15 Video Game Style Trendsetters

We're sure they have stylists.

January 17, 2012

Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Lead

When you (eventually) stop gaming to see the outside world every once in awhile, you might notice that everyone tends to dress the same. Sure, you may have your corporate dudes in suits or slackers in jeans and a hoodie, but there you'll see your fair share of guys with cuffed jeans, pom beanies, and a collection of Carhartt jackets and Penfield vests.

Yeah, we’re talking about those guys, the guys that follow trends every season. Following style trends don't just fall on the real world, though. Even without looking up at your screen you can find people that are setting new trends.

There has been a shift in how heroes in games are portrayed as well as a shift in how they dress. The 2% body fat, jacked up, huge jawed heroes are long gone, and they took their loin clothes with them (to everyone’s benefit). Video game heroes tend to look more like the common man and dress like that man as well. All it took was one character to change the style entirely.

We checked out who started the trends and who flipped the script on everyone in our list of 15 Video Game Style Trendsetters.

Written by Obi Anyanwu (@obianyanwu)

Erdrick

Games: Dragon Quest I, II, III
Genre: RPG
Year: 1986
Biters: Chrono (Chrono Trigger) Marth (Fire Emblem), Ryu (Breath of Fire I & II), Isaac (Golden Sun)

Complex Says: Erdrick is the main character in the first three Dragon Quest games. The first game of the series, Dragon Warrior, was the first RPG ever made, which was published by Enix (who merged with Squaresoft in 2003) for the NES. Erdrick started it all for RPGs. The dude has earned godfather status. Drawn by Akira Toriyama of the Dragon Ball series fame, Erdrick set the standard for what was in style with RPG characters by donning a scarf and cape combo as well as the right amount of armor to look cool and last you through the game.

Cloud Strife

Game: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: RPG
Year: 1997
Biters: Vyse (Skies of Arcadia), Tidus (Final Fantasy X), Lloyd Irving (Tales of Symphonia)

Complex Says: Cloud went a different route with RPG style in Final Fantasy VII. Not only was his blasé attitude cool, but his style was dope. Cloud skipped the scarf and cape, and he even passed on armor (that shoulder pad wouldn’t protect us from a cold). Cloud’s choice to go all black everything and show a little skin got the heroes after him biting his style. Hero characters will do anything to have as many action figures as our boy Cloud. You can’t top the original (or beat him in fanboy polls.)

Ralf & Clark

Game: Ikari Warriors
Genre: Action/Adventure
Year: 1986
Biters: Bill "Mad Dog" Rizer & Lance "Scorpion" Bean (Contra), Marco & Tarma (Metal Slug)

Complex Says: Ralf & Clark emerged in the game Ikari Warriors by SNK, before reestablishing themselves in King of Fighters '94. They have the Rambo look down, and they continue to knock it out of the park at each King of Fighters tournament. With their cargo pants and utility vests, these dudes were the original badass military dudes, and don’t want to change their look anytime soon.

Solid Snake

Game: Metal Gear Solid
Genre: Action/Adventure
Year: 1998
Biters: Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell), Jean-Luc Cougar (Winback)

Complex Says: Ralf & Clark’s Rambo look is a gift and a curse. Looking like steroid abusing, gun-toting muscleheads can go on but so long (even though they’re the last remaining to do it.) Enter Solid Snake. When Metal Gear Solid was released for the PSX in the late 90s, the military look changed for good. Any game with base infiltration and lots of firepower has a hero that dresses similar to Solid Snake. Form fitting outfits became the norm as well as the right amount of protection for maneuvering, and a tiny bag of tricks that can hold an AK-47. Maybe we can thank him for slim cargo pants.

Shinobi

Game: Shinobi
Genre: Action/Adventure
Year: 1987
Biters: Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden), Strider Hiryu (Strider)

Complex Says: Sega gave us the first ninja hero with Shinobi. He’s also one of Sega’s first heroes alongside Sonic the Hedgehog and Alex Kidd. Other ninjas bit his style, with Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden being the most notable. Sure Ryu took off with his series, but the originator is Shinobi with his traditional ninja mask, two-toed slippers, samurai sword, and extremely long scarf.

Guy

Game: Final Fight
Genre: Action - Beat em' Up
Year: 1989
Biters: Taki (Soul Calibur Series), Yun & Yang (Street Fighter 3 Series), Maki (Capcom vs. SNK 2)

Complex Says: Guy had the modern ninja look on lock, which reinvented how ninjas dressed in video games. Guy left the mask for the other Capcom ninjas, Strider and Ninja Commando, back in 1989 and 1991 (respectively). He showed his face as he kicked ass in Final Fight, and though he was usually drawn wearing Chuck Taylor’s, he wears Nike Dunks in the Street Fighter Alpha series as well as Final Fight 3. Guy reinvented ninja style as well as name brand footwear for fighters in future Street Fighter games.

Ryu

Game: Street Fighter
Genre: Fighting
Year: 1987
Biters: Ryo Sakazaki (Art of Fighting), Yuri Sakazaki (Art of Fighting 2), Kim Kaphwan (Fatal Fury), Akira Yuki (Virtua Fighter), Makoto (Street Fighter 3: Third Strike)

Complex Says: Fighting games existed before Ryu, but the success of Street Fighter and Street Fighter II changed fighting games for good. Many developers tried to find their own fighting game cash cows and have failed miserably (like Kasumi Ninja and Fighters Destiny). Those fighting game heroes would tend to dress like Ryu. Prime example is Ryo Sakazaki from Art of Fighting. Special moves aside, Ryo was a blend of Ryu and Ken with his tattered karate gi. Of course, Ryu was the first to rip his sleeves, fight barefoot, don the all-white gi, and wear a red headband.

Liu Kang

Game: Mortal Kombat
Genre: Fighting
Year: 1992
Biters: Fei Long (Super Street Fighter II), Johnny Cage (Mortal Kombat), Jin Kazama (Tekken)

Complex Says: Liu Kang took a different approach to the karate fighter look. The first Bruce Lee ripoff kept his gear simple with solid black pants and white shoes. In MKII, he stepped it up by adding a design on the sides. Revolutionary stuff if you ask us. He managed to get Capcom to bite off of his look with Fei Long, and his MK co-star, Johnny Cage, changed his look to match Kang’s. Future fighters that go to battle in only pants design them now just like Liu Kang. So far none have managed to mimic his bicycle kick.

Terry Bogard

Game: Fatal Fury
Genre: Fighting
Year: 1991
Biters: Paul Phoenix (Tekken), Rock Howard (Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves), Alex (Street Fighter 3)

Complex Says: Karate fighters aren’t your thing? Fair enough. Terry Bogard felt the same way in Fatal Fury. The game gave you three choices for characters, karate fighter (Andy Bogard), Muay Thai fighter (Joe Higashi), or street fighter (Terry Bogard).Terry was much different than past Street Fighter characters in plain clothes. He had a swagger about him with his skinny jeans, red Chuck Taylor’s, matching red jacket, and Fatal Fury snapback. Terry changed his look in Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves to show that he has gotten older and more mature. He left his signature red snapback at home and threw on a bomber that we wish existed.

Chun-Li

Game: Street Fighter II
Genre: Fighting
Year: 1989
Biters: Mai Shiranui (Fatal Fury 2), Kitana (Mortal Kombat II), Kasumi (Dead or Alive)

Complex Says: Chun-Li set the standard for female fighters. She brought a look that was elegant, sexy, and very tough. We don’t know how she did it. The other girls that bit her look showed plenty of leg, but none of them could top our girl Chun-Li. In the Street Fighter Alpha series, Chun-Li took a different approach by wearing a full body suit. Not many characters caught on to that, but we respect Chun-Li’s effort.

King

Game: Art of Fighting
Genre: Fighting
Year: 1992
Biters: Vice (King of Fighters 96), Rose (Street Fighter Alpha), Ivy Valentine (Soul Calibur), C. Viper (Street Fighter 4)

Complex Says: Players didn’t know that King from Art of Fighting was a girl. Job well done from SNK. That was their plan. The skilled players that KO’d King with a special move got some fan service as her shirt ripped open. That is what makes King a trendsetter. No, not for her clothes being destroyed by a Hadouken ripoff. What's significant is that King is a female character that did not try to rip off Chun-Li’s look. Instead she created her dress clothes look that was copied by several characters. She threw on clothes fit for a party and that Vice and Mature from King of Fighters copied, as well as Rose from the SF series. Characters like C. Viper fought in slacks like King, and others copied the haircut.

Duke Nukem

Game: Duke Nukem 3D
Genre: Action/Adventure
Year: 1996
Biters: Dante (Devil May Cry), Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes)

Complex Says: Gaming took a huge turn when Sony stepped on the scene with the Playstation. Players gravitated towards the brash, anti-hero. 1996 brought us Duke Nukem 3D. Nukem existed before then, but in 1996 he changed his look and spurned copycats. Nukem’s plain clothes and sunglasses gave players the impression that this was just another day for Nukem and that he’ll do it in style.

Claude

Game: Grand Theft Auto 3
Genre: Action/Adventure
Year: 2001
Biters: Marcus Fenix (Gears of War), Commander Shepard (Mass Effect)

Complex Says: Developers heavily sought after the plain clothes, anti-hero which set the stage for Grand Theft Auto games. Claude from GTA 3 looked like he had just rolled out of bed, threw on his shoes and jacket, and went out looking for trouble. His grooming became a staple for other heroes. The 5 o’clock shadow has been the beard of choice for several heroes since Claude and it continues to be.

DoomGuy

Game: Doom
Genre: First Person Shooter
Year: 1993
Biters: Turok (Turok), Sgt. Cortez (Timesplitters), Gordon Freeman (Half-Life)

Complex Says: DoomGuy doesn’t have a name, but that didn’t stop heroes from taking his look. DoomGuy wore futuristic armor, heavy enough to protect him against monsters and light enough to keep him running from those same monsters. He was pretty badass since he was on another planet fighting monsters and not wearing a helmet. Other FPS heroes bite that look in an attempt to be as tough as our boy.

Master Chief

Game: Halo
Genre: First Person Shooter
Year: 2001
Biters: Jack (Bioshock), Pointman (F.E.A.R.)

Complex Says: Master Chief took a different approach in FPS games. He was one of the first to be a faceless hero even when the camera turns on him. His armor bulked up in comparison to DoomGuy, and he threw on a helmet. Since Master Chief, the FPS helmet heroes jacked up their armor, but can’t seem to top this trendsetter.