Style is everything, especially when it comes to video games. As an escapist medium, players want to look as good as the fancy moves they pull off in midair. Luckily, there’s no shortage of fashionable gaming characters. The following list compiles some of the best-dressed video game characters fans have had the honor of playing as so far. Comb your hair, fasten on your suspenders, and prepare to be inspired.
Best-Dressed Video Game Characters – Dante (Devil May Cry Series)
Crotchless cowboy chaps aren’t for everyone. Pile on a long red cloak, plenty of belt buckles, and long white emo hair, and you may be setting yourself up for a fashion disaster. Somehow this isn’t the case with Devil May Cry‘s Dante, a character that oozes style and charm through every glide, sword swing, and trigger press.
It may be Dante’s cool persona that makes his clothing ensemble work, or vice versa. Either way, Capcom managed to pull quite a hat trick with this character’s style, and fans can’t help but admire it over and over again. Dante may be growing up as the series moves on, but his red cloak will almost assuredly be fresh in our minds.
Best-Dressed Video Game Characters – Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil Series)
Leon S. Kennedy is the Resident Evil series’ fashion icon (though Ada Wong does come in close second). In Resident Evil 4, the character dons a brown leather jacket and fingerless gloves that give him an appropriate secret agent vibe without sacrificing his youthful good looks. In Resident Evil 6, he wears a blue dress shirt underneath a vest undoubtedly outfitted with as much ammo as it can carry, in many ways signifying the character’s proven expertise in dealing with zombie hordes.
Sometimes he wears a motorcycle jacket on top, completing the whole badass aesthetic. But, in every game he is in, he never sacrifices his golden locks for a more ergonomic look. Perhaps this is what gives him the miraculous ability to circumvent the mass of walking cadavers that constantly come his way.
Best-Dressed Video Game Characters – Ludger Will Kresnik (Tales of Xillia 2)
You may not want to admit it, but lots of anime-stylized games capture this profound sense of fashion that few developers in the West have successfully honed in on. This is perhaps best evidenced through Tales of Xillia 2‘s Ludger Will Kresnik, an incredibly dapper young man who always sports an ironed dress shirt, long slacks, yellow tie, and suspenders.
As if pulling all that off wasn’t enough, there’s never a single strand of hair that’s out of place on this protagonist’s black-tinged, gray head. A pair of pistols and a large arsenal of other weapons to choose from certainly helps usher this look into the dangerous echelons of Xillia‘s fashionable high society.
Best-Dressed Video Game Characters – Snow and Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy)
The Final Fantasy series is no stranger to luxurious style. From Final Fantasy X‘s Lulu to Final Fantasy VII‘s Tifa, the franchise truly has no shortage of fashionable characters with strange yet chic outfits. In the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, however, Square Enix outdoes itself. Lightning represents a culmination of the series’ outlandish charm. From her signature battle outfit to her regal attire toward the trilogy’s end, the pink-haired beauty finds a way to meld cute and cool together. With her gunblade in tow, she’s a powerful force to be reckoned with, too.
Though Final Fantasy XV‘s main male quartet is also quite fashion-minded (especially Prompto), XIII‘s Snow deserves a mention on this list for his down-to-earth street wear attire. The long duster, bandanna, and boots aid in giving the character his brash personality before he ever even opens his mouth for the first time. Lightning and Snow together make the perfect pair, as far as high fashion is concerned. It’s no wonder why the former became a digital model for Louis Vuitton.
Best-Dressed Video Game Characters – Kat (Gravity Rush Series)
Gravity Rush‘s Kat is bubbly, playful, and full of life, not unlike the romper she wears throughout the game. Filled with intricate details that trace along her figure, they allude to a deeper story hidden within the girl herself. Despite being a romper, Kat’s outfit doesn’t make her seem any less mature than what she is.
The scarf around her neck brings the whole piece together, giving the character definition as she effortlessly flies through the air without a care in the world. All in all, Kat’s outfit is so memorable because it is her. She also shows more style in the unique costumes peppered throughout the game’s side missions.
Best-Dressed Video Game Characters – The Inklings and Octolings (Splatoon Series)
Splatoon‘s playable Inklings and Octolings deserve their own dedicated event at the next Tokyo Fashion Show. Both games prove that Nintendo knows what street style is, from each species’ varying hairstyles to the sneakers on their feet. Players are able to choose from so many different pieces, including prints, hoodies, sweaters, graphic tees, long-sleeve shirts, and more. That’s not to say that the shoe variety is insanely fashionable, too, as a lot of the fictional brands in Splatoon rival that one can find in real life.
Ultimately, the series prides itself on allowing its fashion to be completely customizable by the people who play it. Clothing gives people a chance to explore their identity, be it in a digital world or in real life. In the end, fashion is most about being yourself. And this game has that in droves.
Though each character on this list deserves a spot on the runway, it’s important to applaud the hard work of the designers who breathed life into these looks in the first place. Countless sketches and doodles have no doubt culminated in each and every Vogue-worthy outfit above. Gaming fans everywhere should be eternally grateful.
