In Monster Hunter World the Nergigante is an elder dragon who is covered in spikes. They’re on its head, tail, wings—it’s just spikes everywhere. So of course, this being Monster Hunter, you kill it then skin it then wear all those spikes on your body. The Nergigante armor set has so many spikes it looks like it was designed by Games Workshop. When Kamui crafted her own (from EVA foam rather than the skin of a dragon) she put 825 spikes onto it. The effort was worth it.
She’s not the only cosplayer inspired by this armor set. Kinpatsu created a similar interpretation of it, though without the damnation claws.
Monster Hunter World’s armor sets are a big part of the game. Each one is a pay-off for a string of successful hunts and make the next round of even harder monster hunts possible. Each piece of chitin or scale ripped from a beast is a step toward being able to kill bigger and better creatures so they can be fashioned into fashion in turn, a neverending cycle of slaying.
It makes sense that cosplayers would be inspired to spend hours making these outfits in reality after spending hours earning them in the videogame. Broken Blade Workshop crafted a set of Jyura armor, complete with heavy bowgun, carving knives, and gourd flask. His armor looks a lot better than the Jyuratodus it’s made from in-game, a blob-featured fish beast with a face only a mother could love.
It’s not just the armor that’s proved inspirational. The Bazelgeuse, an annoying wyvern that shows up when you’re already in the middle of a fight and drops exploding scales everywhere, is the subject of Shyaku’s cosplay. True to form, he appears by surprise, although only to photobomb people rather than scatter scalebombs all over the place. Which is presumably why nobody’s rendered him down into a suit of armor yet.
