Fill in the Blanks COSPLAY DEFINITIONOnline version students build the definition of COSPLAY by Yanina Bustos 1 shows phenomenon films costume science animé video play Cosplay is a portmanteau word formed from a blend of the words and . It refers to the art of practice of dressing up as characters from , books , TV or games , and in particular to characters fiction as well as from the Japanese comic - book genres of and manga . It has become a significant pop - cultural over the last 20 years .