Cosplay Guide: Maki Zenin from Jujutsu Kaisen

Are you still recovering from the Shibuya arc? We are giving you a step-by-step guide on making a Maki Zenin cosplay from the hit anime and manga series Jujutsu Kaisen’s recent manga chapters!

Difficulty: Novice. Minimal sewing is required.
Time: 3 Hours.

About Jujutsu Kaisen

Maki Zenin is from the Japanese anime/manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. The anime, which started in Fall 2020, is a Crunchyroll original and has been gaining a lot of attention, becoming the world’s most popular anime ahead of One Piece, according to the Guinness World Records. 

The Cosplay Breakdown

Capelet

In Maki’s new school uniform, the capelet is a distinctive piece. The Jujutsu High buttons are positioned just below the collar, keeping the capelet securely attached to the turtleneck sleeveless shirt she wears.

To create this cosplay, I only had to sew the capelet. I wanted to ensure that I replicated the capelet correctly, so I found a wonderful pattern by Fleece Fun. The medium-length capelet pattern was perfect for Maki’s, and instead of closing the seam, I left the arms open to match hers. I sewed down about 7 inches to close the shoulder up and leave the arm open, as seen below.

I followed the directions on Fleece Fun the rest of the way. Though, for this capelet I did not go with a lining. It doesn’t seem to make a difference, and it doesn’t show up in photoshoots so I’m fine with the quick capelet I made on a con crunch schedule. After this minor change to the directions I hemmed the capelet up and voila! Done!

Glasses or Bandages;

The glasses are a simple piece for this cosplay. Luckily, you can find a good sturdy pair on Amazon and pop out the lens if you want to. I kept mine in, solely because I enjoy pictures where there is light reflection, but this is an option piece. With Maki you can go with glasses, a bandage that covers the right side of her face and eye, both together, or none at all. There are have been manga panels with all four variations at different points and all will get the point across that you are the Zenin who means business.

Belt & High-Waist Pants;

A simple white belt with some high-waist black pants are perfect for this cosplay. There are no designs or any distinguishing features or styles for these two pieces. Just search for white belt and black high-waist pants on Amazon and you’ll find what you need. For my build I went with stretchy skinny style pants which fit my comfort level for days at a convention and to tuck into my boots. Keep in mind when buying pants what flare you want at the bottom.

Makeup;

One of Maki’s most defining features are the burn scars she has across her arms and face. There are a few ways to do this effect, though the most realistic way to achieve this is with liquid latex, tissue paper, using different shades of makeup, and setting powder.

The best way to achieve the color is to use the brighter shades first, and then go around the edges with the darker shades. Blend as you go to achieve the look you want. Because these are scars there is no wrong way to go about this! Test out a small part on your hand first before tackling the whole image. Also, if you do try liquid latex, test out a small part on your hand first to make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction.

I used several guides on YouTube to understand how to use liquid latex for the first time. And this guide was quick and showed step-by-step instructions on how to get good scar effects with tissue paper and apply the makeup to make them stand out.

Wig

The wig was the final and easiest piece for this cosplay! My best experience has been with Epic Cosplay wigs and they had the perfect wig for the length and color I wanted for my Maki cosplay. Out of the bag the wig is a little longer and too wavy for Maki but with a little steam and thinning the look can be achieved in no time.

Be sure to tag Temple of Geek on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok with your Maki Zenin cosplays if this guide was helpful!