What's the most important thing about a superhero? Is it their powers, their publicity, their determination to fight evil? All of this is secondary to the art of the superhero suit, which defines who the hero is and the image they present to the public.
Superheroes in anime have a lot going for them when it comes to their uniforms and costumes. A cartoon can do anything, especially now that designers and animators are using computer-generated graphics, so the superheroes of animated shows have some of the best costumes. Tiger & Bunny, a series in which superheroes appear on television and have commercial sponsors, has an interesting mix of superheroes with as many different ways of expressing their style.
10 Sky High
It's a great retro look, reminiscent of the steampunk style viewers might remember from shows like The Rocketeer. Sky High is also an old-school superhero in the sense that he's a big believer in fighting evil and generally being a nice person to everyone.
That's why he's been the King of Heroes for two years in a row.
9 Dragon Kid
Dragon Kid is a kung fu master along with having a NEXT power that can control lightning. Her real name is Pao-Lin Huang, and she's originally from China, which is partly why her uniform borrows some of its features from that country's ancient warrior style.
What's really great about Dragon Kid's uniform is that it's actually functional and as opposed to deliberately revealing, but let's face it, these superheroes are trying to get more views.
8 Golden Ryan
With a uniform that's designed to turn heads, head to toe gold with only a few plates of body armor in the torso to even it out, it makes sense for a fearless and conceited superhero such as Golden Ryan to walk into the room looking like Wonder Woman or Sailor Galaxia.
The addition of the wings is a nice touch but slightly ironic since his NEXT power is gravity manipulation as opposed to flight.
7 Rock Bison
The look of this superhero always takes the target by surprise, no matter if they're friends or foes. It's a look reminiscent of an ancient samurai uniform, but it's mixed with the theme of a bull. This is a reference to his NEXT power of being able to harden his skin, making himself invulnerable to physical damage.
Rock Bison's real name is Antonio Lopez and only his close friend Kotetsu has been in the superhero business for a longer time. They were in school together, so they have a long history, and often consult each other for advice.
6 He Is Thomas
Maybe it looks too stereotypical, almost like a futuristic hood ornament, but those head wings and flowing white cape sure look supernatural. It's similar to the steampunk look of Sky High but with a modern design.
His real name is Thomas Taurus, and in case it wasn't already obvious, his company choose his superhero name.
5 Mr. Black
It's possible to swap this one with his partner, depending on the preference for black or white, since these two equally cool uniforms are intended to match but not be the same. Both have the same eerie but deadly cool blank-faced helmets, and Mr. Black's head wings are folded instead of open, but it's still a neat, streamlined effect.
Mr. Black and I Am Thomas are paired together by HeroTV and the costuming department has dressed them to match. These two plucky young superheroes aren't happy about it, but they look really good.
4 Wild Tiger
A retro look that recalls the best of the mecha genre and reminds us that the protagonist is a seasoned veteran. Wild Tiger's look starts with a neon green mohawk and follows it with shiny armored goodness and pectoral muscles.
This superhero has been in the business for a long time, and a big part of that is his old-school big-giant-robot uniform.
3 Barnaby Brooks Jr.
If there's anyone who makes the veteran nervous, it's the cool new kid who can dress in head-to-toe pink, bunny ears and all, and look badass while doing it. Something about Bunny's costume recalls the vintage mecha of his partner, but he's more of a Power Ranger than a Transformer.
Tiger and Bunny have the same NEXT ability, known as the Hundred Power, which explains why HeroTV would prefer to have them in similar uniforms for PR purposes.
2 Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem could be the only superhero whose uniform clearly and obviously indicates their next power, pyrokinesis. It's a classic look that could have stepped out of an old comic book mixed with some modern science-fiction inspiration.
Nathan Seymour, the real person behind the superhero, also owns as the own sponsor company, Helios Energy. That means nobody can tell Fire Emblem what to wear.
1 Blue Rose
This look combines lounge singer, magical girl, and figure skater all in one, and part of the reason it's so flashy is to further hide the true identity of the rather demure Karina Lyle. Her NEXT power is ice manipulation, but her real passion is singing.
Karina's sponsors have agreed to support her career in pop music, which is why Blue Rose also includes musical references in her costume.
Tiger & Bunny 2 was released on April 8, 2022, on Netflix.