LyoNaka (Lyo) has been a costume maker for 15+ years. In that time she has learned from some incredibly talented people, has competed on massive stages for some amazing awards, and has found herself in some pretty unbelievable cosplay situations (you can sometimes find her cosplays onstage at an Esports event or even spot her in a Netflix documentary!)

Lyo is known for her high-quality costumes and the ability to bring unusual characters to life. She also loves helping other cosplayers improve their skills and create their own amazing costumes. She has hand crafted costumes from a wide variety of characters from popular anime and video games such as: Fate, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Z, Monster Hunter, and League of Legends. She was last year’s North America champion for the Riot Games League of Legends Cosplay Contest and the WCC cultural exchange program winner for the 2023 WCS – World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan.

Out of costume, Lyo maintains her creativity with an education and career in film and video production. She has won accolades for her work in podcasts, film festivals, photography, and even an old school AMV or two! She is a passionate fan of all things nerdy, and they love to share their enthusiasm with others.

While she still occasionally competes at higher levels, Lyo spends most of her time now as a judge for cosplay competitions and as a mentor to new cosplayers. Lyo is honored to be bringing her knowledge to this year’s AFO, so be sure to check out her educational cosplay panels and join her as she judges some of this weekend’s fun competitions!

For more information, follow her on Instagram: @Lyo_Naka