While browsing the net, I came upon a thread complaining about the recent “tank top tough girl look” of female protagonists in video games. The poster went on to give a couple of examples and the majority of replies agreed with the post, with one top commenter adding: God yes.
It’s become the female equivalent of the bald space marine 10 years ago. I personally disagree with the comparison, because most American women in real life own a tank top. Tank tops are a practical shirt choice for women who are going to be in combat, as video game protagonists often are. Plus, they look good.
But whether you are anti or pro tank top tough women in video games, I thought it would be interesting to come up with a list of the most famous women protagonists known to wear tank tops in their games. In no particular order, here they are:
COOKING COMPANIONS – GISELA
Gisela is one of four characters you can romance in Cooking Companions: Dread Wright, the sequel to horror visual novel Cooking Companions. Gisela is the hired muscular bodyguard for Kurtis, a mysterious scientist. Her tank top is green. Prior to being hired as a bodyguard, Gisela worked at a logger’s company. She is so strong that she was able to carry two tree trunks, one under each arm.
Over the course of Dread Wright, players will get the chance to romance Gisela or oppose her, as well as several other routes. However, Gisela is so strong that she is one of the only characters who survives in every ending. No wonder, when you look at those muscles and the discipline she must have to have built and maintained them. To promote Dread Wright, the developer Deer Game Studios, commissioned “Muscle Mommy” cosplayer Nat to officially act for her in promo shoots.
TOMB RAIDER – LARA CROFT
Tank tops are of course the most practical sort of outfit for someone like Lara Croft. However, the tank top is her classic look in most other iterations of the character.
An adventurer inspired by Indiana Jones and dating back to the 90s, Lara Croft has appeared in dozens of adventures spread across video games, movies, and books. One of her most classic tank tops is the classic teal one. Alicia Vikander portrayed this look perfectly in the 2018 film version.
CONTROL – JESSE FADEN
Like most of the characters on this list, Jesse Faden owns a variety of outfits she goes through in Control, from a janitor’s uniform to a director’s suit. But the one that appears in most promo images, and the one she wears at the start of the game (all the others must be unlocked) includes a black tank top underneath an open black jacket.
The jacket doesn’t come off at any time in the game unless you decide to switch to another outfit – which means you aren’t able to tell the tank top is a racerback or another kind, but hopefully removing the jacket will be an option in Control 2, though the jacket is a nice touch which many will prefer if given the option to choose. Jesse Faden appears wearing this same outfit in Alan Wake 2, at least in the second Night Springs episode.
RESIDENT EVIL – JILL VALENTINE
Jill Valentine is the heroine of Resident Evil and is the most popular and well-known character from that franchise. Of course she owns several outfits in her wardrobe, but one of the most popular and iconic ones is the blue tank top she wears in both the original and remake versions of the games.
Jill Valentine will likely return to Resident Evil soon, after having not been very present in the recent installments. Her updated mod is also extremely popular for fan creations, such as in this viral video by Aamon Animations parodying the downfall of Andrew Tate. She’s one of the hottest tank top heroines of all time forever imo.
DESTROY ALL HUMANS – MINDY PETERS
Mindy Peters is probably the most obscure name on this list. While Destroy All Humans is more famous that Cooking Companions, Mindy Peters comes from a side game in the franchise released in 2008 that only received a Wii version, so it is more likely a person surfing the net today well have stumbled across Gisela than Mindy Peters.
Mindy Peters is also the only name on this list who is an antagonist rather than a protagonist or optional protagonist. But she’s still objectively a heroine, as Destroy All Humans is a game where you play for the villains. Mindy Peters is the leader of a teenage gang of human girls who bravely resist the evil Furon invasion of Earth. She is the only one seen in the game wearing a tank top. I would play a game from her point of view. Down with Big Willy’s!
RESIDENT EVIL – CLAIRE REDFIELD
Perhaps the hottest character on this list (in my opinion) is Claire Redfield, another character from Resident Evil like Jill Valentine above. Introduced in Resident Evil 2, Claire arrives in Raccoon City in America to rescue her missing brother, Chris Redfield.
She soon does battle with hordes of zombies just like Jill Valentine. Claire sports many cool outfits, but she owns at least two tank tops: one black and one red, contrasting quite nicely with her friend Jill’s blue ones. Glasses are a cute touch.
