The city of Miami, Florida, is known for its many properties, such as warm weather, sunny beaches — and cosplay culture.

Otakufest is a three-day convention held in the Miami Airport Convention Center every January. It is one of the biggest conventions in South Florida, but this year it expanded to include an extra day (running from Jan. 13-15), more celebrity guest signings and fan panels galore. 

The convention brings together a wide range of anime, video game, comic book and even Japanese culture fans together where they can meet their favorite voice actors, shop for merchandise and, most importantly, dress up as their favorite character, also known as cosplaying.

Cosplay — a blend of the words “costume play” — originated in Japan. The word was coined by Nobuyuki Takahashi in 1984 after he attended the World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles. He decided to call it cosplay instead of “masquerade” because the latter did not translate properly from English to Japanese. 

In this photo essay, witness the magic of cosplay culture as fans — who spent endless hardworking hours preparing — showcase their cosplays