The only thing more impressive than the speed in which I bought the Overwatch Sanrio skins is the speed that people have created cosplays for them

I’m one of those people who immediately folds the second Sanrio announced a collaboration with a game. I can’t help it. I’ve loved Hello Kitty and her friends since I was a child, and now the Sanrio crew has grown in popularity over the last few years, I feel absolutely elated at the sheer number of games they’ve found their way into. Most recently though, Overwatch has received an absolutely immense Sanrio collaboration, featuring six Sanrio character-themed skins for six different champions.

Spotlighting Juno as Hello Kitty, Widowmaker as Kuromi, D.Va as My Melody, Lucio as Keroppi, Kiriko as Cinnamoroll, and Mercy as my favourite character PomPomPurin, there was no way I could possibly let this collaboration pass me by. So, there I was, notoriously terrible at Overwatch but ready to give it a good go, with the most adorable skin set in tow, the very second they launched. But, what I’ve found even more impressive than the speed in which I acquired the skins, it’s the sheer speed that people have already started cosplaying them.

Similarly, Tiktok user enyaarwyen opted to cosplay the same character, but added some unique touches such as a fluffy cat-eared hat rather than the white cat-eared beanie Juno seems to be wearing in the game. This is something I particularly love when a fanbase work on cosplays so quickly after characters, or skins are announced, too—the way people are so fast to work with what they’ve got.

The Sanrio x Overwatch skins aren’t particularly complex either, and rather than being plastered with prints of the Sanrio character they are dressing as they’re more realistic outfits, making it that little bit easier to use what you’ve got in your wardrobe already. With that said, there are probably a few details that do make bringing these characters to life a little more challenging which I don’t know about.

The ear headband is what pulls the cosplay together though, making it obvious that rather than just being Widowmaker in general, they’ve specifically opted for the Kuromi version. That, and the blueish-purpley painted skin which is the ultimate commitment to a Widowmaker cosplay. The same can be said for toffee.apple.cosplay who decided to dress as the same character, praising how the collaboration has not only made them play Overwatch again, but inspired them to start cosplaying again.

However, I am seeing a noticeable lack of Mercy x PomPomPurin cosplays. I don’t know if this is just because my social media algorithm isn’t feeding them to me as it is with the other characters, or if it’s because it’s not as popular as the others, but it’s certainly what I’ll be looking for over the next couple of weeks.

I suppose one excuse is that Mercy’s wings definitely make the cosplay process a little more thorough, so maybe creators are just taking a little extra time over making sure it’s perfect. At least that’s what I’ll be telling myself. Otherwise I may just have to fill the gap in the market and painstakingly make my own cosplay to varying levels of success.