplay appears to have been well received by fans, earning several compliments in the comment section. While one other fan questioned Kuja's taste in clothing, the work lidiagumi put into replicating his outfit appears to have been largely appreciated. At least one poster brought up Kuja's vibrantly red Trance form, which lidiagumi has yet to try and tackle. Another group of fans is hard at work creating a fan-made remake of Final Fantasy 9 with AAA-level graphics, and their iteration of Kuja could well look something like this cosplay.
Final Fantasy 9 is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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