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Video games must make their characters distinct so that they are easily identifiable and have certain traits that immediately bring them to mind when players see these in real life. To do this, game designers give characters a particular feature, such as a scar for Geralt from The Witcher or a masterful-looking beard like Kratos.
One good video game technique for making characters look unforgettable is giving them an accessory. Hats are one example, offering characters a decidedly distinct look, making them stand out from the rest of the NPCs, and sometimes becoming integral to their identities.
Another great example is rare or unique-looking gloves, especially for characters who specialize in close-quarters combat. This may signify their brawler status and present a clear warning to their opponents.
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Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.
Five most recognizable hats in video games
1) Arthur Morgan's hat - Red Dead Redemption 2
Arthur Morgan is the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2, the prequel to Rockstar Games' cowboy-inspired video game Red Dead Redemption. Compared to the previous protagonist, John Marston, who had a rather iconic outfit and a scar across his face, Arthur doesn't have any such features.
While users can dress up Arthur in any clothes they can get their hands on across the game, without his iconic hat, his look is incomplete. Dubbed in the game as 'Arthur's Hat,' it's an old patched hat with a small length of rope running across and looks kind of grubby.
And yet somehow, this hat feels the most appropriate for this gunslinger's rough-around-the-edges but kind-hearted demeanor. Not to mention that in the trailers and promo images, this is the hat Arthur is seen wearing, which went a long way to set his iconic look.
2) Mario's cap - Mario series
Mario has never been seen without his iconic red newsboy cap since his first appearance in the arcade video game Donkey Kong in 1981. He has retained this accessory across his 40 years of appearances, a lesson in being consistent. Even Luigi has had a few changes in his attire across the mainline games.
Yet, Mario's cap turned out to be an indispensable tool in the video game Super Mario Odyssey when a sentient cap spirit named Cappy inhabits the iconic red hat and grants additional abilities to Mario. With this cap, Mario can throw it onto sentient creatures to capture them, allowing him to briefly take control of their bodies.
The hat, along with Cappy, is due to return in the upcoming sequel video game, Mario Odyssey 2, which will also include Luigi with a similar sentient cap. Aside from this recent emergence as a tool, Mario's iconic red cap is a part of his entire look and character design, without which he would look incomplete.
3) Kung Lao's razor-rimmed hat - Mortal Kombat series
Debuting as one of the original combatants for Earth in the first Mortal Kombat video game, Kung Lao is a martial artist who was, in turn, named after the great Kung Lao, who first defeated Shang Tsung and won the victory for Earthrealm. On the other hand, the modern-day Kung Lao did not have such a destiny.
Yet, he did have a distinct look from the other fighters, easily discernible due to his rimmed hat, which also served dual purposes. Allowing him to teleport to wherever the hat was placed, Kung Lao used this technique in battle, tossing his hat around the area and switching sides to confuse the opponents.
But the most potent aspect of the hat was its razor edge, which he used to devastating effect. When tossed towards the opponent, it would deal damage at contact, while it was also used in one of Lao's fatalities.
Spinning the hat in midair, Lao would throw his opponent onto this makeshift saw and rip them in half.
4) Link's hat - Legend of Zelda series
While Link has appeared in many a Zelda video game, his appearance and reputation remain intact. Known as a man (or child) of little words, Link does not generally talk, is usually dressed in all green, and sports a long pointed green hat, like some tall leprechaun.
Since his first appearance as a pixelated blog in the first Zelda video game, titled The Legend of Zelda, in 1986, Link has been seen with his green headwear and recognizable green clothing. The only title to change this tradition is Breath of the Wild, which lets gamers dress Link up as per their liking but also did away with his hat in the character art.
From the trailers seen for the sequel to Breath of the Wild, it does look like Nintendo is finally burying this iconic piece of headwear for Link, opting to have him hat-less for the future, for all promo material.
Die-hard fans could still unlock the pointy green hat and tunic in Breath of the Wild, and hopefully, it will remain the same in the next game.
5) Red's cap - Pokemon series
Pokemon's first-ever video game was Pokemon Red & Green (they are essentially the same game), where players could play as Red, the protagonist of these titles. He sported a red and white cap on his head, which started the trend of all Pokemon protagonists having headwear of some sort from then on.
Yet, Red's cap is now iconic in the series, with all the main characters, especially males, getting a similar hat or brimmed headgear. This was later embodied by the main characters in the manga, the now well-known Ash Ketchum from the anime series, and the latest games.
Red's cap thus has set a precedent that has become a characteristic of not just a character but the entire media franchise. There has not yet been a piece of media set in the Pokemon universe which has not showcased a cap.
An integral part of any Pokemon cosplay, the cap has become a symbol and unspoken way for people to declare that 'they wanna be the very best, that no one ever was.'
Five unique gloves in video games
1) Knuckles gloves - Sonic series
Appearing at first as an enemy to Sonic and then reluctantly becoming his ally and later on a good friend, Knuckles the Echidna is a character who debuted in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 1994. Since then, he has become a popular character in the franchise, making his live-action (CGI) appearance in the second Sonic Movie, voiced by Idris Elba.
Aside from his red fur and dreadlock-looking spines, one of the most recognizable features about Knuckles is his spiked white gloves. This is because, along with the ability to run fast, glide, and scale high walls, he is a proficient fighter, coming out on top in most hand-to-hand battles.
While Knuckles wears these spiked gloves, worn by all the previous Echidnas of his clans, it has been revealed that he has spikes on his hands underneath those gloves. This was due to his father foreseeing his future and genetically modifying him to be a hardy fighter, using Chaos radiation.
2) Blaze Gloves - Biomutant
Biomutant is an action role-playing video game developed by Entertainment 101 and published by THQ Nordic. Released in May 2021, this game saw users create their own anthropomorphic mammal, set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have become extinct, and mutation has evolved the animal life and the flora into new forms.
The video game sees gamers traverse the open world and collect various items and weapons, with one such being the Blaze Gloves. Found by completing the Charred For Coal side quest, this is one of the Unique Weapons of the title, which can deal a significant amount of damage using the game's Wung-Fu combat.
As Biomutant features melee and ranged combat during fights, these gloves are great for quickly getting in close, dealing tons of damage, and zipping back out again. This weapon deals normal and heat damage, which, depending on the situation, can be a table-turner in combat.
3) Ryu's sparring gloves - Street Fighter
Ryu is one of the two original characters in the Street Fighter series, along with Ken, who appeared in the first game before it was a proper PvP brawler. Since then, Ryu's look has changed little over the years, with his iconic white gi & black belt, red headband, and red sparring gloves.
These gloves generally feature a set of highly stylized Kanji for the words "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" across the area around the wrist. In Japanese, this reads Fūrinkazan, a battle standard used by the Sengoku period daimyo Takeda Shingen. This was, in turn, inspired by four phrases from Sun Tzu's Art of War, "as swift as the wind, as gentle as forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakeable as mountain."
Appearing in the most recent Street Fighter 6 trailer, Ryu has seemingly ditched his gi but retained his headband and gloves. However, these are not his iconic red gloves with the Japanese Kanji but regular brown sparring ones.
A variant skin for the character with his iconic look will possibly be present in the game.
4) Tifa's metal-plated gloves - Final Fantasy 7
Tifa Lockhart is one of the available party members in the original Final Fantasy 7 video game and the remake. She is a brawler who prefers to fight in close quarters and even quips knuckles as her weapon of choice. This is mostly in contrast to her personality out of combat, which is shy and reserved.
To establish her role as a close combat fighter, Tifa dons a pair of long-sleeved gloves with metal plating along the wrists and knuckles area. While this might have been difficult to spot in the original game, where she was a distinctly pixelated, angular blob, in the remake, her attire is much easier to admire.
Taught in the ways of martial art by Zangan, Tifa is one of the strongest fighters in the new and old video games, putting her on par with Cloud and Barret in terms of offensive capabilities. Some of her strongest attacks are her Dolphin Blow and Meteor Strike.
5) The Master Hand - Smash Bros. Series
Appearing as a giant gloved hand, this entity is the main boss of the Smash Bros. video game series. In this franchise, characters from all across Nintendo's various game franchises come together in an all-out brawl, letting gamers pick their favorite characters and fight against each other.
The Master Hand is the final boss for most of the series' story and arcade modes, where players must defeat it to finish the game. Despite the eventual defeat, it has been stated that the Master Hand is merely toying with the user and is never truly defeated, only letting them think they have.
Since the news from ex-Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata came regarding this video game series, the fictional reason why various Nintendo characters are fighting against each other is that these are just toys. Presumably, the owner of said toys is staging a big battle sequence as they play with them, which would mean that the Master Hand could just be this all-powerful master.
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