Zipper

In anime and video game character design, zippers are style statements as well as functional. Numerous character artists believe that adding large, unnecessary, or impractical zippers to an outfit makes a character look cooler, edgier, or more modern. Fan favorites are jackets with big, chunky zipper teeth or pants with many zippers, which make characters look rebellious, street-smart, or punk-rock.

When discussing Japanese media's "zipper" trope, Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy designer, is essential. With influences from Japanese street fashion, Visual Kei bands, and goth subcultures, Nomura popularized the "zipperiffic" style in the early 2000s. Adding too many belts and zippers to Sora and Cloud Strife defined a generation of anime and video games. An anime character with zippers on their sleeves, pants legs, or as decoration is a reference to this time when fashion was too cool to be true.

An illustrator can add metallic texture and fine details to flat clothing by drawing zippers. A dark jacket with a shiny silver or gold zipper down the front will direct the viewer's attention to the artist's intent. These wallpapers are perfect for fans of urban anime streetwear, detailed character outfits, and late 1990s and early 2000s character design's slightly silly charm.