History Main / GangOfHats

Gang differentiation is pretty necessary if you've got inter-gang politics. Otherwise you've just got some guys beating up some other guys. The simplest (and most realistic) might be a [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color scheme]] (the blue [[GangBangers Crips]] vs. the red [[GangBangers Bloods]]) or lifestyle group (Mods vs Rockers), but TV and video games often take this to ridiculous lengths, dressing in totally ridiculous outfits, or only using a specific weapon.

* Most gangs in ''Manga/AirGear'' have some kind of theme seen in their helmets and/or emblems(Dogs, Skeletons, etc.) One scene in the manga showed scouts for several gangs all on the two page snapshot at once, each of the dozen or so with a different helmet.

* Most of the armies during the Golden Age Saga of ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' have an AnimalMotif and a uniform armor that went along with it in some way. Such examples included the Black Rams, White Tigers, and Purple Rhinos. The Band of the Hawk, which our protagonists belong to, downplays this by only their leader Griffith wearing bird-themed armor and the rest only wearing insignia.

** Spoiler for the novels: [[spoiler:Later on in the Blue Square, a group within the gang is formed who are identified by blue bandannas and balaclavas printed with a design, which resembles the mouth of a shark baring its sharp teeth. This group's purpose is to rid the Dollars of the members who use the name for whatever wrong-doings they feel free to commit. Apparently the Dollars does have rules, but they're completely unheard of by everyone except their founder.]]

* The ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' miniseries "Justice Leagues" had a villain called the Advance Man cause the entire world to forget the Justice League existed, but things went awry and people remembered the words "Justice League of A". The result was that the senior members of the Justice League each formed their own team in response to various global threats, and each had a particular theme in the heroes they recruited. Franchise/WonderWoman formed the Justice League of Amazons (an AmazonBrigade), ComicBook/PlasticMan formed the Justice League of Anarchy (a group of comical AntiHero types), ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} formed the Justice League of Atlantis (his aquatic allies, including his wife Mera), Zauriel forms the Justice League of Apostles (divine/supernatural heroes), Franchise/TheFlash formed the Justice League of Adventure (unclear connection, possibly {{fun|Personified}}-based heroes), Franchise/{{Batman}} formed the Justice League of Arkham (various villains from his RoguesGallery whom he press-ganged into helping him), ComicBook/MartianManhunter formed the Justice League of Aliens (heroic aliens; this included Franchise/{{Superman}}, making him the only member not to ''lead'' his group) and Green Lantern formed the Justice League of Air (heroes with {{Flight}} powers). Of course [[StatusQuoIsGod this didn't last]] and they went back to being the Justice League of America (and other groups) at the end of the miniseries.

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'''s [[AllInTheManual manual]] describes how urban gangs and vigilante groups wore distinctive uniforms, a custom which directly inspired this world's superheroes. The only one we see active in the story is the Knot-Tops, who wear their hair ''chonmage'' style and dress in black-sleeveless-vest and white-shirt-with-kanji ensembles.

* There a group of Black Marketeers in Film/JingleAllTheWay where everyone is either dressed as SantaClaus or one of his elves. They make several other Christmas references as well, even when under duress (when the cops show up, they refer to them as [[Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas the Grinch]]).

** One prominent fight scene in [[DrunkenMaster Legend Of Drunken Master]] featured a horde of axe gang members attacking Jackie Chan and Lau Kar Leung in a tea house.

* The movie ''Film/MysteryMen'' has several such gangs: [[DiscoDan the Disco Boys]] all dress as disco dancers, the Frat Boys are all college fraternity members (known for their lethal hazings), etc. The scene in which Casanova Frankenstein rallies the different gangs together is a parody of a scene from the film ''The Warriors''. When the heroes are attacked by the Disco Boys, they tease them for their hat-inappropriate weapons (guns, a lead pipe).

* ''Film/TheRoadWarrior'', of course. Leather and black-clad mohawked punks versus the mostly white-clad defenders!
** This carries over into the other ''Franchise/MadMax'' movies as well, particularly ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', with Immortan Joe's Half-Life Warboys and their ashy-white makeup and elaborate rituals, the more feral and spikey Buzzard gang, the motorcycle-riding Rock Riders, the more businessman-styled Gas Town faction lead by the People Eater, the militaristic Bullet Farmers, and the old lady biker gang the Vuvalini.
* While not gangs ''per se'', the various racing teams in the ''Film/SpeedRacer'' movie all had themes (the Viking team, the snake team, the military team, etc.) and they even had silly hats too.
* In ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', ComicBook/TheJoker's gang appears to wear an assortment of Halloween masks and costumes, including but not limited to: a baby, a goat, an eyeball, a panda, and even a cartoony Batman.

** Refreshingly, the [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Chinese gangsters]] featured in the fifth series, lead by the HistoricalDomainCharacter Brilliant Chang, do ''not'' wear conical straw hats! Chang himself, as seems to be consistent with the actual history, favours a bowler hat and fur-collared coat.

* The various teenage tribes on the post-apocalyptic soap opera ''Series/TheTribe'' are identifiable largely by costumes and color schemes (Locos wear red and black; Demon Dogs wear silver; Mozquitos are all female and dress like dominatrices with insect masks, etc.), except for the main tribe, the Mallrats, who all wear very individualistic costumes, being a RagTagBunchOfMisfits.

* Half of the stables seen in ProfessionalWrestling. For example, WWE has had The Spirit Squad (a gang of male cheerleaders) and Wrestling/{{Demolition}} (whose uniform included facepaint and bondage gear), WCW had Wrestling/TheVarsityClub (a stable built like a high-school/college sports team) and The Wrestling/DungeonOfDoom (filled with ridiculous, horror-movie-style gimmicks), and Wrestling/{{TNA}} once had The Flying Elvises (a group of SpotMonkey Elvis impersonators).
* The original [[Wrestling/TheNationOfDomination Nation of Domination]] in the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] was very much an aversion, as its members were a black supremacist and his protege ([[Wrestling/RonSimmons Faarooq]] and [[Wrestling/DLoBrown D'Lo Brown]]), a white biker (Crush), a Puerto Rican (Savio Vega), and two PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy rappers (PG-13). However, after they broke up and each member other than the rappers formed their own stable (The New Nation, [[FunWithAcronyms Disciples of Apocalypse]], and Los Boricuas, respectively), each of those stables fit the trope to a T. The original NOD in USWA also averted this by being a bunch of white guys trying to impress their black friends.

* Wrestling/{{Daffney|Unger}}'s [[http://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Daffney%27s_All-Star_Squad All-Star Squad]] is a literal example. Daffney's [[http://shinewrestling.com/gear hat]] has become their hat, [[http://image.spreadshirtmedia.com/image-server/v1/compositions/109828969/views/1,width=280,height=280,appearanceId=351.png/daffney-s-all-star-squad-men-s-t-shirt_design.png tiny tilted top hats.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'', being essentially ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto GTA]]'' in [[RecycledINSPACE High School]], naturally uses this too, with the various 'factions' of Bullworth Academy. The Preppies all wear Aquaberry-brand sweaters, the Jocks all wear letter jackets or letter sweaters, the Greasers slick their hair back and wear leather or denim jackets, the Nerds are all either underweight or overweight and wear garish green sweaters, the Bullies all wear white polo shirts with no vests, and the Townies wear street clothes.
* ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'' isn't much different in that regard. The five gangs of Westside are sometimes referred to as the [[VideoGame/CityOfHeroes Tsoo]] Rejects (Cult of the Red Banner), the [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels Hells Angels]] Rejects (Cobra Lords, bikers whose ranks are based on various dangerous animals), the [[AxCrazy Asylum]] Rejects (the Maniacs), the Film/AClockworkOrange Rejects (who also have elements of the Royal Flush Gang from Franchise/{{Justice League|of America}}), and the Old-Timey Mobster Rejects (or just Reject Rejects, i.e. those who were rejected even by the other reject gangs for not having enough flavor).

* And speaking of ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}}'', the first game has The Volk, who are TheMafiya trying to look and act like a militant organization of [[RenegadeRussian Renegade]] [[RedScare Reds]] [[RedsWithRockets With Rockets]], and the Shai-Gen, the high-tech private army of a powerful East Asian MegaCorp. Ironically, despite being mentioned above, Los Muertos actually don't qualify as they are just an absurdly powerful Hispanic [[GangBangers street gang]]/[[TheCartel drug cartel]] hybrid with no real gimmick.

* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' has a few, whose respective Hats are all based on their stance towards augmentations. Detroit's Derelict Row Ballers are a "normal" street gang that [[FantasticRacism absolutely hate augs]] and "[[FantasticSlur hanzers]]" and rely on strength in numbers. The Motor City Bangers see augmentation as an extension of "bling culture" and have pimped out [[BlingBlingBANG gold-plated]] [[ArtificialLimbs cybernetic limbs]] that make them tougher and stronger. Needless to say, the [=DRB=]'s and the [=MCB=]'s don't get along. The Harvester in Hengsha, however, have fully embraced augmentations and [[{{Transhumanism}} transhumanism]] and worship TheSingularity, have modded themselves up with lots of scary looking industrial prosthetics and 'harvest' augments from hapless civilians in a manner similar to OrganTheft.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', there are a few gangs in each act, each having staked out a different part of town and each with a different modus operandi and general appearance. You can wipe them out for some money and XP, but if you don't they are still replaced from act to act, and each successive gang is apparently stronger and more dangerous than the last. In Act 1, the Guard Pretenders wear city guard uniforms and apparently waylay unsuspecting night travelers in Hightown; the Sharps Highwaymen, to judge by their name, have moved into the city from the countryside; and the Redwater Teeth are a gang lead by a blood mage. In Act 2, the Dog Lords are Fereldan expats that fight alongside Mabari warhounds; the Undercuts are a group of dwarves trying to stake a claim on the docks; and the Invisible Sisters are an all-female gang of cutpurses and assassins. In Act 3 the Slave Hunters may well be official Imperium slavers, wearing the full masks and armor of Tevinter soldiers, going out into the night and enslaving anyone they can beat down at he docks; the Crimson Weaver Bloodragers are a group of rebel blood mages; and the Followers of She are all cultists of a mysterious figure who turns out to be a desire demon.

*** The Children of Atom are a ChurchOfEvil who worship radiation and see nuclear fission as reaching nirvana, look like sick hobos (dur to the massive radiation poisoning they show as a sign of their devotion) using radioactive weapons and only inhabiting radiation hotspots. And they keep Glowing Ones as icons.
*** The ''Nuka-World'' DLC introduces three distinct gangs of raiders in an uneasy alliance. The Disciples are {{spik|esOfVillainy}}y, sadistic {{Psycho Knife Nut}}s who raid for the carnage and mayhem, the Operators are [[BadassInANiceSuit well-dressed]] {{aristocrats|AreEvil}} only in it for the caps, while the Pack are {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s with an AnimalMotif, running around in brightly-colored fursuits.

* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' usually averts this with its gangs, even in the WretchedHive Denton where the gangs are literally everywhere. The only two gangs with a real "hat" are the evangelistic KnightTemplar Prophets, who dress in priest robes and terrorize the "unfaithful", and the AxCrazy Jackals who're collectively insane enough to make ComicBook/TheJoker shit himself, and at any one time just want to cause as much mayhem and chaos as they can. They're often said to be more like animals than men.

** The [[XtremeKoolLetterz Jokerz]] are a bunch of loosely connected gangs all over Gotham who [[JackTheRipoff emulate]] the Joker (and referencing the Clowns from ''Manga/{{Akira}}''). One is lead by a guy named J-Man who blatantly copies the Joker's appearance. TheMovie had one of them run by the ''real'' Joker.

** The Joker's henchmen are all dressed like silent movie stars (specifically Creator/CharlieChaplin, Creator/BusterKeaton, Creator/HaroldLloyd, and Creator/FattyArbuckle) and are even DeliberatelyMonochrome. This even extends to Harley Quinn, who is reimagined here as a {{flapper}} straight out of TheRoaringTwenties.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Juggalo}} subculture is an interesting example. Music/InsaneClownPosse was originally the Inner City Posse, a small set of friends that could be classified as a gang. The style of the subculture is based on gang fashion, and many wear items such as colored bandanas that are read as gang symbols, and over the years, many members of the subculture have been involved with criminal activity, mostly involving drugs, and those in prison will look to other Juggalos for company and protection if they find them, which lead to a controversial decision for the FBI to classify "Juggalos" as a federally recognized gang, which infuriated the more law abiding members of the subculture, as designating the group as a gang, and their symbols as gang symbols would be a problem for many with their employment and child custody.

** The Scarecrow's henchmen wear Halloween masks because of both their boss' fear gimmick and [[HalloweenEpisode that holiday being when the game takes place]]; their masks are outfitted with gas mask rebreathers to protect them from their leader's signature PsychoSerum, and they complete the look with hooded coats like the one Scarecrow himself wears.
** The titular Arkham Knight's militia wear [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red-and-black]] tactical gear.

* One of the coolest things about the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign module "Night's Dark Terror" is that every one of the several tribes of goblins, orcs, gnolls and so forth is a GangOfHats, with its own distinctive garb, weapons, tactics, and territory. Even the culture of some tribes is described.

* ''TabletopGame/NinjaBurger'' feeds off this trope, with the eponymous burger-delivering ninjas competing against other GangOfHats fast food delivery companies like [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Pirate Pizza, Samurai Burger, Banditos Burritos, etc.]]

** White Rascals: white clothes

* From the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'':

** Except for the Straw Hats, all of the 11 Supernovas are this. [[AxCrazy Eustass Kidd]] (and [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Killer]])'s are all Heavy Metal punks, [[HollywoodVoodoo Basil Hawkins']] are mystics, X. Drake's are musketeers, [[MrFanservice Trafalgar Law's]] are all kung fu jumpsuit guys (except himself), [[InstrumentOfMurder Scratchmen Apoo's]] are Chinese people, [[JabbaTableManners Jewelry Bonney's]] are all fat guys (except herself), [[BaseOnWheels Capone Bege's]] are mafia suits and [[WingedHumanoid Urouge's]] are priests.

* [[WebOriginal/AcademyOfSuperheroes ASH Universe]]: The New York Macoute have a pseudo-voodoo theme going. The Cyber-Nostra are a gang of cyborgs as are the Rust Brothers and, as for the Jolly Molecules, they're best described as junior [[MadScientist MadScientists]].

** [[FakeAristocrat Count Sigi Reuven]] is the former [[TheSpymaster Redanian Spymaster]] who used his massive network of contacts and informants to build a new life as [[TheDon a mob boss]], he runs a [[PublicBathhouseScene bathhouse]] which caters to Novigrad's wealthy and doubles as a [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub meeting place]] for the Big Four.

* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' has lots of these, usually serving as {{Mooks}} and background color.

** The Dopple Gang are shapeshifters who commit crimes as celebrities.

** The Franks: A gang of FrankensteinsMonsters stitched together by their leader, the Flesh Prince