Pokémon Sword and Shield, the latest generation of pocket monsters, has arrived exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. And as with every new Pokémon release, fans have welcomed its arrival with an array of amazing fan-made content. Fanart, memes, and yes, of course, cosplays. With even more Pokémon content planned for Sword and Shield in 2020, you can expect loads of new fan-made material to flood the Pokémon fandom. Among the many great new gym leaders and trainers that players will meet in the Galar region of Pokémon Sword and Shield, Nessa, the Gym Leader of Hulbury's Gym, has developed a strong following in the Pokémon fandom.
The beauty is a master strategist of water-based Pokémon, such as Goldeen and Drednaw, and provides a fun and challenging gym leader battle for early players in the game. As a positive portrayal of a black woman, Nessa is a fantastic inspiration for diverse cosplayers in the Pokémon fandom. Additionally, Nessa has inspired some fantastic fan art in the Pokémon art community. Below are 10 gorgeous examples of Nessa cosplays by women of color. As always, please show your respectful support of the Pokémon Sword and Shield cosplays you enjoyed the most.
10 pixelghosts
"You are challenged by Gym Leader Nessa!" pixelghosts (@pixelghosts), a New Yorker cosplayer, dazzles as Nessa in this portrait shot. Over at her Twitter account, pixelghosts shared even more photos of her Nessa cosplay, while expressing interest in doing more.
The adorable stuffed Pokémon toy she's pictured with is Popplio, a water-based starter Pokémon in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon for the Nintendo 3DS.
9 pikauchu
"The raging wave! It's the master of water types, Nessa!" Brittany (@pikauchu), a cosplayer from Jacksonville, Florida, looks incredible as Gym Leader Nessa in her Pokémon cosplay. "I know it’s quite obvious but I LOVE water Pokémon," Brittany wrote on Instagram, "so I’m pretty excited seeing all the water critters popping up everywhere."
Justin Drain (@justindrainphotography) is credited for the cosplay photography. This isn't Brittany's first time cosplaying as a Pokémon character, as she did an armor-style cosplay of Vaporeon - which is exactly the type of Pokémon Nessa would have on her team.
8 cosplayer_dahja
"No matter what kind of plan your refined mind may be plotting, my partner and I will be sure to sink it." Cosplayer Dahja (@cosplayer_dahja) shared her excellent cosplay of Nessa to her Pokémon-loving followers.
Here's a closer comparison shot of Dahja's Nessa cosplay with the gym leader herself. In addition to her Pokémon cosplay photo collage, Dahja also shared some entertaining videos of her Nessa cosplay on social media sites like Instagram and TikTok.
7 cutiepiesensei
"I love fishing, but I love Pokémon battles even more and I'm itching for a battle with you!" Cosplayer Jasmine, also known as CutiePieSensei (@cutiepiesensei), shared her delightful rendition of Gym Leader Nessa to her fans. "Was just trying to see if I liked it on me enough to do the full thing," Jasmine wrote on Instagram.
"I definitely wanna make the wig from scratch to make sure I get it perfect." Even as a cosplay test, Jasmine's Nessa cosplay is worthy of admiration. Jasmine has also been highlighted on the digital cosplay series, Marvel Becoming, for her killer Captain Marvel cosplay.
6 pattiecosplay
"Flood the stadium and make it our ocean!" Pattie (@pattiecosplay), a YouTuber and cosplayer living in Japan, looks breathtaking as Nessa in her Pokémon-inspired cosplay. "She inspired me so much I got to work on her right away," Pattie wrote on Instagram.
"When Nessa blew a kiss to the crowd she struck my heart." On YouTube, Pattie releases videos of her stupendous cosplays and life in Japan.
5 ryurei_chan
"I already heard about you, so you should learn about me, too." Alyssa (@ryurei_chan), a cosplayer from Pennsylvania, looks remarkable as Nessa at the Kalahari Resorts. On Instagram, Alyssa wrote: "I finally picked up Sword so I’m gonna use my day off to get started on it!"
Everyone clearly loved Alyssa's Nessa cosplay, as three photos from the cosplay Pokémon shoot appeared in her top nine Instagram posts of 2019. Photography was done by Michael (@myko.nbphoto), while wigs and costumes were done by Epic Cosplay Wigs (@epiccosplaywigs) and Dangerous Ladies (@thedangerousladies).
4 vantablackcosplay
"I think you already realize, but I'm Nessa." Rene (@vantablackcosplay), a cosplayer from Brooklyn, New York, looks sensational as the water goddess of Galar. Rene's cosplay of Nessa was so jaw-dropping that it even inspired illustrator vn21xx (@vn21xx) to draw this awesome fan art of her in costume.
Antonio (@vonreid) is credited for Rene's cosplay photoshoot of Nessa. You should also check out Rene's cosplay of the legendary bird Pokémon Articuno.
3 chibith0t
"I may proudly be the strongest member of this gym, but I was totally washed away!" Cosplayer Sachi (@chibith0t) did a marvelous cosplay photoshoot of Nessa that's set to a digital recreation of her gym.
Ian Westart (@ianwestart) took Sachi's Nessa cosplay even further by drawing some loveable water-based Pokémon beside her, such as Sobble and Mudkip. The photography of Sachi's Nessa cosplay was done by Christopher Levy (@topherblev).
2 popiipotent
"How...? How can this be?!" Popii (@popiipotent), a cosplayer from Michigan, Detroit, embodies the water gym goddess beautifully in her lovely cosplay photoset of Nessa.
While she's only been cosplaying for a few years, Popii's cosplay of Nessa is one that's guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of all Pokémon fans.
1 denetrabfit
"I'm going to wash your team away!" Denetra Monay Blackshear (@denetrabfit), an online fitness trainer and cosplayer, is unbelievable in her Gym Leader Nessa cosplay. But what's better than one Nessa cosplay?
A squad of stunning Nessa cosplayers, of course!. Pictured left to right: Luna (@japanimator_luna), Denetra, Sugar Nova (@sugar.nova), and Brandy (@pockyhiro_cosplay). A ravishing group of Nessa cosplayers, no doubt!