Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Arc Raiders characters with shotgun and revolver
Third Person Shooters Best Arc Raiders weapons and meta tier list (Dec 2025)
Where winds meet character codes
Action RPGs The best and weirdest Where Winds Meet character creation codes
Dress to Impress codes
Games Dress to Impress codes (December 2025) for fresh outfits and more
Helldivers 2 screenshot of two soldiers cheering in the desert
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead is apparently working on a roguelite mode that fundamentally "changes the game"
Divinity trailer screenshot of executioner in gold mask
RPGs As Larian disgusts and excites with Divinity, RPG veteran says "it is wild what people will get upset about in games"
Helldivers 2 intro cutscene helldiver thumbs up
Third Person Shooters After over 260 million deaths, Helldivers 2 players have liberated Oshaune, and their reward is, yes, another cape
A zombie and a cool grunge girl sit on pink pillows
Action RPGs Devil May Cry vets are making a zombie action game that smacks of Lollipop Chainsaw
Helldivers 2 best weapons Coyote assault rifle being fired at several Terminids
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2 weapons tier list and the best guns to use
Hades 2
Roguelike Games The 25 best roguelike games to play right now
Fortnite
Fortnite Fortnite channels its inner Helldivers 2, adds ragdoll-like tumbling, which is either very funny or incredibly embarrassing depending on who you ask
Screenshot of mother and daughter from new Divinity game trailer
RPGs Larian wears the trademark application that spoiled its Divinity reveal like a badge of honor – can we get T-shirts next?
Hades 2 weapons in the Silver Pool
Hades Hades 2 weapon tier list and how to unlock all weapons
Helldivers 2 Killzone Legendary Warbond Helldivers dressed as Helghast soldiers
Third Person Shooters Everything in the Helldivers 2 Killzone Warbond and how to get it
Lords of the Fallen 2 crusader uses holy magic on undead
Action RPGs "Soulslikes thrive on challenge": Lords of the Fallen 2 devs let you dismember enemies to sweeten every tough victory
Helldivers 2 Python Commandos warbond
Third Person Shooters Everything in the Helldivers 2 Python Commandos Warbond and is it worth it?
Trending
  • Best Games of 2025
  • Fallout Season 2
  • Gift Guides
  • New Games for 2025
  • The Forge codes
  1. Games
  2. Action

Ludicrously lethal clothing in games

Features
By Ashley Reed published 8 October 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Dressed to kill

Dressed to kill

There are certain weapons you expect to encounter when you pick up your controller and enter a video game world. Swords, guns, military vehicles, conveniently loyal wild animals; all of these are tried and tested methods of video game pain delivery. But every once in a while, a character gets creative with how they incorporate their weaponry. A boot fitted with a retractable knife, a gun up their sleeve, and soon you're raising your eyebrow down the barrel of a set of bracelet-mounted pistols. Err?

Don't hang up those pretty battle gloves just yet, though. As silly as some of this weaponized apparel might look, it is nonetheless lethal when in (or on) the hands (or feet, neck, head, legs) of a master wearer. I've got seven items of weaponized clothing that prove just that, and the wielders that put them to deadly use. Read on, because these fighters have got style.

Page 1 of 13
Page 1 of 13
Bayonetta's shoes

Bayonetta's shoes

Marilyn Monroe once said, "Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." She severely underestimated what a good shoe can do. Bayonetta brings down abominable angels and one extra-crispy creator of the universe, plus a few thousand-toothed demons in the upcoming Bayonetta 2, with the help of her smokin' hot pistol heels.

These things are just too fabulous for mere mortals (what are they, seven inches?), but when our favorite Umbran witch straps on this cute pair of handguns, she packs some fierce firepower. Coupled with her physics-defying gymnastic abilities, these shoe-shots can take out any mook with a swift, trigger-pulling kick to the sternum.

Page 2 of 13
Page 2 of 13
Batman's cape

Batman's cape

Batman's cape may seem like a bland bit of fabric to the naked eye, but look a little closer and you realize it's a bland bit of fabric with some cool junk woven into it! Perhaps one of its most useful features is its lead-lined hems, which can be used to stun Bruce's enemies. As lead to the face will do.

Admittedly not every asylum occupant will be thrown off by the stun cape move, and it's mostly just good for stopping knife-wielding foes. But hey, not getting stabbed is always a good thing, right? Plus, who can resist that badass cape flourish? He has to practice that in the mirror.

Page 3 of 13
Page 3 of 13
Kung Lao's hat

Kung Lao's hat

When you make your living (and stay alive) by brutally eviscerating fighters who want to literally rip your skull from your spine, you gotta have an edge. Or a rim, if you're Kung Lao, who's been using his razor-trimmed cap to shred enemies to ribbons for the last twenty years.

An impressive example of functional head gear, Kung Lao's hat can not only separate an enemy down the middle with a merciless flick of the wrist, but is made even more useful by what we can only guess is wizard magic. How else do you explain it boomeranging back after separating an opponent's torso from their hips? Or it spinning like a buzzsaw, waiting for Kung Lao to go all carpenter on his enemy's now halved behind? Also, it's apparently stain resistant. Very important in that line of work.

Page 4 of 13
Page 4 of 13
Koshsh's scarf

Koshsh's scarf

Like every fighter in the army-brutalizing Dynasty Warrior games, leveling a field of mooks is the stuff of a regular Tuesday for Koshsh. However, unlike her warrior compatriots, she likes to add a little sparkle to her soldier-smashing with the help of a flowy scarf. Don't let its pretty pink look fool you though, or you might end up like these suckers.

It addition to having a slash move that would make locker room towel-whippers cringe, Koshsh's scarf can create a twister to decimate enemy battalions, or a shield that thrashes any unlucky soul that gets in its way. Plus, during her ultimate move, the scarf turns into a heart right before she casts a spell that rips everyone around her to pieces. Man, and all my scarf has is a fringe.

Page 5 of 13
Page 5 of 13
Roger Huxley's helmet

Roger Huxley's helmet

Though most of Roger Huxley's arsenal is filled with magic spells, some of his most devastating attacks involve using his head. And by that I mean headbutting enemies with a nasty spiked helmet called a pickelhaube. Yeah, this dude may look small, but when he's stuck to your side by a piece of metal shoved deep in your abdomen? He's gonna feel huge.

This helmet seems to be equal parts mundane and magical. Not just because it can hold the weight of a small human at a 90-degree angle to the person it's lodged in, either. It's used to create a magic death fountain during his Raging Helmet attack, and Flying Torpedo involves him goring his opponent over and over again. Weirdly, that still works if Roger trades the pickelhaube for a hat with no spike on it at all. Not sure how to explain that one.

Page 6 of 13
Page 6 of 13
Rose's stole

Rose's stole

Kushsh's not the only one rocking the magical neckwear. Rose from Street Fighter has some ferocious fabric of her own in the form of her magical stole (for the fashion-phobic: fancy shoulder-scarf) that can take out seasoned fighters faster than you can say "accessorize."

While Koshsh's shawl is the center of her fighting strategy, Rose already has her share of sick moves (fueled by Soul Power) and uses her wrapping to augment them. Sure, she can drop her opponent on their head with telekinesis, but she can also smack them with magically-infused fabric, wrap it around their wrist and electrocute them in a few quick moves. Now that's an accessory that will take you from daytime to fight time.

Page 7 of 13
Page 7 of 13
Cerebella's muscle-hat

Cerebella's muscle-hat

Uh, whoa. At first I thought that thing on Cerebella's head was just another set of arms and she was a four-armed, limb-headed freak of nature. But no, that's her giant, muscle-bound hat named Vice-Versa, a living creature that only she can control. Which is only slightly less weird.

A mysterious being that can most kindly be described as what the hell is that even, Vice-Versa is unwaveringly loyal to Cerebella, and happily partners with her in beating the crap out of everything. While that usually involves wind-milling its arms around while she charges in an enemy's general direction, it's also happy to hold opponents in place while Cere has at them. Really, these two weirdos are a perfect pair--they live together, fight together, and make bittersweet decisions together. Err, spoiler?

Page 8 of 13
Page 8 of 13
Mario's Tanooki suit

Mario's Tanooki suit

While at first glance this suit can make you seriously wonder what Mario does on the weekends, don't let that color your perception. Take his Tanooki suit out for a spin (or a float) and you'll see that it's even more formidable than it is uncomfortable. An upgraded version of the Raccoon suit that so many know and love, this suit's bushy brown tail will put you in the ground.

While the suit's biggest pros are its defensive abilities, which allow Mario to glide out of enemy reach or become an invulnerable statue, that can be twisted to work offensively. In statue-form, Mario swiftly destroys anything he lands on, including Piranha Plants, Chain Chomps, and any unfortunate fish that get in his way. And hey, when in doubt? There's always a good tail smack. It will end you.

Page 9 of 13
Page 9 of 13
Zero's sarong

Zero's sarong

Every girl may be crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man, but I'm guessing the fine fellows of ZZ Top did not mean that literally. Zero (not the Mega Man one, the King of Fighters one) doesn't have time to worry about semantics though, and he knows that his sword-lined sarong brings in all the ladies and probably a few gentlemen. It also happens to be super effective in battle, slicing his foes open with a flash of its bladed hem--so hey, bonus!

What exactly a high-ranking executive of the NESTS corporation needs a battle-kilt for is hard to say, but it serves him well in his role as a fighting game sub-boss. Extending to give him more reach and strength than should theoretically be possible, Zero can take out meleeing plebes with just a few dramatic flourishes. Sure, he could just rip them apart with his telekinetic powers, but this looks so much cooler!

Page 10 of 13
Page 10 of 13
Michael Jackson's fedora

Michael Jackson's fedora

Annie are you okay? Are you okay Annie? Probably not, if you ran into the original smooth criminal in Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. MJ proves that you don't wanna be startin' something when he's got his trusty hat, which can blow people up just by touching them. Something tells me there's gonna be blood on the dance floor.

It's never explained why the King of Pop has a hat that can obliterate a human being and then boomerang back. But in a game where he can kill folks with the force of his dance moves, does it really matter? Here the hat acts as Mike's ranged attack, and the longer he pours the Power of Song into it, the farther it flies. Wherever there is music-phobic evil, Mike and his fedora will be there to Beat It... that was Bad. I Can't Help It. Leave Me Alone.

Page 11 of 13
Page 11 of 13
Every outfit in Final Fantasy X-2

Every outfit in Final Fantasy X-2

When your entire combat system is based on bewitched battle ensembles, you better be the best dressed at every party. And by "party" I of course mean "every brutal fight to the death". Yuna and company don't have to worry though, because with all the dresspheres and magical-girl transformations they have at their disposal, they always make the other girls (and boys, and monsters, and malevolent poltergeists) at the shindig jealous.

Realizing that the Final Fantasy job class system was great except for its lack of pretty dresses, Final Fantasy X-2 offers not one, not five, but 20 different outfits to choose from. Collecting the whole wardrobe--including the stylish Songstress, scandalous Lady Luck, or ugly but powerful Mascot--gives the Gullwings the goods they need for any occasion. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder's about to get a beating.

Page 12 of 13
Page 12 of 13
These boots are made for killin'

These boots are made for killin'

These duds are as deadly as they are stylish, especially when donned by these gaming trendsetters. Who wore it best? Want some of these accoutrements for yourself? Willing to pay the price? Tell us in the comments below, and remember, fashion is pain.

Want more vicious vestments? Try on Video game characters: stylish or silly? A fashion-blogger weighs in and Gaming's most ridiculous alternate fighting costumes.

Page 13 of 13
Page 13 of 13
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
PRODUCTS
Mortal Kombat X Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster Bayonetta Bayonetta 2 Street Fighter Alpha Anthology Batman: Arkham Asylum Super Mario 3D Land Skullgirls Mortal Kombat Street Fighter Alpha Final Fantasy X-2
Ashley Reed
Ashley Reed

Former Associate Editor at GamesRadar, Ashley is now Lead Writer at Respawn working on Apex Legends. She's a lover of FPS titles, horror games, and stealth games. If you can see her, you're already dead.

Read more
Lords of the Fallen 2 crusader uses holy magic on undead
"Soulslikes thrive on challenge": Lords of the Fallen 2 devs let you dismember enemies to sweeten every tough victory
 
 
Helldivers 2 intro cutscene helldiver thumbs up
After over 260 million deaths, Helldivers 2 players have liberated Oshaune, and their reward is, yes, another cape
 
 
Cherub Clover
Indie game goes viral for turning Fallout 3's VATS system into an incredible anime action sequence where you steal limbs instead of just targeting them
 
 
Borderlands 4 trailer Vex covered in blood
Borderlands 4 player accidentally finds busted Torgue gun that obliterates enemy health bars so fast it triggers "total existence failure": "Every instance of damage goes up to 300,000"
 
 
Borderlands 4
"The most broken weapon in Borderlands 4" is a purple shotgun that makes damage numbers go brrr: "Nothing's going to take really more than one shot"
 
 
Arc Raiders survivors in metal and fabric armor
Arc Raiders lead says no goofy skins here as Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty players push for visual realism: "I don’t think the novelty is worth the trade"
 
 
Latest in Action
A Locust Drone screaming into the face of Marcus during the Gears of War: E-Day trailer.
Gears of War: E-Day was a no show at The Game Awards, but The Coalition reiterates the prequel is still coming in 2026
 
 
Warframe
Warframe is set to break its all-time player count on Steam with latest The Old Peace update, soaring close to 180,000
 
 
The Last of Us
Ex-Last of Us director happy to work on a game that audiences don't need "a remaster of in the next 4 years"
 
 
Ellie and Joel during The Last of Us
The Last of Us director left Naughty Dog after the studio fell into a "paradigm" of how to make a specific type of game
 
 
Lara Croft in the jungle in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
Tomb Raider Catalyst and Legacy of Atlantis introduce Lara's new voice, who you've probably heard in Cyberpunk 2077
 
 
Hideo Kojima waving near a Sam Porter Bridges statue
Hideo Kojima isn't interested in AI-generated content, but thinks the tech could be useful in "the control systems"
 
 
Latest in Features
Deku powered up in My Hero Academia season 8
My Hero Academia's final episode cements the Shōnen anime as one of the all-time great superhero stories
 
 
Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance in The Shining
The Shining may be Stephen King's least favorite adaptation of his work, but it's my favorite
 
 
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic screenshot showing the silhouette of a Jedi wearing a cape
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic needs to put being an RPG before being a Star Wars game
 
 
Year in Review: The Best of 2025 main listing image for Best Movies of 2025 featuring images from Weapons, Superman, Sinners, and The Long Walk
The 25 Best Movies of 2025
 
 
Divinity
Larian's new Divinity game might mean a pivot back to classic RPGs and I can't wait to see it
 
 
The title card for Forest 3 shown during The Game Awards
Forest 3: Everything we know so far about the upcoming survival horror game
 
 
  1. Key art for Skate Story showing the glass skater boarding through a dark underworld filled with spikes towards a door of light
    1
    Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"
  2. 2
    Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
  3. 3
    Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
  4. 4
    Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
  5. 5
    Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"
  1. Freddy Fazbear in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
    1
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  2. 2
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  3. 3
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  4. 4
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  5. 5
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  1. Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
    1
    Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
  2. 2
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  3. 3
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  4. 4
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  5. 5
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...