Hitokiri Battousai from Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen/Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal

Made In. April 2008
Debuted. SoCal Spring Gathering 2008
Info. In this day and age of Code Geass and Gurren Lagann, many new anime fans have likely never heard of Rurouni Kenshin. WHICH IS A CRYING SHAME, since I believe that the tale of Himura Kenshin and the story that carved his cross-shaped scar is one of the most powerful stories ever told. Kenshin's life as a Hitokiri and the events that surround that period of his life are especially chilling, and I've wanted to do a Battousai costume from the Kenshin OVA for a very long time.

That being said, this costume almost seems cursed. Well, at least my endevours with the wig have been cursed. I attempted to have this costume done for the 2008 Sakura Photoshoot to wear with the Tomoe costume my friend Solaria had made ages ago, but time contraints forced me to leave the styling of the wig into the hands of my local wig shop, and the results were disastrous, which meant I was unable to wear the costume for that event. After styling my own wig, I was finally able to wear the costume to the SoCal Spring Gathering, but my wig got frustratingly tangled and the 100+ degree heat made taking photos miserable. At FanimeCon, I used my first Battousai wig as a ponytail attached to my new Battousai wig, and while the overall look was better than previous attempts, it still was a little on the ridiculous side. -.-; Ah, well, it's worth all the hassel to be able to dress up as my all-time favorite anime/manga character! Just thinking about this point in Kenshin's life makes me T_____T so you can imagine how I feel every time I see Kenshin/Tomoe photos with me and Solaria. ;_;