Sailor Moon is an absolute classic and probably the series most responsible for popularizing Japanese school uniforms outside of Japan, specifically the seifuku (sailor) style that’s so connected with the series. With many color variations in their magical girl forms for each of the Sailor Senshi, this pick is flexible and its iconic style is recognizable to many even outside the hardcore anime fandom. Once more, it’s retro cool, totally cute, and a great group cosplay to do with your friends, especially if paired with some of the ridiculous one-off enemies of the series!

Madoka Magica is another magical girl series that’s something of a modern classic itself. While the series is famous for deconstructing the genre and Akiyuki Shinbo’s trademark innovative and unusual visual style, Madoka Magica’s school uniforms themselves are a little nondescript but make up for it with a simple cutesy elegance exemplified by their oversized bows and plaid skirts. With the show’s focus on battling witches, it’s also thematically appropriate for Halloween, albeit these witches are far from the norm. Plus, if you cosplay Homura specifically, you can carry a gun!

Switching gears to the ecchi side of the spectrum, we have High School DxD, one of the most popular series in the wide-ranging genre. This uniform is devilishly designed to show off the curves of its wearer without being overtly explicit. With its corset-like waistcoat ending in sharp, triangular points reaching beyond the unsurprisingly short skirt, small cape, and embellishments accentuated by angular motifs, the Kuoh Academy uniform is one of the most unique out there and blends Japanese uniform design with Gothic style. All that together with its black, red, and white color scheme and story revolving around demons and vampires (and sex appeal) make High School DxD’s uniforms a great choice for Halloween if you’re ready to display your love for ecchi out in the open.

We’re back to SHAFT, Shinbo, and supernatural ecchi already with Bakemonogatari (and the Monogatari series by extension). This series is full of iconic outfits, including some of the most recognizable school uniforms. Unlike our previous pick, the uniforms of Naoetsu High are largely distinctive thanks to their unusual pale pink, purple, and dark red coloration, but their general style is also subtly unique and somewhat reminiscent of a men's collared shirt and tie. Bakemonogatari’s supernatural story is also a perfect fit for Halloween and each girl’s variations on the basic uniform allow for some versatility.

We’ll make an added mention of Mayoi Hachikuji’s elementary school uniform with her trademark oversized backpack for another equally distinctive and adorable uniform.

As an immensely popular series revolving around uniforms, KILL la KILL had to be on this list somewhere and given this anime’s awesome variety of designs we couldn’t think of a better pick for our #1 spot, although pinning down a specific one is somewhat of a challenge. While protagonist Ryuko Matoi’s black and red Senketsu and rival Satsuki Kiryuin’s white and blue Junketsu are probably the most iconic of the series and offer some interesting variations on the seifuku design, Mako Mankanshoku’s Japanese delinquent style Two-Star Goku uniform complete with oversized cap and jacket-cape is also an excellent choice. Ultimately, we think you can’t go wrong with any of these if you’re looking for something unusual, a bit over-the-top, risqué, and badass this Halloween!