History Main / SpyCatsuit

* Characters/{{Catwoman|SelinaKyle}} in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' gets special mention for sporting one of these with the [[NavelDeepNeckline zipper down]], showing off her MostCommonSuperpower [[ExposedToTheElements in sub-zero weather]].

* Quite a lot of the outfits for Nina Williams from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' are spy catsuits, given that she's an assassin.

* Despite what PopCulturalOsmosis would have you believe, this trope is not as prevalent in the ''Film/JamesBond'' movies as one might imagine. The {{Bond Girl}}s that are spies themselves usually dress appropriately for the occasion, whether it's an evening dress, a disguise, or khakis and sneakers. Jinx in ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' is the only one to wear a "proper" spy catsuit.

* In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'', Rouge the Bat has a tight suit complete with a [[ChainmailBikini heart breastplate]] and a sleeve covering her tail. Her outfit in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' also qualifies.
* The Abyss Ranger alternate costume set in ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' dresses everyone in the party up in these. They sort of look like sexy Power Rangers. Except Anise. She just looks awesome.

* The Ghosts in ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' got the [[http://images.wikia.com/starcraft/images/7/71/Ghost_SC-G_Cncpt1.jpg Hostile Environment Suit]] which is designed to act like a wetsuit while being undetectable by thermal sensors. It also supports [[InvisibilityCloak Personal Cloaking]].

** Notably for a show about an ActionGirl, this trope is used very sparingly with the main character. Kim's usual mission wear is more practical, although in the early seasons it bares her midriff. A "Stealth Suit" was introduced in the second season but was only used once. Also, the overweight GadgeteerGenius Wade wears [[FanDisservice one of his own]].
** A “battle suit” was also introduced in the SeriesFauxnale [[WesternAnimation/KimPossibleMovieSoTheDrama movie]] but [[HoldingBackThePhlebotinum it was retired]] in the PostScriptSeason because it was too much of a GameBreaker. Her [[RelationshipUpgrade Best friend-turned-boyfriend]] Ron also wore it once, but he was slim and [[TheCutie cute enough]] that it didn’t veer into FanDisservice territory. The same cannot be said for [[MadScientist Professor Dementor]] and her cousin Larry, who also put the suit on.

* On ''[[WesternAnimation/KaBlam Life with Loopy]]'', Loopy's mom wears a blue one in the short "Secret Agent Mom".

** "Read It and Weep" sees Rainbow Dash wearing one when trying to [[ItMakesSenseInContext sneak back into the Ponyville Hospital in order to retrieve a Daring Do book]]. Since her ''rainbow-colored'' tail is ''not'' covered by the suit, she ends up being {{highly visible|Ninja}}, and {{hilarity ensues}}..
** In a later episode, Twilight, Pinkie, and Spike each don into one in order to sneak into the Canterlot Archives.
** Pinkie dons one again at the beginning of "The Crystal Empire, Part 1", with ''VideoGame/SplinterCell''-style {{night vision goggles}}.
** Fluttershy dons her own spysuit (fan-named dangerous mission suit) in "Magic Duel". [[RuleOfCute Hers comes with bunny ears]].
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Candace, Stacy, and Jenny wear them in "Phineas and Ferb-Busters".

Only shows up SpyDrama shows that go light on realism. Any action show that puts a female character through [[TheInfiltration an infiltration scene]] will use it. Mostly used with at least a wink these days.

** The same outfits are worn by [[WholesomeCrossdresser Ayumu]], Eucliwood, and Seraphim during a parody of the series in the ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'' OVA.

** Also in said ''Super Smash Bros.'' game, [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake]] appears in ''his'' catsuit.
** [[VideoGame/FZero Captain Falcon]] as well.

* Despite what PopCulturalOsmosis would have you believe, this trope has never been present in the ''Film/JamesBond'' movies. The {{Bond Girl}}s that are spies themselves always dress appropriately for the occasion, whether it's an evening dress, a disguise, or khakis and sneakers. The only one that came close was Wai Lin from ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', who wore a wetsuit for the final battle on board a warship, but then again so did Bond.

** Notably for a show about an ActionGirl, this trope is used very sparingly with the main character. Kim's usual mission wear is more practical, although in the early seasons it [[BareYourMidriff bares her midriff]]. A "Stealth Suit" was introduced in the second season but was only used once. Also, the overweight GadgeteerGenius Wade wears [[FanDisservice one of his own]].

* Natasha wears a high-tech black one when she goes into action as a secret agent in ''WesternAnimation/PrincessNatasha''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingMaurice'', Malicia dresses in one when she joins Keith and Maurice to solve the mystery of what is going on in Bad Blintz; much too Keith's confusion. This being Malicia, she undoubtedly believes this is the sort of thing a heroine should be wearing when she sets out to solve a mystery.

** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIft-t-MQuE "...Ready for It?"]] video, meanwhile, has her in a white bodysuit as an homage to ''Anime/GhostInTheShell''.

* Celty from ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' wears a black skintight motorcycle jumpsuit as part of her signature outfit which also includes the famous yellow motorbike helmet.

* In ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'', Major Kusanagi wears a spy catsuit that really is a stealth device, called thermoptic camouflage. In the movie at least, this technology is used fairly extensively, although she has to be ''nude'' to use it (or rather, a flesh-colored skinsuit. The suit leaves a noticeable neckline where her skin color contrasts with the suit's.) It's somewhat less drastic in other iterations, which look more practical.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

Shows up in most SpyDrama shows. Any action show that puts a female character through [[TheInfiltration an infiltration scene]] will use it. Mostly used with at least a wink these days.

As you may have imagined, this is not something real-life (or realistic fictional) female operatives would wear in the field, though a black turtleneck and cargo pants will pull off a similar look while being much more practical. In fact, this trope originated not with spy fiction at all, but with ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, whose iconic use of this outfit is both the {{Trope Maker|s}} and {{Trope Namer|s}}. A variant of this is the tendency of female ninja in {{anime}} and superhero comics to wear excessively {{stripperiffic}} outfits.

** As mentioned earlier, catsuits were first introduced by ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, designed by Bob Kane, and which would also influence the U.S. erotic fetish scene. This is subverted in ''[[ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures The Batman & Robin Adventures]]'' #16 (a tie-in comic to the animated series), which introduced Catman as a villain inspired by Catwoman. So much so that he wears Catwoman's rather feminine-looking catsuit, which looks rather comical on a male figure.
** ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul is prone to wearing these when she actually fights, DependingOnTheWriter. They also often feature a NavelDeepNeckline or a CleavageWindow.
* The ComicBook/BlackCat also wears catsuits, unsurprisingly, though often with a glorious white fur trim.

* ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} wore a yellow and red catsuit and, later, the renowned red catsuit. His suit was altered from a catsuit appearance to, quite literally, a "devil suit".

** S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, such as Agent [[ComicBook/Agent13 Sharon Carter]], would also don white S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical catsuits.

** ComicBook/CarolDanvers, who did espionage work when she was depowered, noted that often, going unnoticed is less important than nobody remembering your face after you leave. Drawing attention to other areas can help with that.
** ComicBook/KateBishop, the second ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, wears a purple catsuit. Creator/MattFraction has stated this was a deliberate ShoutOut to Emma Peel since he writes Kate and Clint with a similar dynamic to that of Steed & Peel.

* In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', Creator/AnneHathaway's outfit as ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} is a typical example of this, complete with a zipper at the front. Bear in mind, Catwoman was the TropeCodifier.

* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ComicBook/LoisLane once wore something like this complete with CombatStilettos while posing as the superheroine "Stiletto". She complained about the suit being uncomfortable and making squeaking sounds when she walked.

* ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' gets special mention for sporting one of these with the [[NavelDeepNeckline zipper down]], showing off her MostCommonSuperpower [[ExposedToTheElements in sub-zero weather]].

* Talia al Ghul's outfit of choice in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. Also ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'s preferred outfit.

During any infiltration or stealth operation, the female lead will wear an impossibly tight catsuit. It's almost always black, may be shiny leather or latex. It's never a camo pattern or even mottled, and it can't have pockets except for a utility belt and/or gun holster. There will often be [[ZipMeUp a single zipper on the front]], which will result in a NavelDeepNeckline when it's unzipped. The suit will frequently be accompanied by [[CombatStilettos ridiculously high heels]]. If you see someone in one of these, there's little she can say to convince you she's not a spy or a fetishist outside of [[LatexSpaceSuit a Sci-Fi series]].

The writers may try to justify it, saying it's a stealth garment with sensor defeating properties — so she's seductively slathered herself in AppliedPhlebotinum. It could be for freedom of movement (a CriticalResearchFailure if the outfit is leather). It could be that she just swam up to the facility and can't ditch the wetsuit. In reality, it's to make the inevitable climbing, shimmying, flipping, and belly-crawling through a LaserHallway look [[{{Stripperiffic}} that much more like a lapdance]]. Of course, it might also be a deliberate invocation of DistractedByTheSexy and IHaveBoobsYouMustObey against male guards/suspicious people she might encounter.

** ''VideoGame/Persona5'': Ann Takamaki wears a bright red skin-tight leather jumpsuit when engaging in PhantomThief activities. This is actually an InvokedTrope InUniverse, as the outfit manifests as a portrayal of what the user imagines as a “rebellious villain”--to Ann, that’s a sexy and alluring FemmeFatale. One might think that it only makes her highly visible, restricts her movements (not helped by coming with [[CombatStilettos thigh-high boots with high heels]]), and provides no real physical protection while fighting Shadows, but A) It looks really cool, so who cares?, and B) Given that her jumpsuit is literally supernatural in origin, it might not quite have those problems to begin with.

As you may have imagined, this is not something real-life (or realistic fictional) female operatives would wear in the field, though a black turtleneck and cargo pants will pull off a similar look while being much more practical. In fact, this trope originated not with spy fiction at all, but with ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, whose iconic use of this outfit is both the {{Trope Maker|s}} and {{Trope Namer|s}}. A variant on this is the tendency of female ninja in {{anime}} and superhero comics to wear excessively {{stripperiffic}} outfits.

* ''Manga/CatsEye'', anyone? Spy catsuits complete with Xtreme plunging necklines and [[CombatStilettos built-in high heels]], for added stealth obviously. Despite this, this example is a bit more realistic than the most -- the catsuits are neither latex no leather, but lycra, and are similar to what real gymnasts wear. They don them again in the climax of ''Anime/CityHunterShinjukuPrivateEyes'', their first animated appearance since 1985.

* Hayasaka is shown wearing one of these in at the beginning of chapter 30 of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' as she sneaks in to the student council room in the middle of the night to swap out Shirogane's coffee with decaf.
* In ''Franchise/LupinIII'', one of [[MsFanservice Fujiko Mine's]] outfits is a black leather spy catsuit which she frequently [[NavelDeepNeckline doesn't zip up all the way]]. Lupin himself wears this on occasion. One of the most iconic franchise images, Lupin running along the wall with spotlights following him, has the thief with only his face revealed.

* Meiko from ''Manga/PrisonSchool'' wears an impossibly tight shinny latex bodysuit that may as well be a [[FormFittingWardrobe second skin as it shows off all of her curves]] along with a knee high steleto boots. The suit is so tight fitting that at one point she has to shred the entire suit when the gets stuck while [[PottyEmergency she badly needed to use the toilet]].

** As mentioned earlier, catsuits were first introduced by ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, designed by Bob Kane, and which would also influence the U.S. erotic fetish scene. This is subverted in ''[[ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures The Batman & Robin Adventures]]'' #16 (a tie-in comic to the animated series), which introduced Catman as a villain inspired by Catwoman. So much that he wears Catwoman's rather feminine-looking catsuit, which looks rather comical on a male figure.

* Par for the course, Sydney Savage of ''ComicBook/DangerGirl'', wears one. The [[VideoGame/DangerGirl video game]] have her in this attire in each and every stage starring her as well, notably one where she infiltrates a vault in the British Museum and crawls around some laser tripwires.

* In Adam Warren's ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'' comic, the heroine doesn't just wear a shiny skintight suit, it's a shiny skintight suit of power armor that tears like a wet hanky if she brushes against anything that has a point on it. Of course, his comic is a parody of all the tied-up, mostly naked superdamsels in distress he was drawing for commissions, but ''still''... ''Empowered'' goes well beyond skintight; the power suit is actually a membrane-thin piece of nothing that leaves the wearer effectively naked while fighting crime in public. She can't even wear underwear. The point to ''Empowered'' is to get your humiliation fetish in your ironically-titled supers fantasy. It's also Justified in that the suit fragility is because of her body-image issues. If she could take pride in her body the suit would be tougher and thicker.

* ''Film/BatmanReturns'', the first cinematic appearance of Catwoman, naturally has a skintight black catsuit. But it may be justified by two factors: a) Selina Kyle gets pushed out a window, falling several feet into the alley below and revives by supernatural means so presumably whatever also gave her the ability to suddenly pull off [[SheFu impressive gymnastics]] and survive electrocution allows her plenty of mobility. And b) she's implied to have stitched it together herself as part of her MakeoverMontage, so one can assume she made it possible to move around in. Of course, out of universe, the costume itself was a nightmare to get in and out of, and Creator/MichellePfeiffer couldn't even go to the bathroom while wearing it.

** ''Film/BlackWidow2021'' establishes the black catsuit as the uniform of all Black Widows. Natasha ditches hers early in the movie after [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar going on the run]] before donning a white version during a mission to a snowy area. During the climax of the movie she and Melina swap suits, putting Melina in white and Natasha back in her signature black. Yelena Belova goes through a similar black to white switch but her suits are slightly looser than Natasha's and she wears a tactical vest over her white suit.

* Rather cleverly invoked in 1970 British art film ''Film/SecretsOfSex.'' [[ClassyCatBurglar A female cat burglar]] wearing very tight and fanservice-y leather catsuit breaks into house, deliberately gets caught by its owner, seduces him with her sexy looks, sleeps with him, and then robs his house with him being unable to call the police because if he does, his wife will know he cheated on her with the burglar.

** Both the male and female X-Men wear the tight leather suits. The problem of mobility is pointed out in the DVD extra material by Creator/HughJackman as the suits created literal InsurmountableWaistHeightFence situations.

* Creator/RobertWestall's ''Literature/FuturetrackFive'' has Keri's motorcycle leathers. Frequently a zipper away from becoming a NavelDeepNeckline and regularly employed as a means to distract male policemen. So often used, during her career as a Racer, that's it gets referred to in-Verse as the Keri Roberts Victory Stretch And Yawn.

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': In Season 1 and 2, this is largely averted with more practical outfits for most agents, though they ''do'' still achieve the look with Skye/Daisy Johnson wearing a FormFittingWardrobe of skinny jeans and a fitted fleece creating basically the CivvieSpandex version of this trope. After she undergoes her superhero origin, starting with Season 3 she switches to a more traditional spy catsuit, making her the only agent in the show to regularly wear one, though it's somewhat inferred to be in order to benefit her superpowers. The tightness of the suit was lampshaded by her actress, Creator/ChloeBennet, when the suit was first unveiled, as she tweeted about how much of a wedgie it gave her to wear it.
* Rather persistently averted in ''Series/{{Alias}}'', where any given spy is much more likely to be in nightclub wear. There are also episodes featuring camo Army-style getups, various forms of local ethnic costume, and tourist gear. Somewhat effected anyway in that nearly all these costumes end up being form-fitting and flattering.

** ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' had an egregious example in the episode "Legacy". They arrive on a planet that's broken down into gang warfare where they meet Ishara Yar, the sister of [[KilledOffForReal deceased]] crew member Tasha Yar. Ishara is wearing a completely practical outfit given her situation. They beam her aboard and put her in tight catsuit with matching phaser holster.

* Series/{{Wonder Woman|1975}} wore one on a couple of rare occasions in which it replaced her regular costume when she needed to go swimming (likely lampshading the fact that her regular costume ''was'' basically a swimsuit). It actually fits the trope name because in the TV continuity, Diana Prince worked for a spy organization.

* Seen occasionally in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. Several Eldar have one, but it's pretty much standard issue for the Officio Assassinorum agents of the Imperium. Some employ chamaeleonic mimicry abilities, others have no special reason apart from being fetish material. In one of the newer novels, this tendency is repeatedly lampshaded when several characters can't keep their eyes from the girl-assassin brought up by a rather [[KillItWithFire puritanical]] [[ChainsawGood sect]] who would most likely kill them if she had any idea why they looked at her like that...

* The Spy unit in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} 4'' look like this, at least in the later eras. In elder times, she wears a robe and false beard.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'' features form-fitting "Khajit suits" as a clothing item that can be worned under outerwear and actual armor. They do not inherently have stealth bonuses, but it is possible to obtain and make enchanted ones that enhance stealth-related skills or allow the wearer to become invisible.

** Seems to be the normal outfit of Asari Commandoes. "Commando leathers" are mentioned a few times in explicitly fetishistic context.

* Cate Archer in ''VideoGame/NoOneLivesForever'' wears one of these on occasion, probably as homage to Emma Peel, as the game is an irreverent take on Sixties spy fiction.

* The Ghosts in ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' got the [[http://images.wikia.com/starcraft/images/7/71/Ghost_SC-G_Cncpt1.jpg Hostile Environment Suit]] which is designed act like a wetsuit while being undetectable by thermal sensors. It also supports [[InvisibilityCloak Personal Cloaking]].

* ''Webcomic/AxeCop'' wears a cat suit on night missions... [[http://axecop.com/comic/ask-axe-cop-67/ To actually pretend being a cat.]]
* ''Webcomic/BoundAdventures'' takes place in a dominatrix themed world, and this outfit is worn more often than even corsets.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Trelawney Thorpe, an English spy, rips of her elaborate full-length dress to reveal a far more practical green catsuit underneath.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' uses the second type of subversion during the ''Painted Black'' arc, where three female characters are put into brightly-colored catsuits for an infiltration / rescue mission. This is only clear in the colored strips, though, not the standard black-and-white artwork. Justified for Grace at least by being Uryuom worker suits, which are [[MySuitIsAlsoSuper designed to facilitate shapeshifting]].

* The catsuits on ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingSpiez'' has some parts that are black, but the rest of the suit it brightly coloured. They also include shoulder and knee pads, unlike their predecessors.

** Notably for a show about an ActionGirl, this trope is used very sparingly with the main character. Kim's usual mission wear is more practical, although in the early seasons it [[BareYourMidriff bares her midriff]]. A "Stealth Suit" was introduced in the second season, but was only used once. Also, the overweight GadgeteerGenius Wade wears [[FanDisservice one of his own]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' had an episode that parodied the spy genre, where Sabrina accidentally casts a spell that makes them live out Harvey's favourite spy movie. She ends up in a black bodysuit that appears to be a ShoutOut to Emma Peel of ''The Avengers'' - although thankfully the more practical variant mentioned above, since Sabrina is only twelve in this version. It can of course be hand waved as part of the spell (since Harvey's umbrella can magically deflect ice lollies fired out of a gun).

During any infiltration or stealth operation, the female lead will wear an impossibly tight catsuit. It's almost always black, may be shiny leather or latex. It's never a camo pattern or even mottled, and it can't have pockets except for a utility belt and/or gun holster. There will often be [[ZipMeUp a single zipper on the front]], which will result in AbsoluteCleavage when it's unzipped. The suit will frequently be accompanied by [[CombatStilettos ridiculously high heels]]. If you see someone in one of these, there's little she can say to convince you she's not a spy or a fetishist outside of [[LatexSpaceSuit a Sci-Fi series]].

* In ''Franchise/LupinIII'', one of [[MsFanservice Fujiko Mine's]] outfits is a black leather spy catsuit which she frequently [[AbsoluteCleavage doesn't zip up all the way]]. Lupin himself wears this on occasion. One of the most iconic franchise images, Lupin running along the wall with spotlights following him, has the thief with only his face revealed.

** ComicBook/TaliaAlGhul is prone to wearing these when she actually fights, DependingOnTheWriter. They also often feature AbsoluteCleavage or a CleavageWindow.

* Creator/RobertWestall's ''Literature/FuturetrackFive'' has Keri's motorcycle leathers. Frequently a zipper away from becoming Absolute Cleavage and regularly employed as a means to distract male policemen. So often used, during her career as a Racer, that's it gets referred to in-Verse as the Keri Roberts Victory Stretch And Yawn.

* The Wrestling/BellaTwins wore sleeveless and backless catsuits around 2011, with AbsoluteCleavage to boot.

* ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' gets special mention for sporting one of these with the [[AbsoluteCleavage zipper down]], showing off her MostCommonSuperpower [[ExposedToTheElements in sub-zero weather]].

* The [[{{Ninja}} kunoichi]] [[MsFanservice Kasuga]] from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' wears an especially {{stripperiffic}} black catsuit complete with some impressive AbsoluteCleavage.

* ''Manga/CatsEye'', anyone? Spy catsuits complete with Xtreme plunging necklines and [[CombatStilettos built-in high heels]], for added stealth obviously. Despite this, this example is a bit more realistic than the most -- the catsuits are neither latex no leather, but lycra, and are similar to what real gymnasts wear.

* Par for the course, Sydney Savage of ''ComicBook/DangerGirl'', wears one.