At Chennai Comic Con 2026, nostalgic comics and homegrown narratives came together in a vibrant celebration of fandom

A riot of capes, corsets, and carefully crafted armour took centrestage as Chennai Comic Con wrapped up at the Chennai Trade Centre, with cosplay emerging as the undisputed showstopper. From anime icons and gaming legends to beloved Indian comic characters, over 500 fans transformed the venue into a living, breathing multiverse, showcasing how Chennai’s fandom culture has evolved, placing the city on India’s pop culture map. 

A riot of capes, corsets, and carefully crafted armour took centrestage as Chennai Comic Con wrapped up at the Chennai Trade Centre, with cosplay emerging as the undisputed showstopper. From anime icons and gaming legends to beloved Indian comic characters, over 500 fans transformed the venue into a living, breathing multiverse, showcasing how Chennai’s fandom culture has evolved, placing the city on India’s pop culture map. 

A cosplayer dressed as Guts, from the manga series Berserk  | Photo Credit: Johan Sathyadas

“It’s my first Comic Con, and the atmosphere is pretty welcoming,” says Om Tiwari, dressed as Stein from Soul Eater, adjusting the handmade scythe that he built over six hours using cardboard and even monster cans. “Earlier, you didn’t always find people you could openly talk to about anime. But here, everyone just gets it — the vibe, the characters. My aim for next year is to be back as a better cosplayer,” he adds.

Across the floor, that shared enthusiasm played out in striking detail. Firefly from Honkai: Star Rail struck poses for photos next to Moskov’s Infernal Wyrmlord avatar from Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. We even spotted Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries meeting up with Inuyasha, while beloved Indian characters like Chacha Chaudhary and Shikari Shambhu brought a local vibe to the atmosphere. 

Vignesh dressed as a Second World War paratrooper | Photo Credit: Johan Sathyadas

In the crowd of anime characters, we spotted 31-year-old IT professional Vignesh dressed as a Second World War paratrooper that took him 10 months to create. “I started right after the last Comic Con. The jacket is completely hand-stitched. The rifle–an M1, the standard-issue weapon for an average infantryman during WWII is fully hand-printed, which I assembled and painted by hand. The helmet is made of foam, and even the patches are hand-embroidered.” For him, the effort is inseparable from the platform. “I wouldn’t be doing it if not for Comic Con. It gives a lot of volume to what we create.”