Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: WWE Star Electrifies as a Naruto Legend (Exclusive)

All throughout the month of October WWE Superstar Zelina Vega is teaming with ComicBook for a special series, sharing first looks at her cosplays as the Halloween season draws closer. For those unfamiliar with Zelina, she’s a huge fan of all things nerdy. Whether it’s video games, anime or manga, she finds ways to incorporate her favorite nerdy things into her in-ring looks. This has inspired wrestlers inside and outside WWE to embrace their fandoms as well. Over the past few weeks she’s shared jaw-dropping cosplays from Sailor Moon and Tokyo Ghoul.

This week’s cosplay is straight from the pages of the Naruto Manga. If you live under a rock and are somehow unfamiliar with the highly-popularized anime, the series follows a group of students learning how to be ninjas in the Hidden Village of the Leaf. While the series primarily follows Naruto, Zelina’s cosplay is of Naruto‘s dreamy elite ninja teacher Kakashi Hatake. He is the teacher of Team 7 which, alongside Naruto, consists of Sasuke and Sakura. 

“I have a special place in my heart for the copy ninja aka the One Thousand Years Of Death master,” Zelina told ComicBook. “Kakashi was my mom’s anime crush and soon became mine. From his mystique to his style, the silver hair, to the funny one liners he had, Kakashi will always be a favorite for me.”

Once again, Zelina’s attention to detail is remarkable with her cosplays. To accompany her silver locks done by hairstylist Kendra Simmons, she’s got Kakashi’s headband placed atop her forehead. This exposes her left eye that holds a ton of meaning to his character. The noticeable scar right through the eye was caused in a battle trying to protect Obito. It ended up injuring his original eye, leading him to replace it with the glowing red Sharingan. Make no mistake — anyone that crossed his path while he possessed it was in fact folded in half like a lawn chair. 

You’ll also notice Zelina’s posing with Kakashi’s weapon of choice — his arrows — as he mainly uses a bow. Zelina’s also holding a copy of Jiraiya’s Icha Icha (or Make Out in the English dub), a romance novel series that even someone with a tragic backstory like Kakashi loves.

“I couldn’t help but love how people reacted when they heard his name, saw his face or knew they were going to fight him. ‘It’s you.. the copy ninja.. Kakashi Hatake,’” she continued. “Kakashi of the Sharingan held such power, especially because he wasn’t an Uchiha, himself. That name struck fear into people. In some strange way, I really admired his mental strength … no matter how tragic his back story was, the scars they left mentally or physically, you would never know. His poker face was top. Kakashi Sensei? Yeah, that’s one of the OG Ninja Zaddies.”

Who is Kakashi Hatake from Naruto?

Kakashi Hatake Is a very high-level shinobi (ninja). As such, he has become a legendary part of Naruto. He is highly regarded as one of Konohagakure’s most talented ninjas, as he is someone that people have always sought great wisdom and advice from. He was able to help the aforementioned group hone their skills and provide them the training needed to achieve their destiny. Eventually, he was made a Hokage following the Fourth Shinobi War as he was a favorite for the position for years. He himself retired and was succeeded by Naruto.

For those following along on Zelina’s social media accounts, this year’s Halloween Cosplay Countdown began with Gojo Satoru on September 14th. Keep up with all her cosplays past and present (like her Queen of the Damned Akasha look) on her X and Instagram!