The Best Goku Contact Lenses - Super Saiyan Eye Cosplay Tutorial (2017)

2019 note: This tutorial has become pretty popular with Dragon Ball cosplayers and it’s nice to know that my methods have managed to reach so many people, the idea that people see such value in my ideas is pretty dope so thank you to all currently using this method and helping spread the word in your own way. Now, on to the tutorial!

If you’d rather watch than read:

You can buy these lenses here: https://bit.ly/2ul05Yk

Okay, here’s what I do for Super Saiyan eyes and my rationale behind them. I use teal mesh contact lenses to totally block out my pupils. I would also do the same for Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan Blue. Not a lot of people (before this tutorial anyway) consider that Super Saiyans don’t actually have pupils and it isn’t necessarily due to the art style of Akira Toriyama or the animation team. Besides other characters such as Videl and Bulma having pupils, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan 4, Super Saiyan God, and Ultra Instinct all have pupils all have them too.

Therefore, in the Dragon Ball universe it’s a reasonable argument to assume that Super Saiyan’s 1, 2 and blue don’t have pupils because there are other forms which do along with other characters. This makes it a potential in-universe trait rather than an a stylistic choice.

Why I use teal eyes and not green; because teal is accurate to the original source material.

A large part of the reason why english speaking audiences remember the Super Saiyan eye colour as green has to do with how the series was originally presented to us. To make the series look edgier and more modern FUNimation over-saturated all the colours making a dull teal look like a bright green.

Still, if you prefer green then that is your choice. It’s not like it’s necessarily wrong since this is how a lot of people remember the eye colour anyway, it’s just down to personal preference at that point. Just know that the original vision (pun not intended) was for the eyes to be teal.

Now, the mesh contact lenses, they make it so you can just barely see. This is the biggest pain with these contact lenses and they can really disrupt the comfort of your day if I’m going to be totally honest with you. I’d say they make your vision half as bad as it should be, meaning if you need glasses I strongly recommend that you get prescription and if you have to perform, do anything important during the day, or wear the contacts for long periods of time you might want to reconsider using them.

Even if the following doesn’t apply to you if you feel uncomfortable whilst cosplaying then perhaps you SHOULD reconsider using these lenses. This is just one philosophy of many and a pupil look can add depth and texture even if it isn’t 100% accurate. Don’t get so dogmatic, especially since there are other options out there.

And remember: Wear whichever contact lenses you feel comfortable with, and if you don’t like them then wear none at all. Cosplay is for fun.

Contact lenses in action! Cosplays: Chi-Chi (Alexandra Tulley, Gohan (Nomes Cosplay), and Goku (Chris Minney) from DragonBall Z