[Hiyuki Cosplay] The White and Red Blade from Wuthering Waves

This time I cosplayed Hiyuki from Wuthering Waves, collaborating once again with photographer @来猜. Having looked at her original design concept art and character personality earlier, I always felt that a character with a white and red color scheme would be visually striking. The main goal for this shoot was to emphasize her cool yet sharp demeanor, so I paired this modified white Japanese-style outfit outlined with black edges, complete with a vivid red hemline and waist cincher. The cut of the outfit is very sharp; the off-the-shoulder design along with a slightly open neckline highlights the character's body lines nicely when adjusting angles during shooting.

For the wig, I went with an extra-long silver-white high ponytail hairstyle. Wigs with this much volume and length are quite a test during photoshoots, especially when ensuring hair strands don't clip awkwardly or look overly heavy. While styling, special care was given to the direction of the hair strands, particularly the bangs, to match the slightly layered straight bangs from the original design as closely as possible. It was accented with a white hair accessory with red tassels to complete the look.

The shooting set chosen was a classic indoor Japanese style scene. The background featured traditional sliding doors (shoji), wooden beam structures, and traditional hanging Japanese paper umbrellas, alongside artificial cherry blossom branches, autumn leaves, and a lantern casting a warm yellow glow on one side to build a incredible atmospheric vibe. This environment light with high cold-warm contrast made the silver White hair styling and white costume textures look even more translucent, while making the red hem appear more vibrant.

In terms of posing and composition, we experimented with different angles. For example, the cover photo selected a low-angle shot with perspective. This angle elongates body lines while allowing the white-sheathed katana and cascading ponytail to create an outward expanding visual tension. At this height, holding the prop sword needed to look natural without completely obscuring costume details, ensuring the black trim on the chest, metallic belt buckle, and leg lines revealed by the skirt slit all found a balanced position in the frame.

Another high-angle shot focused more on showcasing leg lines. Sitting half-on a raised wooden platform while holding a bare blade, stretching legs forward while wearing nude transparent thick-heeled sandals showcased a state where laziness and sharpness coexisted, contrasting with standing poses. Since the costume itself pairs a short hem with a long mesh cape, it proved perfect for close-up shots of the legs. The wood tones of the Japanese platform harmonized beautifully with overall ambient colors, creating a strong narrative feel.

For props, besides the pure white sword hilt and sheath, a cherry blossom branch was included. During the shoot, it served as both a hand accessory and a foreground element to create depth and blurring effects, adding layers to the composition. Communicating with @来猜 was seamless as always; his masterclass over light and shadow—especially facial lighting and rim lights—kept the final shots from looking flat, giving them three-dimensional lighting transitions instead.

Overall, these photos were not just a recreation of the character's image, but also an exploration in our shooting techniques and lighting setups. The white-and-red costume paired with traditional Japanese elements created a highly recognizable Anime cosplay piece. I am very satisfied with how this shoot turned out and look forward to challenging more detailed character designs in the future.