Genderbent Naruto Cosplay Gives Rock Lee Fun New Spin
Out of the characters introduced in Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto over its 20 year run, few [...]
Out of the characters introduced in Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto over its 20 year run, few characters have made as big of an impact as Rock Lee. Standing out immediately from the other Genin of the Hidden Leaf Village for his distinct look, Lee eventually made a bigger impact on not only the other characters in the series but the anime fandom as a whole. Out of all the moments in Naruto's story, Lee has some of the most memorable fights and clashes despite not getting into the thick of the action as often as the others.
With his distinct look and memorable fights, Rock Lee is a prime choice for Naruto fans to bring to life through cosplay. Now he's gotten a fun genderbent spin thanks to artist @deberrybestcosplays (who you can find on Instagram here). Check it out below:
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Rock Lee was an early favorite when he was first introduced to the series, but it was the Chunin Exams that really brought him to the top. During the preliminary tournament in which he found himself up against the powerful Gaara, Rock Lee revealed he had a power all his own. Because he couldn't use jutsu too well, he instead trained his body to the point where taking off his leg weights was a show all its own.
Lee ultimately did not win that fight, but he did win the hearts of Naruto fans everywhere. The surprise of seeing his leg weights hit the ground is still at the top of many fans' favorite anime moments lists, and its rare to see this one moment from a side character of the series often outshine the main character when they compare. Now great cosplay like this is tapping into all of those great memories!
Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.