The Filipino-Hongkonger eventually met fellow Sonic enthusiasts at various events and grew his cosplaying team from two members to seven, each portraying a different character from the video game.

Alconaba said that when he donned his costume, he could get into character immediately, walking with a spring in his step and swinging his arms like Sonic in the video game.

He said cosplaying was “one of the best highlights” of his life.

“It’s like a getaway from real life. Donning the suit, I get to be me, I get to go nuts, I get to enjoy life as a cosplayer without anyone questioning why I am dressed up like that,” he said.

Enthusiasts gather over five days to shop for new volumes and collectibles, meet their virtual idols, and dress up as some of their favourite anime characters as part of a cosplay contest.

The convention, now in its 25th edition, is the largest gathering of anime fans and gamers in town, with organisers estimating more than 18,000 cosplayers will take part.

Alconaba turned up on Friday dressed as Sonic, while his girlfriend Ami Kwok Ho-yan, whom he met through cosplaying, came as the character Amy Rose from the franchise.

Cosplay, a portmanteau of “costume play”, is an activity and subculture where fans dress up to portray animated and fictional characters.

In a 2022 report, US firm Allied Market Research estimated the global cosplay costume market size in 2020 to be around US$4.7 billion and was expected to reach US$23 billion by 2030.

Another fan, Cynthia Sung Man-hei, said the community was a huge part of why she enjoyed cosplaying.

Sung, who goes by the moniker Hotaru, said sharing a love for the same anime and characters made it easy for her to quickly make friends with fellow fans and bond through their common interests.

“The best part about cosplaying is dressing up in costumes with a group of like-minded people and discussing how we can recreate the looks as realistically as possible,” the 22-year-old graduate said.

“Sometimes they come to my home and we will work on the wigs and props together, which is so fun. I feel like we are turning the anime into reality.”

Sung, an avid anime fan, has accrued more than 20 costumes since she started cosplaying eight years ago.

“Cosplaying is like a dream come true for me, because I have liked anime since I was young and look up to them as role models. Cosplaying allows me to transform myself into them.”

Besides connecting with fellow enthusiasts, Ami Kwok, who started cosplaying six years ago, said the activity has helped her gain confidence.

“Before I started, I was a very introverted person,” the 22-year-old freelancer said.

“I found the confidence because I can be the character I like, and people tell me they appreciate my cosplay, and I even made friends through it.”

Cosplayers said they kept their costs low by making their own costumes and props, and pointed to Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao as their main source of a wide range of ready-to-wear outfits. Taobao is owned by Alibaba, which is also the parent company of the South China Morning Post.

Sung said wigs and costumes made with cheaper fabric cost as little as 70 yuan (US$9.65) on the site, while a frock with more detailing was priced around 500 yuan.

Tailor-made full-body suits or costumes imported from Japan could cost thousands, she added.

Cosplayers said the joy of cosplaying triumphed over any negativity they had received.

Sung said that when she started cosplaying in secondary school, her parents were initially against the idea.

“Ultimately, cosplay is not part of mainstream culture. In the eyes of others, cosplayers seem to be oddly dressed and behave bizarrely,” she said.

“Later on, they realised that I did not turn delinquent because of it, I wasn’t smoking and drinking. So they didn’t oppose it so much.”

She added that her parents grew to accept her hobby over the years, with her mother now showing off Sung’s cosplay photos to her friends with pride.

A huge emphasis on a costume’s accuracy could also lead to criticism from those within the community, they said.

Alconaba said he had received comments about his body type from other cosplayers, who said he was too plus-sized to play Sonic.

However, he dismissed them and encouraged everyone interested in cosplaying to give it a try.

“Despite our looks, we just want to cosplay as the character because it makes us feel happy. We cannot satisfy everyone,” he said.

“If you want to cosplay as that character, because you love the character, despite the height, the looks, the body, just do it.”