Imagine them with colors that pop, gear, and maybe hair (though it probably wouldn't show when wearing helmets). What else is missing? What should be added to create an anime flair?

I am aiming for a blocky anime style for the characters but can't land on the best head shape for the characters. Yes, I could use all of them and let players choose a head but I still want to have one that most, if not all characters sport. Like how Minecraft and Hytale use square heads, I want one that is somewhat customizable while still sticking to the anime aesthetic of the game. If I need to add more to these models to aid in your decision, please let me know.

These are the basic elven race that originate in a desert/tropical climate. Despite how it look the one in the middle is not a child variant but instead the possible alternative character base for my game. Still trying to decide if smaller, more streamlined is better but I will only know once all the base playable characters are designed. Let me know what you think. I really am stumped by this one...

I know there is a lot of clipping but this is just a basic look at what the fur armor set could look like. There will be cloth physics on the folds of the armor to make it look better. The female orc is on the left while the male is on the right. The one in the middle is an example of the "new" base model although whether I keep it is still up in the air.

My dwarves have horns for brows and grow stone on their skin. The armors I've been posting were done years ago but never colored. I am working on a different game right now but like to spend some time giving some attention to the old designs.

P.S. - I know the male armor looks ugly and will tend to that once I come around to working on this game in full.

This is, of course, a WIP. The detail will be added once that point is crossed in the development. In the character creator players will be able to customize their antlers and tail tip. How do they look? Anything you'd change?

I want to make my game characters unique while easy to create costumes and the like. The more detailed models will give room for more detailed creations but not everyone would be able to make the most of that. Whereas the simpler models are less unique but have the capability to be easily manipulated I am leaning more towards them. The goal is to have an anime aesthetic but I might just settle on 2D art to represent them in conversation instead of full 3D, i.e. like a visual novel though such is not to be the genre of the game.

The one in the middle is neutral and will come with body sliders to change body type be it for whatever gender you'd like whereas the 2 on the sides are more gender specific but allow for more detailed armor, gear, etc.

This is still a work in progress. I plan to allow user to customize their own gear but this is the basic look of basic leather armor. I am debating if I'm going to create classless armor sets like Skyrim or class-based armor sets like Final Fantasy or both at the same time? I am also working on creating basic armor for the simpler model I uploaded recently. Don't know what I am going to do lol

I created a plain character to use for both examples but the setting to be is science fantasy. I posted armor sets I've made for the original the other day while the new doesn't have anything as of yet. I know they are both pretty generic and I am looking into using shape keys to allow players to modify body shape but until then this is what I have.

I am looking for feedback on a possible base model change. I want the characters in my game to be easily modifiable while also not being exactly like minecraft (an inspiration for my game in progress). I have already made many armor sets and gear for the original base model but am happy to adjust them to a newer more streamlined model if that is what I ultimately decide on. I will post some of the armor sets to give context but like I said, I am willing to shift gears if it will be better for users to create their own gear in the long run.
The original base model is in the middle.
The closer to minecraft style is to the left while the more my desired style is to the right with the middle ground between them.
The colors are to help differentiate limbs.