No medium does fashion the way anime does it. Whether it's an ordinary school uniform or a special suit made for battles, anime outfits are almost always iconic from the moment they debut. However, some anime go a step further by improving on an already good thing. Case in point, these cool costumes get even better upgrades.
That being said, an upgraded costume doesn't only mean the wearer gets a new ability. This makeover signifies an important step forward in the character's journey, and their new costume is a visualization of their growth as a person. Some wardrobe changes are just meant to look cool, but these are far more significant than that.
10 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure — Dio Brando's Stardust Crusaders Look Cemented His Legend
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is well-known for its iconic costumes, with DIO's being the most recognizable. Almost every anime fan knows of DIO's golden look that reflects his Stand, The World, but he wasn't always this iconic. Dio was still stylish in Phantom Blood, but he was nowhere near his current legendary status.
Just like every character in Phantom Blood, Dio changed outfits every couple of episodes. Not only did any of his outfits fail to stand out, but they didn't have enough screen time to leave a mark. Conversely, Dio's new and only outfit after his resurrection in Stardust Crusaders was instantly iconic and immortalized him in fans' minds.
9 Bleach — Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai Form Was One Of The Best
After Rukia stabbed him and passed some of her Shinigami powers to him, Ichigo's spirit always appeared in the Shinigami's standard uniform. There was nothing inherently wrong with this, but Ichigo looked just like every other Shinigami in Bleach. That finally changed when he achieved Bankai and took on a new look.
When Ichigo summoned his Bankai, his Shinigami uniform took the form of a tattered long coat with shades of red. Not only was this cooler than the Shinigami's default monochrome uniform, but it signified that Ichigo finally made his borrowed powers his own. The fact that Ichigo's following outfits fell short of his Bankai form says it all.
8 Attack On Titan — The Survey Corps' New Uniforms Emphasized The End Of Their Innocence
Attack On Titan was one of the biggest anime phenomenons of the 2010s, and this was evidenced by just how iconic the Survey Corps' uniforms quickly became. Despite the anime's darkness, the Survey Corp's famous jackets and Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear perfectly captured humanity's undying determination and fighting spirit.
But when Attack On Titan's world-shattering revelations are taken into account, the Survey Corps' fight for humanity seems insignificant and empty. In The Final Season, the Survey Corps adopted darker uniforms that were designed for the sole purpose of killing people and Titans, and this reflected how so much changed in a few years.
7 One Piece — The Straw Hats' Post-Timeskip Looks Showed How Far They've Come
When it comes to costume upgrades, no anime did it the way One Piece did. The Straw Hats' original looks are already iconic, but they were made even better after the timeskip. If the Straw Hats' original costumes looked like what a kid thought an anime pirate looked like, their post-timeskip outfits added a sense of newfound maturity.
During their two years apart, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew trained harder than they ever did to become the strongest versions of themselves. Their more naive and younger selves were no more, and their new slightly edgier but still positively eccentric outfits reflected how much they changed as people during the timeskip.
6 My Hero Academia — Deku's Evolving Costume Reflected His Growth
Every superhero needs a costume, not just for practical purposes, but as an expression of the hero's self. In Izuku Midoriya's case, he wanted to pay homage to his idol and mentor, All Might, through the costume that his mother made. As My Hero Academia went on, Deku stepped out from All Might's shadow, and his costume reflected this.
At first, Deku's costume blatantly invoked All Might's image, as seen in the smile-shaped face guard and "rabbit ears" that were supposed to be evocative of All Might's bangs. Later on, Deku's costume toned down the similarities to All Might in favor of a sleeker uniform with added armor that complimented his fighting style and image, not All Might's.
5 Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann — Simon's Post-Timeskip Look Kept Kamina's Spirit Alive
After Kamina suddenly died in Gurren Lagann's opening arc, Simon had no choice but to take his older brother's place. Despite some initial reluctance, Simon slowly grew into the leadership role that was foisted upon him. Slowly but surely, Simon reflected his older brother's courage, and this was made evident by his evolving outfit.
At first, Kamina copied some of Kamina's mannerisms. But by the time of the final fight against the Anti-Spiral, Simon was the spitting image of Kamina, from his cape and shades right down to his unshakable determination. Simon never forgot his beloved brother's image and spirit, but he was still able to forge a path for himself.
4 Dragon Ball Z — Vegeta's New Armor Coincided With His Character Development
When he first arrived on Earth, Vegeta was a proud Saiyan warrior. Vegeta made this very clear by wearing his Saiyan regalia wherever he went, despite the fact that the Saiyans were practically extinct thanks to Frieza's genocide. But the longer Vegeta stayed on Earth, the more he realized that there was more to life than clinging to his past.
The closer Vegeta got to the Z Fighters, the more parts of his armor he dropped. By the time of Majin Buu's attack, Vegeta only wore his bodysuit. Afterwards, Vegeta wore regular human clothes and only used his armor for combat. What's more, the armor he wore was the set made by his wife Bulma and not his old Saiyan set.
3 Tokyo Ghoul — Ken Kaneki's New Outfit Showed Off His Darkness
Before he even met or saw a Ghoul, Ken was just an ordinary college student who didn't stick out. This wasn't a bad thing, since Ken just wanted to live a normal life. Unfortunately, that changed when he didn't just cross paths with a Ghoul but woke up from an operation to learn that he was now a human/Ghoul hybrid.
Ken desperately clung to his humanity and rejected his Ghoul reality, and this was unsubtly shown through the medical eyepatch he wore to cover his Ghoul eye. This Ken "died" during Jason's torture, and from this hell arose the new Ghoul Ken. This Ken embraced his inner monstrosity, and this was shown through his appropriately edgy makeover.
2 Puella Magi Madoka Magica — Homura Akemi's Demonic Makeover Signified Her Villainy
While she was darker and more isolated than Madoka, Sayaka, and the others, Homura was still a magical girl at heart. As such, Homura's magical girl outfit utilized muted colors like gray and purple instead of loud shades that proudly announced her magic. The moment Homura dropped the pretense, though, her outfit changed as well.
Over the course of Rebellion, Homura's will to fight as a magical was eroded by Kyubey. Rather than accept Madoka's help, Homura embraced the darkness brewing inside her to become evil incarnate. Homura's fall from grace also gave her immense power, and her new demonic dress reflected just how dark a person she became.
1 SSSS.Gridman — Gridman's Original Look Was His Most Powerful Form
SSSS.Gridman was sold as a homage and spiritual successor to the all-but-forgotten tokusatsu show Gridman The Hyper Agent, and it held up this ruse all the way to the end. As such, the sleeker, modernized Gridman donned many new forms and combinations that hearkened back to his campy TV show. But then, the finale hit.
In the final battle against Alexis Kerib, the Gridman Alliance unlocked Gridman's true form, which was actually his original look from 1993 but animated by Trigger. Not only was this nostalgic, but it was also Gridman at his most powerful. The original Gridman never left, and he returned just in time to save the day from evil once again.