History Main / IconicStarterEquipment

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': Chrom is consistently depicted wielding the basic form of the Falchion, which has deteriorated in power in the two millennia since [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Marth]] wielded it. Although it having [[BreakableWeapons unlimited uses]] and a [[WeaponOfXSlaying dragonslaying attribute]] means it'll never be ''completely'' useless, its low attack power means that Chrom will likely spend most of the game wielding other weapons until the Falchion is upgraded into the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Exalted Falchion]] near the end of the game, a [[PowerGlows different-looking]] form that has been scarcely, if ever, depicted outside of ''Awakening''.
* Similarly, Corrin from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' is usually depicted with the basic and weakest form of the Yato, rather than any of its other forms. Rarely, the Yato's "[[EleventhHourSuperpower Omega]]" form may be depicted instead.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', new units are almost always based on the design and mechanics of that character's starting class, while promoted class designs are usually saved for special alts, such as legendaries and brave alts. Likewise, the ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' characters have all started out in their pre-timeskip designs, despite the later post-timeskip costumes usually being more popular. However, it's also common for unit's weapons to be named after late-game items, as those are more likely to be personalised to the character, which can lead to odd situations where a hero looks and acts like they just joined the army but are using weapons from much later on.

** Link's iconic outfit is his green tunic. In some games he can find other outfits that offer some benefit over his standard one, meaning that the players will rarely use his default one after acquiring them. ''Twilight Princess'' averts this because while Link's alternate outfits of the Zora Armor and Magic Armor give him the ability to breathe underwater and invincibility, respectively, both are made highly situational by their respective downsides of making him extremely weak to fire and ice attacks and draining his rupees, giving players a reason to equip his standard outfit again. In ''Ocarina of Time'', Link can swap out his green Kokiri Tunic for the Goron or Zora Tunics, which respectively grant him the ability to withstand high temperatures and breathe underwater. Unlike in ''Twilight Princess'', there's no benefit to switching back to the default outfit, meaning that once you acquire them, you'll probably be wearing the Goron or Zora Tunics for the rest of the game. This makes for an awkward moment with the introduction to ''The Wind Waker'', in which young boys are said to wear green tunics to mark their coming of age in commemoration of the green-clad Hero from ''Ocarina of Time'' who defeated Ganon, even though many players probably defeated Ganon wearing the red Goron or blue Zora Tunics in the latter game.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'': The Beretta 92FS features front and centre as the B.S.A.A agents Chris and Sheva's WeaponOfChoice. All cutscenes feature them using the Beretta regardless if it was equipped or not during the level.

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': The starter pistols of each ''RE'' instalment is usually the one most depicted being carried by the playable character on each game's respective cover art. It also helps that pistols in Resident Evil have good staying power for most of the game, either for simple [[BoringButPractical ammo-saving reasons]], or tend to be the most powerful of its class when fully upgraded for later instalments.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'': Leon's [=VP70=] handgun, while being a real [[RareGuns/MachinePistols unique weapon]] in it's own right, makes return appearances in later instalments, including the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake Remake]].

* Virtually all official artwork for ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2NewGenesis'' depicts the characters using not only the starter weapons but also the starter costumes.

[[caption-width-right:350:How most people see Shulk vs. how ''Xenoblade'' fans see Shulk.]]

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': Chrom is consistently depicted wielding the basic form of the Falchion, which has deteriorated in power in the two millennia since [[VideoGame/FireEmblemArchanea Marth]] wielded it. Although it having [[BreakableWeapons unlimited uses]] and a [[WeaponOfXSlaying dragonslaying attribute]] means it'll never be ''completely'' useless, its low attack power means that Chrom will likely spend most of the game wielding other weapons until the Falchion is upgraded into the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Exalted Falchion]] near the end of the game, a [[PowerGlows different-looking]] form that has been scarcely, if ever, depicted outside of ''Awakening''.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'': A funny aversion - Luke has a sheath on his model, but his starting sword blatantly ''doesn't fit into it''. Naturally, spin-offs has him using a weapon that doesn't look like it needs to be stored in {{Hammerspace}}.

*** To a lesser extent, the SwordOfPlotAdvancement tends to get this. Most people and art imagine Shulk with the basic Monado, even though the blade is transformed into the differently-shaped "Monado II" about halfway through the game [[spoiler:and the blade changes dramatically after the WhamEpisode]].

* ''Xeno'' series:

** In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Rex is usually depicted wielding Pyra's Aegis Sword (a [[PlayingWithFire flame-spewing]] LaserBlade) in the game's cutscenes and supplemental material much more often than Mythra's Aegis Sword (a [[LightEmUp light-emitting]] [[LaserBlade Laser-]]{{BFS}}). In gameplay, Pyra, while not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, is near-completely outclassed by Mythra, [[OvershadowedByAwesome who is just plain better at everything]]. Once you get Mythra (which is pretty early on), there's not much reason to use Pyra anymore unless you need her fire element for something, or if you just like [[NiceGirl Pyra]] more than [[{{Tsundere}} Mythra]]. Otherwise, it's heavily downplayed compared to its predecessor, as the ability to hot-swap between weapons is a ubiquitous in-universe technique and the only (non-cosmetic-DLC) character appearance change is a plot-related spoiler.

[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]

*** To a lesser extent, the SwordOfPlotAdvancement tends to get this. Most people and art imagine Shulk with the basic Monado, even though the blade is transformed into the differently-shaped "Monado II" within the first quarter of the game [[spoiler:and the blade changes dramatically after the WhamEpisode]].

** Outside of the mainline games, it's rare to see any other variant of Poké Ball aside from the basic red one, despite most players opting to use other variants as soon as they become available in order to make catching Pokémon easier. After the red Poké Ball, the Master Ball is the one most likely to appear in other media.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'': A funny aversion - Luke has a sheath on his models, but his starting sword blatantly ''doesn't fit into it''. Naturally, spin-offs has him using a weapon that doesn't look like it needs to be stored in {{Hammerspace}}.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfInnocence'': Again, played straight for everyone but the protagonist, even if just barely. Luca's iconic broadsword is given to after the first battle, but his actual starting weapon is a tree branch.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'': Played straight - Sorey's Ancient Sword is even pictured in his SuperMovePortraitAttack.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'':
** It's not weapons, but armour that has this effect, as the page image shows. InformedEquipment is averted, but the appearance many people remember for the characters are their default costumes, which is starter armour normally replaced within an hour of them joining. It doesn't help that the most effective armour sets tend to lean toward RainbowPimpGear. While armour that uses the same appearance as the characters' starting armour exists, such armour stops being supplied around the midpoint of the game, requiring players to eventually leave the characters' canon looks behind for the sake of continuing to upgrade their defensive power. Fortunately, the UpdatedRerelease leaned into the VirtualPaperDoll aspect by keeping a catalogue of every armour piece ever owned for the purpose of [[EquipmentHidingFashion cosmetic overrides]].
** To a lesser extent, the SwordOfPlotAdvancement tends to get this. Most people and art imagine Shulk with the basic Monado, even though the blade is transformed into the differently-shaped "Monado II" within the first quarter of the game [[spoiler:and the blade changes dramatically after the WhamEpisode]].
* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Rex is usually depicted wielding Pyra's Aegis Sword (a [[PlayingWithFire flame-spewing]] LaserBlade) in the game's cutscenes and supplemental material much more often than Mythra's Aegis Sword (a [[LightEmUp light-emitting]] [[LaserBlade Laser-]]{{BFS}}). In gameplay, Pyra, while not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, is near-completely outclassed by Mythra, [[OvershadowedByAwesome who is just plain better at everything]]. Once you get Mythra (which is pretty early on), there's not much reason to use Pyra anymore unless you need her fire element for something, or if you just like [[NiceGirl Pyra]] more than [[{{Tsundere}} Mythra]]. Otherwise, it's heavily downplayed compared to its predecessor, as the ability to hot-swap between weapons is a ubiquitous in-universe technique and the only (non-cosmetic-DLC) character appearance change is a plot-related spoiler.

*** Yuna's starter staff is her trademark, in part due to the iconic scene in which she uses it in her first on-screen sending of spirits, and is the default staff she will be shown with in most promotional images and appearances in other media. Notably, unlike other characters' starting weapons, who share their appearance with several other more powerful weapons, there are scarcely any weapons that use the same appearance as Yuna's starting staff, which means that once you get another staff, you'll likely never see her more iconic staff again aside from the odd cutscene that uses characters' default weapons instead of their currently equipped ones, which may happen ''before Yuna even joins the party''.

The reasons for this are varied. The developers may not want to spoil the appearance of a SwordOfPlotAdvancement or an InfinityPlusOneSword in the promotional art. Oftentimes in games [[RainbowPimpGear the combination of gear that offers the most optimal stats is not the most attractive]], and so the starting equipment might be chosen simply because it looks the best and/or is most cohesive. The developers may also use their preferred or best character design as the starting equipment in order to leave a good first impression on players. Also, in many games, the equipment that the player wears vary for each playthrough because of StoryBranching, leveling choices, or simple player preference; thus, the starting gear is the sole common denominator that all players will be familiar with regardless of what gear they used later in the game.

** Link's iconic outfit is his green tunic. In some games he can find other outfits that offer some benefit over his standard one, meaning that the players will rarely use his default one after acquiring them. ''Twilight Princess'' averts this because while Link's alternate outfits of the Zora Armor and Magic Armor give him the ability to breathe underwater and invincibility, respectively, they each have their respective downsides of making him extremely weak to fire and ice attacks and draining his rupees, giving players a reason to equip his standard outfit again. In ''Ocarina of Time'', Link can swap out his green Kokiri Tunic for the Goron or Zora Tunics, which respectively grant him the ability to withstand high temperatures and breathe underwater. Unlike in ''Twilight Princess'', there's no benefit to switching back to the default outfit, meaning that once you acquire them, you'll probably be wearing the Goron or Zora Tunics for the rest of the game. This makes for an awkward moment with the introduction to ''The Wind Waker'', in which young boys are said to wear green tunics to mark their coming of age in commemoration of the green-clad Hero from ''Ocarina of Time'' who defeated Ganon, even though many players probably defeated Ganon wearing the red Goron or blue Zora Tunics in the latter game.

** Downplayed with the starter Pokémon. In the games, by virtue of EvolutionPowerUp, the {{Starter Mon}}s remain useful throughout the game; however, with a few exceptions, the first stage starters tend to remain the most popular and heavily featured in promotional materials and merchandise. Characters in the anime will often not evolve their Pokémon, likely due to the base forms being more popular, recognizable, and [[MerchandiseDriven merchandisable]].

Compare Level1MusicRepresents, where early game music becomes the most iconic and emblematic of a game.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': Chrom is consistently depicted wielding the basic form of the Falchion, which has deteriorated in power in the two millennia since [[VideoGame/FireEmblemArchanea Marth]] wielded it. Although it having [[BreakableWeapons unlimited uses]] means it'll never be ''completely'' useless, its low attack power means that Chrom will likely spend most of the game wielding other weapons until the Falchion is upgraded into the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Exalted Falchion]] near the end of the game, a [[PowerGlows different-looking]] form that has been scarcely, if ever, depicted outside of ''Awakening''.

** That, said, some games do feature swords that are more powerful than the Master Sword, but these are typically (a) upgrades to the Master Sword itself, or (b) have some tradeoff that might make the player want to switch back to the Master Sword, such as the Biggoron's Sword from ''Ocarina of Time'', which is a two-handed sword that prevents Link from using his shield.
** Link's iconic outfit is his green tunic. In some games he can find other outfits that offer some benefit over his standard one, meaning that the players will rarely use his default one after acquiring them. ''Twilight Princess'' averts this because while Link's alternate outfits of the Zora Armor and Magic Armor give him the ability to breathe underwater and invincibility, respectively, they each have their respective downsides of making him extremely weak to fire and ice attacks and draining his rupees, giving players a reason to equip his standard outfit again. In ''Ocarina of Time'', Link can swap out his green Kokiri Tunic for the Goron or Zora tunics, which respectively grant him the ability to withstand high temperatures and breathe underwater. Unlike in ''Twilight Princess'', there's no benefit to switching back to the default outfit, meaning that once you acquire them, you'll probably be wearing the Goron or Zora Tunics for the rest of the game. This makes for an awkward moment with the introduction to ''The Wind Waker'', in which young boys are said to wear green tunics to mark their coming of age in commemoration of the green-clad Hero from ''Ocarina of Time'' who defeated Ganon, even though many players probably defeated Ganon wearing the red Goron or blue Zora Tunic in the latter game.
** Zigzagged in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', with most official art depicting him wearing the Champion's Tunic and Hylian Trousers. The Champion's tunic averts this, due to it not being starter equipment as well as offering good protection at each upgrade level without compromising stealth too much, so players have a reason to keep using it throughout the game, but the Hylian Trousers play this straight since they are one of the first items of clothing you can acquire and have only modest defense and stealth, and no protection from extreme elements, meaning that players will likely be wearing something else most of the time. Link is also [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic depicted without any headgear]], even though it is usually optimal to equip one since doing so will raise your defence and/or offer some other benefit.

* ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'': 47's trusty piano cord (for strangulations) has been present in every iteration, due to his noiseless nature, the fact it's unconscious, and the fact it doesn't need ammo.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': The [[PlayerCharacter Dragonborn's]] most iconic outfit, depicted in virtually all promotional material, is a set of iron armor that most players will stop wearing by hour three [[note]] and if you choose to [[StoryBranching follow Ralof at Helgen]] will be outclassed before you even get it[[/note]] and a steel sword that will last for a few hours past that at most.

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Rex is usually depicted wielding Pyra's Aegis Sword (a [[PlayingWithFire flame-spewing]] LaserBlade) in the game's cutscenes and supplemental material much more often than Mythra's Aegis Sword (a [[LightEmUp light-emitting]] [[LaserBlade Laser-]]{{BFS}}). In gameplay, Pyra, while not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, is near-completely outclassed by Mythra, [[OvershadowedByAwesome who is just plain better at everything]]. Once you get Mythra (which is pretty early on), there's not much reason to use Pyra anymore unless you need her fire element for something, or if you just like [[NiceGirl Pyra]] more than [[{{Tsundere}} Mythra]]. Otherwise it's heavily downplayed compared to its predecessor, as the ability to hot-swap between weapons is a ubiquitous in-universe technique and the only (non-cosmetic-DLC) character appearance change is a plot-related spoiler.

** In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Rex is usually depicted wielding Pyra's Aegis Sword (a [[PlayingWithFire flame-spewing]] LaserBlade) in the game's cutscenes and supplemental material much more often than Mythra's Aegis Sword (a [[LightEmUp light-emitting]] [[LaserBlade Laser-]]{{BFS}}). In gameplay, Pyra, while not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, is near-completely outclassed by Mythra, [[OvershadowedByAwesome who is just plain better at everything]]. Once you get Mythra (which is pretty early on), there's not much reason to use Pyra anymore unless you need her fire element for something, or if you just like [[NiceGirl Pyra]] more than [[{{Tsundere}} Mythra]]. Otherwise it's heavily downplayed compared to its predecessor, as the ability to hot-swap between weapons is a ubiquitous in-universe technique and the only (non-cosmetic-DLC) character appearance change is a plot-related spoiler.

** In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Rex is usually depicted wielding Pyra's Aegis Sword (a [[PlayingWithFire flame-spewing]] LaserBlade) in the game's cutscenes and supplemental material much more often than Mythra's Aegis Sword (a [[LightEmUp light-emitting]] [[LaserBlade Laser-]]{{BFS}}). In gameplay, Pyra, while not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, is near-completely outclassed by Mythra, [[OvershadowedByAwesome who is just plain better at everything]]. Once you get Mythra (which is pretty early on), there's not much reason to use Pyra anymore unless you need her fire element for something, or if you just like [[NiceGirl Pyra]] more than [[{{Tsundere}} Mythra]].