A full Digimon Frontier team setup is extremely rare at anime convention cosplay events, but our group of six finally accomplished this nearly impossible task at Chengdu CD27.
Let's first talk about costume, hair, and makeup details everyone cares about most. Because we cosplayed the core team from Digimon Frontier, each person's costume has very high color recognition. From the red hair paired with a blue-and-yellow work jacket, to the green hat with goggles, to the distinctly feminine purple Over-the-knee socks cosplay look with a striped shirt and a purple cat-shaped hat. These accessories—like goggles on the hat, denim pants cuts, and even specific patterned jumpsuits—were prepared and customized months in advance. Just to trim the wigs into spiky hair fitting character settings and proper bang lengths, we trimmed together until late at night before the convention, just so the photos next day wouldn't feel out of place.
As for props, they are truly the soul of this cosplay plan. The six handheld electronic devices (D-Tectors) of different colors shown in the photos follow the original color logic: white, black, red, purple, blue, and teal. Each prop has corresponding buttons and an LCD screen area. Although they can't actually power on, we put enormous effort into surface filming and painting to capture that plastic texture and retro electronic game feel under convention sunlight. When gathering these six devices close for a detail shot, though everyone complained about them being heavy and hard to hold, the excitement on our faces couldn't be hidden—these props were our group's most hardcore signature.
The shooting experience was also full of laughs and surprises. We chose the outer plaza of Western China International Expo City in Chengdu for outdoor shooting. The lighting that day was very clear and bright, perfect for showcasing our large color-blocked outfits. The top-down perspective from above in Photo 1 posed a huge test on everyone's facial expressions and body language. To find the perfect top-down composition, the photographer was practically lying on the anti-slip mat shouting cues, while we looked down at the camera while making sure props weren't upside down. The fist-bump gesture in Photo 6 was a spontaneous idea on site: the character in the red top interacted with the one in the blue bandana, while the red-haired character with folded arms gave a sharp gaze, instantly creating that playful banter and tacit understanding innate to the characters. The three-person formation in Photo 5 also took ten minutes to find a center of gravity balance point; with arms supporting each other, we stabilized that slightly chunibyo stance that fit the original vibe perfectly.
Before deciding to do this group shoot, I hesitated—wondering if cosplaying Digimon in 2024 might be too niche, or if we couldn't gather enough people. But standing at the anime convention and seeing fellow fans holding up phones and cheering us on, that veteran anime fan pride emerged naturally. Nothing brings a greater sense of achievement than having the full team assembled. Our colors were indeed striking; even among many cosplayers wearing white fur or red cloaks in the background, our six bright color blocks were extremely eye-catching.
For editing, we didn't apply excessive filters, preferring to retain the natural outdoor lighting effects. For example, looking at the diffused soft light filtering through clouds in Photo 7, whether purple stockings or yellow inner shirts, no harsh shadows appeared. These authentic Convention photos carry more life than studio shoots, recording our real state trying to pose while chatting, and that relaxed feel makes the photos look even more natural. The Digimon Frontier team styling paired with an outdoor exhibition hall backdrop was a high-completion, high-fidelity attempt.