History EstablishingCharacterMoment / VideoGames

** Although [[ActionGirl Alyx's]] introduction in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' also works; Freeman is blacked out, and all we hear are Combine soldiers dying and "HAH! No you ''don't''", and then we see her face: "[[DeadpanSnarker Doctor Freeman, I presume.]]"
** [[BigFriendlyDog D0]][[RobotBuddy g]] gets two: one when he plays "fetch" with Gordon Freeman with the Gravity Gun. That basically pegs him as a lovable mecha, who loves people he deems his friends. For his second moment, it's shown how he reacts to people who ''aren't'' deemed as such: Combine APCs? Thrown into buildings like bricks. Dropships? D0g wrestles with them and wins handily.
*** In Episode 2 of Half-Life 2, D0g's intro is best summed up as [[CoolVsAwesome D0g vs. Strider]].

** Your rival in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' has this moment when you are choosing your starter. Not only is he impatient and wants to take his first (which he actually does in ''Yellow''), but he ends up waiting and [[{{Jerkass}} choosing the one that has the advantage over your own]].
** Your rival from ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' has his personality (as in, he's [[{{Jerkass}} a massive asshole]]) laid out pretty clear when it's revealed he stole his starter Pokémon from Professor Elm. Should you notice and talk to him after picking up your own starter, after revealing that he's eavesdropping on Elm, he outright shoves you away from him.

* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' has several for the Doom Slayer:
** Mere seconds after waking up and finding himself surrounded by zombies, the Doomguy breaks free of the manacles holding him, backhands the first one to get near him hard enough to draw blood, then grabs and smashes its head into the slab/operating table he's on hard enough to [[YourHeadASplode turn it into a bloody smear]], just before taking up a pistol to kill the rest. Even if you've never played any of the previous games, you'll know instantly why he's one of the iconic badasses of FPS.
** When Doomguy reclaims the Praetor Suit, when Samuel attempts to greet him and tell him that they may be able to work together, he throws the monitor into the wall. And when he does so again in the elevator, stating that what they were doing was for all mankind, Doomguy takes a very deliberate glance at the mutilated corpse at his feet (as if to say "tell that to ''him'', you son of a bitch") before ''smashing the speaker in'', clearly having had more than enough of all of this.
* ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'':
** In the very first level, "Hell on Earth", Doomguy, after ripping-and-tearing his way through a host of demons on the Hell Barge he's on, reaches Deag Nilox, the first of the Hell Priests he's after, kicks down his door, and wastes no time in seizing him by the throat, showing him a Sentinel coin when he tells him that his soul is guarded, and then calmly and ruthlessly ''ripping his head off''. When he catches up to the other two Hell Priests, he silences their talk about how no one can pass through the gate by [[DecapitationPresentation throwing Nilox's head at their feet]], horrifying and intimidating them, and then, after listening to them talk smack about how he won't save the people of Earth from their judgement, he turns around and [[DramaticGunCock pumps his shotgun]], prompting the two Hell Priests to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere GTFO.]]
** Although it happens halfway through the actual game, this moment was chosen for the trailer, and for good reason. Doomguy calmly marches through the demon-besieged Phobos base, paying no heed to the scattering civilians or the frantic shouts through intercoms. He has nowhere to hurry -- after all, the execution will not start without the headsman. Upon seeing an employee with a keycard around his neck, he grabs the keycard and drags it to the reader without bothering to take it off the poor man. Then he passes by a couple guards, plucks a plasmagun from one of them as if taking a toy from a child, despite the guard's weak protests, and finally ''gets to work''.

** Raven Beak's EarlyBirdCameo in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' shows him leading a surprise genocide of the Thoha Chozo, establishing he is not benevolent like the Chozo seen so far. In his proper appearance in ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', the first thing he does is wipe the floor with Samus easily, only suffering a crack in his helmet, and establishing himself a a warrior superior to Samus in nearly every way.

** Vladimir Makarov in the second game has an ''entire mission'' serve as his establishing character moment. It starts with him and his cronies machinegunning an airport (and you have to follow and help him). It ends with Makarov casually turning and shooting you in the head, revealing he knew you were a spy the whole time. And he ''gets worse'' from there.

* ''VideoGame/DeltaRune'', [[DigitalAbomination Spamton G. Spamton]] introduces himself by bursting out of a garbage bin, [[IncomingHam loudly]] announcing his name before he even ''notices'' the PlayerCharacter. When he does, he immediately tries to get you to get into a deal with him, and accuses you of being [[PsychologicalProjection abandoned by your friends, losing business and being forced to live in a garbage can]] before ''punching the can in a rage'', causing [[TheStoic Kris]] to back away. All of this sets him up as an [[AxCrazy unhinged]], [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]], SnakeOilSalesman .

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'': The first cutscene does a good job of introducing Dante and Trish. She just barges to his shop while riding a motorcycle, beats him up, impales him and electrocutes him. Dante's response? He jokes to the woman who drove a motorcycle through his front door, points a sword when she looks like she can be hostile but doesn't use it, laughs off being impaled and electrocuted, sends the same motorcycle flying with bullets, and calmly takes the sword out of his chest.

** This game manages another one for the younger Dante in its first cutscene, just before the fighting starts -- with multiple demons' scythes shoved through his torso and one of his handguns in easy reach... Dante grabs the slice of pizza right next to said handgun instead. He's ''that'' unconcerned about the demons and the various scythe blades in his body.
** Vergil's very first appearance has him silence Arkham who [[EvilIsHammy hams up]] about the Temen-ni-gru, showing his [[TheStoic serious nature]] and how much he just gets straight to the point. Right after, when the Hell Vanguard that Dante previously likely had trouble with shows up on the top of the tower, Vergil easily kills it with just one strike without even looking at it coming from behind him, showing how big the initial gap in power is between Dante and Vergil.

** [[TheBully Butch Deloria]] starts showing his true colours at the player character's tenth birthday party: having missed out on cake thanks to [[RobotBuddy Andy's]] screwup, he demands that you hand over the sweetroll you were just given as a present. Rather tellingly, one easy way to get Butch angry enough to beat you up (apart from just refusing to give him the sweetroll) is to call [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas his mother]] an alcoholic. Equally tellingly, [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain he's almost instantly reined in by the nearest guard.]]

* The batting cage fight from ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' and its remake ''Yakuza Kiwami'' serves as one for [[EnsembleDarkhorse Goro Majima]]; When Kiryu arrives Majima and his goons step out, with Majima taunting Kiryu to get under his skin. This menace last until an errant pitch nails Majima in the face, at which point Majima starts laughing like he's just heard the best joke in the world. All of his men join in save one guy, whom Majima immediately rounds on and starts wailing on with a baseball bat while ordering him to laugh. Kiryu interrupts and demands to know where [[MacguffinGirl Haruka]] is, which Majima answers she's safe in the next room and Kiryu can have her when they're done with their fight. This establishes Majima as a [[AxCrazy slightly unstable]] BadBoss who still has a sense of honor and is unmotivated by the race for the ten billion yen or revenge, only a good fight with his [[FriendlyEnemy "friend"]] Kiryu-chan.

* The first cinematic in ''VideoGame/TombRaiderI'', in which Lara reveals herself for the first time to the player by cutting the rope that holds her, tossing off her shawl, drawing her guns, and firing a few shots at the wolves attacking her guide before she hits the ground.

** The first thing Enzo is seen doing is literally pissing on a grave, establishing him as a {{jerkass}}.

* The main enemy bots of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach'' get a scene unsubtly showcasing their main personality trait: Roxy is [[{{Pride}} reciting compliments to herself in front of a mirror]], Monty is [[HairTriggerTemper wrecking his room while roaring]], and Glamrock Chica is [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers playing a guitar solo]]... but is also found [[VillainousGlutton eating pizza from a pile of trash]] shortly after.

* So you made it to the final level of ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Super Street Fighter II Turbo: The Ultimate Championship]]'' and are about to thrash M. Bison for the umpteenth time. Then a shadow zooms ahead of you, grabs M. Bison, the screen goes black, blows are landed, screen comes back and M. Bison is laid out by this new challenger. Meet '''AKUMA'''.

** In ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianDawn Tiberian Dawn]]'', in the middle of you getting a dubious and quite possibly suicidal mission briefing from [[SmugSnake Seth]] (who comments that "Power shifts quickly in the Brotherhood") Kane's hand appears in the corner of the screen holding a pistol, which he uses to blow Seth's brains out. Then he comments that "Yes, power shifts more quickly than some people think....", issues the player his orders, then [[AffablyEvil congratulates the player on his promotion]].
** On the GDI side of the same game, Kane's introduction involves the player getting a series of routine reports from various news agencies on various topics, and in the middle of the reports Kane suddenly hacks into his data stream, tells the player that his/ EVA unit cannot help him, that his army is penniless and emasculated, that he is doomed to failure, and that ''he knows where you live'' and implies he has assassins on the way to kill you. [[AffablyEvil Then he bids you a good day]].

** In ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun Tiberian Sun]]'', Kane's first appearance on the Nod campaign occurs when Anton Slavik has captured General Hassan and is holding him on a massive stage with a huge screen behind him. Slavik starts chanting "In the name of Kane!" and the crowd responds with "Kane lives in death!" On the third repetition, the screen erupts to life with Kane's face and he shouts [[LargeHam "KANE LIVES!"]] Then he turns to Hassan and reminds him that "Rule of thumb, Hassan: you can't kill the Messiah."

** For the most part, authority figures in ''Fallout'' tend to be corrupt, selfish, or outright evil. Thus, it isn't shocking when you enter the Kings Gang hideout that [[TheStarscream the guard]] demands you pay an entrance fee to see The King. When you meet him, the player asks if he always charges a fee to see him, to which The King responds that [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure there isn't]]. He'll then immediately repay whatever money the guard scammed from you, joking you must really wanted to have met him.

--->''No one's dick is that long. Not even Long Dick Johnson's. And he had a long fucking dick. Hence the name.

** Liquid Snake probably gets the most notable one, establishing him as someone you don't want to mess with. The first thing you see him do is prepare to fly a Hind-D, despite the snowstorm currently raging over the base which your support team notes only a crazy person would willingly fly a helicopter in, in response to a pair of F-16's being scrambled towards the base.[[labelnote:*]]It also, in hindsight, acts one for Colonel Campbell -- Liquid Snake knows about the F-16 sortie before Solid Snake/the player does.[[/labelnote]] Not fifteen minutes later, you're informed of how the flight went -- Liquid ''managed to shoot them down anyway''.

** ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy'': Rosh is introduced bugging [[PlayerCharacter Jaden]] with questions and fanboying over getting to meet Luke Skywalker, seemingly establishing him as a dorky but well-meaning HeroWorshipper that will [[TheLancer always have your back]]. [[spoiler:Then midway through the tutorial, [[KickTheDog he hacks a combat droid into attacking you just so he can win the trial]], clueing you in that he's ''[[BitchInSheepsClothing actually]]'' an arrogant and over-competitive GlorySeeker, and [[{{Foreshadowing}} probably not the sort of person who should be undergoing Jedi training]]...]]

** About halfway through the game, Doomguy calmly marches through the demon-besieged Phobos base, paying no heed to the scattering civilians or the frantic shouts through intercoms. He has nowhere to hurry -- after all, the execution will not start without the headsman. Upon seeing an employee with a keycard around his neck, he grabs the keycard and drags it to the reader without bothering to take it off the poor man. Then he passes by a couple guards, plucks a plasmagun from one of them as if taking a toy from a child, despite the guard's weak protests, and finally ''gets to work''.

** For new players, the opening to ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' shows off Kirby's personality quite quickly - he's shown as happy and friendly, but once the vortex to the New World appears in the sky, Kirby immediately gets serious and begins to fly towards it.

* ''Franchise/Metroid'':

* ''VideoGame/Deltarune'', [[DigitalAbomination Spamton G. Spamton]] introduces himself by bursting out of a garbage bin, [[IncomingHam loudly]] announcing his name before he even ''notices'' the PlayerCharacter. When he does, he immediately tries to get you to get into a deal with him, and accuses you of being [[PsychologicalProjection abandoned by your friends, losing business and being forced to live in a garbage can]] before ''punching the can in a rage'', causing [[TheStoic Kris]] to back away. All of this sets him up as an [[AxCrazy unhinged]], [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]], SnakeOilSalesman .

* VideoGame/Deltarune, [[DigitalAbomination Spamton G. Spamton]] introduces himself by bursting out of a garbage bin, [[IncomingHam loudly]] announcing his name before he even ''notices'' the PlayerCharacter. When he does, he immediately tries to get you to get into a deal with him, and accuses you of being [[PsychologicalProjection abandoned by your friends, losing business and being forced to live in a garbage can]] before ''punching the can in a rage'', causing [[TheStoic Kris]] to back away. All of this sets him up as an [[AxCrazy unhinged]] [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] SnakeOilSalesman .

* "VideoGame/Deltarune", [[DigitalAbomination Spamton G. Spamton]] introduces himself by bursting out of a garbage bin, [[IncomingHam loudly]] announcing his name before he even ''notices'' the PlayerCharacter. When he does, he immediately tries to get you to get into a deal with him, and accuses you of being [[PsychologicalProjection abandoned by your friends, losing business and being forced to live in a garbage can]] before ''punching the can in a rage'', causing [[TheStoic Kris]] to back away. All of this sets him up as an [[AxCrazy unhinged]] [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] SnakeOilSalesman .

** [[GentlemanSnarker Richard Sonnac]], your contact among the Templars, sarcastically congratulates you on being able to follow the directions you were given; he then assures you that you haven't "[[TakeThat strayed into some atrocious]] Creator/DanBrown [[TakeThat airport paperback]]," and gives you the lowdown on the Templars and [[WellIntentionedExtremist why they're so necessary for the continued survival of the human race]] - peppering the explanation with his trademarked dry wit, of course.
** Illuminati handler [[ComedicSociopath Kirsten Geary]] introduces herself to new recruits with a scream of "I FUCKING LOVE OLD-SCHOOL HIP-HOP! DON'T YOU?" apparently just for the sake of surprising you. The rest of her introduction is spent [[MotorMouth bombarding you with a high-speed stream of instructions]], pausing only to inform you that any failure on your part will reflect badly on her - and result in her [[YouHaveFailedMe nailing your head to the wall]] [[MakeAnExampleOfThem as a warning to the next fuckup]].

** [[IceQueen Bong Cha]], Voice of the Dragon, coldly informs you that you are to speak ''only to her'' - not [[WarriorMonk the Monks]], and certainly not [[CreepyChild the Child]]. Then, businesslike as always, she lays out the nature of the Dragon as a force of Chaos - and sends you out into the field to stir up a little on behalf of your new faction.
** Also in the Illuminati introduction, [[MadScientist Dr Zurn]] gets his moment when the player wakes up strapped to an operating table in his lab. Having already asked security guards if they've ever seen people void their bowels under the influence of pink noise and cheerfully informed players that they're about to lose all motor function, he then holds up a syringe and ominously asks "[[Film/MarathonMan Is it safe]]? Nah, I'm just fuckin' with ya." Then, while [[{{Keet}} spinning around]] in [[SwivelChairAntics his swivel chair]] and taking hits from a [[FunctionalAddict suspicious-looking inhaler]], he gives you a full-body workout for your new powers with a single injection. Undoubtedly crazy, [[AffablyEvil surprisingly amiable]], and [[BunnyEarsLawyer undeniably effective]].
** In his first official conversation with you, the Pyramidion swings wildly between [[CloudCuckooLander normal dialogue, public service announcements, and context-relevant Internet memes]] - while at the same time making it abundantly clear that, even as a bodiless voice, ''he's'' [[TheWonka calling the shots around the Labyrinth]]. He doesn't call himself "The All-Seeing Eye In The Sky" for nothing.
** [[CoolOldLady Dame Julia]] of the Templars phones you apropos of nothing, and [[TechnologicallyBlindElders spends the first few seconds trying to figure out which button she should press next]] and [[GrumpyOldMan grumbling loudly]] about being given a smartphone by the tech division ("I don't need smart, I need functional!"), before informing you that you're in line for a promotion - but you'll have to do a little something extra if you want to earn it. She then asks you to return to London at your earliest convenience... your earliest convenience being ''right now.''
** [[FortuneTeller Madame Roget]] kicks off "The Raven" by waving her hands over her crystal ball and speaking of things to come in a blatantly fake Romany accent, giving every impression of being a bog-standard PhonyPsychic... only for her to drop the accent and refuse all offers of readings for money. ''Then'' she admits to suffering nightmares -- nightmares that just so happen to come true, and the course of the mission proves that she isn't lying.
** Ellis Hill immediately proves himself more than just an ordinary small-town mechanic by drawing a gun on you and demanding -- in a strangely ''official'' way -- that you identify yourself. Once he calms down, he offers a handshake; naturally, [[HandshakeRefusal you're a little hesitant to return it]], but the mechanic actually approves, noting that handshakes can "give away a lot of a person's soul." And every word he says gives the subtle impression that there's something ''off'' about Ellis...
** "The Breakfast Cult" serves as this to the surviving members of [[WizardingSchool Innsmouth Academy]]: Headmaster [[CloudCuckooLander Hayden]] [[NightmareFetishist Montag]] scarcely seems bothered by the mass-slaughter of all other faculty members or the monsters currently besieging his office, blithely observing that accidents like this are hardly out of the ordinary at Innsmouth ("You cannot vivisect a ghoul without breaking a few legs!") and assuring you that a full investigation will follow as soon as new staff have been hired and their [[BreadEggsMilkSquick predecessors' corpses have been dissolved with acid]]. Meanwhile, [[HotWitch Ms Annabel Usher]] does her best to [[CloudcuckoolandersMinder keep Montag from drifting too far off track]] or from revealing anything ''too'' unpleasant, all the while [[TeamMom keeping a concerned eye on Carter]]. Carter herself spends most of the mission intro sitting at the computer, extensively bloodstained and quite clearly shell-shocked - and the two remaining staff members seem to be [[MacGuffinSuperPerson doing their best to keep her out of danger]]...
** On seeing you approaching, Marianne Chen tries to discourage you from getting any closer by bombarding you with regulations and official-sounding declarations... only to collapse into nervous stuttering once it becomes clear that you're not buying any of it. And then the trauma comes creeping out:
-->[[TheWoobie Frankly, if it didn't violate protocol, I could really use a hug]].
** The Orochi Caller AKA [[spoiler:Samuel Chandra AKA Samael]] immediately recognizes the player as an intruder in the Blue Mountains Camp, and calls just to let you know that you're in violation of laws that could make life hell for your faction of choice - and he doesn't need the Council to enforce the law when he's better armed than them. But then he decides to let bygones be bygones if you hunt down a runaway test subject, quickly establishing him as [[EvilGenius brilliant]], [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]], [[AffablyEvil curiously charming]], and [[TheFaceless suspiciously reluctant to show his face]].
** Freddie Beaumont is first encountered grumbling over the fact that he hasn't quite figured out how to get Excalibur to work for him despite having apparently having Solomon Island in the palm of his hand, all while being playfully taunted by Cassie - all good indications that Beaumont might be a powerful foe, [[SmugSnake but he's nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is]]. Plus, [[EnigmaticMinion his supposed groupie might be more than meets the eye]]...
** Illuminati sysadmin Leah Cassini makes her character clear before she even starts talking to the player: introduced in the middle of a phone call, she asks, "[[HaveYouTriedRebooting Have you tried turning it off and on?]] No? [[InternetJerk Then please kill yourself]]." For good measure, in between making it clear that she's [[SinisterSurveillance watching virtually everything you do]], she has to stop and [[NoSocialSkills ask you not to make eye contact]].
** [[RebelLeader Shani]] of [[LaResistance the Marya]] casually greeting you in the intro to "The Siege of al-Merayah." Despite the ongoing gunfights less than twenty feet from her position, she remains [[TheStoic perfectly calm]] while speaking with you and issuing instructions to her soldiers - even [[TheSnackIsMoreInteresting helping herself to an apple]].
** [[MadBomber Nassir the Boom-Boom Man]]'s character is quite thoroughly established in the mission intro to "Live Free, Die Hard": having been caught dancing around with an AK-47, he decides to play catch with players -- using a live hand grenade as the ball; then, while cooing eagerly over the new shipment of C4 he got in, he extols the virtues of American action films like ''Film/DemolitionMan'' and ''Film/DieHard'', and promises that they'll be able to blow up the Atenist pumping station and save the entire valley -- "[[ThePollyanna just like Bollywood movie, with happy ending and musical number]]!"
** Sitting alone on the roof of the ghoul-infested Hotel Wahid, Saïd already looks out of place in the war-torn desert even from a distance, being dressed as he is in a crisp white suit and [[FedoraOfAsskicking fedora]]. Then you get a good look at him in "The High Cost Of Dying": he's actually an ancient Egyptian {{Mummy}}, complete with empty eye-sockets barely hidden by his CoolShades. There's a long pause as he considers you... and then [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu he takes a photo of you with his phone]]. Then he drags you into a business meeting, bombarding you with details at a pace that would make Kirsten Geary nod with approval, all while making it clear that he's an avaricious, hedonistic, self-important, and infuriatingly charming undead bastard.

** The Oxford occult archaeological team: upon being approached by an angry mummy, Montgomery de la Roche casually impales it on his SwordCane - only for his sword to get stuck in the thing's stomach, forcing [[BollywoodNerd Arun Singh]] to come to his rescue with a HandCannon; he then helps Monty to his feet, showing a surprising amount of intimacy for simple coworkers. As it becomes clear, Monty's the aging GentlemanAdventurer, Arun's the [[TheWormGuy unconventional young scientist]], and they're in love.
** All seven of the Sentinels get a chance to demonstrate their respective characters over the course of their mission set: In "The Dark Places," [[OnlySaneMan Thutmose]] tries to keep peace between Nefertari and Hemineter]]; in "The Stained Oasis," [[InsufferableGenius Nefertari]] solemnly informs the player of the sacred balance in the universe and advises patience (despite Hemineter's repeated interruptions); in "The Sad Song," [[TheWoobie Moutemouia]] reflects on how miserable her [[WhoWantsToLiveForever immortal stewardship]] has become, pausing only to reassure Houy that [[ParentalSubstitute she isn't going to abandon him]]; in "Blood and Fire," [[ActionGirl Hemineter]] takes a break from getting on Nefertari's nerves to break the rules and take the fight to the Atenists; in "They Were Beautiful Once," [[CoolBigSister Moutnefert]] immediately begins bombarding you with questions about the world outside the City, clearly wishing she could travel as she once did; in "Halls of Lost Records," [[CheerfulChild Nefertari the Younger]] [[TheBeastMaster speaks with the animals of the City]], gently encouraging them to spy on the Atenists; and in "A Farewell To Arms," [[DontFearTheReaper Houy]] attempts to raise an important point with his older siblings, only to end up [[NotNowKid getting overlooked due to his youth and innocence]] and has to spell things out more bluntly.
** Sophie and the Forest God get a dual ECM early on in "Mortal Sins." Around this time, Harbaburesti is being continuously attacked by ghouls at one end of the settlement, besieged by vampires at another, and occasionally attacked by packs of werewolves at yet another... but the Forest God is still [[TheAlcoholic getting hammered at the bar]], and when she's not keeping you up to date on the situation, Sophie is still serving him [[ThePollyanna as cheerfully as ever]] -- though she quickly decides that he's had enough once [[HotSkittyOnWailordAction he starts writing romantic poetry about her]].
** [[DefectorFromDecadence General Hasdatean]] gets his time to shine in the intro to "In Cold Blood." An aged vampire in military dress, he shows up seemingly out of nowhere when players enter the church, apparently getting ready to drink your blood -- only to back off after being gently rebuked by the priest. He spends the rest of the scene [[VitriolicBestBuds trading friendly banter with Father Lucian]] while regarding the incoming vampire army with [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch disgust and disillusionment]]. For good measure, he also demonstrates the big difference between his outlook on the world and that of the priest.

** Most of the Draculesti are established in the space of a single cutscene in "Mortal Sins." [[TeamDad Milosh]] lectures the younger Draculesti on the virtues of discipline and patience while refusing to allow them to shirk their duties, then goes on to have a jovial chat with you about how saving the world is "just another day at the office" while discussing mission goals. [[TheLancer Emilia]] runs the show while Milosh is busy talking to you, occasionally interjecting to make sure he stays on track, all while giving every impression that she's taking this [[RedOniBlueOni a lot more seriously than Milosh does]]. Finally, [[TagalongKid Thibor and Luminita]] beg to be allowed to tag along to the next fight, and wander off to sulk when Milosh refuses them - returning to their usual shoving match as they leave.
** [[BigScrewedUpFamily The Dimirs]] get one in "A Necessary Evil." Encountered hacking away at a bloody corpse with a cleaver, [[PsychopathicManchild Silviu Dimir]] takes one look at you and starts shouting for his "Mami," musing aloud how much he likes to kill innocent fairies and feel the warm blood running. By contrast, [[EvilMatriarch Olga Dimir]] (AKA Mami) does all the talking, defending the monstrous traditions of the family, and slapping Silviu around when he says too much.
** [[LittleMissAlmighty Emma Smith]] takes center stage in "Contagion" by tending to the Filth-infected [[WickedStepmother Julia Smith]], [[AllLovingHero regarding her with sympathy even after all the abuse the Orochi Handler put her through]]. In fact, when Julia awakens in a fit of delirium, Emma actually goes so far as to hold her hand and kiss her on the forehead... and after-mission reports suggest that Julia survived her infection because of this. By this point, she'd already made her strength clear through the brief eruption back in "Breached," but this was the first indication that Emma's supernatural gifts were tempered by her ''[[ChildrenAreInnocent kindness]].''
** After spending about half of issue #7 tagging along with you, pretending to be your [[FauxActionGirl sexy-but-useless secret agent companion]], the Russian Council Operative abruptly stabs you in the back with a syringe, then introduces herself with a nightmarish discussion of all the names and atrocities she's been known for throughout history -- concluding with her real name: [[spoiler: ''' ''Lilith.'' ''']] Then, without further ado, she [[WouldHurtAChild breaks a young test subject's neck]], kidnaps Emma, and ''saws your legs off,'' before promptly leaving to the accompaniment of stunned text messages from every faction contact in the game. Arrogant, merciless, powerful, and arguably one of the most nightmarish characters in the game.
** [[BeleagueredBureaucrat Arturo Castiglione]] gives every impression of being a dignified, elderly statesman... right up until a rather unfortunate phone call causes him to completely lose his shit.
** [[MouthOfSauron The Black Signal]] AKA [[TomTheDarkLord John]] uses his powers to interrupt Masao Tanaka's emergency broadcast, whispering ominously at viewers and splicing in footage of government forces gunning down civilians -- neatly ruining Tanaka's attempts to calm the population; in other words, an EldritchAbomination just used his unspeakable powers for no other reason than [[PsychopathicManchild to troll an authority figure]].
** [[LadyOfWar Gozen]] of the Jingu Clan commands the heavily-armed samurai at the diner without even [[TranquilFury raising her voice or leaving her seat]], demonstrates her [[FantasticRacism hatred of demons]], and continues to fixate on the Oni as a threat [[RevengeBeforeReason even in the face of the Filth infestation]].
** [[DirtyOldMan Inbeda]] of the House In Exile is first introduced lounging by the pool in a bathrobe and slippers - hardly the attire for a dreaded {{Oni}} mercenary captain. For good measure, he follows up his grandiose introduction by inviting players to strip naked and frolic in the pool... and [[BunnyEarsLawyer follows this up by delivering some very sage advice]].
** [[TheDon Daimon Kiyota]] reveals that his lieutenant is actually a spy for Inbeda, and is not only able to frighten the traitor out of trying to assassinate him but ropes him into a game of [[RussianRoulette Fugu Roulette]] for the chance to win Daimon's job -- ultimately forcing his lieutenant into a humiliating forfeit. Then, shortly after advising the player to pursue his next goal [[ConfusionFu in the most chaotic way possible]], Daimon then starts eating the highly toxic fugu with no ill effects. Brilliant, intimidating, eccentric, prone to Roaring Twenties-era slang, '''and CrazyIsCool incarnate.'''

*** The entire intro of ''The Lost Age'' shows Jenna's development from the previous game's DistressedDamsel into this game's ActionGirl.
*** Sheba starts the game by telling Felix and Jenna that she's destined to help them, forcing her way into the player party and refusing to take "no" for an answer. This shows her development from the previous game's DistressedDamsel (there were two) into this game's snarky, ''pushy'' BlackMagicianGirl.

*** Princess Zelda gets one when you first meet her in her courtyard - though she's surprised that you got past the guards, she doesn't have you thrown out and, after Link confirms the Deku Tree gave him the Kokiri Emerald, she tells Link of her [[TheSeer dream]] and. shows him Ganondorf through the window. She then says that, though he has pledged allegiance to her father, [[ProperlyParanoid she doesn't trust him]], indicating she's a ''far'' better judge of character than most of the adults in Hyrule.

** ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'':
Unlike the previous game, you meet the other travelers after their first chapter (or second, in Osvald's case) rather than during it, meaning that they each get a unique recruitment scene to establish their personalities to the player:
*** Ochette immediately talks about food, [[BigEater more concerned with having a meal than the quest she's about to set off on]].
*** Castti is treating a patient, [[TheMedic firmly establishing her occupation and helpful nature]].
*** The characters protect the dog Throné befriended, which she thanks you for, revealing her softer side before she segues into telling you [[AntiHero she's hunting two people down]].
*** The characters find Osvald collapsed outside of town, hinting at his difficult circumstances, with his dialogue indicating that [[AloofAlly he's joining you out of pragmatism and as such doesn't intend to pry into your affairs]].
*** Partitio uniquely has dialogue tailored to whoever your starting traveler is, [[TheFriendlyTexan pointing to him being one of the most charismatic and social]] of the main characters (who's also happy to talk at length about his dreams at first encounter).
*** The characters locate Agnea's purse with all her savings that she dropped, marking her as a CuteClumsyGirl.
*** The characters help Temenos drive off some heretics, establishing that [[BunnyEarsLawyer he has none of the gentle or soft-hearted nature one might normally expect from a cleric of the church]].
*** Hikari is protecting civilians from ruffian soldiers, [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething as someone who seeks to maintain peace amidst the war-torn Hinoeuma]].

* ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerII'':

** Ochette immediately talks about food, [[BigEater more concerned with having a meal than the quest she's about to set off on]].
** Castti is treating a patient, [[TheMedic firmly establishing her occupation and helpful nature]].
** The characters protect the dog Throné befriended, which she thanks you for, revealing her softer side before she segues into telling you [[AntiHero she's hunting two people down]].
** The characters find Osvald collapsed outside of town, hinting at his difficult circumstances, with his dialogue indicating that [[AloofAlly he's joining you out of pragmatism and as such doesn't intend to pry into your affairs]].
** Partitio uniquely has dialogue tailored to whoever your starting traveler is, [[TheFriendlyTexan pointing to him being one of the most charismatic and social]] of the main characters (who's also happy to talk at length about his dreams at first encounter).
** The characters locate Agnea's purse with all her savings that she dropped, marking her as a CuteClumsyGirl.
** The characters help Temenos drive off some heretics, establishing that [[BunnyEarsLawyer he has none of the gentle or soft-hearted nature one might normally expect from a cleric of the church]].
** Hikari is protecting civilians from ruffian soldiers, [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething as someone who seeks to maintain peace amidst the war-torn Hinoeuma]].

* In the first ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'', the player quickly learns all he/she needs to know about Kratos if he executes a Grab attack on the initial zombie {{Mooks}}: Drive them to the ground and stab them repeatedly, impale them on his chainblade and whip them around, or ''tear them in half with his bare hands''. Whatever is about to happen that will make him hurl himself off a cliff in the intro, Kratos clearly begins as a man not to be trifled with.
** A more accurate moment probably comes from his treatment of the hydra. It swallows a man with a key he needs. After killing the beast in badass fashion, Kratos stalks into its mouth to retrieve the key. The key is around the neck of the ship captain, who thanks him for coming back. Kratos' reply? "I didn't come back for ''you''." He then proceeds to rip the key off him, then sends him down the hydra's throat for no reason whatsoever. Kratos: Mighty warrior, and complete asshole.
** Kratos gets another one in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'', which takes place many years after the original trilogy. When his son Atreus jumps the gun and scares off a deer he is hunting, Kratos begins angrily screaming at him, but then catches himself, takes a deep breath to regain his composure, and finishes berating him in a more reasonable tone. This shows that Kratos is A. OlderAndWiser and B. [[HairTriggerTemper still Kratos]].
** The Stranger gets one during his first encounter with Kratos - initially, he comes off as a TooDumbToLive {{Jerkass}}, who deliberately tries to provoke Kratos into a fight and gets knocked into the ground for his trouble, only to get up again, shake himself off, and then ''punch Kratos hard enough to launch him over his house''. The ensuing boss battle proves that while the Stranger is an arrogant prick, [[SmugSuper he's fully capable of backing up that arrogance with actual power and skill]].