Hatsune Miku is no stranger when it comes to videogames. From her very own desktop mate DLC, to her rather questionable Fall Guys skin, and even the Fortnite collab which actually pulled me back into the battle royale for a brief amount of time, we’ve seen Hatsune Miku in all sorts of games. As a result, more people than ever have been dipping their toes into the world of Vocaloid and attempting to understand who this blue haired anime girl is, and why so many people go crazy for her.
Character Select
Welcome to Character Select, a weekly column where PC Gamer takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I’ll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.
I’ve always known about Miku, but over the last few years I’ve found myself investing a little more time listening to the music, and learning about the character as a whole, which led me to discover that the reason there are so many different versions of Miku is because they can all be canon. Every single version of Miku is canon, she doesn’t just exist in one space. No matter what environment, genre, game, movie, TV show, book, or situation you want to design a Miku based around, it’s lore-accurate. Sounds crazy, I know, but you best believe people waste no time in bringing their own versions of the voice bank to life.
This means she’s a particularly popular character to cosplay, because you can basically get away with doing whatever, and as long as you’ve got long blue pigtails and some sort of leek motif on you, people will know what you’re doing. But videogame cosplayers in particular tend to take this one step further, implementing Hatsune Miku’s iconic colour scheme into their outfits rather than her general look.
Instagram user cybercraft adopted Miku’s teal and hot pink into their Helldivers uniform, and even without M@GICAL☆CURE! LOVE SHOT! playing in the background, it’s pretty obvious to see where the inspiration for this colour scheme came from. Though they have taken it a little bit further to really pay homage to Miku by adding her iconic 01 to the shoulder alongside a hot pink decal on the side of the helmet.
After seeing Miku in Fortnite, thinking about her wielding a firearm is less shocking as it was, so I don’t think a Miku x Helldivers collab would be out of the question in-game either. This is definitely one of the more subtle Miku-inspired cosplays, especially given the lack of blue pigtails. But it works.
In a similar vein, Tiktok user vcos.ofu applied the same sort of colour palette to a very impressive Pyramid Head cosplay. Except, this one not only features two blue pigtails from the classic Pyramid Head helmet, but two little leek plushies too. You know, for that ultimate Hatsune Miku look. I’ve already talked at length about how much I love the way people take Pyramid Head and make him their own, so it’s not really surprising that someone has created a Miku version.
The outfit itself outside of the helmet is as impressive as the helmet too, featuring teal trim on a black outfit which is more similar to something you could see Pyramid Head potentially wearing rather than Miku’s default waistcoat and short skirt. They haven’t gone for the classic sleeveless look of Pyramid Head though, bringing in Miku’s classic detached synthesiser sleeves. It’s just one small detail, but it really helps to bring the entire look together.
My favourite example of someone taking Miku and combining her with their favourite game has to be Tiktok user Sharkbaitsarah, who has created an entire Hatsune Miku armour set based around the Dragoon job from the Final Fantasy series. Similar to the Helldivers armour, they’ve closely followed the iconic black, teal, and hot pink colour palette, and incorporated decals like Miku’s number on the shoulder again. However, they’ve also opted for a black skirt, and sheer top featuring a blue sequined necktie to really hone in on the recognisable Miku look.
It’s definitely not subtle, and it’s so incredibly impressive to look at before you even think about the fact it’s a Miku variant. The armour alone is phenomenal, with teal ruffles and little nods to the vocaloid that really make it pop. It’s just not a cosplay I ever would’ve thought of, and I feel like a lot of people who have seen it feel the same. It’s one of the reasons I love the statement that “every Miku is canon” because it very evidently gives the freedom people need to combine their favourite things. I’m yet to see a Miku x Katamari Damacy collab, but maybe that’s my gap in the market. I certainly feel more inspired to create something after seeing everyone else do it.
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