History Main / PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo

** Red, the hero from [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the original games]], appears in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and their remakes as the true final boss at the end of the Kanto quest. His sprite matches the first game but to further drive home the point, he is [[HeroicMime completely silent]] and his team is one giant ContinuityNod to the first generation, containing the three starters in their fully evolved forms, [[{{Mascot}} Pikachu]], the storyline Pokémon ([[BrokenBridge Snorlax]], and Espeon, an evolved form of Eevee, who is given to you as a gift by an [=NPC=] (the [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Generation 4 remake]] swaps Espeon out for Lapras, another gift Pokémon). Red also returned again in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' as a battle opponent in the Pokémon World Tournament along with all the previous gym leaders, Elite Four members, and champions.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Sheogorath, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[MadGod Madness]], implies in his dialogue that he [[spoiler:was formerly the Champion of Cyrodiil, the player character of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. Makes sense, as ''Oblivion'''s ''Shivering Isles'' expansion ends with the Champion assuming the mantle of Sheogorath]]. ''Skyrim''[='s=] Sheogorath does look and act exactly the same as the previous Sheogorath, however, except for no longer having a beard and maybe having [[TookALevelInKindness Taken A Level In Kindness]].

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Sheogorath, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[MadGod Madness]], implies in his dialogue that he [[spoiler:was formerly the Champion of Cyrodiil, the player character of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. Makes sense, as ''Oblivion'''s ''Shivering Isles'' expansion ends with the Champion assuming the mantle of Sheogorath]]. ''Skyrim''[='s=] Sheogorath does look and act exactly the same as the previous Sheogorath, however, except for maybe having [[TookALevelInKindness Taken A Level In Kindness]].

** In ''[[Videogame/GoldenSunTheLostAge The Lost Age]]'' you take on the role of Felix, who was a minor antagonist in the first game, and take on three new party members with him. Eventually, you run into the original party from the first game. [[spoiler:And they join up with you.]]

** All but two of the playable characters in the original ''VideoGame/{{Persona 1}}'' make at least a brief appearance in ''VideoGame/Persona2'', and several party members from both games show up in the "Who's Who" TV show in ''VideoGame/Persona3''.

** ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'': Sort of. During the [=ODSTs'=] drop to Regret's flagship, a tiny human ship can be seen approaching it: ''In Amber Clad'', which main PlayerCharacter Master Chief was aboard during the events of ''{{VideoGame/Halo 2}}''.

** ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'': Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, the {{deuteragonist}} of ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', plays the role of SupportingLeader during the levels set on Sanghelios.

* In ''Videogame/FarCryNewDawn'', the protagonist of ''Videogame/FarCry5'' appears as [[spoiler:The Judge, acting as Joseph Seed's enforcer after being brainwashed at the end of 5]].

* While not an officially licensed game, the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}''/''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' crossover game ''[[VideoGame/KoumajouDensetsu Koumajou Densetsu II]]'' featured Sakuya Izayoi as the player character rather than Reimu Hakurei, who was the player character of the first game. The fourth boss of the sequel is Marisa Kirisame, who was a support character for Reimu in the original, and the fifth boss is Reimu Hakurei herself.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin 3}}'', [[spoiler:Captain Olimar only appears at the end of the game. Louie appears a while earlier in the story.]]

** Vito of ''Mafia II'' is one of the protagonist's lieutenants in ''Videogame/MafiaIII''. [[spoiler:Joe Barbaro, Vito's best friend and the protagonist of the Joe's Adventures DLC pack, makes a cameo as well.]]

* ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'' features a few cameos of characters from the previous game, ''VisualNovel/DeathMark'':

** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' was originally supposed to feature the Lone Wanderer, the player character from ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' at some point. There are still many assets in the game files that reflect this, but ultimately the cameo was cut.

* ''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption2'' is a prequel to ''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption'' about the gang that John Marston rode with. As such John [[spoiler:and Jack]] are characters that Arthur Morgan deal with in the plotline. [[spoiler:The PlayableEpilogue puts players in John Marston's shoes, detailing the events that happened between games]].

** It should be noted, however, that [[spoiler:Ardbert]] and the trailer Hyur are two different characters. The trailer Hyur is just a generic Warrior of Light and is officially known as [[KnownOnlyByTheirNickname "Meteor Survivor"]]. His purpose is to simply to act as the AllegoricalCharacter for the Warrior of Light/Player in all the promotional material for the game, which includes the expansions where [[spoiler:Ardbert]] doesn't and shouldn't for story reasons be able to appear in. The differences between the two are further emphasized with the cinematic trailers, which show Meteor Survivor aging and becoming more battle-hardened, over the course of expansions. Meanwhile, [[spoiler:Ardbert]] retains his youthful appearance, since [[spoiler:[[DeadAllAlong he's already dead]] by the time he meets the Warrior of Light]]. In the promotional material for Shadowbringers, both Meteor Survivor and [[spoiler:Ardbert]] are sometimes shown together, referencing the reveal that [[spoiler:Ardbert is the player character's AlternateSelf]].

* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' does this a lot by including Cameo Bosses as extra challenges. Occasionally the cameo will be a villain, but more often it's popular player characters. A few examples:

** In the port of ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'', you can fight Leon in the BonusDungeon. [[spoiler:Well, sort of. It's not really him. Bonus points for fighting him alone with Judas.]]
** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', you can fight a cameo team of [[VideoGame/TalesOfEternia Reid,]] [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Mint,]] [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny Philia]], and [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2 Nanaly.]]
** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Kratos]] appears as a BonusBoss at the end of a dungeon. He's considered one of the hardest bosses in the series.
*** It also includes [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Dhaos]], [[VideoGame/TalesOfEternia Shizel]], and [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2 Barbatos]] in the Arena.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' includes [[VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth Veigue]] as the boss of the Coliseum, and [[VideoGame/TalesOfHearts Amber]] and [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2 Reala]] in the Zhonecage. Beat the latter two in that dungeon and they'll join Veigue in Riot Peak thereafter.

** In the UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/TalesOfHearts'', you can fight a DualBoss with [[VideoGame/TalesOfGraces Hubert and Pascal.]] Also they're wearing cat costumes. (Some fans have hypothesized that [[ShipTease they're on their honeymoon]]. Aw)

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'' features [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Jade Curtiss]] and [[VideoGame/TalesOfGraces Sophie]] as solo cameo bosses. The Dark Turtlez from Graces appears again and while not exactly a PC cameo, his Mystic Arte is a parody of [[VideoGame/TalesOfHearts Amber]]'s Mystic Arte and most of the fight is a reenactment of the Julius boss fight from VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' ends up having a post-game sidequest that involves [[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia Jude]] and [[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia Milla]] being fought separately, before the sidequest ends in them being a DualBoss for the party.

* In ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'', you learn partway through the game that [[spoiler:Tenmyouji is Junpei from the previous game. And in the end, Akane was (in one timeline) K all along.]]

** The final trial in ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' has [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc Makoto Naegi]] pulling a BigDamnHeroes alongside two other survivors of his killing game.

* ''FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'', a SpinOff of the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' franchise, features Byleth, the Ashen Demon, the protagonist from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''. Their gender is shown to be customizable like in ''Three Houses''.

** Similarly, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2 Luso]] joins in the UpdatedRerelease as part of the main plot, at a level close to Ramza's, and his base class is essentially [[OvershadowedByAwesome Ramza's]] [[BoringButPractical Chapter]] [[JackOfAllStats 4]] [[FanNickname "Super-Squire"]] class, renamed, with an innate Poach mechanic, making the Poaching minigame much easier and providing you with yet another DiscOneNuke that remains powerful and versatile throughout the whole game.

* This gets played with for the Midland Hyur in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''. The Hyur in question isn't ''the'' player character in a sense due to players being able to change their appearance easily, so the generic male is used as a stand in for promotional trailers. For a while, WordOfGod teased that the Midland Hyur is ''and'' is not the player character, meaning the character is his own and is not when it comes to representing the player. [[spoiler:In patch 3.1, it's revealed that the Midland Hyur ''is'' his own character after all and he, along with the companions he had in the early 2.0 trailers, [[RogueProtagonist are now working against the player character.]]]]
** Later, in Shadowbringers, it's revealed that the Midland Hyur sort of ''is'' both the player character and not the player character at the same time. [[spoiler:His name is Ardbert, and while he's his own person, he's also part of the player character; everyone on Hydaleyn had their soul sundered into fourteen parts millenia ago, and Ardbert is the First shard's fragment of the Warrior of Light's soul. Ardbert and the player character merge back together at the end of the expansion.]]
** It should be noted, however, that [[spoiler:Ardbert]] and the trailer Hyur are two different characters. The trailer Hyur is a generic Warrior of Light, used as a stand-in for the player character. This includes the expansions where [[spoiler:Ardbert]] doesn't or shouldn't for story reasons be able to appear in. The differences between the two are further emphasized with the cinematic trailers, which show the Hyur Warrior of Light progressively aging and becoming more battle-hardened, over the course of expansions. Meanwhile, [[spoiler:Ardbert's]] appearance remains the same, since [[spoiler:[[DeadAllAlong he's already dead]] by the time he meets the Warrior of Light]]. In the promotional material for Shadowbringers, both the Hyur Warrior of Light and [[spoiler:Ardbert]] are sometimes shown together, referencing the reveal that [[spoiler:Ardbert is the player character's AlternateSelf]].

** The ''Crossover Stories'' [=DLC=] for ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' features [[spoiler: the canonical protagonist of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' Kassandra, whose immortality allows her to meet with Eivor as the first AC hero to literally turn up in another character's time period.]]

** The upcoming ''Dawn of Ragnarök'' [=DLC=] for ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' is set to feature [[spoiler:canonical ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' protagonist Kassandra, whose immortality allows her to meet with Eivor as the first AC hero to literally turn up in another character's time period.]]

* The original ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' survivors appear in "The Passing" campaign in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2''. Every time the campaign starts, one of the original survivors (it's random every time) tells the current survivors that the bridge to the other side is out and asks them to go around to bring it down.

* In ''VideoGame/Splatoon2: Octo Expansion'', Agent 3, the hero of [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} the first game]], appears in a BigDamnHeroes moment near the end of the game. Shortly thereafter, they must be fought as the penultimate boss when they become BrainwashedAndCrazy. Later on, a rematch where they serve as a ([[SNKBoss SNK]]) BonusBoss can be done upon collecting all of the mem cakes. While an OldSaveBonus isn't possible, the game still allows you to customize their appearance, which is first prompted when Cap'n Cuttlefish sketches up a missing poster after you've collected the first three [[PlotCoupon thangs]].

** While the protagonist of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' doesn't show up in person in [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII the sequel]], a statue [[spoiler:and his corpse]] do. Furthermore, in [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne the following game]], it's implied that ''II''[='s=] Aleph does appear through [[spoiler:Jyoji Hijiri]].

** It should be noted, however, that [[spoiler:Ardbert]] and the trailer Hyur are two different characters. The trailer Hyur is a generic Warrior of Light, used as a stand-in for the player character. To further emphasize this, his appearance changes to look older and more battle-hardened in later expansions. Meanwhile, [[spoiler:Ardbert's]] appearance remains the same, since [[spoiler:[[DeadAllAlong he's already dead]] by the time he meets the Warrior of Light]].

** It should be noted, however, that [[spoiler:Ardbert]] and the trailer Hyur are two different characters. The trailer Hyur is a generic Warrior of Light, used as a stand-in for the player character. To further emphasize this, his appearance changes to look older and more battle-hardened in later expansions. Meanwhile [[spoiler:Ardbert's]] appearance remains the same since [[spoiler:[[DeadAllAlong he's already dead]] by the time he meets the Warrior of Light]].

** It should be noted, however, that [[spoiler:Ardbert]] and the trailer Hyur are two different characters. The trailer Hyur is a generic Warrior of Light, used as a stand-in for the player character. To further emphasize this, his appearance changes to look older and battle-hardened in later expansions. Meanwhile [[spoiler:Ardbert's]] appearance remains the same since [[spoiler:he's already dead by the time he meets the Warrior of Light]].

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', the [[PlayerCharacter Jedi Exile]] meets and fights the PlayerCharacter from the original ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' in a vision. Also, various party members make return appearances, either joining the new party or as [=NPCs=]. ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' then contains the FullyAbsorbedFinale for both ''Knights''[='=] [=PCs=]: [[spoiler:a Republican Flash Point concerns rescuing Revan from the Sith Emperor's prison, during which rescue a Force ghost of the late Exile is encountered; while an Imperial Flash Point concerns locating the now-free Revan and seemingly killing him. [[BackFromTheDead He returns, but claims to have genuinely have died and come back]]]].

** It should be noted, however, that [[spoiler:Ardbert]] and the trailer Hyur are different. The trailer Hyur is a generic Warrior of Light, used as a stand-in for the player character.

** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'', TheReveal at the end shows that [[spoiler:Ishmael is the real Big Boss from the previous games. Venom Snake, who the player has been controlling and was led to belive was Big Boss, was a lookalike.]]

** Estelle and Joshua, the protagonists of ''Trails in the Sky'', show up in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesZeroNoKiseki'', its sequel, and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Trails of Cold Steel IV]]''.
** Speaking of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesZeroNoKiseki'', that game's hero Lloyd Bannings shows up in 3 of the 4 ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' games and is playable in two of them.