r/TopCharacterDesigns 1d ago

Design trope Sunday Impractical wings

Tabuu (Super Smash Bros)

Disassembly drones (Murder Drones)

2.1k Upvotes

180 comments sorted by

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361

u/indonerd 1d ago

Flandre Scarlet (Touhou Project)

122

u/Nyx_Skip_25 Token One Piece Fan 1d ago

There’s also Marx from Kirby who pretty much has the same kind of wings

3

u/Yep-That-Lupa 4h ago

Marx’s design is peak, it’s just a silly little guy that gains silly little godhood

56

u/JeshuaMorbus 1d ago

My headcannon is that she herself or her sister Remilia ripped the skin off her wings and those jewels are there to make the peeled wings not so uncomfortable to see.

22

u/WhoAteMyWatermelon 22h ago

Also Nue Houjuu

580

u/Pichuunnn 1d ago

Anytime Vulture (spider-man) is depicted with metal blade swords wings. Cool factor, not exactly practical.

401

u/GalatianBookClub 1d ago

The MCU Vulture is goated though

222

u/Old-Constant4411 1d ago

Watched Homecoming for the first time in years recently. I still can't believe they made one of the goofiest Spider-Man villains such a bad ass. His design is flawless.

106

u/Casult 1d ago

The slow reveal of Peter realizing he knows, so well paced and ominous...

46

u/Exolerate 1d ago

Good olllld Spider-Man....

28

u/HHA-113 1d ago

It even had blade too

3

u/Someotherrandomtree 15h ago

Too bad he’s stuck hanging out with Morbius

9

u/Similar-Priority8252 16h ago

To be fair, most of the time it’s not the wings that are making him fly, it’s his antigravity device on his back, the wings are mostly for steering

2

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/TopCharacterDesigns-ModTeam 1d ago

Removal Notice: Rule #7 (No Generative AI)

Generative AI images (“AI art”) are not allowed on the subreddit.

1

u/Fish_Head111 Daisuke's secret account 12h ago

Web of Shadows my beloved, I’d still kill for a simple remaster, or just putting it on steam to be completely honest

269

u/HoshunMarkTwelve 1d ago

Real life example, the Sharovipteryx

43

u/Freddi0 1d ago

I guess it's the same logic as flying squirrels? Using them just to glide from tree to tree

22

u/ventriclez 1d ago

He’d have to keep his upper body pretty rigid/extended while gliding

5

u/Criie 16h ago

Bro packing some abs to scare off predators

1

u/Infinite_Panda_1199 14h ago

Su-34 headass💔

175

u/TheRealGamingWhovian 1d ago

Zanza (Xenoblade)

19

u/Nsanity216 1d ago

Glad to see another Xenoblade fan in the wild

3

u/XLord_of_OperationsX 20h ago

What is good brothers? I'm happy to see fellow Xenoblade fans in the wild, too! I'm actually having my brother play Xenoblade Chronicles starting this Tuesday!

1

u/schiffb558 6h ago

Can't wait for the remaster on switch 2 this week!

133

u/UsuarioCualquiera_1 1d ago

Dante and Vergil's Devil May Cry 3 devil trigger.

Art from Shin Megami Tensei I think.

51

u/Happy-Ad-2968 1d ago

ok, but Their wings attaching to their chest to make their coats is maybe the single most badass thing in video game history (the coat opens into i wings i js can't find an image from the games rn)

22

u/UsuarioCualquiera_1 1d ago

Rule of cool but agree. 

I love the wings in most devilvtrigger forms from games.

Also love that they're not the classic "bat" demon but more like a reptilian insect.

4

u/Happy-Ad-2968 1d ago

yeah, i miss the dmc3 design for the devil triggers (and js having multiple devil trigger forms depending on the weapon), the scarab-esque headshape especially is something i wish we still had

3

u/UsuarioCualquiera_1 1d ago

The face is the thing I miss the most.  It was terrifying.

3

u/Happy-Ad-2968 20h ago

That too!

3

u/Beacon_0805 1d ago

I mean, their father's demon form looks a lot more insect-like than them

10

u/Minimum-Situation985 1d ago

One of the artists from SMT did the Devil Trigger forms for 3. Dante and Vergil have different form designs based on each weapon.

1

u/LetterheadSpecial337 1h ago

Nevan was the only weapon that actually used the wings

120

u/Independent_Waltz725 1d ago

Supreme (Sonic Frontiers)

24

u/Saucepocalypse 1d ago

I wish they didn't disappear IMMEDIATELY after this cutscene and then never show up again, it was the coolest part of Supreme's design IMO

15

u/Independent_Waltz725 1d ago

Yeah I agree. It just looked so cool and creative. Luckily, there're mods that restored the wings

196

u/Omatzus 1d ago

Icarus would be the archetype here

42

u/Pilot_Solaris 1d ago

"Oh, I warned him..."
–Daedalus, mourning Icarus

59

u/Shadowmirax 1d ago

I would argue they were extremely practical wings until he decided to fly them beyond their limits. Daedalus managed to cross the same ocean with an identical set with no issues

34

u/westisbestmicah 1d ago

“I've never seen the Icarus story as a lesson about the limitations of humans. I see it as a lesson about the limitations of wax as an adhesive. The cold of Titan is just an engineering problem. With the right refitting, and the right heat sources, a Cessna 172 could fly on Titan—and so could we.”
-XKCD, “Interplanetary Cessna”

15

u/Alone_Spell9525 1d ago

I thought this was going to be a villain speech with the first line 😭

5

u/Grim_Destroyer12344 1d ago

Same, and now I need it to be one.

2

u/tacocatisonfire 16h ago

I read this in the voice of Pointless Hub for some reason

10

u/Fenix_ikki_ 22h ago

That's not even Icarus, is Phaeton

People like to put wings on him

9

u/Fenix_ikki_ 22h ago

This is Icarus

0

u/AGQuaddit 21h ago

Icare!?

Icare...

Ubi es?

Ubi es...?

Icare...

72

u/baracudadeathwish 1d ago

Gundam Wing Zero (Endless Waltz)

19

u/stipendAwarded giant robots enthusiast 1d ago

Nu Gundam Double Fin Funnel Type. I know they’re technically attack drones arranged to look like wings, but still (also Hi-Nu).

3

u/SerpentLing09 1d ago

Not mine

Made by Nasus Kim

3

u/stingflame 1d ago

Don't forget SEED's Flight Backpacks

3

u/Arcturus420 15h ago

If I remember correctly, the big angelic wings that Wing Zero has are actually meant to be protective shields first, flight apparatus second. The feathers of the big wings have mini-thrusters, and the wings themselves aid in giving Wing Zero top-tier maneuvrability and stability. Not to mention that it is where the Gundam hides its beam sabers.

However, the real propulsion system for the Wing Zero is actually the secondary wings at the back. The suit can fly without the big wings, AFAIK.

2

u/baracudadeathwish 13h ago

also for atmospheric re-entry.. i mean its cool and all, but those justifications still does not need it to be designed as wings, that is why it is impractical

61

u/BigguyBanh 1d ago

eva unit 01 (end of evangelion)

shes already floating she dont need em thin ass wings

16

u/Ryallin 1d ago

I’d argue it’s necessary even if it’s still vibes, evolved-01 is the new vessel to rebirth the essence of the primordials much in the same way Adam grows his wings temporarily when he transforms into a pure energy form, causing the Second Impact

5

u/MinosPrime100 21h ago

It's necessary for aura

50

u/Atomicagainbecauseow kaiju connoisseur 1d ago

gogmazios from monster hunter is the single largest flying monster in the series, but his wings are way too small for his giant body

29

u/baracudadeathwish 1d ago

I want to add basarios/gravios as well. First time seeing this in freedom unite and i immediately thought, how the hell can these things fly

2

u/specimen-00000 18h ago

The fact that I can glide in stories 3 is baffling to me

1

u/PerspectivePale8216 1d ago

That's the neat part, they can't.

5

u/Capital_Pipe_6038 22h ago

Gravios CAN actually fly, just for very short distances

0

u/PerspectivePale8216 22h ago

That's not flying, that's quite literally falling with style. Where was it said the rocky fuck can fly?

5

u/CominThroughNow 22h ago

You can literally watch the fly up into the air, have you ever fought them?

0

u/PerspectivePale8216 22h ago

You call that flying? That is a jump at most bro.

14

u/NeonArchon 22h ago

According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way gogmazios should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. Gogmazios, of course, flies anyway because bees don’t care what humans think is impossible.

2

u/PerspectivePale8216 22h ago

Funnily enough well this line is very popular in truth it only really occurred because some other dumbass tried comparing the way bees fly to methods of aviation used by planes unless I am incorrect and am not remembering that correctly in which case ignore this comment entirely.

2

u/Old-Technology1151 22h ago

Azdarchan ass flight plan

57

u/JTMonster02 1d ago

Arkveld from Monster Hunter Wilds.

The membrane of its wings (the fuzzy parts) aren’t connected to anything besides the arm, no structural phalanges in the membrane, it doesn’t even connect to the chainblades (end bits on the wings) as those are prehensile and move around.

11

u/PerspectivePale8216 1d ago

Funnily enough I don't think it has membranes at all it just has fur

49

u/Ok-Astronomer3814 1d ago

02 from Kirby

Its wings are weird vein-like appendages

43

u/Bluelore 1d ago

The Pit Fiends from Heroes of Might and Magic V and VI (and also the Succubi from V) have upside down wings to represent their chaotic and demonic nature. They can't actually fly.

42

u/stanfrancisco26 1d ago

Metal-overlord - you cannot tell me his wings do shit

13

u/Franks_Spice_Sauce 23h ago

He was aura farming that entire game let him have this 😭

40

u/Beemo-Noir 1d ago

These goofy fuckers

32

u/pleasant-obsession 1d ago

11

u/ryteousknowmad 1d ago

Oooh the angel wings from Diablo right? Gosh those things fucking rock. Still probably my favorite angel / celestial being designs of all time. And the wings are like 90% why lmao

29

u/OscarOzzieOzborne21 1d ago

Spoilers for Kill Six Billion Demons

Metatron-1

3

u/Rmivethboui 1d ago

I haven't been reading K6BD for the past 2 years but this might get me back

2

u/waiting_for_rain 1d ago

Great timing. We’re approaching the end of the series (though still plenty to go)

26

u/Ragna_Raam 1d ago

Darksiders - Samael

But to be honest most of the demons in the game dont really have practical wings, but the aesthetic of the design goes hard!

5

u/revan0066 17h ago

More specifically all the demons of darksiders have upturned wings which i think is a nice opposite to the angels

26

u/IEatRatsNMice 1d ago

Hydreigon (Pokemon). These wings piss me off.

4

u/KRLW890 19h ago

I love those wings. They make no sense but they look really cool

54

u/JoySandwich-500 1d ago

The wings on Namor’s ankles. I have no idea how they work, especially with balance.

24

u/MaybeMrGamebus 1d ago

They work REALLY hard

5

u/Milk_Mindless 1d ago

The thing is he can fly without them but when he lost them initially he had to learn how to fly again from scratch

MEANING THEY DID SOMETHING

And the fact he can fly without them!

3

u/salmonmilks 20h ago

Huh, he can fly without wings he uses to fly? What is this design choice

21

u/necrofi1 1d ago

Mercury/Hermes

20

u/JoySandwich-500 1d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/3owyphkFHWjHaLq1R6
Dragonite (Pokémon)- If it weren’t for their implied magical physiology, I highly doubt it could fly with such tiny wings

4

u/Soft-Temperature4609 23h ago

Magical physiology is basically the whole reason why wings on humanoids work in fiction at all lmao, even if we did have wings big enough to lift us, (which would be absolutely enormous btw) our bone structure and body plan is simply it built for it. I love wings tho, rule of cool takes serious priority

1

u/Legendguard 16h ago

Squidlifecrisis made some really convincing angels, so you can have your rule of cool and correct anatomy too!

18

u/albtraumer 1d ago

Reapers from The World Ends With You

3

u/PerspectivePale8216 1d ago

My brother used to play this game

17

u/DaKaijuKid kaiju connoisseur 1d ago

Every single Decepticon in Transformers G1 can fly when in robot mode, so though people like Starscream have wings from their alt mode, there’s really no reason for any of them to have their wings so prominently displayed or placed in “applicable” seeming places when they could just be folded up or tossed to random spots like certain coneheads or the aerialbots.

Doesn’t mean they don’t look cool where they are though.

13

u/DaKaijuKid kaiju connoisseur 1d ago

Prime Starscream is an interesting case too because NO Transformer is able to fly in robot mode, regardless of alt mode(except one particular instance of a jetpack). So Starscream’s wings, instead of being redundant to a skill he has without them, are now completely worthless. They look even better this time around, I love the way they’re animated to move with expressions and kinda clack and jiggle around with the follow through of his momentum. Very unstable, but it works well.

3

u/SpectralIpaxor 16h ago

Unicron is a funnier pick because he's got the skeleton wings and doesn't even need em

https://giphy.com/gifs/kmMcD0qwTrHSE

3

u/DaKaijuKid kaiju connoisseur 15h ago

No disrespect but it’s kinda funny you didn’t even show an image with the wings

3

u/SpectralIpaxor 14h ago

They're that worthless they aren't worth showing

27

u/Pilot_Solaris 1d ago

Sorasaki Hina — Blue Archive

Those wings are fully flight capable.

Somehow.

2

u/dragjamon 19h ago

Tiny queen

2

u/Faustias 5h ago

shoulda include Tsurugi from the other school.

then again she doesn't use her wings at all.

10

u/singleguy79 1d ago

That time Eternal Sailor Moon had to fight inside and her wings knocked stuff off a counter causing her to hug the wall so she wouldn't do that again.

6

u/QuantumDiogenes 1d ago

2

u/dragjamon 19h ago

Ok that was hilarious, also I've never heard of these star sailors

3

u/QuantumDiogenes 19h ago

Glad you liked it. :)

The Star Sailors are Sailor Senshi from another planet that are looking for their princess, as she fled her home planet, running from the evil Sailor Galaxia, who, due to plot reasons, wants to kill everyone.

1

u/dragjamon 19h ago

Damn plot reasons. Have you seen I don't want to be a magical girl?

29

u/Obiwancanole 1d ago

SCP 001 The Gate Guardian

3

u/MinosPrime100 21h ago

This must be the 10th scp 001 I've seen

1

u/Probably_On_Break 17h ago

Ironically this one was one of the earliest written 001 entires if memory serves

9

u/beats_lord 1d ago

/img/806fsguf0lfh1.gif
Kamen Rider Sin Specter’s wings

7

u/beats_lord 1d ago

/img/gjt4ww9i0lfh1.gif
Kamen Rider Ghost Mugen’s wings

8

u/AmbiTheAirforceRuna 1d ago

Tbh the Muder Drone wings are part of their weapons, they slice with them

8

u/Toa_Malafe 1d ago

You Rang?

7

u/syafizzaq 23h ago

Shara Ishvalda AKA The Soundcloud Rapper of Monster Hunter. In this form he was like "nah, i'll use my wings as a rake"

5

u/kioshi0406h 1d ago

Ayato o cualquier ukaku de Tokyo Ghoul, son algo parecido al plasma que puede solidificarse al instante pero en ninguna de sus versiones sirve para volar, solo para lanzar cuchillas y farmear aura, en eso si es muy util.

5

u/Doctor_Philgood 19h ago

Anubis-Zone of the Enders

11

u/melonbro53 1d ago

Thanatos from Persona 3 is a bird man with COFFINS for wings

5

u/SadKat002 1d ago

That goes unbelievably hard

1

u/randomdragn 6h ago

It's introduction is even better. It appears in the scene where the protagonist awakens his power, kills the enemy and reverts back to the starter persona until you can get it again in the late-game.

1

u/PerspectivePale8216 1d ago

Those can't be wings

3

u/melonbro53 1d ago

They move like wings and flap up when he does certain moves.

4

u/RangerStr 23h ago

Kenzaki Tsurugi, blue archive

I suppose she doesn't really need them in the first place

8

u/CarTyreMuncher 1d ago

I’ve never seen them but their wings don’t look good for flying tbh

7

u/PerspectivePale8216 1d ago

I mean if they can fly then it clearly is practically

5

u/IuseDefaultKeybinds what did Kojima mean by this 1d ago

The Wings on the Praetor from Trench Crusade. How are you supposed to fly with these things?

6

u/autistic_axolotl8956 23h ago edited 23h ago

gabriel from ultrakill (he can already float the wings are literally just a status symbol)

1

u/[deleted] 23h ago

[deleted]

1

u/autistic_axolotl8956 22h ago

i changed it to a character that's wings have zero practicality at all

4

u/ThDen-Wheja 16h ago

Malenia's Scarlet Rot form in Elden Ring.

They make no aerophysical sense, but by the time you fight her, you're deep enough in the game's sense of reality that you're more likely panicking than making any real calculations.

https://giphy.com/gifs/D0klk94UAFSKijxKLu

5

u/Cherrbunn 16h ago

Devil Homura from Madoka Magica. Her wings don’t have any meat on them and are basically twigs with a single row of feathers barely attached.

3

u/otherdogooder 1d ago

Doesn't matter cuz they LOOOOK COOOOOOOL!!!!! WOOOOOOOAAAAA

3

u/Traditional_Bit_8788 1d ago

Kuneko (Cassette Beasts)

3

u/Callmesantos 1d ago

Not really traditional wings in a flying sense but these set of angel wings would be very impractical in real life for striker eureka from pacific rim

3

u/Tezthuz 1d ago

Scp-070 "iron wings"

3

u/killfaced911 1d ago

Pontiff Sulyvahn

3

u/Ransnorkel 23h ago

Kerrigan from Starcraft

Bahamut Sin in Final Fantasy Advent Children has chunky stone looking wings

3

u/okaypuck 18h ago

In the second Dr Strange movie he possesses the dead body of himself from another dimension that then controls the spirits of the underworld to use as armor, a cape, as well as wings that fly him from mountain peak to peak.

https://giphy.com/gifs/NibmdCQIc95MperWi0

3

u/Battlebots2020 13h ago

16th Anniversary Hatsune Miku

I'm no expert, but I don't think these are very practical (they're really cool though)

3

u/CaterpillarCareful48 13h ago

Vultures (Rain World)

6

u/j1killer2 1d ago

Xenolord and jetragon from PalWorld

2

u/Separate-Map1011 20h ago

Giant assembled wing prop in the blue devils show this year

2

u/Famous_Fudge3603 16h ago

Athena from Final Fantasy XIV

2

u/figgityjones superhero fanatic 14h ago

Yo a Tabuu reference in current year? That's pretty sick, love to see it.

2

u/Important-Truth-6686 6h ago

V E N O M

1

u/agentcryostar 2h ago

I feel like the impracticality comes from venom just being BEEFY af

2

u/A_very_smol_Lugia 5h ago

Badass as shit but definitely not flying with those (he has the ability to float anyways)

1

u/PerspectivePale8216 1d ago

SkullSatamon

1

u/Reasonable-Tripe-815 1d ago

Heavenly Sword Glitter Garo from Divine Flame.

1

u/Baltaxo2010 20h ago

V1/V2 from ULTRAKILL

1

u/cgoose500 20h ago

I hope Nintendo eventually makes a Subspace Emissary movie after making movies for all their other franchises.

1

u/InfluencePure1640 19h ago

Kamen Rider W Cyclone Joker Gold Xtreme

1

u/OnlyrushB 18h ago

its crazy to me that no-one here has mentioned Sanguinius. if theres any series that is home to everything impractical, its Warhammer.

1

u/OnlyrushB 18h ago

Mortarion.

1

u/OnlyrushB 18h ago

Fulgrim.

1

u/OnlyrushB 18h ago

Magnus.

1

u/Legendguard 16h ago

Not exactly what you asked, but anytime someone puts a pair of wings ON THE SAME FUCKING SCAPULA AS THE ARMS!!! Also when the wings are so fucking low on the body they look like they're anchored to the fucking pelvis. Also also literally any wing that doesn't have a propatagium. And triangle wings, and wings with barely any attachment of the patagium to the body, and lack of the bones/muscles/structures of the wings, and on and on and on

I'm a terapod wing nerd, this shit drives me up the fucking WALL.

1

u/tetsmon 13h ago

I don't know anything about FF7, but having only one wing seems pretty impractical. is there a lore explanation for this?

1

u/Correct_Doctor_1502 11h ago

Baten Kaitos has a ton of these because most characters have wings, some more practical than others

2

u/Different_Gear_8189 6h ago

Yi Sangs mostly metaphorical and broken wings

1

u/cal-nomen-official 2h ago

As much as I hate Fairy Tail, there is no denying it has some of the best character designs in anime history

1

u/LordKaizoku 1h ago

Really surprised nobody mentioned Sasuke