Tip of the Hat

In the first Resident Evil game, Jill Valentine battles an army of zombies while wearing a standard-issue uniform that includes combat boots, lengthy pants, and protective shoulder pads. Although there was nothing inherently remarkable about the uniform, the beret added an undeniable element of sexiness to the ensemble. To illustrate my point, take a look at her chosen attire in Resident Evil 3. In this outing, Ms. Valentine decided to fight zombies while wearing a mini-skirt and a tube top. The sluttier outfit sounds way hotter on paper, but the get-up was somehow actually less sexy than her original attire. It doesn’t make sense and it defies logic, but I don’t make the rules. At the end of the day, berets will instantly make any outfit hotter. (See also: Cammy White and Dixie Kong.)

PaRappa the Rapper is one of the most lovable video game characters of all time, and his fashion sense is as timeless as his sick beats. Fittingly, Parappa’s beanie highlights multiple aspects of his character. The hat itself is a symbol of PaRappa’s hipness, while the emblematic frog logo ties into his playful side. Whether he’s working in a flea market so early or performing on stage for the girl he loves, the hat is perfect for any situation. PaRappa the Rapper was released nearly two decades ago, but officially licensed PaRappa hats are still being sold to this day. All of the hats on this list are notable in their own way, but it’s fair to say that an average person wouldn’t be caught dead wearing most of them in public. PaRappa may not be the most famous video game character of all time, but he is almost certainly the coolest.

Henry Hatsworth is a card-carrying member of the “Pompous Adventurers’ Club” and is noted for his cavalier use of words like “poppycock.” Although Henry is a native of jolly old Tealand, he is basically a walking British stereotype. His trademark bowler hat helps highly how dignified he is and compliments his monocle perfectly. Hats are more than just fashion accessories, however, and this becomes all the more clear when the aging explorer finds a magic hat during a jungle expedition. This magic hat restores his youth and allows him to manipulate a parallel world known as the Puzzle Realm for some reason. Henry sets forth on a puzzling adventure around the globe, but he looks good doing it thanks to his classy hat. He gets bonus points here because he has “hat” in his name. That’s gotta count for something, right?

Professor Hershel Layton is renowned for his problem solving skills and has established himself as one of the gaming world’s true geniuses. I doubt anyone would take him seriously if he wore a bright orange beanie, though. There’s just something about his trademark top hat that creates a perception of civility, class, and intelligence. The professor is defined by his hat and would basically look like Curious George without it. Layton has to make several deductions as he unravels one mystery after another, but just one look at his hat should be enough for anyone to deduce that the professor is one distinguished motherfucker. It’s impossible to think of Layton without immediately thinking of his trademark top hat. Like Abraham Lincoln and Mr. Peanut before him, Layton and his top hat will forever be intertwined in my mind.

Nominative determinism suggests that a person’s name can influence their life choices. This hypothesis might explain why a guy named Mr. Hat would develop an outright obsession with headwear. He describes hats as his greatest passion, and there’s nothing he enjoys more than “the crisp snap of a well-tailored brim.” The mysterious salesman owns a fancy hat shop, and he’s not above stealing interesting hats from passersby. His fixation isn’t entirely superficial, however, and it has as much to do with utility as it does with fashion. Mr. Hat wears an assortment of hats atop his golden helmet, and he’s somehow able to draw special powers from them! The wandering traveler relies on melee attacks when he’s wearing his warrior’s helmet, for instance, and he can greatly improve his jumping capabilities by simply putting on a feathered beret.

A former Shaolin monk and a member of the former White Lotus Society, Kung Lao is a descendant of a former Champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament. Despite his lineage, he’s an outspoken pacifist. Even though he wishes to live a life of peace, Kung Lao demonstrates deadly fighting abilities during his quest to avenge his fallen Shaolin brothers. While one might expect Kung Lao’s fighting style to draw inspiration from traditional Chinese martial arts, many of his most noteworthy attacks were directly inspired by an infamous James Bond henchman named Oddjob – who was noted for throwing his hat as a weapon. Kung Lao’s trademark razor-rimmed hat is incorporated into several of his attacks. The hat is frequently used as a projectile, and can even be used to decapitate opponents!

It can be difficult to stay on top of the continuity in the Zelda series, and it’s not always clear how any the games are related to each other. That being said, Link’s character is basically the same from one game to the next. There have been several iterations of Link in the history of the Zelda franchise, but they have all worn similar green hats on their head. (Although in The Minish Cap, Link technically wears a bizarre duck-like sage who just so happens to resemble a green cap.) Hats fall in and out of style with each season, but Link has been rocking his green hat across different generations and in entirely different timelines! That green hat is basically the Hyrule equivalent to blue jeans. They could set a Zelda game 3,000 years in the future, and Link would still be wearing the same hat as he races to rescue Robo Zelda from Ganontron.

She might be the new kid on the block, but there’s no way this list would be complete without the lovable star of A Hat in Time. She’s literally referred to as Hat Kid, for crying out loud! She has the opportunity to wear various magical hats on her journey to repair her spaceship, but her large purple top hat is her pride and joy. She wears this hat at the beginning of her adventure, and its magical powers come in handy during her travels by showing her the way to the closest point of interest. Hat Kid can also gain new abilities simply by sewing different badges onto the hat! Hat Kid is one of the most charming characters in gaming, and the fact that her hat is almost as large as she is makes her seem even more adorable. She’s so charismatic that even her enemies enjoy her company.

Final Fantasy IX was a return to form for the franchise. After the series had been sidetracked by sci-fi themes, IX went back to a more-traditional fantasy setting. The game was heavily inspired by the original Final Fantasy and saw the return of “super deformed” characters with disproportionately large heads. Vivi himself bears a striking resemblance to the black mages from the first game. Because none of Vivi’s facial features are visible beyond his glowing eyes, he is more or less defined by his oversized hat. It’s obvious that Vivi has not yet grown into his hat, and this serves as a constant reminder of his youth. The hat also makes Vivi’s awkward mannerisms even more noticeable and helps highlight his extreme shyness. Vivi was created to be an instrument of murder, but his hat makes him an adorable instrument of murder.

Without question, the most iconic hat in gaming history rests on Mario’s head. Ironically, the only reason Mario was given his trademark hat in the first place is because his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, felt that giving him a hat would be easier than animating his hair when he jumped. Mario has worn several variations of his hat over the years. For example, the raccoon cap allowed Mario to take flight in Super Mario Bros. 3, while the sentient hat from Super Mario Odyssey allows him to possess enemies and objects! Even discounting the special abilities associated with certain caps, Mario’s classic red hat that proudly displays his first initial for everyone to see helped make him a household name. Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi all wear similar hats that boast their own respective colors and initials, but it all started with Mario.