JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Jotaro Kujo Cosplay

The first 4 Jojo seasons have some of my favorite anime characters, and few are better than Jotaro Kujo. Jotaro Kujo is the darkest of the Jojos and dresses the part. His collar-up long black trench coat, double belts, and gold chain are iconic elements of Jotaro's stylized school uniform. Jotaro is super tough, and as a cosplay character, super recognizable.

Jojo was an awesome character to be at Fanime. Everyone knows who you are and fans treat you like a rock star. Be ready for lots of photos and be prepared to pose!

Jojo cosplay in action at Fanime. What's more fun than singing the OP in character? (Sorry about the poor video quality, I managed to forget my phone and had to borrow, grrr.)

Here's what I did for the costume and what I might add next time:

I focused on getting the iconic elements and colors down as accurately as possible. I wanted to keep within a very reasonable budget, and I had about a week (maybe less) to make the costume, including assembling my materials. Jotaro has no make up, so I didn't worry about that, though you could add a bit if you prefer. The belts were the most time consuming part.

Next time, or given more time, I would do a few additional things. I'm noting them here at the beginning so you can plan them in if you want.

1 - Make the jacket buttons gold. Since we were borrowing the coat I couldn't make permanent changes.

2 - Add white to the inside of the collar. You could paint this or sew in white fabric.

3 - Personally, I would use a bigger chain, but my son preferred the size you see - personal preference.

4 - Hat hair. My son has great hair for Jotaro, but if you don't, adding black points to the back of the hat would be a good idea.

5 - Adding that strap on the front of the tee-shirt. We decided it wasn't necessary, but I will add it next time.

I tried to use what I already owned as much as possible and was able to keep the costume cost pretty low. (Under $50) When I did buy things I tried to get items that could be used again in everyday life. That being said, here's what I needed for Jojo cosplay:

Gold metallic spray paint

Acrylic paints - yellow, purple, teal

Paint brushes

Foam sponge

Hair gel

Blow dryer

Iron

Wire cutters

2 Belts - I used 2 matching fabric belts that we already owned (from cargo shorts). Any belts will be fine as long as they have enough extra belt to hang down when buckled. And they have to be the same style - they can be different colors.

Black slacks - already owned

Black shoes - already owned

Black trench coat (more on this soon)

Solid color, close-fitting tee-shirt in purple, khaki, or red - I bought these for $5 each at Walmart

Jojo hat - I looked into making the hat and decided it was the one piece worth buying online: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LDC9Y3F/ref=...

Plastic chain: Get the smallest length, or share with a friend - you'll only need about 2 feet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073XN5HQB/ref=p...

I'm going to go over the alterations later, but you will need a long black coat as a base. The coat is worn open, so don't worry about buttons or how it closes. We borrowed this raincoat / trenchcoat, so I couldn't make any permanent changes.

If I had more time I would have tried to find one at a thrift store and make the permanent adjustments I mentioned earlier.

Jojo's metal color is gold, so I sprayed the chain and the belt buckles with gold metallic paint. This is best done outside. You will need to spray several light coats, letting the paint dry fully between each coat. Also, each time you spray, try to spray from a different angle so you cover the entire chain and buckles. I hung these to dry between coats.

Chain:

Decide how you'll hang the chain and how long you'll want it to be. This will be determined by your height and the coat you chose. I was able to hang the chain on a high button. You may be able to do this, or you might need to stitch it to the collar. Cut a few extra inches to allow for problems. Cut your length of plastic chain with wire cutters.

Spray the chain.

Belt buckles:

It doesn't matter what kind of buckles you have as long as they're both the same. Cover the belts with paper and/or tape where you don't want the spray paint. It's not a big deal if some paint goes astray though, since the belts will be painted later.

Spray the buckles.

Jojo's belts may be the most iconic part of the costume, so I put a lot of thought into getting them right. The color scheme is turquoise, purple, and yellow, with the yellow being the second color on both belts.

Cut the end of each belt into a point as shown.

Seal the cut fabric ends with fabric glue. (You can use other waterproof glue, if you want)

Let dry fully.

Paint both belts with yellow acrylic paint. This will take several coats to get a nice solid yellow. Let the belts dry between coats, and overnight when you have the final coat done.

Note: I only painted one side of each belt, but if I were to do it again, I would have painted both sides. I still might...

Sand the belts lightly, including the edges. This will make it easier to paint the triangles and more comfortable to wear the belts.

After a few tries at hand painting the triangle pattern, I decided to make a stamp.

Take a sponge - the kind with foam, no bubbles - and cut a strip to the width of the belts.

Then cut diagonally from the top. Cut diagonally the other way from the top to form a triangle.

Lay the stamp on the belt to check the fit and adjust (or cut a new stamp) if necessary.

Pour one color onto a flat plate. Then press the stamp, foam side down, into the paint. Test your stamp and stamping pressure on a piece of scrap before stamping the belt. (Practice as much as you need before proceeding.)

Starting at the seam by the buckle, stamp your first triangle. Carefully line up the top corners of your stamped triangle with the next triangle and then press again to stamp. Continue stamping triangles all the way to the end of the belt.

Leave this belt to dry fully.

Wash out the sponge and get out the extra moisture. Then stamp the second belt with the second color, exactly as you did the first one.

Let it dry.

When both belts are completely dry, take a small brush and paint over any imperfections. Fill in places the stamp didn't cover completely. Touch up the edges.

Then hang the belts to dry.

The belts are ready to wear. If they slide in the buckles, try securing them with matching color rubber bands.

Note: The belts are pretty stiff at first, but will get more flexible with use.

Jojo's jacket collar has to stand up. I needed a non-permanent way to do this, since the coat had to be returned after being Jojo.

I bought a super hold hair gel and painted it on one side of the collar. I dried it with a blow dryer and repeated on the other side. I added another coat of gel to each side and dried those most of the way.

I went over the collar with a warm iron to flatten it and then hung it over a rail so the collar would hang down. Or up, when the coat was upright.

Let it dry overnight.

The collar will be stiff, but wearable.

Note: If your collar droops by the end of a cosplay day, just wet it and hang it upside-down again overnight. It will be dry and ready again in the morning.

Time to get dressed. Start with slacks, shoes and the tee shirt tucked in. Belts go on top of the slacks, but not in the loops. Attach the chain to the jacket. Gel you hair into position if necessary before putting on the hat. Hat is worn low and slightly to one side. Jacket is worn open. Look tough. Strike a Pose...

I hope you liked this instructable. If you make the costume, I'd love to see how it comes out - please post a pic. Thanks!