Unleashing the Unstoppable ‘Dattebayo!’ Phenomenon: How Miomayo’s Magical Cry Captivated the World

The World Cosplay Championship 2024, a competition to determine the world’s best cosplayer, was held in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture on August 3rd. While representatives from 36 countries and regions competed on the quality of their works and performances, Japan’s cosplay performance unit Miomayo competed with the world-famous work Naruto and was crowned the grand champion. What was the story behind this victory, which saw Japan win the gold medal for the first time in 12 years? Mamemayo and Mioshi spoke passionately about it in an exclusive interview with Sponichi Annex’s “Cosplay Illustrated Guide.” In the second installment, we talk about the magical shout that drew in the audience and their overseas rivals.[Mio Mayo’s journey to becoming the best in the world: The hint to overcoming challenges was in the kabuki “Bukkari”!]

Cheers echoed through the August night sky in the scorching heat of Nagoya. As everyone held their breath on the stage of the finals, Miomayo had a historic moment. The key to their victory was Naruto’s catchphrase, “Dattebayo!” That sound became the final piece of their performance, deepening their bond with the audience and ultimately paving the way to becoming the best in the world.

With the theme of Japanese festivals, Naruto (Mamemayo) and Sasuke (Mioshi) perform a dynamic and powerful performance. At the highlight of the performance, light-hearted background music reminiscent of festival music plays, and when they shout “Dattebayo! Dattebayo!”, the approximately 100 “Team Japan Supporters” (cheer squad) who rushed into the audience all start shouting “Dattebayo! Dattebayo!” in unison. It is no longer just a call. This “Dattebayo!”, filled with their feelings, draws the audience into the stage and unites the entire venue. It is these cheers that become Mioshi’s infinite power, and help her win the “gold medal.”

Mamemayo: “At the Japan preliminary round, we were afraid that if we pushed the audience to do what they wanted too much, they would be put off, so we kept it low key. The Cosplay Summit is often thought of as having a solemn atmosphere, but we emphasized that it was okay to make noise, and incorporated call-and-response scenes. We tried to make it easy for the audience to clap and cheer while maintaining an excellent sense of distance. We also made the tempo of the music slower than at the preliminary round, so that it would be easier for the audience to join in leading up to the main event. We also made appeals on social media and posted penlight choreography. By accumulating these posts on social media, we were able to draw the audience into our world, and create an atmosphere that made it easy for them to make noise.”

The waves of resonance even crossed borders. Behind the stage, cosplayers and staff from all over the world repeated the phrase over and over again. “What should I do… I can’t get Dattebayo out of my head,” “Dattebayo! keeps going round and round in my head,” “Dattebayo♪Dattebayo♪.” It was clear from their reactions that the song transcended language barriers and ignited the hearts of people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Some rivals were moved to tears by the cosplay that was the basis of the performance. He looked back on the performance, which used handmade balloons called “Nebuta” to depict a deadly battle between Naruto’s tailed beast “Kurama” and his arch rival Uchiha Sasuke’s strongest technique “Susanoo.”

Mioshi: “I was happy to hear the feedback from the Korean representative. Before the competition, when he saw the photos of our Nebuta on social media and Instagram, he said, “I was so moved that I cried just by looking at it,” and praised us highly. He said, “I was looking forward to meeting you today.” It made me really happy to receive such a reaction, even though we had never met before, and to receive such a reaction of being moved and praising just from the photos. This reaction was something we didn’t get in 2018, the last time we participated, so it made me realize that we were really being noticed. Among the other representatives wearing gorgeous costumes, we were the only ones who were tattered and sooty, and even the insides of our fingernails were pitch black, so we were really dirty (laughs). But he said, “These costumes really look like they’ve been burned,” and “The more you look at the damage, the more amazing it is.” We were able to attract their interest with the impact of our Nebuta, and when we met him in person, he praised us, saying, “Even when you see them in person, the dirt on your costumes is amazing.” It made me proud as creators.”

The sense of unity created by Mio Mayo’s cosplay was not just a shout, but a miraculous moment that they created during the actual performance.

(Cosplay Encyclopedia Reporting Team)

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