Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

Identity and Community Construction in Cosplay Subculture: A Communication Studies Analysis

Zehao LuChengdu University of Technology*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In today’s youth cultural landscape, Cosplay has transformed from a niche fan pastime to a worldwide cultural event. Participants bring characters from virtual world like anime and game into real life via costume, props, body performance. This is far from being just a reproduction, it is full of cultural and communicative gravity. From the perspective of Communication studies the study mainly includes two questions first is that how people find identity from multifold identity, second is that how Cosplay-loving community form, communicate and meet internal problem. The study finds that cosplayers get “liminal spaces” by participating in cosplays, in which they can find their ideal selves and challenge social norms in terms of role-play, so that they can have different kinds of identity practices and temporary cross-dimensional identities. At the same time, Cosplay groups, via ritualistic interaction online and off, build significant cultural recognition and a feeling of homeliness. But they face hierarchies shaped by cultural capital and problems linked to commercializing, with competing for cultural capital inside showing differences in control. This study suggests that cosplaying is a kind of important culture practice that allows modern youth to express themselves in their own word and makes them have many friends.

Keywords: cosplay; community building; identity recognition; self expression
Published: February 2, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.HT31529
Volume: CHR Vol.102
pp. 135-141
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