First worn: Anime Expo 2001
I’ll be completely honest, I only did this because it was easy to throw together and I wanted to rep one of my favorite games at the time. I don’t actually like Makoto… in fact, I don’t like any of the girls from Street Fighter III. I already had everything except the yellow ribbon, though, and I don’t DISLIKE her, so why not? I had an extra black belt with no embroidery from my TKD black belt uniform, a plain white gi which I bought for a friend’s costume, a red tank top, and a short black wig, so I went and bought a couple yards of wide yellow ribbon and I was ready to go! No one recognized my costume or took photos of me though.
Many years later I met a guy who was a huge Makoto fan. I brought the costume back out for a Street Fighter group, and actually had a LOT of fun in the costume this time! I even met a few more excited Makoto fans (people finally know who I am??)! Even though I’m not a fan of her myself, it really felt great to connect with people through their favorite character, and they were what made this costume fun. I’m glad I did it!
I’m actually not particularly a fan of Makoto. I did this costume because I love Street Fighter III and because the only piece I needed to complete the outfit was the yellow ribbon. I wore it once to Anime Expo in ’01? and no one recognized it. Years later, I met a fun guy who was a huge Makoto fan, and he convinced me to wear the costume again with his Ryu. It’s a comfortable and easy costume, so why not? I even got a new wig for better accuracy. The response this time was amazing. Not only did people recognize me, I met a few more Makoto fans who really appreciated my costume. I’m really glad I wore the costume again, because meeting fans like these are really what makes cosplay fun.