Video Game Characters Who Wear Ray-Ban Sunglasses

As video games have become more in-depth over the years, the characters within them have had to evolve as well. Once upon a time, a bad guy was nothing more than a monkey throwing barrels at you as you climb ladders. Now, the antagonist has to have a backstory, depth, and nuances that bring them alive.

Who can forget Assassin Creed Syndicate’s Crawford Starrick, the wickedly evil Victorian businessman? Or the devilish Vaas from Far Cry 3, with his Mohican and vicious tendencies? The same goes for protagonists, the good guys we cheer on through the levels, the ones we end up feeling a part of and almost caring for as much as real people. Agent 47 is a great example, someone so richly developed over the years he effortlessly shifted across into films.

When thinking of a well-developed character, there’s more to them than just what they say. What they wear also defines them. You think of 47 wearing his smart suit or Lara Croft in her tank top and shorts. Because we spend so much time with characters, either playing as them or in cut scenes, they have to have a style that stands out and a good character can be identified by key pieces of fashion.

One such fashion item is sunglasses. They’re not always seen in video games; they’d be out of place in period game Assassin’s Creed Mirage for instance, but there are some great examples of a video game character being identifiable by their glasses. No sunglasses are more identifiable than those from Ray-Ban, with almost 40 years etched into pop culture, thanks to a certain Tom Cruise film. Ray-Ban smart glasses are at the forefront of tech that is going to revolutionise gaming, but their older brands have been there, subtle but distinctive, for a long while.

We’ve selected a handful of fictional Ray-Ban wearers here that perfectly demonstrate how developers use iconic shades to build a video game character.

Kazuhira Miller

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_vJMHMBzLM]

Miller is seen across the spectrum of Metal Gear Solid games, most recently the excellent Phantom Pain. In that game, the mercenary leader was rescued by Venom Snake, and as he was, he placed his famous Ray-Ban sunglasses on before entering the chopper. This is hugely important – Ray Ban Aviators, Miller’s sunglasses of choice, are heavily associated with military personnel, and putting them on Miller’s face reinforces the notion he is a man with a militia background.

What is interesting is Aviators were made famous by the Tom Cruise film, Top Gun, released in 1986. When Miller is rescued in Phantom Pain, the year is 1984, making him the trendsetter, at least in the world of Metal Gear Solid. Aviators have since become a timeless piece of eyewear, and by placing them in 1984 (albeit in a game released in 2015), it highlights Miller as being in touch with modern military tech two years before the world followed suit.

Johnny Cage

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YStrXVGt60w]

Johnny Cage is a Mortal Kombat staple, appearing in the very first game back in 1992. He is a martial artist and actor who is tricked into the tournament, but he goes on to be a key figure in the series, eventually bringing his daughter, Cassie, into the games. Based on a narcissistic Hollywood star, he needed some sharp styling, and that included a pair of sunglasses.

His sunglasses are very much of the time – sleek 90s shades with thin frames and narrow lenses. They can also be matched to a Ray-Ban model, namely the RB 3478. Whilst licensing wouldn’t allow those to be the actual model Cage wears, they’re very similar, as are the AEVOGUE AE0395. Either way, the style placed Cage at the top end of early 90s fashion, which is exactly where the designers wanted him.

Travis Touchdown

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ3lh97fDVY]

Touchdown is best described as an anti-hero, the protagonist of No More Heroes who swaggers through three games with effortless style. The wrestling fan is often depicted with memorabilia in his hotel room, and he turns to assassination when he runs out of money to buy video games.

He’s brooding, often seen in a red leather jacket, quaffed hair, and a pair of identifiable Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses. Again, whilst licensing doesn’t allow the actual word Ray-Ban to be used, the shape and style are unmissable. This demonstrates the flexibility of the brand’s flagship model, and paired with a relaxed fashion such as trainers and jeans they become something different, a hint towards a military wannabe, rather than an actual general.