In One Piece, Silvers Rayleigh was once known as the “Dark King” because he was an extremely powerful and dangerous pirate. But, by the time Luffy and the Straw Hats get to know him, he’s an old man who has retired from piracy and works as a mechanic.
This doesn’t make him a particularly popular character to cosplay, and, indeed, it’s not easy to cosplay as someone who’s older because of how difficult it can be to make a younger face seem older. But that certainly hasn’t stopped cosplayers from trying anyway. Here are 10 amazing cosplays of Rayleigh that we’re really impressed by.
10 Having A Drink
We’re off to a great start with this first cosplay, which has a lot going for it. The cosplayer has paid a lot of close attention to making sure that they got the face of the character right. They drew lines to denote wrinkles and also made sure to draw in a subtle mustache where the wig wouldn’t work to do it.
Plus, they made sure to get the sharp eyebrows and the scar over the eye just right, giving this look a real authenticity. The wig and beard are also great, looking as much like the real thing as they possibly could.
9 Fight On The Beach
We really love this one because, somehow, this cosplayer has managed to look pretty old without feeling like they’re wearing a ton of makeup. Of course, they are, but the details are so careful that it looks almost like it’s just the cosplayer’s skin.
The costume itself is also great and doesn’t have that feeling of brand-new fabric that a lot of cosplayers sometimes do. The impression is that these are well-worn clothes that have been worn out in the elements, perhaps on a pirate ship or while working as a mechanic.
8 A Lounging Pirate
This is another really great impression because it focuses on the makeup once again. This is pretty necessary for a cosplay like this since most cosplays are of youthful characters just because of the nature of anime. There has to be a distinction between the face to make sure to acknowledge a character’s age.
In this case, the cosplayer has carefully used makeup contouring to give the appearance of old age. The scar also has a shiny appearance to it, making it seem even more real since scar tissue often appears shiny.
7 A Lady Pirate
This cosplay actually serves as a sister to the above entry, as these two work in tandem to create cosplay looks. The above cosplayer does a cosplayer, and this cosplayer follows suit by doing a gender-swapped version of the same cosplay.
While this doesn’t technically look exactly like Rayleigh would in the anime, it is a fun take on the character, and it still feels deeply authentic. The cosplay still features the same major features of a Rayleigh cosplay, including the shoulder-length gray hair, the large round glasses, and the scar over the eye.
6 Once More With Attitude
We love this image of Rayleigh standing beside the beach as if he’s thinking about the good old days of being a fearsome pirate on Roger’s ship. The cosplay gets all of the details of Rayleigh’s outfit right, from the orange buttoned shirt to the green pants with its dark spots on them.
The cape blows dramatically in the wind, and he beckons with a challenging look on his face. The makeup is once again a killer in this one. Though we’re far away, it’s clear that careful attention was paid to getting the eyebrows and facial hair just right.
5 A Fearsome Mentor
This cosplay reminds us of Rayleigh’s past as a fearsome pirate. Though he is now retired, he still looks dangerous and strict, and he definitely means business—especially for Luffy, who becomes his protege.
We love the wig and makeup on this cosplay, as the wig is a greyer color, giving more of a sense of reality to the cosplay as opposed to the snow-white of the anime. The makeup here is more subtle than other cosplays, but it still gives off a sense of age and wisdom and was a great way to create the scar and mustache.
4 Pensive With Age
While many of the cosplay on our list have impressed us with their incredible makeup abilities and making sure to emphasize how old this character is, there’s also something to be said for getting the details on the costume just right. In this case, the cosplayer took a great deal of care to make sure that the recognizable orange shirt and the shorts and cape with the iconic spots were impeccably detailed. He even made sure to don rope sandals to give this a really authentic feel like it came straight from the anime.
3 In Action
This cosplay focuses also on the details of the costume. Cosplayer IntrusioniCreative makes sure that the costume works in motion, which is actually much harder than people might think. A lot of the costumes of characters in anime or comics just aren’t meant to be worn or moved around in by actual people in the real world.
Rayleigh’s costume is a little more straightforward, but using the cape in this dramatic pose shows that it can hold together. The buttons down the side of the cape are a great detail, showing that it could probably be buttoned up to protect him from the cold. This cosplay is a great show of functionality.
2 Young Rayleigh
We spend most of our time in One Piece with an older Rayleigh, a man who’s been around the block, so, naturally, people tend to choose to cosplay him. But we also see him in the series in flashbacks as a young man on Captain Roger’s pirate ship. Cosplayer CoralSnake has chosen to go with that look, which is a really fun choice.
Here, he showcases Rayleigh’s natural blonde hair and wears a long blue pirate coat that buttons in the middle. There are otherwise recognizable things about both versions of the cosplay: the round gold glasses, the short beard, and the scar over his eye.
1 Hair Blowing In The Breeze
Our last entry features a very straightforward cosplay of Rayleigh, but it also is careful in the details and gets everything just right, from the hair to the shoes. The use of makeup on this cosplay by NeaeraDE is much more subtle than many of the others, but that doesn’t mean it fails to get across that we’re dealing with an older man.
The scar over his eye is visible beneath bushy gray eyebrows. The costume itself is also very authentic, giving the sense that it’s made of comfortable materials that might be worn by somebody who works with his hands.