[Sunbringer cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero: The Texture of This Black Leather Outfit Is Insane

This time I cosplayed Sunbringer from Zenless Zone Zero. The ensemble is predominantly crafted from black glossy patent leather, complemented by a blue gradient cape. The leather suit features a very form-fitting cut; however, because of the high-shine finish, even the slightest crease gets magnified under the camera lens, making it essential to keep the garment perfectly smooth before shooting. The inner red turtleneck creates an intense visual contrast against the star-shaped metallic emblem on the chest. To ensure balanced lower-body proportions, the pants feature an asymmetrical cut—one leg ends in a tall boot etched with subtle gold patterns, while the other is paired with a thigh strap harness and an ankle boot. This design visually elongates the leg line wonderfully, though one must constantly check the tension of the straps while moving around to keep them from slipping.

The mechanical horns on the head were the defining focal point of this look. Being heavy-duty molded pieces, they carried more weight than ordinary plastic horns, requiring multiple layers of bobby pins secured inside the wig to prevent them from tilting backward due to a shifted center of gravity. The molded metal badges were finished very cleanly without burrs along the edges, reflecting a crisp, hard-edged sheen under the lights. For the weapon, I used a custom-made broadsword; it has a long blade and moderate weight, but holding it single-handedly to pose demands noticeable core strength, and prolonged gripping left my wrists rather sore, so I rested the sword on a stand during breaks between takes.

For the wig, I selected a white short bob with blunt bangs, with the ends slightly tapered inward. Since the character has crimson pupils, I went with highly pigmented red contact lenses. For the eye makeup, I deepened the contours of the outer corners, replacing heavy eyeliner with dark eyeshadow—this softened the piercing intensity of the red contacts while keeping the makeup from looking overly harsh. Highlighter and contouring were applied primarily across the cheekbones and bridge of the nose to enhance facial dimensionality under cool-toned lighting.

Lighting setup was a significant challenge during the shoot. Because virtually every element worn was made of reflective materials, direct hard light would cause expansive blown-out highlights on the suit, obliterating the fabric's intrinsic details. Ultimately, we used softboxes paired with side-backlighting, allowing the illumination to form natural gradients across the leather surface. Under the backlighting, the blue cape revealed rich layers of depth; when flicking the cape to catch dynamic motion, we had to coordinate with fan airflow while keeping facial expressions composed. Mobility is relatively restricted in this outfit—especially when raising arms or bending over, where the pull of the leather is quite pronounced—so every pose was adjusted within subtle, minute angles, relying on chest breathing to guide body postures so the silhouette looked upright and poised without appearing stiff.