Đỗ Đức Mười poses with the costume of 'Mighty Guardian Lost Avian'. Photos courtesy of Đỗ Đức Mười

By Vũ Đạt

From a young boy idolising superheroes, Đỗ Đức Mười has turned his passion into reality by creating highly detailed costumes of his favourite characters and producing his first YouTube superhero web series, Chiến Thần Lạc Hồng (Mighty Guardian: Lost Avian).

Like many boys his age, Mười grew up watching heroes like Iron Man, Captain America and Kamen Rider. But while others stopped at admiration, his fascination led him down the path of costume design. He began crafting costumes in high school, with his first project being a suit of Iron Man armour. He learned from online forums, YouTube tutorials, and international social media communities.

"After seeing how others made their suits, I realised it was possible to do it in Việt Nam. That’s when I began my journey – and it led me to become a professional costume designer," Mười said.

In 2016, Mười, 19 then, and a group of friends founded Transform Studio, based in Hà Nội, which specialises in makeup, practical effects for films, and especially costumes inspired by superhero movies, anime, and video games.

Đỗ Đức Mười at Transform Studio’s booth in 2023 Manga Comic Con Việt Nam

Pursuing this dream wasn’t without sacrifice. Mười left Hà Nội Architectural University at the age of 21 and sought investment from his parents to establish what he hopes will become the top cosplay costume production studio in Việt Nam.

“I’m a bit of a risk-taker. I knew cosplay costume design wasn’t mainstream here and the path would be tough. But I accepted those challenges, believing I could succeed,” he said.

Creating authentic cosplay is no simple task. It requires expertise across fields such as woodworking, colour theory, tailoring, 3D printing, and handcrafting. Limited access to specialised materials in Việt Nam has led Mười’s team to develop creative substitutes and new techniques.

These constraints have, in fact, fostered ingenuity. Transform Studio is now known for producing high-quality costumes with efficient turnaround times, and its work has reached clients in the United States, Japan and South Korea.

Đỗ Đức Mười (centre) and Transform Studio specialise in making costumes of characters from superhero movies, anime, video games and more.

But Mười didn’t stop there. He also dreamed of producing a superhero series of his own. In 2019, Transform Studio announced its ambitious project: Mighty Guardian: Lost Avian, a web series drawing on Vietnamese mythology.

The story follows Nguyễn Trung Quân, a young tourism student who becomes entangled in a battle between ancient monsters and humans. After a mysterious encounter at the Tản Viên Mountain, Quân discovers he is destined to inherit powers from the Hùng Kings, legendary founders of the Vietnamese nation.

The poster of Youtube web series 'Chiến Thần Lạc Hồng' (Mighty Guardian: Lost Avian), premiere on April 7. Photo courtesy of Transform Studio

Inspired by Việt Nam’s rich mythology, Mười adapted stories such as the 18th Hùng King's battles against northern invaders and legends like Thạch Sanh, Sơn Tinh – Thủy Tinh (Mountain God and Water God), and Saint Gióng into modern superhero narratives.

“I love Japanese tokusatsu (special effects) films and wanted to do something similar using Vietnamese legends to promote our culture in a modern way,” he said. “Through this project, I hope young viewers will be inspired to explore our mythology.”

While Việt Nam has seen a few attempts to build a superhero franchise, many remained fan projects or box office failures. Mười believes this is due to limited local investment in the genre, but hopes Mighty Guardian: Lost Avian can break new ground – perhaps even becoming Việt Nam’s answer to Marvel, DC, or Japan’s Kamen Rider.

“With this project, I want to encourage other young Vietnamese to follow their passion like I did. Maybe in the future, we’ll see even more projects like this, made by them,” he said.

The Mighty Guardian: Lost Avian web series premiered on April 7 on YouTube, coinciding with the Hùng Kings’ Festival which commemorates the nation's ancestors. VNS