Best Hades 2 Characters For Cosplay

Back in 2020, Hades took the gaming world by storm. It was one of the most robust roguelikes the industry had ever seen, featuring an absurd amount of dialogue from its cast of colorful dieties, immortals, and mythological creatures. Now, five years later, Hades 2 has launched to critical and commercial acclaim, taking everything the first game succeeded at and doubling down on it.

That includes its cast of characters, which features new and returning faces alike. Many of these characters boast standout visuals that are stellar examples of developer Supergiant’s brand of art design. This, naturally, lends itself to some excellent cosplay opportunities. For anyone who is thinking about cosplaying some characters from Hades 2, these are the most recognizable and eye-catching designed to attempt.

Melinoë

The Star Of The Show

Starting off with the most obvious choice, Melinoë is the protagonist of Hades 2 and the main playable character. She’s the daughter of Hades and Persephone, and the sister of Zagreus, the protagonist of the first Hades. Her outfit is nothing too complicated, with an orange dress and shoes, a metal belt, bracers, wrist guards, an oversized choker, and a headband with a metal crescent at its center. She sports short, wheat-blonde hair and forest green lipstick.

The hardest part of this cosplay would be Melinoë’s weapons—of which there is a lot of variety depending on which of the six Nocturnal Arms is the cosplayer’s favorite—and her left arm. Technically, Melinoë’s left arm is semi-transparent, beneath which her skeleton is visible. However, replicating this in cosplay would take some effort, and it would be perfectly acceptable to simply complete the look with a green-painted left arm without sacrificing the cosplay’s identifiable nature.

Hecate

The Witch Of The Crossroads

Hecate, the Goddess of Witchcraft, is Melinoë’s mentor in Hades 2, as well as her pseudo-foster mother following the disappearance of her parents and brother after Cronos’ assault on the Underworld. She is a wise and gifted fighter, a powerful sorceress, and a stern but caring caregiver with a sharp wit.

The telltale feature of Hecate’s outfit is her wide-brim hat, but that brim is exceptionally wide. It’s the kind of hat that would likely need to be made, as finding one in this design would take a lot of searching. Beneath that, she wears a burgundy mask that covers most of her face, with her bright green eyes piercing out above it. She has long, silver-green hair that is braided down her back. She wears a burgundy top with silver trim, layered purple and burgundy skirts, and a silver belt and neckpiece adorned with silver crescents. Draped over all of this is a purple cape, fastened by two silver crescent clasps. Aside from the green eyes (which simple colored contacts could replicate semi-competently) and big hat, the toughest part of this cosplay would be Hecate’s absurdly toned midriff, which is exposed just above her belt. It’s probably not an essential part of the costume, but anyone going for 100% accuracy will need to hit the gym pretty hard.

Moros

The Personification Of Doom

The older brother of Thanatos from the first Hades, Moros is the son of Nyx and the physical manifestation of doom and bad luck. He is a bit awkward and struggles to fit in amongst others, but he connects with Melinoë and believes she can bring about Chronos’ defeat and a better future for the Underworld and Olympus alike. He is also a big fan of Odysseus, as the former King of Ithaca has proven adept at eluding fate on multiple occasions.

Just like Thanatos, Moros has grey skin, long white hair, and purple eyes. He wears a jet-black circlet that sports a pair of large, twisting horns through which his hair flows elegantly. Although bare-chested, Moros wears a black and gold shendyt—a kilt-like garb commonly associated with ancient Egypt—around his waist, supported by a gold belt that terminates in a cluster of colored tassels. He also wears a gold gorget and a pair of armored gold bracers, with a needle-like sword hanging at his hip. His golden shoulder armor is designed in the image of a skull, which might be the trickiest aspect of this cosplay to design. However, between the grey skin, the horned circlet, and the shendyt, every piece of this cosplay will take some work to either design or purchase, and the unique look of his sword would also require some effort to replicate accurately.

Nemesis

Revenge In The Flesh

Difficulty: Easy – Medium

Nemesis, the daughter of Nyx and sister of Moros, is the personification of retribution. She acts as Melinoë’s rival, often competing with the daughter of Hades in trials of combat. She is also incredibly blunt, condescending, and at times, cruel. She acts impulsively, often to her detriment, and while she is conscious of the fact that her words and actions hurt others, she rarely acknowledges as much.

Nemesis is powerfully built. Amazonian in nature, she towers over her peers, and her corded muscles stretch her armor to its limits. She has long dark hair, bright gold eyes, and her head is adorned with a pair of golden wings. She wears armor accented with red and gold, large hoop earrings, and red nail polish. She carries a silver buckler in one hand, and the Stygian Blade (the same one Zagreus used in Hades) in the other. The difficulty of this cosplay entirely depends on the build of the person attempting it. Obviously, anyone with enough effort and dedication could put together a Nemesis cosplay, but it will be substantially easier for someone who is already built like Nemesis—tall, muscular, and with a militaristic posture—than it will be for someone who is shorter. That shouldn’t stop anyone from attempting to pull it off though; cosplay is all about stepping into a new role and embodying someone other than ourselves, after all.

Hestia

The Flame Of Olympus

Hestia is the Goddess of Flame and Hearth, and is Melinoë’s great-aunt. She is often considered one of the kinder dieties in the Greek pantheon, but that motherly exterior hides her dangerous, hotheaded nature. She is the former wielder of the Adamant Rail, a powerful weapon which Zagreus also used in Hades. Hestia is also the oldest of the Olympians, despite Demeter’s adamant claims to the contrary.

There’s no way around it: as recognizable and impressive as a Hestia cosplay could be, it would require a lot of work and creativity. Everything she wears carries some connection to flame, from her orange and red clothing to the metal braziers around her waist and neck. Her hair is dyed orange and styled to look like a flame, her eyes are bright red, she wears earrings that look like smoldering coals, and she carries a pyre on her head that is perpetually burning. That pyre, and her molten-hot poker weapon, would be the two most difficult parts of this cosplay, as even a low-budget DIY iteration would require a lot of work. Wearing a brazier around the waist would also be extremely impractical unless the cosplayer found a way to make it more flexible than, well, iron. However, if it’s done right, it would be one hell of an impressive outfit.

Chronos

The Big Bad

The main antagonist of Hades 2 is Chronos, the Titan of Time, and the father of some of the most influential Olympians in the pantheon, including Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades himself. That also makes him Melinoë’s grandfather. Once imprisoned in Tartarus, Chronos escaped and led an assault on the Underworld, locking Hades, Persephone, and Zagreus away and kicking off the events of the game. Chronos’ death is Melinoë’s single focus and primary motivator in her quest to reclaim her home.

Chronos boasts a curiously Egyptian appearance, wearing a white shendyt, golden bangles on his wrists, and a golden collar around his neck which bears the numbers of a clock in Roman numerals. His dark grey skin is criss-crossed with a series of golden scars, while his eyes glow a menacing white. They match his stark white hair, which is short and combed back. For a weapon, Chronos carries a golden scythe that becomes longer when he enters combat. The majority of this cosplay will boil down to how talented the cosplayer is with makeup and body paint. However, the shendyt, scythe, and collar will all require some craftsmanship to get right.

Scylla

A Monstrous Performance

Scylla is, technically speaking, a sea monster. She was formerly a nymph who was cursed by a witch, which turned her into a fearsome creature lurking beneath the waves. She is followed by a troupe of Sirens, and they once nearly lured Odysseus to his death with their enrapturing song. Scylla is a bit… unhinged in Hades 2. She’s obsessed with performing for Melinoë and convinced that her band is beloved and widely popular.

Scylla’s wild hair is actually made up of bright blue tentacles. Two of these tentacles are longer and drape down over her shoulders like a shawl. Her teeth are filed down to points, she has a pair of fins on her arms, and a red starfish is emblazoned on her chest. She also carries a coral staff with her that doubles as her microphone. She sits inside a giant clam shell that is rimmed with eyes, which moves her slowly around the battlefield. Every aspect of this cosplay would be challenging, from Scylla’s tentacle hair to her pointy teeth. The difficulty only ramps up further if the cosplayer is going to attempt to create her clam shell as well, which would require a fair bit of engineering to get working, visual aesthetics aside.

Chaos

Primordial Essence

Chaos is the physical embodiment of the primordial void. This void once gave birth to Nyx and all of her children, meaning that Chaos is technically their father, although not in the traditional sense. Chaos is more of an observer than an active participant in Melinoë’s quest, but they will help her out on occasion… for a price.

Unlike their barely-human design in Hades, in Hades 2, Chaos has taken on a more androgenous human appearance. They have long silver hair that’s tied back in a ponytail, and their hair tie is a golden halo with a fuchsia flower on top. They wear a robe that looks similar to a modern suit, with golden lapels, eye-shaped buttons, and faces stitched into the fabric on the shoulders and arms. Their earring is actually a small model of the Earth, presumably the one they held in their hand in their previous form. Instead, their hands now hold what looks like their former head, with the spine still attached, and a fetus emerging from its mouth. Nothing about this cosplay is particularly complicated, but it’s the details that will give people trouble. Everything from the robe to the hair tie will likely need to be made by hand, and it will take some time to get the details right. The disembodied head accessory is its own challenge. However, no part of this cosplay is impossible; it will just require lots of dedication.

Selene

The Power Of The Moon

One of the newer Olympians introduced in Hades 2, Selene is the Goddess of the Moon. She provides Melinoë with new kinds of boons called Hexes, a new ability that is essentially an Ultimate. These must be charged up by using Magic, after which Melinoë can unleash an exceptionally powerful attack. Selene is a lot more mysterious than her Olympian sisters Demeter and Hestia, but her goals are the same: the defeat of Chronos.

Selene’s hair is bright white and billows behind her like fog, her eyes are a shining gold, and she wears light blue lipstick. Her dress is a similar light blue and is adorned with an assortment of moon imagery. She wears a large silver helmet in the shape of a crescent, with the symbol of a crescent moon on the front and a large full moon cradled at the top. She also rides a Pegasus, which is also light blue and decorated with silver moons. The trickiest part of this cosplay is the helmet, but even that is relatively doable with a bit of craftwork. Attempting the Pegasus as part of this cosplay would be a lofty endeavor, but it’s not an essential aspect of its design. Selene would be recognizable on her own, even without her mount.