Tsuyoshi: Because I needed to make an original character for the Tyger Claws, I went into it with the idea of an outlaw group with a specific Japanese flair.
I looked through a lot of different sources, such as bōsōzoku (motorcycle gangs in Japanese youth subculture), anime movies like AKIRA and Shonan Bakusozoku, Be-Bop High School, and so on. The titles are a bit on the older side and the design concept can easily be understood in the art itself.

Tsuyoshi: Definitely the bōsōzoku boilersuit that they traditionally wear as uniforms. You can still find some bōsōzoku wearing these to this day, as well as at coming-of-age ceremonies in Kyushu. We contacted a specialty manufacturer in Okayama Prefecture to get this boilersuit order-made. The materials are also what would traditionally be used, we just slightly altered the sizing for this project. We had them do all the text and logos in embroidery as well.

A white boilersuit with considerable weight to it. The Tyger Claws gang logo sits imposingly on the back and large swaths of beautiful embroidery run over the legs. The back collar states “日本男児,” nippon danji, a term that represents Japanese masculine values. Even the buttons on the cuffs exude the bōsōzoku vibe─this is as authentically real as something fictional gets.

Tsuyoshi: With the prop pieces, I wanted to mix the ideas of something that seems like it’s not too far off in our future with something that represents Japan very traditionally. The traditional Japanese mask has new additions made near the fangs, for example, and I wanted the rising sun as a central motif.

KAIHO: I wanted the upper part of the Tyger Claws mask to light up because just a single light can add a lot of cyberesque energy to an item. I found a tiny light with a tiny surface area...I had to fix it so many times to make it all work.

The final look was completed with bold white face paint, a look taken from traditional Japanese theater. With bright green as a base color, the golden fangs jutting out from the mask really give a monster-like impression. The light and acrylic and synthetic materials combined to bring the Tyger Claws look to life. Cyberpunk 2077 is a future that doesn’t seem so far away, and Tsuyoshi told us he wanted to use a mixture of materials to give off that perception.

To pair with the Tyger Claws shoes, we have toe-split socks. Multiple materials and clasps have gone into these socks. This is a costume with deep Japanese influence from head to the literal toes.

Tsuyoshi: Challenging...challenging...maybe there wasn’t anything too challenging! We had a great team of professionals to rely on in each part of the process, which really made creative directing easy for me.
But, well...if there was one thing that was hard, it was finding the right model for this Tyger Claws look. The model is the absolute most critical part of the look.

Tsuyoshi: We actually got a replica silver sword and asked professionals who work with sheet metal to help us gild it. After, KAIHO made the hilt and put it together.

KAIHO: The hilt design was actually CG, along with the patterns and lettering. The final product after cutting was exactly as designed.

Tsuyoshi seemed extremely pleased as he showed us the sword during our interview. Of course the gold blade makes a strong impression, but as an overall sword with the hamon pattern and slip-resistant hilt for a true grip, we could really imagine this as a functional sword!

Tsuyoshi: In my mind, I wanted to show how The Mox have an essence of almost unreality, that it would be the most reasonable to encounter their existence in a video game.
The panties are made of rubber, or take a look at the chest pieces. The Mox items were intentionally made with a costumey look in mind. When you put all 4 models together, each has their own unique flair and style of expression.

KAIHO: It was so difficult because there are cyberware lines running over the whole body, plus the additional presence of tattoos. The designs on each leg are a bit different so we had to find a balance, as well as pay attention to the finer balance of all the tattoos gathered together on the right leg.
With the boots and panties, we couldn’t assess the whole aesthetic until everything was actually on the model, so we did a lot of redesigning and last-minute touch-ups once on set.

KAIHO: We attached a lot of bolts to the bat but each bolt had its own individual characteristics. We carefully selected every part to have the same collective look as the concept art.

Tsuyoshi: We were working with a real metal bat so we paid particular attention to giving it realism while we worked, such as the overall texturing and weight.

We had fun looking at the bat with its popping purple color, but it still truly is a metal bat, studded with bolts. While it may be something originated from fiction, it has true weight in our reality.