We are breaking down how to put together a Chuuya Nakahara cosplay from the hit anime Bungo Stray Dogs. Chuuya has a few different outfits depending on the era the episodes take place, which are the same across the manga and the anime.
Bungo Stray Dogs is a manga and anime written by Kafka Asagiri. The manga is illustrated by Sango Harukawa. The characters are named after authors from around the world. Some of them have special abilities, and those abilities are modeled after the works of their name-sakes.
Chuuya Nakahara
As of right now, the Bungo Stray Dogs anime has five seasons, an OVA, and a movie. Chuuya Nakahara is a Port Mafia executive who used to work alongside Dazai, before Dazai defected to the Armed Detective Agency. His ability is to manipulate gravity and is named for one of real-life Chuuya’s poems called “Upon the Tainted Sorrow.”
Chuuya’s hair is orange/red and varies in length depending on his age. For a majority of the story, his hair is a medium length with very choppy layers. There seems to be a theme in Bungo Stray Dogs of most characters having terrible haircuts. Pre-made, Chuuya specific wigs are available and usually need minimal styling. Should this wig need any trimming, do not worry too much about making a mistake. Due to the nature of his terrible haircut, no one will notice.
Chuuya Cosplay
Chuuya has a few outfits throughout the series. However, his Port Mafia look is the one that is the most seen. There are quite a few pieces needed for this look.
First, start with the base layer. You will need black pants and a white button-up shirt. The button-up should either be short sleeve or half sleeve due to the crop of his first jacket. As far as pants go, both jeans and slacks work for this cosplay.
Next, Chuuya wears a black harness over the button-up. Because the harness is pretty hidden under the grey vest, there is an opportunity to get creative with styles. The only screen-accurate “requirement” is that the harness itself creates an X over the chest. Once you have the harness, it’s time for the vest. Grey vests are easy to find, as Amazon has quite a few options for inexpensive.
The cropped jacket might be a little tricky. Check your local thrift or secondhand stores for jackets that can easily be altered. Chuuya’s half-sleeves on this jacket have brown cuffs, which can be added with felt or fabric later. This jacket option on Amazon could work with some alterations. Also, checking your local thrift store for Chuuya’s long black coat is the best option.
As far as accessories go, the necessities are a black bowler hat, black choker necklace, and black gloves. Chuuya’s hat is very important in the lore of his character’s story. If you want to complete the hat’s look with the brown lines, then those can be added with fabric or ribbon. Some cosplayers add a chain hanging from the side for extra flare.
If piecing your Chuuya Nakahara cosplay together becomes too expensive or too time consuming, then purchasing a pre-made cosplay works just as well. Personally, I changed out some of the accessories as the chokers can be a bit flimsy and the gloves the wrong size. But for the most part, the Amazon options are good quality and affordable.
More Options
The first three episodes of Bungo Stray Dogs season 3 discuss how Chuuya ended up in the Port Mafia. In these episodes, Chuuya is 15 years old and wears a different outfit than when we see him in the rest of the series.
This outfit is far more simple than his main look. Also, his hair is shorter. What you will need for this look is a red t-shirt, grey hoodie, and a black leather jacket.
Another simplified cosplay for Chuuya is his vampire look from season 5. Here, we see Chuuya in a white V-neck t-shirt and a dark leather jacket.
With accessories for this cosplay, you will at least need some vampire fangs. If contact lenses are not for you, then you can leave them out altogether. Fans will know from which arc you are cosplaying.
Finally, there is one lesser-known Chuuya Nakahara cosplay look for cosplayers to choose from. This one is from the light novel, Stormbringer. In this light novel, we see Chuuya at 16 years old as he climbs through the ranks of the Port Mafia.
Chuuya is seen here with a white button-up, a black blazer, and his black choker necklace. For most of this story, Chuuya is without his hat (which is explained in the novel itself).
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