History EnsembleDarkhorse / VideoGames

* ''SengokuBasara'' is a series rife with {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s for fans. However, there is one figure that stands to be very popular amongst the boys, and that is... Oichi. Her charm is just how tragic she ends up in her life, with her whole story being a huge TearJerker. She also has the voice of MamikoNoto, and with some other things, she became the series' dear girl and even when ''SengokuBasara 3'' is announced to have some characters, especially those close to Nobunaga, to be cut... when asked about Oichi's eventual fate, the producers always say "I'm not telling" to tease the fans. Oh, and she's also the sole playable female in the fighting game spinoff. And now she is confirmed to be playable in [=SB3=], despite being historically LONG DEAD before Sekigahara even begins (but then again, this game really doesn't care about historical accuracy, so she's there by popular demand).

** Don't forget [[CompleteMonster Matt Engarde]], who only appeared in ONE case, but has a huge fanbase. His rival, Juan Corrida, was just the victim of the case, and he has gained loads of fans (though this may be because of fanartist Zarla's works).

** Eventually, both Tron Bonne and Zero found their way onto the [[CapcomVsWhatever Capcom Vs.]] FightingGame series. Tron and Servbot on ''Marvel vs. Capcom 2'' and Zero on the UpdatedRerelease ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars''. Zero also appears as a secret character in ''SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos''.

** Don't forget [[Complete Monster Matt Engarde]], who only appeared in ONE case, but has a huge fanbase. His rival, Juan Corrida, was just the victim of the case, and he has gained loads of fans (though this may be because of fanartist Zarla's works).

* Even when ''FinalFantasyXIII'' wasn't out yet, Sazh Katroy found himself having a Darkhorse status from get-go. I mean, not only his design is ''really'' different than other Nomura characters (FunnyAfro non-bishonen, anyone?), he's got BadassLongcoat, dual-wields gun, has a chocobo on his afro and is a good guy extraordinary, so much that ''he'' is one of the AndTheFandomRejoiced triggers of the game. Certainly, Jihl Nabaat picked the ''wrong'' person to interrogate and boast on, so much that the moment she did that ''only in trailers'' (we don't know if she did that to Sazh because it's just duty or it's completely ForTheEvulz), she's immediately pegged as a CompleteMonster who crossed the MoralEventHorizon (you don't mess/fuck up with the EnsembleDarkhorse, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch]]). Oh, by the way, Nomura likes him so much that he'd rather Sazh to appear in any chances of ''DissidiaFinalFantasy 2'' rather than Lightning. ''Wow''.

* One of the earliest examples in the series, probably the UrExample as far as Final Fantasy goes, is [[{{Badass}} Kain]] [[TheLancer Highwind]], the Dragoon from ''FinalFantasyIV''. Beloved by virtually all the fanbase, likely for being the first major badass [[NoExportForYou (at least, in the games available overseas at the time)]], and his [[NiceHat awesome]] [[MemeticOutfit armor]]. Even TetsuyaNomura is a huge fan of Kain's, and wanted to put him into ''DissidiaFinalFantasy'', and has guarunteed that he will be in the sequel if it is made.

** ''Metroid: Other M'' is not out yet but everyone seems to love the nameless character that the fans have named MBD (Mysterious Black Dude).

** And don't forget {{Weegee}}...

* MassEffect. Disregarding the party members, most of whom would qualify as darkhorses if they didn't have to share the spotlight with each other, we have odd one-offs like [[CoolOldLady the asari bartender on Illium]], [[InternalAffairs Gianna Parasini]], Charr the krogan who attempts to woo his Asari girlfriend with ([[SoBadItsGood bad]]) poetry, the Tupari Sports Drink vending machine on the Citadel, Refund Guy (who shows up in both games) on the Citadel, [[HeroicWannabe Conrad Verner]] (ditto), the [[JustFriends Friend Zoned Turian]] and ValleyGirl Quarian on Illium, the "Biotic God" volus, Kal'Reegar (who has his own twitter page now! http://twitter.com/KalReegar)... and entire races, mainly the Hanar and Elcor.

* Even when ''FinalFantasyXIII'' wasn't out yet, Sazh Katroy found himself having a Darkhorse status from get-go. I mean, not only his design is really DIFFERENT compared to other Nomura characters (FunnyAfro non-bishonen, anyone?), he's got BadassLongcoat, dual-wields gun, has a chocobo on his afro and is a good guy extraordinary, so much that ''he'' is one of the AndTheFandomRejoiced triggers of the game. Certainly, Jihl Nabaat picked the ''wrong'' person to interrogate and boast on, so much that the moment she did that ''only in trailers'' (we don't know if she did that to Sazh because it's just duty or it's completely ForTheEvulz), she's immediately pegged as a CompleteMonster who crossed the MoralEventHorizon (you don't mess/fuck up with the EnsembleDarkhorse, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch]]). Oh, by the way, Nomura likes him so much that he'd rather Sazh to appear in any chances of ''DissidiaFinalFantasy 2'' rather than Lightning. ''Wow''.

** Nino from ''Fire Emblem'' also qualifies, taking first place in a Nintendo of Japan popularity poll (''ahead'' of the main characters); many people assume this is for [[strike:unwholesome]] [[{{Lolicon}} reasons]], the same poll also show Matthew might be an example, placeing ahead of Lyn.

** ''Path of Radiance'' has Oliver, a fat and ugly slave trader with an incredibly ironic love for beauty (which he sees himself as the paragon of), who as a boss dies so easily that the only challenge is getting to him before the allied [=NPCs=] kill him. He is loved for two reasons: his characterization being ridiculously over the top to the point of hilarity, and his {{Leitmotif}}, the famous [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiUC4aXtC3Y Power-Hungry Fool]].
** In ''Path of Radiance'', Sothe was a small (teenager-ish), weak theif with limited use. In ''Radiant Dawn'', Sothe is a strong, developed LovableRogue. He appears as the Main Character.

** ''Fire Emblem'' in general is chalk-full of Enesemble Darkhorses, mainly due to having LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. A lot of them, such as Gheb, Glass and Batta the Beast (minor boss characters in both regards, or so the game's creators would have you think), have been elevated to the status of MemeticBadass.

* The ''MetalGearSolid'' series has Psycho Mantis, ever-popular for his NoFourthWall MindScrew boss fight, Sniper Wolf, who still suceeds in [[TearJerker making gamers cry]], the [[spoiler:AI simulation]] Colonel and his [[MemeticMutation memetically-delicious]] "I need scissors! 61!", and the perplexing example of Raikov, who exists solely to be knocked unconscious and impersonated (and provide some HoYay with the game's BigBad, but [[BlatantLies surely that's irrelevant]]). The best example, however, has to be [[CompanionCube The Cardboard Box]] (tm).

** [[{{YMMV}} Ah]]-[[LegacyOfKain hem]]

** Another example is Zexion. Despite only appearing in a few scenes for Riku's story in ''Chain of Memories'', being [[spoiler:killed off by Axel (off-screen in the original, too)]] before the end of the story and all in all being unimportant, he has several fanlistings, dozens of fanfics devoted to him and quite a large amount of fanart. The reason beind this is [[BiShonen pretty obvious.]]

**** And then there's that "little devil" that appeared as a midboss in Patchouli's stage. No dialgoue. No name. No profile. '''Immensely''' popular. Not ''quite'' as popular is the similarly unnamed fairy that appears as the Stage 2 midboss, though that's due almost entirely to her portrayal as being a friend of Cirno (see above).

**** Lily White, a midboss of ''PCB'', also an special {{Mook}} in ''Phantasmagoria of a Flower View'', is exceptional enough to have received her own profile in ''Perfect Memento in a Strict Sense'' (read: official material)! Ran and Chen are debatable depending whether you view Yukari's shinigami as side characters or not. Alice would be considered an AscendedExtra.

** GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff and AmericansHateTingle don't apply here either. Sazh is the favorite character of the Japanese fanbase as well.

*** And he might just have been replaced by Blaze the Cat. If her being the other playable character in two of the best Sonic games in recent memory wasn't enough, when she was revealed to be playable in ''[[SonicStorybookSeries Black Knight]]'', everyone who commented in a relevant thread was delighted at the least, and ecstatic at best.

** Mephiles the Dark, while his plans are [[ComplexityAddiction so ridiculously complex that they should not work]], fans actually consider him a pretty cool villain.

* ''[[CapcomVsWhatever Marvel Vs. Capcom 2]]'' has Rubyheart and Amingo, who are [[OriginalGeneration original characters]]. They managed to appear in the ''SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash'' series, though.

** LargeHam CardCarryingVillain Dr. Nefarious and his ServileSnarker Lawrence from ''Up Your Arsenal'' also generated quite a following. Enough so that they returned for ''A Crack In Time''.

** Colonel.EXE, Protoman.EXE, Tomahawkman.EXE, Searchman.EXE, and Bass.EXE-freaking INCREDIBLY popular from the {{MegamanBattleNetwork}} game/{{MegamanNTWarrior}} anime-manga, series.

* Among the characters of ''FinalFantasyX'', a game with two pretty bishonen (Tidus and Seymour), a virginal princess-type (Yuna), a smart sexy goth (Lulu), and perky jailbait (Rikku), one stands supreme: Auron, who ''by himself'' embodies [[BadassGrandpa multiple]] [[BadassLongcoat variations]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell of]] {{Badass}} [[RetiredBadass tropes]], [[AwfulTruth some]] [[BlindSeer mentor]] [[ObiWan tropes]], and an [[{{Determinator}} entire]] [[CoolOldGuy laundry]] [[CoolShades list]] [[EyepatchOfPower of]] [[StoicSpectacles pure]] [[TallDarkAndSnarky coolness]] [[TheStoic tropes]]. The man was [[spoiler:literally]] TooCoolToLive. When he came back in ''KingdomHearts 2'', he was the least altered of any FF character, and it's heavily implied that he's actually the ''same exact character.''
** When you retrieve his memories in the second time in the Underworld, you hear [[spoiler:dialogue from the scene in which he tries to convince Braska and Jecht not to go through with the Final Summoning]]. In the ending, [[spoiler:he disintegrates into pyreflies like in ''FF X''[='=]s ending; did we mention he's dead in this version, too?]]
* ''FinalFantasyV'' has Gilgamesh, who became popular due to his [[CrowningMusicofAwesome awesome theme song]], his role as the IneffectualSympatheticVillain, and getting [[ActuallyPrettyFunny some of the best lines in the game]]. His Dark Horse status extended beyond the game itself and into cameo appearances in other ''FinalFantasy'' games.
** Gilgamesh stands alone as the only ''FinalFantasy'' character to appear in multiple mainline games. Sure, there are recurring names such as Princess Sara, Garland, and to a lesser extent Gogo, but the Gilgamesh that appeared in ''FinalFantasyVIII'', ''[[FinalFantasyXII XII]]'', and as a BonusBoss in the remakes of ''[[FinalFantasyVI VI]]'' and [[FinalFantasyI the original]] are all heavily implied to be the same person that was exiled to the Cleft of Dimension in ''V''. Well ignoring the fact that he, presumably, died.
*** It's a case of RoadCone, since his death only occurs if the party fights an extremely difficult optional boss and takes too long.
*** Well, he shows up as primarily as a summonable monster in the other games, and it's explicitly shown in ''FFV'' that it's possible for characters to transform into summon monsters instead of dying (Case in point: Hiryuu {however you spell it}, Syldra). Odds are he survived his HeroicSacrifice.
*** He seems to only show up if the player gets Necrophobia to 9999 HP or less, so that his Self-Destruction can finish him off. Then again, at that point in the game, there are ways of dealing more than 10,000 damage in a single turn, so many players will bypass that point while taking the fastest way to kill him.
* Interestingly, Gilgamesh's boss, Exdeath, appears to be this for ''[[{{ptitlefjcz80qe}} Dissidia: Final Fantasy]]''. For a [[BigBad main villain]] overshadowed by his [[TheDragon Dragon]] of one of [[FinalFantasyV the lesser known games]], he has become one of the most popular characters in the game, rivaling fan favorites like [[FinalFantasyVI Kefka]] and [[FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]]. Maybe it's due to being one of the top-tier characters, or his unintentionally [[MemeticMutation hilarious]] [[LargeHam lines]]. Or maybe it's just the fun of beating people with an [[TinTyrant armored]] [[WhenTreesAttack tree]].

* A very odd example: Shantotto of ''FinalFantasyXI'' is an absurdly popular Tarutaru who is known for being quirky, [[NoblewomansLaugh haughty]], CrazyAwesome and possibly a megalomaniac (which is explored in the mini-ExpansionPack "A Shantotto Ascension"). It's amazing when you consider that her initial role in the game was as a quest starter for one insignificant quest chain and another quest chain that was restricted to Black Mages. She's actually also popular with the developers of ''[[{{ptitlefjcz80qe}} Dissidia: Final Fantasy]]'' and, [[SecretCharacter well...]]

* Even when ''FinalFantasyXIII'' wasn't out yet, Sazh Katroy found himself having a Darkhorse status from get-go. I mean, not only his design is really DIFFERENT compared to other Nomura characters (FunnyAfro non-bishonen, anyone?), he's got BadassLongcoat, dual-wields gun, has a chocobo on his afro and is a good guy extraordinary, so much that ''he'' is one of the AndTheFandomRejoiced triggers of the game. Certainly, Jihl Nabaat picked the ''wrong'' person to interrogate and boast on, so much that the moment she did that ''only in trailers'' (we don't know if she did that to Sazh because it's just duty or it's completely ForTheEvulz), she's immediately pegged as a CompleteMonster who crossed the MoralEventHorizon (you don't mess/fuck up with the EnsembleDarkhorse, [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch]]). Oh, by the way, Nomura likes him so much that he'd rather Sazh to appear in any chances of ''DissidiaFinalFantasy 2'' rather than Lightning. ''Wow''.

** [[TheLegendofZeldaCDIGames The King]], [[XJustX just]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-sQeEyt2l4 The King.]]

** The homeless fat guys that usually hang around starter towns. No seriously, just listen to starter town tunes on Youtube, and count how many times you see someone comment on the fat guy standing there. He has become epic, in his own right.

* The homeless fat guys that usually hang around starter towns. No seriously, just listen to starter town tunes on Youtube, and count how many times you see someone comment on the fat guy standing there. He has become epic, in his own right.