As Arrow returns for its eighth and final season on The CW, it's easy to become nostalgic about the series. A show that was meant to usher in a more grounded age for superhero television ended up being much more, eventually launching a connected universe that spans half a dozen shows.
One thing that has become a staple of The CW's Arrowverse is costume changes. Almost every season, each series goes back to the drawing board to redesign their hero's look for their next outing. So as Arrow draws to a close with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) donning new threads, let's look back on all of the different looks the titular character has had throughout the show's eight-season run. Here are all of the Arrowverse's Green Arrow suits, ranked.
7. SLEEVELESS GREEN ARROW (Season 4)
Season 4 of Arrow remains a stain on the groundbreaking series in more ways than one. One factor that may have led to such a lackluster outing was the choice of attire for the show's titular hero. To put it plainly, having a superhero not wear sleeves when he frequently takes on bad guys with guns is inexcusable.
The original design for Oliver's costume was meant to allow him to move in the shadows without being detected. So having his biceps on full display in the show's fourth season just seemed counterproductive to the purpose of the suit.
6. AL SAH-HIM (Season 3)
When Oliver agreed to join the League of Assassin's and become the next Ra's al Ghul in Season 3, he gave up his identity as the Arrow. That meant the titular hero had to do away with his patented green look in favor of a League-issued black hooded trench coat. Comparable to Malcolm Merlyn's Dark Archer costume, Oliver would wear the outfit for the majority of the back half of the show's third season.
The main issue with the Al Sah-him getup was the fact that in no way did it standout amongst the bevy of League of Assassin costumes that appeared throughout the season. To add insult to injury, Oliver wore the suit in a fight with the Reverse Flash in the first season of The Flash and looked completely out of place.
5. EMIKO QUEEN (Season 7)
The seventh season of Arrow saw the introduction of Oliver's half-sister, Emiko (Sea Shimooka). While her brother served time in prison, she took up the mantle of the Green Arrow in search of justice following the death of her late mother, Kazumi. However, Emiko's stint as Star City's resident vigilante was short-lived as Oliver was set free from Slapside not long after she started her crusade.
Donning a suit similar to Oliver's Season 5 Green Arrow costume, Emiko's garbs didn't do much to stand out, which is why it's ranked in the back half of this list. Her plan also didn't entail wearing the ensemble for long as she quickly transitioned to a much improved red number after her ties to the Ninth Circle were revealed.
4. ISLAND PROTOTYPE (Season 1, Flashbacks)
First appearing in the opening sequence of the Arrow pilot, the island prototype look was an obvious tease for what was to come later but excited fans nonetheless. After the disaster that was the Smallville Green Arrow costume, audiences were prepared for a more grounded look for the Emerald Archer and The CW series provided that in the first few seconds.
If the hood had just appeared once on the show, it may be ranked lower on this list, but that wasn't the case. The look continued to appear throughout Arrow in the flashback sequences, providing fans with a look back at how their hero became the man that would go on to become the Green Arrow.
3. CONNOR HAWKE (Legends of Tomorrow Season 1)
Legends of Tomorrow Season 1 saw the crew of the Waverider travel through time in an attempt to stop Vandal Savage from enacting his plan of world domination. During their adventures, they visited Star City in 2046, where they met up with John Diggle's son Connor Hawke (Joseph David-Jones), who has adopted the Green Arrow mantle.
The futuristic look of Hawke's suit did a fantastic job differentiating itself from its predecessors. While not up to par with the rest of the list, having seen this version of the Green Arrow costume makes it disappointing we didn't see more of it. Let's hope Arrow finds an excuse for David-Jones to suit up in the show's final season.
2. THE HOOD/ARROW (Season 1 - Season 3)
When Oliver first returned home from his five-year journey, he began his crusade to save Starling City. At that point, Oliver had yet to meet designer extraordinaire Cisco Roman, so his options were limited in terms of his crime-fighting attire. Donning a simple green hooded suit, Oliver cleaned up the streets of his city, greasepaint and all.
Many fans consider the suit used in the first couple seasons of Arrow the quintessential look for this live-action interpretation of the character. Having Oliver wear it for nearly half of the show's run made this costume a shoo-in for one of the top spots on the list.
1. GREEN ARROW (S5-S7)
Following up the disaster that was the Season 4 sleeveless suit, is what many regard as the best costume on Arrow. Putting sleeves back on Oliver's threads was a step in the right direction, but more than that the new duds symbolized a new era on the show, moving on from the hero's past on Lian Yu.
It'll be sad to see this costume go as we move into the final season of Arrow, but it had a good run. From taking on Prometheus to fighting alongside Deathstroke in search of his son, the Green Arrow suit will forever go down as one of The CW's best.
Returning Tuesday, October 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CW, Arrow stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Rick Gonzalez as Wild Dog, Juliana Harkavy as Black Canary, Colton Haynes as Arsenal and Katie Cassidy as Black Siren.