How did Gale Fassbender become a rising star in the cosplay world? To put it simply, it was half labor of love, half happy accident. He recently sat down with us to discuss his most ambitious projects, putting his heart into every character, and how cosplay makes it almost impossible to be an introvert.
PLAYBOY: Can you tell us about how you discovered cosplay? At what point in your life were you like, “Whoa, I want to do that.”
Gale Fassbender: I started a little bit before Covid. And it was because my little sister was really into it and I wanted to have a way to connect with her more. We didn’t have a lot in common, but we both love anime and video games. She loved all the cosplayers on TikTok, so I decided to give it a shot.
PLAYBOY: And then you became a professional cosplayer.
Gale: Yeah, accidentally [laughs]. I loved being able to act like a different character. The sort of performance aspect of it was really fun for me and I had no idea that I would like it until I tried it. And I was like, “Wait a minute. I enjoy this.”
PLAYBOY: And I feel like you have an advantage that some cosplayers have which is that you have the type of features that you can do a female or a male cosplay.
Gale: I do get that comment a lot from people. “You’re very androgynous.” Which I definitely have been using to my advantage because I love cosplaying all types of characters. So, it’s interesting to sort of play with both genders.
PLAYBOY: Tell us about your first ever cosplay.
Gale: So my first ever cosplay was from an anime that I didn’t really watch, but it was my sister’s favorite, My Hero Academia. I cosplayed Shigaraki. I grew up in LA and in Little Tokyo there’s a cosplay shop. And so we decided to go and we were so nervous. I was like, “My gosh, this is going to be our first cosplay. What wig should I get?” And we were so scared to walk into that shop. I randomly saw that bright powder blue wig and I was like, “Okay, I could use that for Sugar Rocky.” But it was rough.
PLAYBOY: That first one always is. But you’ve got to start somewhere.
Gale: It took a while. I’m still learning too. And trends move so quickly so often. I find myself buying cosplays or even going to the thrift store and modifying clothes I find there. But if there’s a passion project or a character that I really love, then I will spend the time and money to make the cosplay. I haven’t done that a lot, but I’m trying to do that more.
At this point I I try to just choose my favorite characters. Because I feel it’s hard to be like, “I’d suit this character or this character.” If I cosplay the character, but my heart’s not in it, then it won’t be as meaningful as if I just cosplay all the characters I love.
PLAYBOY: Do you feel as if you transform into the character when you cosplay?
Gale: Often. Yes. Especially when I go to cons, because I’m a very introverted, shy person and I used to be so much more afraid to speak to people. But because of cosplay, everyone’s perceiving me as this character so I want to bring them to life. I hold myself differently, and that definitely has been a big experience, becoming a character.
PLAYBOY: Is there a special photoshoot that still sticks with you?
Gale: I was is in Germany and some cosplayers and I scheduled this photoshoot together. We borrowed cosplays from this studio called FD Cosplay Studio which is based in Ukraine. All of us have Ukrainian roots. So it was just such a beautiful experience to be these characters that we relate to and love. Incredible scenes, beautiful costumes. It was truly one of the best days ever. I was so happy.
PLAYBOY: Do you travel a lot for cons? Do you have any favorite cons?
Gale: Because I’m a full-time student, I have to limit most of my traveling to the summer. I’d say my favorite con recently that I’ve been to was Smash Con. Which was so incredible that I even got to go that far. The organizers were just so kind, and they really helped all of the cosplayers who attended. It was such like a cosplay-based con and I think those are my favorite. And I love to meet so many new people.
PLAYBOY: Any dream cons on your itinerary?
Gale: I’ve pretty much only been to the cons on the east coast and west coast. So yeah, I think more cons in Georgia, like Dragon Con. I went to HolMat last year, but I want to go to another one. Katsucon’s a big one. Anywhere in the US, I want to meet more people in the US.
PLAYBOY: Can you tell me about some of your favorite cosplays?
Gale: I’d say Howl [from Howl’s Moving Castle] is definitely one of my favorites. Definitely up there. Because I relate to the character. Which could be a bad thing or a good thing depending how you look at it. I’m a very dramatic person. Second one is Cloud Strife [from Final Fantasy VII]. I love all the Final Fantasy boys. I guess Sephiroth would also be up there, but I’m gonna condense both boys into one.
I also had a really good really fun time cosplaying Melo from Death Note. Yes, it’s quite old. It’s from such a long time ago, but it was one of the first cosplays that I was wearing a more natural wig. Let’s see. So that’s three. And then I’d say Eto from Genshin Impact, because I styled that wig for so long and I had the little fake nails I was like, “This better be worth it. I can’t move. I’ve got body paint on.” And it was worth it. it was so fun. And then lastly, I’d say Boa from One Piece. Yes.
PLAYBOY: That’s some good variety. Are there any characters you’re eyeballing, thinking about doing next?
Gale: I want to do more fantasy stuff. So I’m trying to see if there’s anything I can do from Lord of the Rings. I’ve never cosplayed as someone who was already portrayed by an actor, like Legolas. And I can’t do it better than the king, Orlando Bloom. That’s Legolas.
But I want to own armor, and I want to do a fantasy shoot. So I think any character that has armor…that’s the dream for me right now.
PLAYBOY: Is there a cosplayer you look up to?
Gale: I think the biggest cosplayer that I look up to is Karina Coser. She’s a China-based cosplayer, she has such a strong love for her audience, and she shares so much about mental health. All the while, she’s also this extremely stunning and talented person. And I’m like “Wow!” I want to be like, her assistant one day. She’s just such an inspiration.
PLAYBOY Is there a dream cosplay on your mind, one that may be challenging to pull off?
Gale: My ultimate dream is to cosplay as Barnaby Brooks Jr. from from Tiger and Bunny. I don’t even know how to describe it. It looks crazy and so cool and I don’t have the skill set to build it yet. But I can imagine. I can dream. One day I’ll get there.
To check out more of Gale Fassbender’s cosplay, follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
