Often, after beating a game, or during the process of beating it, you find yourself attached to a character. The reason for this is varied: it can be something as simple as their design or their voice, while other times it’s more profound such as their personality or backstory. Whatever the case is, having a character that you really like can make that bad game much more bearable, or a game that you like even better when that character is on screen. Everyone likes different characters, but here are my top 10 favorite characters from gaming of all time.
10. ZELGIUS (FIRE EMBLEM)
The Bastion of Begnion
A long time ago, I was a big Fire Emblem fan, as some of you may know. Nowadays, I simply like the franchise, but there are some things that remain in my heart even to this day. The Tellius duology, as a whole; the high difficulty and unfairness of Thracia 776; my hatred for Fates; some of the soundtracks and some characters. Among them lies Zelgius from the Tellius duology as my favorite character from the franchise. This choice may stump you, especially if you’ve only played Path of Radiance, but the reason why is, unfortunately, gated behind heavy spoilers from both games so, unfortunately, I have to shut up a bit. Aside from that, I think he has a cool, albeit simple design and a charismatic personality, and his voice in Fire Emblem Heroes is “creamtastic”. Please don’t look it up, because Heroes does not care about spoiler status.
9. IBUKI MIODA (DANGANRONPA 2)
The Ultimate Musician
Believe it or not, I actually like Danganronpa. It’s far from perfect, but it scratches the “solving mystery” itch that no other Ace Attorney-like game manages to. The parts when you’re not solving mysteries are completely unnecessary and I’d go as far as being cringeworthy, but ironically it’s when you get the most development from the characters. Danganronpa has a bazillion characters, and out of all of them, Ibuki Mioda is my favorite. I don’t even think she’s the best character in the whole franchise, because that honor goes to Kaito Momota, but she’s the one that makes me happy the most. Her design is cool, but there are others that are better in the series. Naturally, then, the reason lies in her personality. She manages to strike the perfect balance of quirky, cheerful, positive and “lol so random” without ever getting annoying. This, combined with the great work by Julie Ann Taylor, her VA, and her VERY unique sprites, manages to get a smile out of me every time she was on screen, even if she was very dumb. Sometimes I think I like DR2 over 1 simply because of Ibuki. Well, I guess case 5 is among the best in the series.
8. RAIDOU KUZUNOHA THE XIV (DEVIL SUMMONER)
Ace Effective
What a coincidence, Raidou Kuzunoha in this list days after the release of a “new” game? Yeah, Raidou is really cool despite the fact that he is a silent SMT protagonist. However, he encapsules the “words speak louder than actions” saying perfectly. He doesn’t need to say anything, because he lets his skills do the work. However, he has some semblant of personality based on the few lines of dialogue when given certain choices, where you can see that he is calm, collected and somewhat reserved. Raidou is one of the most efficient fictional people I’ve ever seen. Very clever, calculating but without coming out as cold, skillful without being arrogant and charismatic despite being silent. He manages to be the voice of reason of Narumi, who, in spite of being cool, is very stupid. And he has a cool hat that he never takes off because he’s probably bald. What’s there not to like? Raidou is the most badass and coolest SMT protagonist, bar none. Eat your heart out, Joker!
7. MALROTH (DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS 2)
The Herald of Destruction
The original incarnation of Malroth, from Dragon Quest 2, is your average Dragon Quest antagonist: an evil monstrosity that is just evil for the sake of being evil. He was the final boss from that game, after the defeat of Hargon, where he manages to summon him. In the spin-off Builders 2, however, he was given new characterization and design. This Malroth is a young man, probably in his 20s, that has amnesia and is an expert in destruction, to contrast the protagonist who is an expert in building. In addition, he can’t build at all. It’s not that he is too stupid to do it, but more like things simply break when he tries to, without his consent. He quickly accepts that it’s not his calling and joins the protagonist to create one of the greatest duos in Dragon Quest history.
Malroth is, first and foremost, a destroyer, so armed with his trusty hammer, he can destroy enemies and terrain faster than the protagonist, who can also wield a hammer. Despite this, he has a contrasting personality, because he is really caring and protecting of his friends, especially the protagonist. Malroth is similar to Ibuki, in the sense that both are stupid, but are very lovable because of their quotes. What makes Malroth stand out over Ibuki, however, is that he gets very good and meaningful development towards the end of the game. After doubting the protagonist in a previous arc due to stuff, both are trapped in a dimension of destruction, where the hands of the Malroth monster appear from everywhere and destroy everything they touch. Things happen and the protagonist is in grave danger, and it’s up to Malroth to save the day. And, despite the fact that he was physically incapable of building, he somehow manages to create a Medicinal Herb and save the protagonist’s life. It might seem meaningless, but this small act propelled him from “my favorite character in the game” to “one of my favorite characters ever”. His rough exterior and agressive personality contrast with this great kindness, akin to Josuke Higashikata from JoJo’s.
6. CATHERINE PORTILLO (UNTIL THEN)
The Best Friend
Cathy is the type of friend everyone needs: someone who is always there for you and will always support you, even at the cost of herself. This may seem like an exaggeration, but Cathy depends on her friends a lot because her situation at home sucks a lot. Because of this, she can’t really “advance” towards an objective, unlike her best friends Mark (who is becoming a great pianist) and Ridel (who is becoming a great movie director), so she fears being left behind. And yet, because she is the perfect friend, she still supports them and wants them to succeed (even if she has some intrusive thoughts about it), at the cost of the possibility of being left behind. Because that’s what friends do.
Just like Ibuki and Malroth, Cathy is a character that is simply lovable because of her personality. In fact, Cathy is the most extreme example of this archetype, because I’m sure everyone who played Until Then has Cathy as their favorite character from the game. Maybe it won’t impact you as much as me, but I’m sure you’ll love Cathy when you get around Until Then. Because she is the best best friend.
5. THE DRAGON QUEST V HERO (DRAGON QUEST V)
The Monster Wrangler
This might seem an odd choice, but this silent hero from Dragon Quest, who doesn’t have that much of a personality or a design, is one of my favorite characters of all time. Or so you’d think, because the Hero has more personality that he lets on. Sure, he doesn’t say much (or at all), but just like with Raidou Kuzunoha, his actions speak louder than his words. I’ve explained why in another article of mine, which you should read right now because what I create is always beautiful, but to sum it up: he’s a subversion of the Dragon Quest hero who is the hero of his story but because of the events that surround him and affect him directly and indirectly he’s the greatest hero of all of them. A brave, caring warrior who puts his family above all else. This guy changed my point of view on the value of family, and to this day I haven’t found many games that do family like Dragon Quest V. At least better than Fire Emblem Awakening. To that, I'd also like to add that he gets along very well with monsters, in a way no other character can, which can be seen as a blessing that only he himself has. Sure, other protagonists were able to do that as kids, but this Hero is the only one who has shown to be able to do it as an adult as well. Well, the VIII Hero also can do it, but in his case it's more limited, and he relies on somebody else to do it. That makes him the greatest, in my opinion.
4. RAMZA BEOULVE (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS)
The Unlikely Hero
3. VIVI ORNITIER
The Sorrowful Mage
This one is cheating because Vivi is everyone’s favorite character. A clumsy, innocent, very lovable black mage that sparks a warm feeling on everyone who meets him, AND he has great development as well and an amazing conclusion to his character. He’s my son. He’s OUR son. Even detractors of Final Fantasy IX love Vivi.
But, yeah, I like Vivi enough to be my third favorite character.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
The following are characters that would probably enter in a hypothetical top 20, or at least that make me happy when I see fanart from them. No images because of image limit!Hwoarang (Tekken series)
My main in Tekken. Originally, it was merely because mashing as him was fun as hell. As I got better and mashing with Hwoarang stopped being a viable strategy, I focused on his character and found out he’s badass. I like his cocky attitude, I like how the only person he respects is Baek, I like his rivalry with Jin and I like how he’s one of the most important secondary characters in the series, perhaps because of Jin. His Tekken 7 design is great, as well, I love it very much.Khada Jhin (League of Legends)
Yeah, one of my favorite characters is from League of Legends. Shameful, but it is what it is. I think League has some interesting characters, but they are getting muddled up in the garbage that is any new character. In my opinion, Jhin is the coolest of the “modern” characters due to the mystique he brings. A serial killer that sees every death he does as art. It only takes watching his teaser to appreciate the character of Jhin. Gameplay wise, he has some interesting quirks, but I wasn’t very good at ADCs so I didn’t play him as much as I’d love, but he was still fun. His music theme is still orgasmic, in my opinion. Behind every mask... there's another mask.
Caius Ballad (Final Fantasy XIII-2)
The story of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is messy and not very tasty but is somewhat saved by the presence of Caius Ballad, the main antagonist. What makes him stand out is the fact that his point of view could be the one of a Final Fantasy antagonist. All he wants is to save one of his best friends. “Oh, but he is messing with time” And the protagonists aren’t? “Oh, but he’s killing people” Tell of me of a single FF protagonist who didn’t. The only questionable thing is when he turned into a Bahamut at the end, but God forbid an emo boy has hobbies. His design is whack, but his theme rocks. If the list were expanded, he’d be number 11, I think. Notice how I've never referred to him as "villain", but as antagonist. Think about that...
Tatsuo Shinada (Yakuza 5)
I like to think of Shinada as prototype Ichiban Kasuga, as both are extremely optimistic and don’t let the circumstances of life let them down. They are also an example of how it’s possible to make friends even when you’re in your forties. Shinada inspired me before Ichiban, so I have to thank him for that. Even outside of that, Shinada is just very lovable, and his part in Yakuza 5 is pretty cool. And his final scene near the end destroyed me, man. We love you, Shinada.
Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
For how little I like the Sonic games, I find it surprising how much I like Shadow as a character. While I don’t know all of the details of his past, I think he’s very well written. I feel like he’s misunderstood, but he’s very caring. His design is also very badass, red and black never go wrong together.
Valstrax and Scizor (Monster Hunter series and Pokémon series)
I group these two together because they are just animals, but man, what animals! Both are the coolest creatures in their own franchises, and if someone disagrees, I’m killing them with me bear hands. They are not characters in the truest sense of the word, but I still think they have a lot of personality. Out of these two, I like Valstrax more because he’s more complete (design, aura and musical theme), but Scizor isn’t far behind (design and a very solid Pokémon in competitive).
Rikiya Shimabukuro (Yakuza 3)
Last, but not least, the puppy boy! Those who know will remember Chapter 11 of Yakuza 3 as the biggest tragedy of their lives. Overall, a really great character, one of the best and more lovable in the series.
2./1. SHUN AKIYAMA (YAKUZA) AND FAUST (GUILTY GEAR)
The Lifeline of Kamurocho and The Dark Wandering Doctor
Number 2 and number 1 are interchangeable depending on how I feel during the day, as I like them both equally and it’s hard to choose between mom and dad. I wrote a fairly lengthy article about Shun Akiyama a long while ago, and you should read it because I wrote it myself. As for Faust, I intend to do the same in the near future, so I’ll keep it simple and hope that I actually get to it at some point so you can read in full detail.
Faust has always been a character that stood out to me. I played Guilty Gear Dust Strikers and his idle animation there became permanently engraved in my mind. I didn’t remember his name, but I’d always remember his design. Years later and I find myself playing Guilty Gear Xrd REVELATOR 2 for the first time and… he was there! With the same weird pose! From that moment onwards, I became a fighting game player, thanks to Faust. Everything clicked instantly: his gameplay, his animations and his theme. It was the first time I truly loved a fighting game character, and he still remains my favorite to this day, even after playing so many FGs. What propelled him to top 2 favorites of all time was his character. A deeply troubled individual who uses insanity as a mask, because he fears being seen as real by others. Perpetually seeking atonement for his past sins, he’s a wandering doctor who helps everybody, no matter who they are. And he does it with a smile! A fake one, because he’s very depressed, but he tries his best. Even if one day I give up on fighting games, I might boot any Guilty Gear game again, simply because I love him so much.
And that’s about it for today. What about you? Do you also have attachment to fictional characters? Please, let me know in the comments if that’s the case. I’ll see you again… relatively soon, with more madness.
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