[Anby cosplay] Recreating Zenless Zone Zero: Searching for Traces of Sixth Street on American Streets

I had worn this Anby gear several times at previous anime conventions, but actually bringing it to the downtown streets in the US for an American street photography shoot felt completely different.

The chosen shooting location is quite typical of an older downtown street here. The moment I saw the visually striking street graffiti wall and the custom motorcycle parked beside it, I felt a wonderful visual resonance with Sixth Street from Zenless Zone Zero. The metallic exhaust pipes, weathered and yellowed storefront signs, and sweeping blue street art felt as if a scene straight out of the game had been transported into the real world.

However, behind these vibrant American street scenes, I must give everyone practical advice: if you travel to the US, definitely avoid downtown areas, especially entering alone without someone familiar with local conditions. The only reason I could shoot safely this time was having companions monitoring our surroundings throughout the shoot and deliberately choosing broad daylight hours. Even so, during pauses between takes, we could still sense potential safety hazards nearby. Safety must always come first.

As a costume packed with mechanical and cyberpunk elements, the biggest headache for this shoot was transporting the props. The massive backpack rig assembled with black and green pipes was huge and heavy; combined with the weapon prop in hand, controlling my center of gravity during poses was quite difficult. In particular, for the shot where I sat on that motorcycle, the aged denim-textured seat and glossy black fender created a rugged visual contrast against the neon yellow-green techwear jacket and over-the-knee socks outfit. But in reality, maintaining that backward-glance posture severely tested the grip of the platform shoes and strained my ankles, leaving the soles of my feet thoroughly aching afterward.

Yet to recreate the character's temperament faithfully, all these hardships felt well worth it when seeing the final photos. Shooting cosplay on foreign streets is a truly unique experience: many local passersby looked on curiously, some assuming it was a promo for high-tech esports, while others thought I was a theatrical performer. Whenever that happened, as an overseas cosplayer from China, I proudly told them that this character comes from our Chinese game.

The weather was great on the day of the shoot, but the drawback was that the outdoor sunlight here in the US was extremely harsh and intense. To prevent harsh hotspots and stark shadows on my face and costume, the photographer and I had to constantly search for the edges of building shadows or utilize front-lit angles. While the final photos show translucent and textured lighting, on-site it required repeatedly adjusting positions and retaking shots through constant trial and error.

Previously, most of my photos were indoor studio shoots or convention scenes back home, rarely venturing into themes that integrate directly into unfamiliar real-world streets. Trying this out, I found that cyberpunk characters with a touch of wasteland aesthetic actually adapt wonderfully to high-contrast natural lighting environments. Even on an unfamiliar street abroad, the moment I put on this gear, it genuinely felt like breaking the fourth wall and stepping directly into the game map.

If you are curious about the costume's material details, the prop fabrication behind it, or shooting roleplay cosplay overseas, feel free to ask in the comments! I'll do my best to share detailed insights from this on-site scouting and shooting adventure.