History TheGhost / VideoGames

* Ellis's good buddy Keith of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'', who must look like a pile of ground hamburger given the outrageous stories he shares at inopportune times. Oddly, characters like Keith have small, but dedicated fan-followings and Rule34 dedicated to them, based entirely on {{Fanon}} speculations of {{backstory}} and appearance, none of which is backed up in-game.

* ''VideoGame/LonelyWolfTreat'' gives us Trick's [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] human master. He's prominently mentioned throughout the fourth game in Trick's backstory but never appears onscreen, which can be chalked up to him leaving after Trick joined Treat's pack.

* In ''VideoGame/{{APICO}}'', your grandpa is never seen in the overworld and is only mentioned in passing by the other residents. However, his guide gives you a glimpse of his personality through your writing.

* Billy from ''VideoGame/{{Kindergarten}}'' is a mystery former student who went missing before the events of the game. While he's talked about by the characters who knew him, he's naturally nowhere to be found in the eponymous kindergarten. [[spoiler:[[UnseenNoMore That is, until the final mission]], when the protagonist and Billy's sister Lily finds him mutated and held captive in the principal's secret lab and rescue him.]]

* The ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' series stars a famed gunsmith named Joseph Kendo, who designed the custom Samurai Edge handguns used by the S.T.A.R.S. team, as well as Leon Kennedy's [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 Silver Ghost]] pistol. Joseph himself, however, never physically appears in the games and is only mentioned in one file in the original ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'', though his brother Robert does show up in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake its remake]]. The backstories of him creating the Samurai Edge and Silver Ghost are included in manuals included with the Tokyo Marui airsoft Samurai Edges for the former and a magazine article for the latter.

* ''VideoGame/DeepRockGalactic'' has Karl, a fellow dwarf miner who made quite a name for himself in the caves of Hoxxes IV. The playable dwarves might shout [[AndThisIsFor "FOR KARL!"]] in combat or wonder [[WhatWouldXDo "What would Karl do?]] while tweaking their equipment, and obviously hold him in high regard, assessing a [[TheJuggernaut Glyphid Dreadnought]]'s tankiness as "That thing ate bullets like Karl drank beers!" But what exactly happened to Karl is one big NoodleIncident -- evidence suggests that he's MIA instead of confirmed as dead, and drinking Blackrock Lager might make your dwarf hallucinate a vision of Karl, while [[GeniusSerum Smart Stout]] will allow your dwarf to briefly figure out where Karl went before [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome forgetting it.]]

* According to the {{backstory}} of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaJudgment'', the entity responsible for sending the Time Reaper back in time [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight to change history]] is Galamoth, better known as the main villain of ''VideoGame/KidDracula'' and the BonusBoss in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Symphony of the Night]]''. He never appears in the game, and aside from one of the Time Reaper's death screams, his identity is never revealed.

* Holst Goneril, older brother of Hilda Valentine Goneril in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''. He's a renowned general in the Leicester Alliance, and he guards the fortress that stands between the Alliance and its rival neighbor Almyra. He's mentioned by several characters, Hilda's paralogue has her defending the fortress in his stead, and he's even explicitly mentioned to have been severely injured in a fight with one route's final boss, but he never makes a physical appearance -- even on Verdant Wind, a route that not only prominently features Fódlan/Almyran relations, but is also the home route of his sister. He finally appears (and as a playable character) in the Golden Wildfire route of the AlternateTimeline spin-off ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHopes''.

* Holst Goneril, older brother of Hilda Valentine Goneril in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''. He's a renowned general in the Leicester Alliance, and he guards the fortress that stands between the Alliance and its rival neighbor Almyra. He's mentioned by several characters, Hilda's paralogue has her defending the fortress in his stead, and he's even explicitly mentioned to have been severely injured in a fight with one route's final boss, but he never makes a physical appearance -- even on Verdant Wind, a route that not only prominently features Fódlan/Almyran relations, but is also the home route of his sister.

* Mr. Grizz, the owner of Grizzco in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', is never seen, unlike the other shopkeepers in the game. He communicates entirely through a speaker attached to a wooden bear carving, and even then WordOfGod implies that his dialogue may actually be pre-recorded.

** The apprentice of [[BigGood Ansem the Wise]], Xehanort, is responsible for the creation of TheHeartless and almost everything bad that happens to the protagonists across the franchise, but only appears in the flesh in a few brief cutscenes and a single portrait. Instead, his [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI heartless]], [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII nobody]], and [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep original self]] play the role of BigBad in the games themselves.\\\
In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', the heroes are searching for Ansem ({{retcon}}ned into Xehanort ''calling'' himself Ansem), who created the Heartless. He remains The Ghost until the end of the game when [[spoiler:he is revealed to have become a Heartless himself, and has been TheManBehindTheMan to [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] all along]].

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' games, whenever the lights go out, you are warned that you might be eaten by a grue. Although you never see what a grue actually looks like (and in fact, no one alive has ''ever'' seen one), if you stay in the dark for too long (2-3 turns) you will, invariably, be eaten by one. Not only that, but the fact that they eat careless wanderers is literally the ''only'' thing anyone knows about them. Where did they come from? Why are they afraid of light? Are they natural creatures? How do they enter spaces like attics which are completely surrounded by lit areas? How do they reproduce? How do they get adequate ''water''? How did they avoid falling into those bottomless pits that were all over the place until very recently? If Creator/{{Infocom}} has the answers, they're not interested in sharing them.\\\
The closest we get to seeing them is in ''VideoGame/ZorkZero''. You have to play a card game against the Jester, and one of the cards is the "Grue" card, which shows nothing but ominous glowing eyes. Also, in ''VideoGame/ZorkGrandInquisitor'', you can hear it. At the start of the game, if you go down the well without the Lantern, you do not get a warning of the Grue. But wait long enough, you hear a slobbering, chewing, gnawing, and then belch. The death text playfully criticizes you for not expecting it. "Going into a dark area in a ''Zork'' game? What were you thinking?!"

* Ulysses acts as this in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. When you first hear about him, you never even learn his name, he just sounds like some guy that used to know the Courier somehow. Throughout the game and the various DLCs, we slowly hear more and more about him but never see or hear him while everything is built up about how the final battle between him and the Courier will essentially change the fates of ''everyone''. He's finally revealed in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, which is all about the final confrontation between him and the Courier.

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' plays with this trope in regard to its BigBad, Xehanort:
** The apprentice of [[BigGood Ansem the Wise]], Xehanort, is responsible for the creation of TheHeartless and almost everything bad that happens to the protagonists across the franchise, but only appears in the flesh in a few brief cutscenes and a single portrait. Instead, his [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI heartless]], [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII nobody]] and [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep original self]] play the role of BigBad in the games themselves.
** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', the heroes are searching for Ansem ({{retcon}}ned into Xehanort ''calling'' himself Ansem), who created the Heartless. He remains The Ghost until the end of the game when [[spoiler: he is revealed to have become a Heartless himself, and has been TheManBehindTheMan to [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] all along]].
** This also applies for certain Disney characters. [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Zeus]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} The Sultan]], and many others are mentioned, but never appear in the game. Subverted in that we've already seen them in their source material.

* Ellis' good buddy Keith of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'', who must look like a pile of ground hamburger given the outrageous stories he shares at inopportune times.
** Oddly, characters like Keith have small, but dedicated fan-followings and {{Rule 34}} dedicated to them, based entirely on {{Fanon}} speculations of {{backstory}} and appearance, none of which is backed up in-game.

** The Batarians in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' are referenced numerous times in text and dialog, but, are never actually seen in the game. A DLC module, ''Bring Down the Sky'' later adds them to a single mission. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' they appear as often as the other major races.
** The Shadow Broker was the Ghost for some time, until the aptly named DLC ''Lair of the Shadow Broker''. He's also a Ghost in-universe, as nobody has ever seen him or talked to him in person. [[spoiler:Turns out the one in the game is not the first one, nor the last. Since nobody ever sees or hears him, everyone who can hack into his private terminal can become the new Shadow Broker, with none of the hundreds or even thousands of agents and informants being the wiser.]]
** Many of the characters and races from the Cerberus Daily News "reports" are considered to be ghosts. The only one who ever showed up on screen was Tela Vasir, while two turians from a long-running storyline were briefly mentioned -- but not seen - in the aforementioned DLC.
* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series through the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series, the ''human race as a whole'' becomes this. Besides Doctors Light[[note]]An exception[[/note]], Cain[[note]]Who becomes the ghost in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4''[[/note]], Wily[[note]]the ghost for most of the ''X'' series, outside of Zero's dreams[[/note]], [[spoiler:[[BigBad Weil]]]] and the [[BigGood scientist Ciel]], no humans have any appearance. They are repeatedly mentioned as whole throughout both series, but none make an appearance unless they are the aforementioned main characters. ''Mega Man Zero 4'' finally breaks this to a degree by introducing an entire convoy of humans fleeing from Neo Arcadia and showcasing just how bitter and distrustful of reploids they've become after the ravaging of the entire planet during the Maverick and Elf Wars.
* ''VideoGame/MyCafe'' has numerous examples, although they are justified/enforced by the game's limited setting. Many of the customers mention relatives, friends, and other relations who never actually come to the titular cafe, and therefore is never seen.
* In the ''VideoGame/NancyDrew'' game series, a minor character named Sonny Joon is used as TheUnseen in a RunningGag, as Nancy keeps finding out he'd just been working, living, or visiting whichever place she's solving a mystery today. Sonny has never been seen or even heard on the telephone, but his habit of leaving notes and doodles everywhere means that a fair bit is known about him.

** The Pokémon Mansion journals in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' tell of a scientist discovering a new Pokémon, naming it "Mew", and creating Mewtwo using its DNA. Nowhere outside of these will you find Mew or anyone who knows of it, GoodBadBugs nowithstanding. Notably, while Mew ''is'' in the game as a SecretCharacter, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen it wasn't intended to be]]; it was only added to the game two weeks before release when the removal of development tools left enough space for one more Pokémon species.
** Hilbert or Hilda, the main protagonists of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite,'' become this in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. They are mentioned by numerous [=NPCs=] across the game, and are even talked about by their names if Memory Link is activated. There's even a random Trainer in Victory Road who fought against them in the first games that ponder on where they are now. Their mother says that they took their respective dragon and went off to search for N.
* The "Rat Man" from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', of whom you find only stashes, hidden cubby-holes, and scrawled graffiti that either gives you hints, slightly illuminates the plot, gives you an insight into his [[SanitySlippage increasing insanity]], or all of the above. Until the ''Lab Rat'' digital comic, that is, which completely centers around him and gives more insight into his {{backstory}}. His name is Doug Rattmann, and his schizophrenia actually helped him escape [=GLaDOS=] -- he always suspected she'd try to kill them, so when she did, [[CrazyPrepared he was prepared]]. His scrawlings serve as art therapy, and his only companion is the "spirit" (really a hallucinated voice) of his "dead" [[CompanionCube Weighted Companion Cube]].

** The Night Gaunts, who were never seen but supposedly might kill you. Oh, they ''will'' kill you, but you [[NightmareFuel still won't see them]]. '''''Don't sleep in the forest!'''''
** Though we do get an image of them on the death screen. They seem to resemble [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings RingWraiths]]
** The sorceress Erana is a more prominent example. She didn't appear at all for the first three games, but the player could find various sanctuaries created and protected by her magic. In the fourth game, when she finally makes a direct appearance, the player finds out that [[spoiler: she's been dead for a long time, but is able to communicate with her spirit and help her find peace in death]], and in the fifth game [[spoiler: the player has the option to resurrect and marry her depending on their class.]]
%%** The Purple Giraffes in VideoGame/QuestForGloryIII.

* ''VideoGame/RemnantFromTheAshes'' has two hostile figures who are mentioned but never seen. First is the Devourer, an agent of the Root who killed or injured all the Guardians except Ixillis; it is never encountered in the game, only mentioned by the Keeper. The second is the Pan empress, the tyrant ruler of the Pan, the enemies encountered at Yaesha (except the rebels, who are on your side). Of all the world enemies, the Pan are the only ones whose supreme leader is never seen, let alone fought; their empress is only mentioned in Ford's notes and by the rebels. The world boss of Yaesha, the last thing standing between you and Ford, will always either be a werewolf called the Ravager, or a monkeylike Pan in their nobility called Totem Father.
* The ''[[Franchise/ResidentEvil Resident Evil]]'' series stars a famed gunsmith named Joseph Kendo, who designed the custom Samurai Edge handguns used by the S.T.A.R.S. team, as well as Leon Kennedy's [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 Silver Ghost]] pistol. Joseph himself, however, has yet to physically appear in the games and is only mentioned in one file in the original ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'', though his brother Robert does show up in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake its remake]]. The backstories of him creating the Samurai Edge and Silver Ghost are included in [[http://projectumbrella.net/articles/biohazard-SAMURAI-EDGE-History manuals included with the Tokyo Marui airsoft Samurai Edges for the former]] and [[http://projectumbrella.net/articles/ARMS-Jan-06-Vol-211 a magazine article for the latter.]]
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'' has Tom, a second DJ for the Creator/AdultSwim-themed radio station, alongside Jon from ''Series/{{Delocated}}''. We never hear what he says, but thanks to Jon [[RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear repeating what he apparently says and describing what he does]], we can tell he's... [[TheMentallyDisturbed a bit off his rocker]].

* Mental, the EvilOverlord and GreaterScopeVillain of the ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' games, has never been seen or in ''over ten'' years of existance of the franchise. Technically, he ''has'' been heard, but at best he'll only get at least one or two [[TheUnintelligible incomprehensible]] lines at the end of the game.
* Vercci from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' -- he's involved in both the stories of Voldo and Cervantes and by accounts is pretty important in the story. He may have been intended to be a guest character in Soul Blade, but he never made it.
* In ''VideoGame/TheSpectrumRetreat'', everybody except for you, the manager and Cooper are ghosts, as you only get to hear some of them in brief, cutscene-less flashbacks or read their text logs.
* Mr. Grizz, the owner of Grizzco in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' is never seen, unlike the other shopkeepers in the game. He communicates entirely through a speaker attached to a wooden bear carving, and even then WordOfGod implies his dialogue may actually be pre-recorded.

** There is an ancient hero named Hikusaak who is supposed to be ageless. Although he/she has been mentioned in most of the games, they have never been seen. It is unknown if Hikusaak is still alive during any of the games, no one even knows Hikusaak's gender.
** Another notable character is Schtolteheim Reinbach III, who was mentioned in the early games but finally appears in ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV''.
* An unseen sharpshooter helps out the VideoGame/DuckHunt team in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. His hand, armed with the NES Zapper, is the only thing seen of him in the trailer. But during the actual game, he never makes an appearance, and if one is playing the European version of the game, one might not even be aware he's there at all![[note]]This is because the characters are known as "Duck Hunt Duo" in this version, and their trophy descriptions make no mention of there ever being anyone there alongside the dog and the duck.[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/TheTalosPrinciple'': Elohim, the Milton Library Assistant (unless you consider the library terminals to be the latter's “body”), and all the robots that painted the QR codes (excepting yourself [[spoiler:and, if you chose the Ascension ending, Samsara and The Shepherd]]).

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' has several of these, such as Youmu's former instructor Youki, Byakuren's Dead Little Brother Myouren, Marisa's unnamed father, the immortal lunar goddess Chang'e, and the Dragon, [[InformedAttribute the single most powerful being in Gensokyo]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}: Tale of the Forsaken Land'' features 'The Great Warrior Otto' who leaves many rather helpful messages throughout the dungeon in poor handwriting, but you never actually meet him.

* Heyourgah in ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101''. He is one of the main officers of GEATHJERK second only to TheDragon Gimme, and yet the Wonderful 100 never sees him, let alone fights him. [[spoiler:This is because Prince Vorkken killed him offscreen at some point in Operation 006, taking over his role as the boss of that area. Even his file only depicts his gravestone.]] An image in a flashback shows what ''might'' be him since it includes the other GEATHJERK officers, but it's hard to make him out in detail (as all the officers are framed in shadow in that image) apart from possibly being a HornedHumanoid.
* The Sign Painter of ''VideoGame/WorldOfGoo'' is only known to exist based on his or her messages left on various... signs. In the final level, the Sign Painter is supposedly there [[spoiler:at the telescope]], but nothing can be seen of him [[spoiler:but his eye]].
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' games, whenever the lights go out you are warned that you might be eaten by a grue. Although you never see what a grue actually looks like (and in fact no one alive has ''ever'' seen one), if you stay in the dark for too long (2-3 turns) you will, invariably, be eaten by one.
** Not only that, but the fact that they eat careless wanderers is literally the ''only'' thing anyone knows about them. Where did they come from? Why are they afraid of light? Are they natural creatures? How do they enter spaces like attics which are completely surrounded by lit areas? How do they reproduce? How do they get adequate ''water''? How did they avoid falling into those bottomless pits that were all over the place until very recently? If Infocom has the answers, they're not interested in sharing them.
** In ''VideoGame/ZorkZero'', it's slightly averted as you have to play a card game against the Jester, one of the cards is a the "Grue" card, and shows nothing but ominous glowing eyes.
** In ''VideoGame/ZorkGrandInquisitor'', you actually hear it. At the start of the game, if you go down the well without the Lantern, you do not get a warning of the Grue. But wait long enough, you hear a slobbering, chewing, gnawing and then belch. The death text playfully criticizes you for not expecting it. "Going into a dark area in a Zork game? What were you thinking?!"

* ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles'' has a hostess named Reika that Date, Aiba and Mizuki mention at various points, though we never see her or the cabaret club she works at. Date did ''[[NoodleIncident something]]'' to make her block his phone number, but that's all we know about her.

** Until the [=iOS=] game, ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamUnderworld'', [[TheDon Carmine Falcone]] was this, he never put in a physical appearance until ''Underworld'' (in part in ''City'' and ''Knight'' due to Hugo Strange forcing him out of the city, according to the [[AllThereInTheManual Arkham City Stories]]). According to [[AllThereInTheManual the interview tapes]] in ''Arkham City'', he's the one who caused Harvey Dent to become Two-Face ([[CompositeCharacter taking Sal Maroni's role]]) and was the true power [[AdaptationOriginConnection behind the Red Hood Gang that'd spawn the future Joker]], as well as one of his businesses, Falcone Shipping, being seen in the Joker's turf and a SequelHook to ''Arkham Knight''. In ''Origins'', the Penguin tries to use [[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween his son, Alberto,]] to force Falcone out of the weapons business and in ''Knight'', there's another Falcone warehouse.

** Grant Cohen has left at least one audio log and is important enough for his office to appear in the game, but he himself hasn't.

** Although Wally Franks has left useful clues for puzzles in the studio, he has yet to appear in-person.
* ''VideoGame/TheBizarreAdventuresOfWoodruffAndTheSchnibble'': ''Woodruff and The Schnibble of Azimuth'' has the eponymous Schnibble, the savior of the city, who everybody the player meets says is just around the corner. Near the end, it's revealed that [[spoiler: the Schnibble was a fictional person invented by Professor Azimuth to give the people hope, and inspire people to action, helping the less fortunate. Since the player has done exactly that, he has effectively become the Schnibble.]]
* The appropriately named Formless Oedon in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' lacks form, and exists only in voice. It fits this trope in other ways too, as it's the only named Great One aside from Mergo that doesn't interact with the player in any way (unlike Amygdala, Ebrietas, and the [[spoiler:Pale Moon Presence]]). The only ways that it might affect the plot is by most likely being responsible for impregnating Arianna and possibly being the father of Mergo.

* In ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'', a mysterious girl called Amelie is alluded to several times, but never seen, and only communicates with the player once, via a letter she left behind in an EasterEgg location. (No, not with the player character, ''[[BreakingTheFourthWall the player]]'').

* Subverted twice in ''VideoGame/CaveStory''. After Grasstown/Bushlands, Jack, if you talk to him, will tell you about how [[PosthumousCharacter Arthur]] drove away a red demon. Later, after defeating the Core, you're told about [[spoiler: Jenka, a woman met earlier in the Sand Zone, having a younger brother named Ballos]]. If you don't get the [[spoiler:Booster 2.0]], both of these people will never be seen. If you at least get the [[spoiler:Booster 2.0]], you'll be able to finish what Arthur started and fight the Red Demon/Ogre. If you go for the True Ending, which requires a second item as well, [[spoiler:then you learn more of Ballos's backstory, and he ends up being the TrueFinalBoss and GreaterScopeVillain as the man who created the Demon Crown]].
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'':
** In the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, you travel back in time and can personally meet the other three knights (and even kill them). Nothing of the Furtive Pygmy, though. [[spoiler: Although it's implied that he became Manus, Father of the Abyss and BigBad of the DLC.]]
** On a similar note, several of the mentioned gods, kings, and warriors, such as Velka and Allfather Lloyd [[spoiler: and technically Gwynevere, as the one you see in Anor Londo is an illusion by her brother.]]

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** Several races are mentioned in the series' backstory and lore but have not yet been seen in-game in the main series. These include the Imga (intelligent ape men) of Valenwood, all of the races of [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]] (the [[SnakePeople Tsaesci]], the [[CatFolk Ka Po' Tun]], the Tang Mo, and the [[EvilIsDeathlyCold Kamal]]) as well as the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Maormer (Sea Elves)]], though they do finally make an appearance in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]''. Likewise, the Sload (slug-men) of Thras have so far only appeared in the ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsAdventuresRedguard'' spin-off game but are still mentioned in the other games.
** While the [[CatFolk Khajiit]] are known to have at least 17 distinct sub-species, only two have actually been seen in the main series games to date -- the [[LittleBitBeastly Ohmes/Ohmes-raht]] (''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'') and Suthay/Suthay-raht (''Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Online''). However, the ''Legends'' digital card battle game shows the Cathay-raht ("Jaguar Men"), Dagi-raht (a smaller sub-breed with an affinity for climbing trees and using magic), and Pahmar-raht ("Tiger Men" and the largest bi-pedal sub-species).

** Tiber Septim, the [[FounderOfTheKingdom founder]] of the Third Tamriellic Empire who [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended after his death]] as [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]], the Ninth Divine, is an extremely influential PosthumousCharacter in the series. But even in the only game which takes place during his lifetime, the spin-off game ''Redguard'', he does not make an appearance.

* In ''{{VideoGame/Fable II}}'' there is Nicky "the Nickname" Chalmers, who appears to be a crime lord in Bowerstone oldtown, occasionally mentioned by Afur, but never seen in-game.
* Ulysses acts as this in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. When you first hear about him, you never even learn his name, he just sounds like some guy that used to know the Courier somehow. Throughout the game and the various DLC's we slowly hear more and more about him but never see or hear him while everything is built up about how the final battle between him and the Courier will essentially change the fates of ''everyone''. He's finally revealed in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC which is all about the final confrontation between him and the Courier.
* Holst Goneril, older brother of Hilda Valentine Goneril in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''. He's a renowned general in the Leicester Alliance, and he guards the fortress that stands between the Alliance and its rival neighbor Almyra. He's mentioned by several characters, Hilda's paralogue even has her defending the fortress in his stead, and he's even explicitly mentioned to have been severely injured in a fight with one route's final boss, but he never makes a physical appearance -- even on Verdant Wind, a route that not only prominently features Fódlan/Almyran relations, but is also the home route of his sister.
* Ryder's pal LB in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' is apparently a master of the StealthHiBye, dropping things off and then disappearing before CJ, i.e., the player, gets to see him.
** This is possibly a RewatchBonus and ForeShadowing to the fact that Ryder has many "connections" [[spoiler: as he is actually TheMole working for the BigBad]]. However, this explanation is very unlikely, since Ryder's subplot went through a small DevelopmentHell, [[spoiler: and his FaceHeelTurn was shoehorned into the game after most of the missions were completed, so the game designers probably didn't even add any deliberate foreshadowing]]. Instead, it is more likely that these are just some clunky cases of HandWaving which accidentally lead to FridgeBrilliance.
* Admiral Mattius Drake in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' is the [[RebelLeader leader]] of the [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters New Colonial Alliance]], founding the group while he was [[TheMole still a high-ranking UNSC admiral]], with his true colors only being revealed after [[ComicBook/HaloInitiation some members of an NCA cell trying to steal the]] UNSC ''[[TheBattlestar Infinity]]'' were captured. Drake is currently in hiding, and while the NCA has involved in a number of incidents since, with Drake himself being mentioned multiple times, he has still not made a direct appearance so far.

* King Taskan II in ''VideoGame/HypeTheTimeQuest'' is often referenced by the characters and is arguably one of the characters that helped Hype to get back to his own time the most (by finding the Lost City and entrusting a map to guide him there to Hype's allies), but he is never encountered in-game as he is away from Torras when Hype visits Torras during his reign.

** Several races are mentioned in the series' backstory and lore but have not yet been seen in-game in the main series. These include the Imga (intelligent ape men) of Valenwood, all of the races of [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]] (the [[SnakePeople Tsaesci]], the [[CatFolk Ka Po' Tun]], the [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Tang Mo]], and the [[EvilIsDeathlyCold Kamal]]) as well as the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Maormer (Sea Elves)]], though they do finally make an appearance in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]''. Likewise, the Sload (slug-men) of Thras have so far only appeared in the ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsAdventuresRedguard'' spin-off game but are still mentioned in the other games.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

* Phoenix Wright is this in ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'', or almost - He can be seen rowing just off the bridge in the third case, along with Maya and Pearl. He makes a similar cameo in the game's sequel.

** While the [[CatFolk Khajiit]] are known to have at least 17 distinct sub-species, only two have actually been seen in the main series games to date - the [[LittleBitBeastly Ohmes/Ohmes-raht]] (''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'') and Suthay/Suthay-raht (''Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Online''). However, the ''Legends'' digital card battle game shows the Cathay-raht ("Jaguar Men"), Dagi-raht (a smaller sub-breed with an affinity for climbing trees and using magic), and Pahmar-raht ("Tiger Men" and the largest bi-pedal sub-species).

* Holst Goneril, older brother of Hilda Valentine Goneril in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''. He's a renowned general in the Leicester Alliance, and he guards the fortress that stands between the Alliance and its rival neighbor Almyra. He's mentioned by several characters, Hilda's paralogue even has her defending the fortress in his stead, and he's even explicitly mentioned to have been severely injured in a fight with one route's final boss, but he never makes a physical appearance—even on Verdant Wind, a route that not only prominently features Fódlan/Almyran relations, but is also the home route of his sister.

** Many of the characters and races from the Cerberus Daily News "reports" are considered to be ghosts. The only one who ever showed up on screen was Tela Vasir, while two turians from a long-running storyline were briefly mentioned - but not seen - in the aforementioned DLC.

* The "Rat Man" from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', of whom you find only stashes, hidden cubby-holes, and scrawled graffiti that either gives you hints, slightly illuminates the plot, gives you an insight into his [[SanitySlippage increasing insanity]], or all of the above. Until the ''Lab Rat'' digital comic, that is, which completely centers around him and gives more insight into his {{backstory}}. His name is Doug Rattmann, and his schizophrenia actually helped him escape [=GLaDOS=] - he always suspected she'd try to kill them, so when she did, [[CrazyPrepared he was prepared]]. His scrawlings serve as art therapy, and his only companion is the "spirit" (really a hallucinated voice) of his "dead" [[CompanionCube Weighted Companion Cube]].

* The appropriately named Formless Oedon in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' lacks form, and exists only in voice. It fits this trope in other ways too, as it's the only named Great One aside from Mergo that doesn't interact with the player in any way (unlike Amygdala, Ebrietas and the [[spoiler:Pale Moon Presence]]). The only ways that it might affect the plot is by most likely being responsible for impregnating Arianna and possibly being the father of Mergo.
** Mergo is a downplayed example of this trope. The Good Hunter does come close to Mergo, as you can hear his crying and is confronted by his wet-nurse when you get too close, but like Oedon, Mergo is formless, so we never actually get to see him.