History Main / CostumeInertia

[[quoteright:250:[[Franchise/StreetFighter https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SakuraSFIV250px.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:You're in your twenties, Sakura. You need to move on.]]

Someone continues wearing an iconic costume, even if they logically should no longer be doing so. Maybe they were simply wearing it as a one-off initially, or it was justified at the time, but it continues to be worn well after the justification has worn off. Alternatively, a common version is a [[SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack school uniform]] being worn after graduation. Usually the costume has become so [[IconicOutfit iconic and associated with the character]] that changing it could lead to [[TheyChangedItSoItSucks outcry from the fans]], or even the [[AuthorAppeal author]] might be a fan.

** ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' gave Goku and Vegeta new costumes for their training under Whis. In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', they keep the costumes for the next story arc, but afterwards they revert to their iconic looks (Goku's unmarked ''dogi'' from the Buu Saga, Vegeta's battle armor from the Android Saga).

* WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck still wears the sailor suit. He debuted as a young duck in the thirties (when this style was humorously outdated). Some comics do make him an actual sailor, though strangely enough not the Barks[=/=]Creator/DonRosa canon. He even wore it in a 1941 short when he was Drafted into the ''Army''. It was replaced with an army uniform, but still looks really bizarre.

* In early-1980s ''Series/DoctorWho'' everyone had consistent, unchanging costumes for reasons having to do with merchandising, some falling under this trope. Tegan wore her air hostess uniform for two series, though at least for most of that time she was actually trying to get the Doctor to return her to Heathrow so she could take up her duties (she did change outfits eventually, after being returned to Earth only to get the sack from her airline). The one that really doesn't make sense is Turlough, an alien who hated his exile on Earth at a boys' school, yet wore his slightly-too-small school uniform for his entire tenure on the program.

* In ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVSTheSoullessArmy'' Raidou Kuzunoha is 17 and was, until his current apprenticeship/cover, a student, hence his school uniform. ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon'' may or may not take place 3 years latter (A character that loves to break the fourth wall says you haven't met for 3 years and the games have a release gap of 3 years and the characters all act like noticeable time has passed), but Raidou still wears the uniform.
* While the fact that most of the characters in ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' wear school uniforms are odd [[SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack for other reasons]], TheHero Yu Narukami wears his school outfit from the first game, despite the fact that he has since transferred schools.

[[caption-width-right:250:Being in her twenties, you'd think she would have grown out of that uniform by now. Though in a way, [[{{Fanservice}} she has.]]]]

** ''Film/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' gave Goku and Vegeta new costumes for their training under Whis. In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', they keep the costumes for the next story arc, but afterwards they revert to their iconic looks (Goku's unmarked ''dogi'' from the Buu Saga, Vegeta's battle armor from the Android Saga).

** Sakura Kasugano, pictured above, takes it perhaps ''too'' literally. In the ''Sakura Ganbaru'' manga, she justified fighting in her school uniform as being ready to fight at any time. Thusly, being a student, she wanted to be ready to fight in clothes she spent much of her day wearing. By ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', Sakura has since graduated, but as you can see still wears the uniform to fight (she even considers it her proper sparring attire). However, at the end of said manga [[spoiler:she wears a different uniform -- because she's a PE teacher now. And since it's an alternate costume for her in ''IV'', this is evidently the case there as well, as seen by her ending in ''SSFIV''.]] This is finally averted in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'', where she has graduated from high school and now wears a new outfit that still recalls her old uniform.
** According to an interview, when the ''Super'' update of ''Street Fighter IV'' was in development, the team behind it considered putting Cody back into his white shirt and blue jeans from the ''Final Fight'' series, but fans preferred his blue-and-white prison jumpsuit from ''Street Fighter Alpha 3''. Thus, the "striped prison uniform and handcuffs" apparel became his default outfit for all of his appearances outside of the beat-em-up trilogy he debuted in, including the crossover games and the ''ComicBook/StreetFighter'' UDON comics.

* Enforced in ''Webcomic/TheScumthorpeFiles''. The main characters have been shown to be wearing the same (or, at least, similar styled) outfits throughout their life stages, and according to the WordOfGod, this is a deliberate decision to make them look more recognizable even as they grow older.

** Sakura Kasugano, pictured above, takes it perhaps ''too'' literally. In the ''Sakura Ganbaru'' manga, she justified fighting in her school uniform as being ready to fight at any time. Thusly, being a student, she wanted to be ready to fight in clothes she spent much of her day wearing. By ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', Sakura has since graduated, but as you can see still wears the uniform to fight (she even considers it her proper sparring attire). However, at the end of said manga [[spoiler:she wears a different uniform -- because she's a PE teacher now. And since it's an alternate costume for her in ''IV'', this is evidently the case there as well, as seen by her ending in ''SSFIV''.]]

* ''[[Franchise/DotHack .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet]]'' somehow manages a BeachEpisode that subverts this, where Shugo suddenly realizes that Ouka, being a CoolBigSis, should naturally appear in the slinkiest swimsuit of any of the girls -- until she shows up in wolf shape (which, granted, means she's technically naked).

** According to an interview, when the ''Super'' update of ''Street Fighter IV'' was in development, the team behind it considered putting Cody back into his white shirt and blue jeans from the ''Final Fight'' series, but fans preferred his blue-and-white prison jumpsuit from ''Street Fighter Alpha 3''. Thus, the "striped prison uniform and handcuffs" apparel became his default outfit for all of his appearances outside of the beat-em-up trilogy he debuted in, including the crossover games and the ''Street Fighter'' UDON comics.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' Gohan wears a helmet as part of his Saiyaman costume. When he enters the annual fighting tournament as Saiyaman, he replaces it with a cloth and sunglasses because armor isn't allowed. In the 13th movie when Gohan dresses as Saiyaman, he still isn't wearing his helmet.

** [[VideoGame/FinalFight Cody]] received an odd form of this by fan demand. When brought back for ''Super Street Fighter IV'', the dev team planned on using his original ''Final Fight'' look, but because his prison jumpsuit from ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 3]]'' (and by proxy, his personality shift) had become emblematic of Cody by that point, the prison clothes made it in, with an updated version of his classic attire included as DLC. His look in ''Streetwise'' seems to backtrack on this as Cody, having served his sentence, decides to wear an orange prison jacket over his ''Final Fight'' white T-shirt and jeans by his own volition.

* Anything with a "MagicalGirl" who's old enough to have noticeable breasts.

* WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck still wears the sailor suit. He debuted as a young duck in the thirties (when this style was humorously outdated). Some comics do make him an actual sailor, though strangely enough not the Barks[=/=]DonRosa canon. He even wore it in a 1941 short when he was Drafted into the ''Army''. It was replaced with an army uniform, but still looks really bizarre.

!!Examples

* ''LightNovel/DirtyPair Flash'' had Kei go through a literally bra-bursting transformation sequence in the first episode, never seen again.

!!Examples:

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]
* ''[[DotHack .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet]]'' somehow manages a BeachEpisode that subverts this, where Shugo suddenly realizes that Ouka, being a CoolBigSis, should naturally appear in the slinkiest swimsuit of any of the girls -- until she shows up in wolf shape (which, granted, means she's technically naked).

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* DonaldDuck still wears the sailor suit. He debuted as a young duck in the thirties (when this style was humorously outdated). Some comics do make him an actual sailor, though strangely enough not the Barks[=/=]DonRosa canon. He even wore it in a 1941 short when he was Drafted into the ''Army''. It was replaced with an army uniform, but still looks really bizarre.

[[folder: Music ]]
* Music/{{ACDC}}'s Angus Young originally became a member of the band while he was still in high school, and so wore a school uniform - his real one - on stage. Decades later, and he still has his distinctive schoolboy look with full uniform.

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' has Sakura Kasugano, pictured above, takes it perhaps ''too'' literally. In the ''Sakura Ganbaru'' manga, she justified fighting in her school uniform as being ready to fight at any time. Thusly, being a student, she wanted to be ready to fight in clothes she spent much of her day wearing. By ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', Sakura has since graduated, but as you can see still wears the uniform to fight (she even considers it her proper sparring attire). However, at the end of said manga [[spoiler:she wears a different uniform - because she's a PE teacher now. And since it's an alternate costume for her in ''IV'', this is evidently the case there as well, as seen by her ending in ''SSFIV''.]]
** [[VideoGame/FinalFight Cody]] received an odd form of this by fan demand. When brought back for ''Super Street Fighter IV'', the dev team planned on using his original ''Final Fight'' look, but because his prison jumpsuit from ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha 3]]'' (and by proxy, his personality shift) had become emblematic of Cody by that point, the prison clothes made it in, with an updated version of his classic attire included as DLC. His look in ''Streetwise'' seems to backtrack on this as Cody, having served his sentence, decides to wear an orange prison jacket over his ''Final Fight'' white t-shirt and jeans by his own volition.

* In ''RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy'' Raidou Kuzunoha is 17 and was, until his current apprenticeship/cover, a student, hence his school uniform. ''RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon'' may or may not take place 3 years latter (A character that loves to break the fourth wall says you haven't met for 3 years and the games have a release gap of 3 years and the characters all act like noticeable time has passed), but Raidou still wears the uniform.

[[StockCostumeTraits Certain activities or professions are associated with recognizable outfits.]] With Costume Inertia, this will be depicted with the most outlandish, extreme, or just plain fetishistic version of said outfit, even if the character otherwise wears a normal outfit most of the time. Sometimes the character will forget and just keep wearing the outfit long after it's needed, or will even seem not to remember putting it on. Often, this is done tongue-in-cheek by artists who really only want an excuse to put characters in fun costumes, but is a very good indicator to the general 'serious' mood and focus of a series. It generally runs:\\
\\
Mundane -> Stylized -> Noticeable -> Overboard\\
\\
Ironically, having [[DownplayedTrope slightly less-than-maximum]] Costume Inertia doesn't always work, since it implies designers know just enough about the minor details of an outfit and put just enough time into it that they [[AuthorAppeal probably have a personal jones for it]].

Occasionally the trope is played with in an [[TheUnreveal Unreveal]], where the 'normal' outfit appears instead of the predicted one - much to the disappointment of another character.

The ChainmailBikini is essentially a subtrope of this; the SpyCatsuit and the LatexSpacesuit probably also qualify. Compare ImpossiblyCoolClothes.

* Occured in ''LoveHina'', where Motoko's breakdown after a fight with her sister persuades her to become the inn's housekeeper (sometimes [[FanNickname dubbed]] as [[http://lovehina.wikia.com/wiki/Miracle_Maid_Motoko "Miracle Maid Motoko"]]), wearing a [[{{Meido}} full maid outfit]] in [[HugeSchoolgirl her size]].

* In ''HeIsMyMaster'', a guest character agrees to have a competition with the show's resident lech. The former excels at designing several costumes with noticeably less Costume Inertia than the latter, before the lead girl is convinced there's not enough of a functional difference to bother changing employers. (That and the new employer loves crossdressing, which is a step too far for the girl who gets [[BlackComedyRape abused]] on a daily basis by every other main character.)
* The ending of the ''TokyoMewMew'' manga requires a wedding dress anyway... but why a short, frilly, lace-and-ribbon-covered, giant-strawberry-adorned number, especially when supposedly thrown together in a short amount of time? Simply [[RuleOfCute because it's cute]].
* All of the ''{{Cutie Honey}}'' shows/movies.

* Applied in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' in the third season, where Nanoha and Fate change their previously more mundane MagicalGirl uniforms for slightly more complicated and extravagant versions (though Fate was actually ''downgraded'' from her [[StripperIffic infamous]] previous outfit). This time, however, it's more indicative of Nanoha and Fate growing up 10 years and thus outgrowing their nine-year-old selves, and ultimately they switch back to the old outfits two thirds of the way in, mostly to indicate they're getting serious.

* Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'s "HotLibrarian" disguise. Inverted with [=ThugBoy=]'s "Spartan 3000" henchman's uniform.

* Music/{{ACDC}}'s Angus Young originally became a member of the band while he was still in high school, and so wore a school uniform - his real one - on stage. Decades later, and he still has his distinctive schoolboy look with full uniform..
** Except that he dropped out of school at 15, and formed the band when he was 18. At the time, the band ''pretended'' that he was four years younger, to match his schoolboy image. His first school uniform was made by this sister, and when that wore out he reverted to his real school uniform.

* Reimu of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' originally wore a realistic {{Miko}} outfit, however after the ContinuityReboot she switched to a more stylised and less practical version, complete with DetachedSleeves. Sanae also wears a similar outfit.

** Except that he dropped out of school at 15, and formed the band when he was 18. At the time, the band ''pretended'' that he was four years younger, to match his schoolboy image. His first school uniform was make by this sister, and when that wore out he reverted to his real school uniform.

* Music/{{ACDC}}'s Angus Young originally became a member of the band while he was still in high school, and so wore a school uniform - his real one - on stage. Decades later, and he still has his distinctive schoolboy look with full uniform.