Zelina Vega’s Cosplay Countdown: First Look at WWE Star’s Spine-Tingling Tokyo Ghoul Cosplay (Exclusive)

WWE superstar Zelina Vega is no novice when it comes to tying her love of all things cosplay into her career as a professional wrestler. Throughout the years, you’ve probably seen her incredibly intricate bedazzled looks on WWE Raw, SmackDown and even Premium Live Events. Her looks have inspired other wrestlers to show their fandoms proudly as well, which can be seen a lot across the WWE specifically, with stars like Jade Cargill, Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano (another pioneer in the cosplay gear realm), The New Day, Seth Rollins, AEW’s Mercedes Moné (Sasha Banks in WWE), Ricochet, Rey Mysterio and so many others. 

Zelina taps into her nerdy side to combine two worlds that are often overlooked with the amount of crossovers there are between wrestling and other “nerdy” outlets like gaming, anime, comics, superheroes, and so much more. In collaboration with ComicBook, Zelina is giving a first look at some of her upcoming cosplays as the Halloween season draws closer. To kick things off, Zelina is showcasing her love of Tokyo Ghoul, more specifically the iconic Ken Kaneki.

Tokyo Ghoul is a dark fantasy series that takes place in an alternate version of Tokyo, Japan, where humans coexist with ghouls. For the uninitiated, ghouls appear like humans but the only way for them to survive is by consuming human flesh. The widely successful manga has produced several other forms of media, including video games, an animated series and a film.

When asked about why she decided to choose to cosplay Ken specifically, Zelina says it mostly came down to how much she connects with his tragic backstory. “I chose this cosplay because I love the anime but more specifically, the beautifully tragic story of Ken losing his humanity and finally giving in to his ghoul side in the form of a subconscious encounter with Rize and the transformation being illustrated by blood splashing on to a white rose, turning into a spider lily. 

It’s why I have brought spider lilies into my hair and gear. I love Ken’s iconic look but I especially love the meaning behind him developing Marie Antoinette syndrome. Being mentally tortured by Jason so much that his hair turned white. “What’s 1000-7?” stays with me.” The gear that Zelina is referencing was shown on a recent episode of WWE Raw where the white gear is adorned with spider lilies and crystals. Additionally her hair — which resembles Ken’s — has a spider lily clip and there are other red accents throughout that tie the look together.

The spider lily’s origins began when they were planted atop graves to keep rodents and other creatures from digging. Over time, they became synonymous with death in Japanese folklore, and in Tokyo Ghoul specifically, there is a scene where Kaneki is surrounded by the blood red flowers, signifying the death of his old self. Elsewhere in pop culture another Tokyo Ghoul superfan, chart-topping rapper Megan Thee Stallion, has many references to the flowers in the music video for her single “HISS.”

Who is Ken Kaneki From Tokyo Ghoul?

Ken is one of the main characters from the highly popular manga Tokyo Ghoul which was released in 2011. Ken is turned into a half-ghoul after having an encounter with Rize Kamishiro after their date, forcing him to battle with a complex social and political climate while grasping at the strings of his humanity.

While it’s one of two ways to become a ghoul, the half-ghoul is often much stronger than a pureblooded one due to their unique abilities. Ken is unique, though, because when you’re a half ghoul only one of your eyes undergoes the red transformation known as the Kakugan which is a clear focal point of Zelina’s cosplay.

Ken’s ghoul mask is made of leather with a wide mouth opening filled with artificial teeth and gums, making it appear more realistic. In between there is a zipper which comes in handy for the ghouls so they can easily open and close it when consuming meals without having to take their whole mask off. This also prevented them from being exposed and discovered by what was once known as the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul). The organization’s main priority was to exterminate ghouls by using their powers against them.

Tokyo Ghoul is streaming on Hulu and Crunchyroll.