5 Iconic Kenny Omega In-Ring Cosplays (And WrestlingInc's Favorite)

Kenny Omega has solidified himself as one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation thanks to work in companies like DDT, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and AEW, the latter of which being a company he played a huge role in creating. He's won championships all over the world, had some of the most celebrated matches this side of the millennium, and has reached the point in his career where fans know that if they see his name on a marquee, they need to watch the show.

Outside of the ring, Omega is, for the lack of a better term, a massive nerd. While some people would see that as an insult, Omega is proud to show off his unique interests and hobbies, many of which stem from his many years living in Japan. Video games, manga art, and anime cartoons are all major interests for the former AEW World Champion, with his love and appreciation for video games being one of the main reasons why he was a key figure in the development of the "AEW: Fight Forever" game that was released in 2023. All of these interests and hobbies have bled into Omega's wrestling career, with the most eye-catching being his various cosplays that make references to all of Omega's favorite things.

That is what we're here to talk about today — the weird and wonderful costumes that Omega has donned throughout his illustrious career, and what his cosplays are referencing. So sit back, relax, and join us on a journey around the world following the career of one of wrestling's biggest nerds. A man who literally wears his loves and interests on his sleeves, and which of his cosplays have gone down as his most memorable. These are the iconic cosplays of Kenny Omega (and our favorites too).

A look so iconic that it has left a mark on Kenny Omega's career forever. The rise of "The Cleaner" throughout 2016 was one of the most talked about stories not just in NJPW, but in all of wrestling. He ousted AJ Styles from the Bullet Club and took the leader role for himself, beat Hiroshi Tanahashi for the vacant IWGP Intercontinental Championship, and would eventually go on to become the first non-Japanese wrestler to win the G1 Climax tournament. There was nothing that could possibly stop him at that time heading into the biggest match of his career at that point.

That's why when he showed up to his match with Kazuchika Okada at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 11 event at the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2017, fans were treated to a video of a naked Omega wandering the streets of Tokyo akin to Arnold Schwarzenegger in "The Terminator." After beating up three men who didn't know who they were dealing with, Omega took their clothes and emerged from the entrance way with a "Terminator" mask, a leather jacket, and a shotgun, all while his "Devil Sky" entrance music he had at the time incorporated the main riff from "The Terminator" soundtrack.

Omega has gone a lot further with his looks over the years, but the simplicity of his "Terminator" inspired look at Wrestle Kingdom 11 is one that many fans still remember fondly. As for the part of the entrance that has left its mark on Omega's career, any time he goes for a dive to the outside, he will get down on one knee in the middle of the ring while the fans clap the sound of "The Terminator" soundtrack, all thanks to this entrance, and his look, from Wrestle Kingdom 11

Fast forward one year from Wrestle Kingdom 11 and Kenny Omega has become one of the most beloved wrestlers in the entire world. His wars with Kazuchika Okada had already been heralded as some of the greatest of all time, he was the inaugural IWGP United States Champion, and was on a historic collision course with Chris Jericho, who at the time was still technically under contract with WWE. 

Omega and Jericho would collide at Wrestle Kingdom 12, and considering how critically acclaimed Omega had become as a wrestler by the time January 4, 2018 rolled around, he needed gear influenced by something equally as praised. That came in the form of the 2017 video game "Destiny 2," the follow-up to the original "Destiny" game that was released in 2014, and one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of that time. "Destiny 2" would win multiple awards upon release, and cemented itself as one of the greatest sequels in gaming history.

For this look, Omega came out with black and blue tights and boots to match the huge Osiris-inspired helmet and cape combination he had on his head and back, To go along with the IWGP United States Championship around his waist, Omega didn't come empty handed as the leader of the Bullet Club needed some sort of gun with him, much like the shotgun from Wrestle Kingdom 11. This time, it was a handmade replica of the Vigilance Wing, one of the game's most extravagant and exotic pulse rifles.

Given the accuracy of the look, Omega's entrance at Wrestle Kingdom 12 actually led to a number of gaming publications covering his match with Jericho, bringing new eyes to New Japan in the process, and making Omega a crossover star for wrestling and gaming fans alike.

Whenever Kenny Omega got the chance to dress up with his friends in The Elite or Bullet Club for Halloween, you were always going to get something special. There was the inaugural Rock N' Wrestling Rager at Sea in 2018 hosted by Chris Jericho, where The Elite dressed up as the entire Mushroom Kingdom from the "Super Mario" video game series, with Omega cosplaying as Toad. On the Halloween episode of "AEW Dynamite" in 2019, Omega randomly showed up for his match against Kip Sabian and The Hybrid2 dressed as Sans from "Undertale," but it's the look he served in 2017 that is the most iconic.

For their match on night ten of NJPW's Road to Power Struggle event on October 30, 2017 against Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, and Trent Beretta of CHAOS, the Bullet Club wanted to show you their world through cosplay. Marty Scurll arrived first dressed as Aladdin, complete with a waistcoat and lamp, before rubbing the lamp to summon Chase Owens dressed as The Genie. Owens might have only been wearing a genie onesie, but he had gone to the effort of painting his face blue. Then Omega arrived and got the biggest reaction by some distance as he was in full Princess Jasmine cosplay.

The entrance has become a mainstay of the Internet Wrestling Community, with a version of the entrance usually circulating on social media every Halloween as an example of what a good Halloween costume actually looks like. However, Omega should have used Owens as the genie to his advantage as it was CHAOS who walked out of Korakuen Hall with the victory, but overall, Omega was the real winner in the eyes of the fans for being the prettiest princess to ever grace a New Japan ring.

Considering one of his signature moves is literally called the "V-Trigger," it's only right that Kenny Omega's various cosplays as characters from "Street Fighter" made an appearance. Omega is actually very competitive on the game, competing in real-life tournaments whenever he gets the chance, and even beat WWE Superstar Xavier Woods at a special event in 2016. However, the one thing better than Omega's "Street Fighter" skills are the quality of the costumes he got to wear to promote "Street Fighter 6" in the Summer Games Fest Convention in June 2025.

"Street Fighter 6" was promoting its Year 3 DLC and revealed the characters included in said DLC at the convention via a special trailer that featured Omega in the lead role. The trailer saw Omega in a locker room after a match, hallucinating as he saw himself as the four characters included in the DLC.

There was Alex, who in order to look like him Omega had to have a red headband, red paint on his face, a blonde pony tail and MMA-style gloves. Viper, who has a long platted ponytail at the end of a very red, very puffy mullet, while also wearing a suit and yellow aviators. Ingrid, a sported an all-lilac schoolgirl-esque outfit, a silver wig, and red contact lenses (Omega did get to keep his own facial hair though), and last but not least, Sagat, the most ambitious of all the cosplays as Omega was bald, had an eyepatch, boxing shorts, and a huge scar running diagonally across his torso.

All of the looks were plastered across social media to promote both "Street Fighter 6" and AEW, and given the reception to the Year 3 DLC trailer, perhaps Omega will be invited back in 2026 to cosplay as four more characters. 

Saving what we think is the best for last, and honestly, it wouldn't be a list of best Kenny Omega cosplays without something to do with "Final Fantasy VII." This is also the official Wrestling Inc. pick for "Most Iconic Kenny Omega Cosplay," which of course makes it extra special.

Nearly four years after he was last seen in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Omega announced his return at the 2022 Power Struggle event, claiming that Will Ospreay couldn't carry the burden of being the man follow in his footsteps. The match was made official for Wrestle Kingdom 17, an event that saw arguably the most eyes on a New Japan event since Omega's bout with Jericho five years earlier, and both men went all out for their attire. After years of calling himself the "Billy Goat," Ospreay decided to revert back to his old moniker of the "Aerial Assassin," one that he has since kept to this day, with "Assassins Creed" inspired gear, but it was Omega's look that stole the show.

Complete with a new entrance that had Omega be in-sync with the visual of only one wing being spread across the Tokyo Dome screen, and the sounds of the actual "One Winged Angel – Rebirth" song from the "Final Fantasy VII" remake, Omega came out as the One Winged Angel himself, Sephiroth. He had the cape, the armor plating on his shoulders, and of course, a single black wing on his back to complete the iconic look. Sephiroth is the main antagonist in "Final Fantasy VII," which could explain why Omega not only defeated Ospreay, but wrestled with such viciousness that many fans saw it as Omega's most "heelish" performance since his reign as the AEW World Champion in 2021.