Evangelion cosplayer becomes Rei Ayanami with epic underwater photoshoot

A Neon Genesis Evangelion cosplayer shared her transformation into popular character Rei Ayanami. The artist brought the anime heroine to life with a mind-blowing underwater photoshoot.

Ever since its debut in 19995, Neon Genesis Evangelion has been one of the most influential animes of all time. The Studio Gainax Mecha was originally written by Hideaki Anno. To celebrate the hit show, a cosplayer went to new depths – literally – to bring lead character Rei Ayanami to life. The artist’s jaw dropping underwater photo recreation will leave fans of the sci-fi epic speechless.

While the series heavily revolves around teenager Shinji Ikari moving to Tokyo-3, the protagonist quickly meets a diverse cast of characters after joining Nerv. One of the fierce characters introduced is Rei Ayanami who pilots Evangelion mechs to defend humanity from the alien threat called Angels. Cosplayer Tessa ‘tessa_crownster’ made waves on Instagram after faithfully bringing the heroine to life in November. The artist absolutely nailed the character’s signature look, accurately mirroring her short blue bob-style haircut, as well as depicting her striking red eyes.

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Tessa utilized underwater photography with the help of ‘brettsphoto‘ to truly capture the anime’s sci-fi roots. The result is stunning as it looks like she is floating in a tank full of wires and circuits. The creative shoot is easily one of the best cosplays we have ever seen of Evangelion.

In another shot posted to the cosplayer’s social media, crownster gave fans a closer view of her incredible portrayal of Rei. The picture taken by ‘samu.snap‘ showcases just how accurate her costume is to the hit anime. Tessa looks ready for battle as she mimics Ayanami’s stance while wearing her iconic white and black pilot bodysuit.

Despite releasing over 25 years ago, Evangelion continues to have a major influence on not only anime, but films and music. The groundbreaking Mecha was in many ways ahead of its time.

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Those that might have missed out on the hit show back in the day can actually watch the original series right now on Netflix or Funimation.