We had the fantastic privilege of connecting with Rithe, an internationally recognized cosplayer who once represented Singapore at the World Cosplay Summit. She’s known for her amazing portrayal as Saber from Fate/Stay Night, and has since worked with many prestigious companies and game titles. She’s also an international superstar welcomed to multiple events all over the world, with FanFes 2025 in the Philippines being one of the most recent.
Cosplay (from the words costume play) is an activity where people dress up as their favorite characters. It is a means to connect, express, and show love for the stories we enjoy. As a master of the art of cosplay, Rithe has graced Anime Corner and a few other media outlets with the privilege of a sneak peek of what it’s like to be in the industry — from her profound love for cosplay, her experiences in transforming her creative hobbies into her dedicated career, and to inspiring the community.
Parts of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity.
Rithe Talks Passion for Cosplay, Creativity, and Saber
Rithe’s passion for cosplaying begins and thrives through her love for her favorite heroine, Saber from Fate/Stay Night. She shared about how she’s actually a graduate of interior design, and if she didn’t pursue cosplaying, she’d probably be busy with that line of work. Except that she didn’t – she took the leap and transformed her hobby into a full-time profession.
“I sort of just stumbled into becoming a cosplayer. It was a “oh, why not try” sort of situation with my friends…and then I just never stopped cosplaying. It’s just a really special feeling to be able to wear something that you made yourself.
I started cosplaying when I was just 16 years old. All my friends were cosplayers; my first solo overseas trip was also because of cosplay, and now, I dedicate all my time to it. It’s made me who I am today.”
Although cosplay is widely known and accepted today, it wasn’t as popular back in the day. When asked what kept her going through her cosplay career, Rithe said: “I honestly wouldn’t say that there was a hard time in my cosplay career, [although there was my] family that was against this hobby-turned-career. So, it’s the pure love for cosplay that kept me going, I guess?”
Rithe’s proud moment in cosplay came in 2018, when she and her teammate won first place in the Singapore preliminaries of the World Cosplay Summit 2019, the world’s largest cosplay festival. She shared that the preparation for this was a very stressful time, since there were plenty of new costume-making techniques that she used for her Saber costume. With the competition in mind, she built the costume aiming for the win, which came true. This achievement allowed her to represent Singapore in the finals in Japan.
The Highlights and Challenges of Cosplay
Cosplay is a form of art and expression. A lot of things come into play in the process, from preparing the costume, wig styling to planning character poses and photoshoots. It may sound overwhelming, but it’s also quite simple and doable when you put your mind to it – something which Rithe has proven time and time again.
As a cosplayer, there’s an indescribable sense of fulfillment after all the hard work, hence why she calls every cosplay she’s done her favorite ones. Rithe mentions from experience that a lot of her cosplay choices are from fun gaming experiences, a character’s beauty, or the desire to reenact a particular meme for the laughs. And no matter the reason, it all comes to the same thing: “At the end of the day, it’s always because we like the character, in one way or another.”
For instance, Rithe is never shy about her love for cosplaying Saber. It’s not just her favorite character; it’s her dream character, after all. She happily shared that the original version is still and always the best version, and that she will also always be cosplaying her for a very long time.
Diving deeper into the cosplay process, Rithe also mentioned how she enjoys making the costumes the most, especially when posing for photoshoots and doing dynamic shots. In fact, she added that she’s currently working on making a cosplay for the upcoming Saber variation from Honkai Star Rail. “I picked out fabrics I know will flow well for photo taking, and I’m going to give myself plenty of time to work on it!”
Of course, the cosplay process doesn’t come without any hardship. When asked about which was her most challenging cosplay, she shared about her time doing Saber’s Alter Huke version. “It’s the pure complexity of the costume, and even when it’s done, it was almost impossible to transport and walk in, but was so worth it.”
To expand on how she stays motivated despite the challenges, she reminds herself of the rewarding experience: “You just [got to] solve problems that come along, one at a time, and if it’s not solvable, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world~! If given the chance, I want to try big-scale cosplays, maybe some mecha stuff, mostly just because it would be a good challenge!”
Experience as a Professional Cosplayer and Guesting in the Philippines
While most cosplayers enjoy it as a hobby, there are those who lead the charge and pursue it as a full-time profession. It’s a niche area, but with games, anime, and the artistry of cosplay itself becoming predominant in modern pop culture, there’s no denying how spectacular the art form is. It’s a remarkable blend of craft and talent, especially for those with recognizable skills, passion, and dedication, just like Rithe. For those wondering about what it’s like being a professional cosplayer, Rithe describes the work:
“There are many ways to go about being a full-time cosplayer. There’s Patreon, Gank, live streaming, booth-ing [at conventions], guesting, endorsements, sponsors, and many more.
However, as full-timers, we are not only “the cosplayer.” We are also our own managers, product designers, photo editors, social media managers, and for some, even wig stylists, costume makers, and many more. Everything in cosplay takes up so much time. It’s really, truly the hardest part – managing my time wisely. (Rithe added a crying ‘qwq’ emoji.)
…[It’s also a challenge to] stay confident. There are a lot of awesome people out there, and a lot of the time, I fall into a spiral of ‘Am I good enough to be standing beside them?’ The reality is sometimes-yes, sometimes-no, and sometimes, it doesn’t matter. It gets hard to keep yourself in check.
However, despite the difficulties with juggling her workload and doubts, Rithe gets reminded about the rewarding joy of pulling through her professional cosplay engagements. This includes the experiences of travelling to different places, trying new food, being a part of the communities, and most of all, meeting the fans who genuinely love her craft.
“[My favorite fan interactions were when I] filmed funny videos together, meeting a fan I’ve chatted online with for years, a fan crying after I hugged them, and some other fans giving me a crazy amount of food. There isn’t any ‘one’ particular favorite, but I remember ‘a lot’ of good and fun times.“
(Photos via Rithe’s official Facebook)
Rithe also reminisced about her visits to the Philippines and the relationship she’s fostered with her Filipino fans over the years. She was also invited to judge the cosplay competition at FanFes 2025.
“My first time visiting the Philippines was when I was just four years into cosplaying. Now it’s my 11th year. A lot of the fans here watched me grow as a cosplayer and as a person, [that’s the] relationship [I have] with everyone here, which I also miss very dearly. I also always miss the snack dynamite! (Filipino spring roll snack with green chili pepper and meat or cheese)
The confidence from everyone [is what impresses me the most in the cosplay competitions]. There are ways to be entertaining during a performance, but all that is built on a “confident” person. I felt like everyone had that!
Now, it’s my third time back [here in the Philippines] and at this point it feels less like ‘going to a place to guest.’ It feels more like ‘going back to meet my friends, ‘ and that’s exactly how this trip was.”
Rithe Shares Cosplay Tips and Dreams for the Future
Lastly, we were curious about her thoughts on her career and if it has changed something about her overall as a cosplayer. Rithe explained that in her eleven years as a cosplayer, she’s realized that she truly loves her craft and hopes that not only can she be an inspiration for others, but also a source of introduction for new fans to discover the series and characters that she cosplays.
“I just enjoy cosplay. As long as I’m well-rested, well-hydrated, all I want to do is make costumes and cosplay. It’s hard to say what exactly my motivation is, but I do get really excited to share photos of the costumes I made or photos from a photoshoot.
When I first started cosplaying, all I wanted was to look like ‘that cool character’ in whatever anime or game I was watching. Looking at how other cosplayers dressed up and how they took photos of themselves always made me excited that I wanted to try it [for] myself. Now, I’m hoping that as I keep doing what I believe in, I can inspire those who come across my works. I also hope that when I cosplay less well-known characters, people can go and check out the series.”
Rithe also excitedly shared her cosplay dream for the future, which is no other than wishing to dress up as a really fancy version of Saber. She even added how she’d make the costume as perfect as possible. Rithe also mentioned her interest in mecha again, but ended her wishes with a joke that a lot of cosplayers can relate to: “I think a cosplayer’s ‘dream character’ changes very often, [meaning] we are just constantly adding more characters to our cosplay plans.”
And so while the list goes on and on (for Rithe, that means all versions of Saber), it only goes to show how much there is to look forward to and learn about. An opportunity to level up, as one would say. And so, to conclude our interview, Rithe imparted some heartfelt advice on starting and pursuing your creative hobbies, career, your community, and how to simply enjoy the journey.
“I always like to tell people to take lots of photos. As a hobbyist, you can look back and remember all the good times. People and experiences come and go. There are a lot of ‘once in a lifetime’ moments, and a photo is one of the best ways to always remember them. For those aspiring to be professionals, it’s important to keep track of improvements, what worked, and what didn’t.
Generally, the cosplay circle is friendly. We hear drama here and there, but the majority of the people in the community are chill and just want to have fun. Costumes nowadays are also of much better quality and more affordable than before.
There are also lots of tutorials online, and you will be able to find all the help you need even before you start your first cosplay, so there is nothing to worry about! Nothing is stopping you [from starting]. It’s super fun; just try it, and I promise you will have a good time!
We’d like to thank Rithe for coming to the Philippines and for taking the time to do this interview with us! Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter),
Thank you as well to Cosplay.ph for making this interview possible. Visit the Cosplay Mania Facebook page and X (Twitter) for more updates on their future anime and cosplay events.
Photos via Cosplay.ph
Feature Photo: Rithe’s Official X (formerly Twitter)
Disclaimer: Anime Corner is a media partner for the Cosplay Mania 2025 event series
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