Minato-san, a 30-year-old male office worker and cosplay enthusiast, recently shocked Japanese social media with his transformation into an anime-inspired heroine. It’s no secret that great cosplayers can alter their physical appearance to the extreme, but in some cases the change is downright scary. Take the case of Minato, a 30-year-old Japanese man who likes to cosplay as an anime girl, and is so good at it that it’s impossible to guess his gender by looking at him. With a clever use of makeup, modern accessories like prosthetic breasts, and a bit of digital manipulation, Minato-san can transform into a whole new person that often leaves the viewer confused.

Photo: @cos_minato/Twitter

Minato’s fascination with female cosplay started around four years ago. He had always considered the idea and process of turning himself into female characters that he liked cool, and one day he made an appointment at a beauty salon in Akihabara, Tokyo, just to see how he would look with makeup on. He liked the result, so he started learning makeup techniques. The 30-year-old man told Maidona News that he experiments with a variety of makeup products and techniques, and although the result isn’t always positive, he has gotten a lot better at applying cosmetics over the last few years.