STORY: Even though San Diego Comic-Con is home to news-making panels about popular culture, it's also better known for its extravagant cosplayers.

Every year, fans of different genres from video games and comics to films and fantasy novels, spend a lot of time and money making costumes to show off their passion when the annual convention takes place.

Sarah Lu, 27, who recently moved to San Diego, said she started making her costume as the dragon Toothless from the franchise "How to Train Your Dragon" back in January, and has spent around $400 on the outfit.

"At least for me, it's an intersection between theater and music and dance as well so I kind of use all these skills to bring a character to life. I think there's some sort of magic to that," she told Reuters on the convention floor.

Some costumes become big hits with the fans at Comic-Con, while others can be overlooked.

San Diego resident Jose Samaniego, 21, thinks it's all a matter of attitude.

"Be confident in yourself," he said. "If you're not confident in your own cosplay you're going to give off like a really bad aura and no-one's going to like you. If you don't like how you're dressing, then your outfit's awful," he added.

San Diego Comic-Con happens at the height of summer, meaning cosplayers with elaborate outfits have to be mindful of the heat.

"How do you stay cool? Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate," said David Martinez, 54, a project manager for a pharmaceutical company in San Diego, who had come dressed as a combination between Spider-Man and American artist Bob Ross.

Despite the attention to detail put in to planning of the cosplaying, sometimes on the day things go wrong. Glue holding the costumes together can heat up, causing the outfit to disintegrate, and fabric can rip or tear.

That's where Cosplay Rescue Bryan Mero comes in.

Dressed as Fix-it Felix from "Wreck-it Ralph", Mero stands in the central part of the convention floor with his yellow hammer and gadget-filled backpack waiting to help those in need.

"I come and bring a supply of anything we need to fix a cosplay; superglue, duct tape, safety pins, bobby pins, hairspray, hair ties, duct tape, all different colors, all the main colors for that, a soldering iron, a hot glue gun. I know I'm missing quite a few things because my pack is about 15 pounds," he said.

"That's kind of what I provide and I do it for free only because I'm just asking to just pay it forward," Mero added.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 24, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. TWO MEN COSPLAYING AS SPIDER-MAN READING NEWSPAPER

2. MAN DRESSED AS DOCTOR DOOM

3. MAN IN SAMURAI HELLO KITTY COSTUME

4. PERSON DRESSED IN ROBOTIC OUTFIT

5. MAN DRESSED AS WIZARD OF OZ'S TIN MAN

6. SARAH LU, 27, ADMINISTRATOR FROM SAN DIEGO, DRESSED AS TOOTHLESS THE DRAGON

7. TWO WOMEN DRESSED AS DUCKS

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADMINISTRATOR FROM SAN DIEGO, SARAH LU, 27, FROM SAN DIEGO, SAYING:

"At least for me, it's an intersection between theater and music and dance as well so I kind of use all these skills to bring a character to life. I think there's some sort of magic to that as well as building a community because I've had so many kids come up and say, 'Oh my god, it's Toothless', and I'm like, 'I know, I love Toothless to and that's why I'm doing it just for the community so'."

9. COUPLE DRESSED AS WILLY WONKA AND AN OOMPA LOOMPA

10. WOMEN POSING WITH MINECRAFT CHARACTER

11. VARIOUS OF WOMAN DRESSED AS LEAGUE OF LEGENDS CHARACTER JINX

12. MAN DRESSED AS SWORD WIELDING WOLF

13. PERSON DRESSED AS THE PROTOTYPE (EXPERIMENT 1006)

14. JOSE SAMANIEGO, 21, FROM SAN DIEGO DRESSED AS MEGA MAN WITH SPIDER-MEN

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSE SAMANIEGO, 21, FROM SAN DIEGO, SAYING:

"Okay...Do's. Make sure it's cool. Be confident in yourself, because if you're not confident in your own cosplay you're going to give off like a really bad aura and no-one's going to like you. If you don't like how you're dressing, then your outfit's awful - do you know what I mean? But if you love yourself and you like how you dress, boom! Outfit is peak. And Don't's...Make sure, don't forget sun cream. I dressed as Wolverine one year, I was waiting at the Sonic Cafe. Oh my god, I looked like Kratos after."

16. SAMANIEGO TALKING WITH COSPLAYER DRESSED AS BLUE BEETLE

17. COSPLAYER DRESSED AS BLUE BEETLE

18. MAN DRESSED AS PEEWEE HERMAN

19. MAN DRESSED AS EIGHT BALL

20. WOMAN DRESSED AS POMNI

21. MAN DRESSED AS GHOST RIDER

22. DAVID MARTINEZ, 54, PROJECT MANAGER FROM SAN DIEGO DRESSED AS "SPIDER-MAN BOB ROSS"

23. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID MARTINEZ, 54, PROJECT MANAGER FROM SAN DIEGO, SAYING:

"How do you stay cool? Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate. I carry bottles of water here in my backpack and try to take as many breaks as possible. I try not to take too many drinks through the mask because you can waterboard yourself."

24. MARTINEZ

25. MAN DRESSED AS GUTS (THE BLACK SWORDSMAN)

26. MAN DRESSED AS WOLVERINE HORSEMAN OF DEATH

27. COSPLAYER DRESSED AS MOTHER WAR (LEFT) AND COSPLAYER DRESSED IN NURSE COSTUME

28. COSPLAYER WEARING DARTH MAUL ONI MENPO

29. LU TALKING AS HER WING BREAKS

30. VARIOUS OF COSPLAY RESCUE MAN BRYAN MERO HELPING COSPLAYER

31. COSPLAYER PUTTING ON FACE JEWELS

32. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COSPLAY RESCUE MAN, BRYAN MERO, 58, FROM CALIFORNIA, DRESSED AS FIX-IT FELIX, SAYING:

"I come and bring a supply of anything we need to fix a cosplay; superglue, duct tape, safety pins, bobby pins, hairspray, hair ties, duct tape, all different colors, all the main colors for that, a soldering iron, a hot glue gun. I know I'm missing quite a few things because my pack is about 15 pounds."

33. MERO HELPING MAN FIX HIS OUTFIT

34. (SOUNDBITE) (English) COSPLAY RESCUE MAN, BRYAN MERO, 58, FROM CALIFORNIA, DRESSED AS FIX-IT FELIX, SAYING:

"Hopefully I can fix what they have and they can enjoy the rest of their 'con, because they're always on the way to a photo shoot or on their way to a panel and they want to be photo ready and ready to go and that's kind of what I provide and I do it for free only because i'm just asking to just pay it forward."

35. PEOPLE DRESSED AS WIZARD OF OZ CHARACTERS

36. PERSON DRESSED AS GLAMROCK BONNIE

37. MAN DRESSED AS HALO CHARACTER

38. VARIOUS OF PRAM WITH TWO COSPLAYING DOGS