It was an emotional victory for Robert Davis at AnimeCom Fest 2023, held at the Chinese Benevolent Association, St Andrew, when he was named winner of the Jamaican Cosplay Championship.

“I thank everybody, all the competitors. They were really, really good. I appreciate it. I thank AnimeCom, my son, God, and this is it for me, this is my retirement. I’m finished with cosplay. I’ll make costumes, but I’m no longer entering events,” an overwhelmed Davis told the Jamaica Observer.

The 55-year-old was part of a packed field of contestants onstage. Donning the older Dark Knight version of the Batman character, complete with details like tactical gear and lit visor, Davis held out in the heat and weight of his costume until the main announcement was made.

After expending his final bit of energy upon reception of the news of his first-place finish, Davis had to be quickly helped out of the costume before collapsing under the stress.

“Batman is my favourite character, ever. The only character that has no super powers but can beat the Justice League. I love Batman so much. It took me basically about half a year to do it, and I was procrastinating late nights; I didn’t think I was going to make it,” explained Davis.

Working nearly as long and having just as visually intricate a costume was Donique Allen. Her rendition of the character Ivara from the video game Warframe garnered her two awards, second place and Best Props from the judges, as her performance included the various weaponry the character wields in the game.

“I don’t play the game, but I was on Google looking up costume ideas and then I came across this one. I thought it was very detailed. I wanted to give myself a challenge and that’s what I did. It wasn’t easy; it took me three months and God’s grace got me through it,” said Allen.

In third place was another impressive cosplay, Crystal Salkey who chose Mayuri Kurotsuchi from the hit series Bleach. More impressive was the fact that this was her first-ever attempt at cosplay and entering a major competition.

“It feels surreal. When I heard my character called up I was like, ‘Wow, what, really!’ I couldn’t believe it,” said Salkey.

Ricardo Carter of the Jamaica Cosplay Club explained that AnimeCom Fest 2023 was not only a success, breaking the attendance and participation records of previous years, but had now cemented itself as an international event with several overseas guests and patrons coming to Jamaica to be a part of the event.

“We can’t be more grateful. The site, the look, the energy, the vibes, the turnout says it all. It’s just an amazing festivity. All these guys that we had who flew into the country, making it more than a creative and pop culture thing, AnimeCom Fest is now literally a tourism thing,” said Carter.

He added that he and his team are already starting to plan for next year, with the hopes of moving to an even larger venue to accommodate the growing interest.