The fashion trends in Japanese RPGs tend to be interesting, to say the least. Between the gratuitous zippers, baffling belts and generally impractical armour there’s a lot to make fun of. Too much of it, in fact, so instead let’s take a look at some of the more fashionable RPGs in recent years. While wearing some of the costumes in these games might still get you plenty of confused stares in public, these five RPGs come with plenty of outfit options so they’re worth checking out for some of the more style savvy players out there.

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1. Bravely Default

Most of the different Final Fantasy “jobs” are instantly recognisable thanks to their familiar costumes. You’d be hard-pressed to find an RPG fan who didn’t recognise the black mage’s cloak and pointed cap, for example. Since Bravely Default is a retro Final Fantasy game in all but name, it brings back these iconic outfits with a few interesting updates. Flamboyant as they are, it’s hard not to like the Red Mage’s rose-covered outfit or the Time Mage’s bizarre clock-shaped headpiece. And a new lineup of jobs means new outfits, so Bravely Default adds a whole lot of interesting costumes that all have different variations depending on which of the party members is wearing them. Between the top hat-wearing merchants, bunny-girl performers and fashionably furry rangers, the costumes are strange but well-suited to the cute little 3D characters.

Just so the list isn’t completely dominated by Square-Enix games, I’m relegating The World Ends With You to an honourable mention. Fashion played a big role in this stylish Nintendo DS game, which made it crucial to switch around characters’ clothing and pins to keep up with the trends in Shibuya. Unfortunately none of these clothes actually appeared on the characters so even if Neku was courageous enough to don a dress, he was limited to whatever bizarre street wear Tetsuya Nomura designed.

2. Resonance of Fate

Resonance of Fate is fondly remembered for its gun-heavy gameplay, with an arsenal of firearms to customise by stacking scopes on top of each other. The fashion side of things is just as versitile, with a range of clothing items, accessories and colours to tweak. It’s the rare RPG where the outfits were handled by actual fashion designers; the three lead characters can buy clothes from the local fashion boutique that generally resemble something an actual human would wear. It’s a look that suits the game’s modern setting, or at least makes the giant tower full of monsters and hexagons feel more modern. New clothes don’t actually have any defensive benefits, but since the characters’ appearances carry over to cutscenes it’s still worth dressing to impress and finding a look as stylish as the gunfights.

3. Monster Hunter

Everyone who says Monster Hunter isn’t an RPG is full of it; it’s just an RPG where all of the levels are replaced with progressively fancier armour! While games like Final Fantasy XIV and Xenoblade let you mix and match sets of armour to show off your style, it’s more rewarding in Monster Hunter because the armour is all assembled from the bits of monsters you’ve slain. Monster Hunter is one of the most satisfying series out there and that satisfaction comes from not just taking down some creature, but wearing its skin as a cute coat. Not only do stronger pieces of armour give a greater defensive boost, but assembling all of the items in a set grants different passive abilities. Defeating the same monster to get the necessary parts can be a grind, but it has a great payoff that’ll definitely set off your desire sensor. Sure, it’s not exactly the most humane approach to fashion, but my uncle works for Capcom and says that none of the monsters are endangered species. Slaughtering bugs for a new pair of Bnahabra Boots is A-OK.

4. Pokémon X/Y

Different outfits might have made a return in the recent Sun and Moon versions, but Pokémon’s first foray into the world of fashion is still its most impressive. For the first time in the series, players could actually customise their trainer with different hair styles, skin colours and, of course, different clothing items. It’s a little feature that really changed how I played the game. Rather than running to the Pokémon Center to heal up, the first thing I did upon entering a new town was check out what clothes were on sale. I ended up roaming the world in search of new skirts rather than actual Pokémon. While the range of outfits for men was unfortunately limited, female trainers had a wide range of hats, skirts, pants and shoes that fit with the French-flavoured setting. And with the addition of PR videos and the numerous photo spots around the Kalos region there were plenty of opportunities to show off your stuff. Pokémon X & Y even introduced a Pokémon based around changing its look; the fashionable Furfrou was pretty unremarkable in battles, but you could give it a haircut to match your style.

5. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

The final game in this trilogy is also the most fashionable. Final Fantasy XIII heroine Lightning wears increasingly ridiculous outfits throughout the series, but she returns to the spotlight as a full-on cosplayer. Lightning Returns adapts the job-changing “dresspheres” into a one-woman fashion show. Lightning can equip different garbs as part of a “schemata”, which grant different sets of abilities and attacks. It doesn’t make much sense why wearing a ballgown suddenly lets Lightning toss fireballs, but then a lot of things in Lightning Returns don’t make sense. Lightning can switch between a set of three schemata in battles, making for some high-speed costume changes. There are snazzy suits, classic Final Fantasy costumes and… whatever you want to call that moogle monstrosity pictured above. With over 80 garbs to collect, it’s quite the challenge to collect all of them within the 13 day time limit. You can even customise the outfits with different colours and adornments. Say what you want about Lightning, but there aren’t any other RPG leads fashionable enough to wind up in a Louis Vuitton commercial

I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface of RPGs with a focus on fashion, so join the conversation in the comments or on Twitter to fill everyone in on what I’ve forgotten and share your favourite RPG outfits!