Man who spent £19k to ‘become a wolf’ wants to be free of human relationships

Charlie Herbert

‘When I wear my costume I feel I’m no longer human’

A man has forked out £19,000 on an uber-realistic wolf costume created specially for him which he wears when he “no longer feels human”.

Most of us would probably watch some TV, listen to some music or enjoy a nice long bath when we want to unwind. But not Toru Ueda, an engineer from Tokyo.

Ueda likes to relax and unwind by donning his bespoke wolf costume, which took four people seven weeks to create, because it gives him a chance to escape his normal human life and embrace feeling like a wolf.

The costume was created by Zeppet, a company that makes models and costumes for film and television.

It cost 32-year-old Ueda three million yen (£19,000), but he reckons it’s money well spent.

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He told the Times: “When I wear my costume I feel I’m no longer human.

“I’m free of human relationships. All kinds of troubles, related to work and other things – I can forget about them.”

Ueda told Zeppet that he wanted the most realistic wolf costume they could create, but that would also allow him to still walk normally.

Over the course of three face to face meetings with the company and dozens of emails, Ueda discussed the suit with them down to the most minute of details, such as the pattern and texture of the coat.

And safe to say, Ueda is more than happy with the result, saying: “When I look in the mirror, I see a wolf, and that is very moving.

“I’m not a werewolf — that’s a kind of monster, and I am not a monster.”

But it’s very much a personal item for Ueda, who has no interest in showing it off to the wider world and says he would be uncomfortable wearing it around Tokyo.

Instead, Ueda invites friends over for a drink and then puts on the costume.

Although none of his mates are into uber-realistic animal suits like he is (shock), Ueda said they have no issue with him entering his wolf state.

If Ueda is looking for someone with a similar hobby though, he might want to get in touch with this fella, who forked out £12,000 on a border collie suit.

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