NEO: The World Ends With You: Fashion Forward in the Streets of Shibuya
A lot of consideration goes into character design, with fashion at its forefront: what style best suits a character’s personality or temperament, what outfit might be most suitable for a game’s environment or climate. The work of Tetsuya Nomura, Gen Kobayashi, and Miki Yamashita in NEO: The World Ends With You is testament to this, relaying a sense of the diverse styles that crop up in city-living. From the bold and eccentric, to the tame and simple, the fashion of TWEWY oscillates with its characters as it would in real-world Shibuya, both in its main and supporting cast. Here are a few of my favourite looks.
Kanon, one of the game’s more central supporting roles, is described in-game as “sweet, seductive, and stylish.” Her playful attitude carries through her many accessories: pink nails, thick gold bangles, dangling earrings. Donning high waisted denim and a mock-neck graphic sweater with cut-out detailing at the sleeves, her look feels both modern and youthful; as a character whose depth goes beyond her flirtatious whims, her design is as stylised and intentional as her personality is. As one of the team leaders in the “Reaper’s Game,” TWEWY’s week-long bout of puzzles and fights in the streets of Shibuya, her and her supporters are certainly the most fashion-inclined; calling themselves the “Variabeauties,” they pride themselves on looking put-together and stylish.
The aforementioned Reapers, those in charge of the Reaper’s Game, don black, wing-like appendages. Uzuki, one such Reaper, has a more subdued, yet fantastically stylish look to her; a simple silver ear cuff and suit get-up help to connote the blasé, apathetic front she puts on throughout her interactions, while her matching hot pink lipstick and nails, in combination with her green threaded corset, relay the less serious side of herself that she attempts to conceal. With the corset as one of the latest fashion trends, this look mixes the trendy with the grown-up in a perfect mishmash.
NEO: TWEWY takes things one step forward with unique character designs for its many shopkeepers scattered around Shibuya, each with their own selection of curated items for your party to peruse. From colourful, cutesy styles reminiscent of Harajuku fashion, to the more edgy, streamlined pieces of the in-world “Gatto Nero” brand, founded by the one of the former game’s protagonists, each shopkeeper and shop has a unique and stylistic look to them. Oozing personality and charm, these designs give the shopkeepers depth beyond their few lines of welcoming dialogue; corresponding with the pieces the shop is selling, their artistic direction allows the player to get a better sense of the aesthetic of the clothing at hand.
While these items are available for the main cast to purchase and wear, they don’t, unfortunately, have any bearing on the models of the characters themselves. They do however have an impact on player stats (attack values, health values, etc.) and in unlockable abilities to help aid in combat. The clothing is gender neutral in who it can be assigned to, so the male members of your party can wear more traditionally feminine-aligned clothing, and vice-versa. With the ability to customize and cater your looks to your heart’s content, you can put together your own street-style looks in the massive range of what Shibuya has to offer. Some abilities are rewarded to the player for wearing an entire outfit of the same brand in a more coordinated look, though what often works best for your overall stats results in the more unconventional, with such combinations as rainbow wigs and Santa pants.
NEO: TWEWY’s character designs excel in the details; from the gunmetal zippers of a bomber jacket to its graphic prints, many of the characters throughout the game can be seen with small embellishments to their outfits. The attention to each of these elements really shines, and these looks help to bolster the game’s depth with the city at its core: different walks of life, and different looks to boot. The characters of TWEWY can tell a story through their outfits alone, each personal and unique in their own right. Fashion forward in the city streets, these looks are ones to be noticed in the crowds of the Scramble Crossing.
