History Main / NavelOutline

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'': Zig-zagged with Samus in her [[SensualSpandex Zero Suit]]. As Samus taking her armor off to provide some amount of fanservice for faster completion times is a series tradition, the introduction of the Zero Suit in ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' changed the game, with Samus now canonically shown to have a skintight blue undersuit beneath her armor (or more accurately, the armor forms around the suit). However, since [[DependingOnTheWriter no one can seem to agree]] on whether the suit conforms to Samus' body shape, or if it is something with a static shape that she is simply [[BuxomBeautyStandard busty enough to stretch]], we get games where Samus in her Zero Suit ''does'' [[https://i.redd.it/u32wifs5w3mz.jpg possess a navel outline]], such as ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'', ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', or ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', or games where she ''doesn't'' possess one, like ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', ''Videogame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', or even its introductory game ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission''.

A pretty standard form of fanservice ([[AlwaysFemale usually for sufficiently attractive female characters]]) is to have a character wear an outfit that draws attention to her navel, either by [[BareYourMidriff baring the midriff]] entirely or having an opening [[NavelWindow just large enough]] to reveal it. This trope accomplishes the same effect without actual exposure of the navel - instead, the outline of the character's navel is apparent through her clothes.

Compare and contrast with FormFittingWardrobe, LeotardOfPower, SensualSpandex, and PaintedOnPants. For related navel fanservice tropes, see BareYourMidriff and NavelWindow.

* While most magical girls in ''[[VideoGame/MagiaRecordPuellaMagiMadokaMagicaSideStory Magia Record]]'' with visible navels have them because of BareYourMidriff and NavelWindow, main characters Iroha Tamaki and Yachiyo Nanami have outfits that are form-fitting enough around their middles for their navels to be visible.

[[quoteright:316:[[VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twitchvinegar.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:316:Vinegar (right) contrasts the typical belly button fanservice of her cohort Twitch (left).]]

* The spandex portion of Cecily Campbell's ChainmailBikini armor does this in ''LightNovel/TheSacredBlacksmith''.
* Steyr of ''Anime/ScrappedPrincess'' sports this as part of her status as TheVamp, despite her dress being loose otherwise. Pacifica's armor also inexplicably shows an indentation where her navel is.

* Merry Nightmare from ''Anime/YumekuiMerry'' has a visible navel outline when she wears a one-piece school swimsuit in the BeachEpisode. Protagonist Yumeji complains of the swimsuit [[LampshadeHanging covering her midriff]]; Merry's bare stomach is perhaps the most emphasized part of her usual design, especially in the anime, which frequently displayed gratuitous close-up shots of her belly button for fanservice.

* The spandex portion of Cecily Campbell's ChainmailBikini armor does this in ''LightNovel/TheSacredBlacksmith''.
* Mount Lady sometimes sports one in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''.

* Miyu Edelfelt in ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'' has one in her MagicalGirl attire.
* Elizabeth's first uniform in ''Manga/{{The Seven Deadly Sins}}'' usually shows her navel outright (as it's chosen by ChivalrousPervert Meliodas), but on the occasion that she's positioned in a manner such that it does not, her navel outline will usually still be visible through it.
* ''Manga/{{Kenichi The Mightiest Disciple}}'': Miu's outfit of choice is a LeotardOfPower that perfectly shows off (among other things) the outline of her belly button.

* ''Videogame/{{Shantae}}''
** Trope image Vinegar of the ''Shantae'' series is a significant example; she is literally the only young female character who does not show her navel outright in a series whose calling-card is cute girls showing their midriffs. Instead, the outline of her navel shows through her top.
** Shantae herself has one in her Officer attire from ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero'', which is the only costume she's donned that does not bare her midriff outright.
* Kaguya Nanbu, Xiaomu, Aschen Brodel, and pretty much every female character in ''Videogame/{{Endless Frontier}}'' who do not show their belly button outright sport this. A source of HypocriticalHumor, given the latter's tendency to make fun of their castmates for showing their navels.

* In a rare case of this trope being censored, Fischl of ''Videogame/GenshinImpact'' formerly had one in her usual leotard.

* ''Franchise/TombRaider'':
** In Core Design's ''Videogame/TombRaiderLastRevelation'' and ''Videogame/TombRaiderChronicles'', Lara's navel is visible through her main outfit.
** Many of Lara's outfits in the first Crystal Dynamics trilogy prominently feature this, especially the Biker outfits from ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' and the Classic outfit from ''VideoGame/TombRaiderUnderworld''.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
** Zero Suit Samus did not have one in ''Videogame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' but does starting in ''Videogame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU''. Interestingly, this coincided with the introduction of her midriff-baring alternate costumes.
** Pyra also has one in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
** Cammy White has had one since her introduction in ''[[Videogame/{{Street Fighter II}} Super Street Fighter II Turbo]]'' as a result of her LeotardOfPower. It survived her [[https://i.redd.it/sedqyctz8j1y.jpg censoring]] in ''Videogame/{{Street Fighter V}}'' but was considered for removal.
** R Mika did not have one in ''Videogame/StreetFighterAlpha3'' but does in her new attire in Videogame/{{Street Fighter V}}, despise her navel being the only part of her midriff her outfit actually covers.

* ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'': A handful of the Valkyries have body-hugging battlesuits that create this effect, such as Kiana as White Comet, Fu Hua as Shadow Knight, and Hua in her original outfit as a MANTIS soldier in the Previous Era.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* The spandex portion of Cecily Campbell's ChainmailBikini armor does this in ''LightNovel/{{The Sacred Blacksmith}}''.
* Mount Lady sometimes sports one in ''Manga/{{My Hero Academia}}''.
* Merry Nightmare from ''Anime/{{Yumekui Merry}}'' has a visible navel outline when she wears a one-piece school swimsuit in the BeachEpisode. Protagonist Yumeji complains of the swimsuit [[LampshadeHanging covering her midriff]]; Merry's bare stomach is perhaps the most emphasized part of her usual design, especially in the anime, which frequently displayed gratuitous close-up shots of her belly button for fanservice.
* Miyu Edelfelt in ''Manga/{{Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya}}'' has one in her MagicalGirl attire.

* Comicbook/{{Power Girl}} often has this depending on how much fanservice the illustrator intends to invoke.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman:'' Both Diana and her twin ComicBook/{{Nubia}} have been drawn by certain artists so that their navel is visible through their costumes. With Nubia it was visible through ''armor''.

* ''Toys/{{Megami Device}}'': Almost all kits have an option between a skin-colored belly plate or an alternate part matching the color of the girl's clothes to cover more skin. As the two plates are usually the same part, just in different colors, the "covered" belly plate still has the navel sculpted into it, resulting in this trope.

* ''Franchise/{{Fate Series}}''

* ''Franchise/TombRaider''

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter''

[[quoteright:316:[[VideoGame/{{Shantae}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twitchvinegar.png]]]]

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** Shantae herself has one in her Officer attire from ''Half-Genie Hero'', which is the only costume she's donned that does not bare her midriff outright.

* Steyr of ''Anime/{{Scrapped Princess}}'' sports this as part of her status as TheVamp, despite her dress being loose otherwise. Pacifica's armor also inexplicably shows an indentation where her navel is.

* In a rare case of this trope being censored, Fischl of ''Videogame/{{Genshin Impact}}'' formerly had one in her usual leotard.
* Tharja's SensualSpandex shows this in her normal attire in ''Videogame/{{Fire Emblem}}''.

* ''Franchise/{{Tomb Raider}}''

* ''Videogame/{{Super Smash Bros}}''
** Zero Suit Samus did not have one in ''Videogame/{{Super Smash Bros Brawl}}'' but does starting in ''Videogame/{{Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U}}''. Interestingly, this coincided with the introduction of her midriff-baring alternate costumes.
** Pyra also has one in ''Videogame/{{Super Smash Bros Ultimate}}''.

* ''Videogame/{{StreetFighter}}''

Physics dictate that this trope almost never occurs in [[RealityIsUnrealistic real life]] (unless the person has an outie), even with a FormFittingWardrobe. This is because a tight wrapping follows the protrusions, not the concavities, of the body it wraps.

[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:330:[[VideoGame/{{Shantae}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shantae_twitchandvinegar.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:Vinegar (right) contrasts the typical belly button fanservice of her cohort Twitch (left).]]

** R Mika did not have one in ''[[Videogame/{{Street Fighter III}} Street Fighter III Alpha]]'' but does in her new attire in Videogame/{{Street Fighter V}}, despise her navel being the only part of her midriff her outfit actually covers.

** Shantae herself has one in her Officer attire, which is the only costume she's donned that does not bare her midriff outright.

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shantae_twitchandvinegar.png]]

Examples:

[[quoteright:50:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shantae_twitchandvinegar.png]]
[[caption-width-right:330:Vinegar (right) contrasts the typical belly button fanservice of her cohort Twitch (left).]]