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6[[quoteright:319:[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/promoted_to_playable_5.png]]]]
7[[caption-width-right:319:What's better than fighting a fire-breathing turtle monster? Playing ''as'' said fire-breathing turtle monster.]]
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9This is when a character who was [[VideoGameAI computer-controlled]] (as a NonPlayerCharacter or as a boss) in one installment of a series becomes a potential [[PlayerCharacter player-controlled character]] through the course of the game, or in sequels and spinoffs. They may be hidden unlockable characters, you might get the chance to recruit them, or they might be presented outright at the character select screen.
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11Typically they are more powerful than your average "normal" character, though of course they may end up a lot weaker than when they were boss characters (expect their HP to be divided by a factor of 10). This may be due to a RedemptionDemotion or for [[PVPBalanced PVP balancing]]. It's also possible that the game has played up a bad guy as such, only for him to become playable near the end of the game. There is no HeelFaceTurn involved; just the bad guy doing stuff on his own or just passively riding the plot along. (Unless there's a storyline twist, like AnotherSideAnotherStory or ADayInTheLimelight.)
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13Beating the game with/as one of these characters usually reveals a special type of end-game victory screen. A FightingGame series [[VideoGameLongRunners of sufficient length]] will almost always resort to this. Contrast PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo, where a previously-playable character returns as an NonPlayerCharacter, and DemotedToExtra, where a major character's role is greatly reduced in the sequels.
14----
15!!Examples:
16[[foldercontrol]]
17
18[[folder:Action-Adventure]]
19* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'': Basim Ibn Ishaq is a supporting character in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' and becomes the PlayerCharacter in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedMirage''.
20* The Tag Climax mode in ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' allows players to control [[TheBlacksmith Rodin]] and [[BigBad Balder]] (though the former had an earlier playable appearance in ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'').
21* In ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero2'', Eve gets separated from Jason very late in the game, and the player ends up controlling her in Area-Ω, the final level of the game.
22* Most ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games after ''Symphony of the Night'' let you play as a boss/rival character after you finish the main game. Examples are Richter in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' (and Maria in the Sega Saturn version and a reworked version of Maria in the PSP version), Julius in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'', Julius again with Yoko and [[spoiler:Alucard]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'', [[spoiler:Stella and Loretta]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'' (though Richter and Maria are also unlockable), Joachim Armster in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence'' and Albus in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia''.
23* Trish in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'', Vergil in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition]]'' and Lady in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition]]''.
24* WesternAnimation/OswaldTheLuckyRabbit spends ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'' driving the plot and having a CainAndAbel relationship with WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse. In ''Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two'', he's playable alongside Mickey.
25* ''VideoGame/HollowKnightSilksong'': Hornet, who served as a RecurringBoss and later ally in the first ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'' game, becomes the playable character in the sequel.
26* Dengekiko and Famitsu started out as random [=NPCs=] but are both major and playable characters in ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaUActionUnleashed''.
27* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
28** Princess Zelda is playable in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' in certain dungeons and boss battles, being this the first game in the main series where the player gets to control the title princess directly. She is playable in two ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames'', but those games aren't canonical.
29** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' marks the first playable appearance of many other ''Legend of Zelda'' characters including [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Midna, Agatha and Zant]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Ghirahim and Fi]], and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Darunia and Ruto]]. It is also the first playable appearance of Ganondorf and Sheik outside of ''Super Smash Bros.'' The UpdatedRerelease also bestows this privilege upon [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Tetra, King Daphnes]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Skull Kid]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Marin]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds Ravio and Yuga]].
30** ''VideoGame/CadenceOfHyrule'' allows players to control a Deku Scrub for the first time (discounting Link's transformation masks in ''Majora's Mask''). Later DLC would also add the ability to play as Shadow Link and Zelda (marking the first time the player could ever control a Dark Link varient), Freddie Merchantry from the original ''Crypt of the Necrodancer'', and the game's antagonist Octavo.
31** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'':
32*** The game has the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' Zelda, ''Breath of the Wild'' Impa, and the four Champions (Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa), originally supporting characters, joining Link as part of the playable roster. Then there's [[spoiler:the four modern Champions (Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, and Riju), Hestu, King Rhoam, Master Kohga, the four Great Fairies, Maz Koshia...]]
33*** As of the "Pulse of the Ancients" DLC pack, the much dreaded Guardian Stalker is becoming playable in the form of a "Battle-Tested Guardian", making this only the second time a generic enemy from the Zelda franchise has become playable in any fashion after the Deku Scrub in ''Cadence of Hyrule''. The "Guardian of Remembrance" DLC pack, also adds Robbie and Purah.
34* Any and all [=NPCs=], minor characters, major characters, main characters, villains and supporting characters in the ''VideoGame/LegoAdaptationGame'' series can and will be unlocked some way or another. Even the ones who have no weapons and can't do anything. You can play as ''anybody''. Newer games let you create your own character using parts from unlocked characters. Despite this, the first ''LEGO Star Wars'' did have a few characters who were restricted to appearing in cutscenes, including [[Film/ThePhantomMenace Boss Nass, Watto, Captain Tarpals]], [[Film/AttackOfTheClones Lama Su, and Dexter Jettster]]. The aforementioned characters would all become playable in ''LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga'', but several other characters would remain unplayable.
35* ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'':
36** ''VideoGame/Yakuza5'' lets players control Haruka, the series' designated DamselInDistress, for the first time.
37** ''VideoGame/YakuzaDeadSouls'' has Goro Majima, perennial madman of the series, and Ryuji Goda, TheRival from ''VideoGame/Yakuza2''. Majima would again be promoted in ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', gaining a unique fighting style and minigames alongside series regular Kiryu.
38* In ''VideoGame/MadStalkerFullMetalForce'', Gongs and Kamui were a common enemy and the boss of the fifth stage, respectively. In the PC Engine CD [[UpdatedRerelease re-release]], it featured a much larger Story Mode where players can play as Richard Winston who pilots Kamui and Eve Lurdia who pilots a Gong.
39* The ''VideoGame/NicktoonsUnite'' series has several characters who started off as [=NPCs=] in one game before becoming playable in a later one:
40** [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Patrick, Sandy]], and [[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom Sam]] go from [=NPCs=] in ''Unite!'' to playable characters in ''Battle For Volcano Island'' and ''Attack of the Toybots.''
41** [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Plankton]] goes from being a member of the BigBadDuumvirate in ''Unite!'' to playable in ''Globs of Doom'', notably being the only member of the first game's Evil Syndicate to make the cut.
42** [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZim Dib]] first appeared as a master model in the [=DS=] version of ''Attack of the Toybots'' before appearing alongside his nemesis Zim as a playable character in ''Globs of Doom''.
43* ''VideoGame/OrcsMustDie:'' [[HotWitch The Sorceress]] plays the role of the antagonist of the first game [[TheUnfought (even though you never actually fight her),]] but becomes playable in the sequel, ''Orcs Must Die 2.''
44* The [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] has an unlockable campaign in ''VideoGame/SpiderManTheMovie'', where you get to use his glider for unrestricted flight and a extremely powerful dash attack rather than being a simple reskin of Spidey. They tweaked the storyline so that you're playing as Harry Osborn investigating his father's death (while the BigBad is ''another'' Green Goblin, whose identity is never disclosed).
45* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAngelOfDarkness'' features Kurtis Trent, a character who initially appears to be a background NonPlayerCharacter, then has a few lines of dialogue, and who then begins to influence the story more and more as the game progresses. He eventually becomes playable for three levels near the end of the game.
46* Chloe Frazer was a major side character in the second and third installments of the ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' series, until she became that star of her own game with ''VideoGame/UnchartedTheLostLegacy''.
47[[/folder]]
48
49[[folder:Adventure Game]]
50* Nico in the ''VideoGame/BrokenSword'' games was George's companion/love interest in the first game, and became the second playable character from the second game onward.
51* Gabriel's assistant Grace from the first ''VideoGame/GabrielKnight'' game was enough of an EnsembleDarkhorse that she became the second playable character in the two sequels, receiving equal screen-time (and a bigger fan-base) than the title character by the end of the trilogy.
52* Several examples in the ''Franchise/LifeIsStrange'' franchise:
53** Chloe, the {{Deuteragonist}} of ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' becomes the player character in the prequel ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm''.
54** A ZigZagged example occurs in ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange2'' and its short companion game ''VideoGame/TheAwesomeAdventuresOfCaptainSpirit''. ''Captain Spirit'' was released a few months ahead of the first episode of ''[=LiS2=]'' as a teaser featuring Chris as the playable character, with the main game's protagonists Sean and Daniel appearing in a cameo; Sean is then the playable character in the main game, so he technically follows this trope. However, playing the game post-release leads the player to be prompted to play ''Captain Spirit'' only after Chris is introduced as an NPC in ''Life is Strange 2'', so if you play the game in this order then it's Chris who's (briefly) promoted to playable.
55** Steph Gingrich, who first appeared as a supporting character in ''Before the Storm'', plays a much more significant role in ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeTrueColors'' and is playable in the bonus chapter "Wavelengths".
56* Brian Westhouse is an NPC in ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'', an ends up being playable in the prologue of the sequel ''VideoGame/DreamfallTheLongestJourney''.
57* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'':
58** Clementine becomes the playable protagonist of Seasons Two and Four since [[spoiler:Lee eventually succumbs to the plague or is {{Mercy Kill}}ed by Clem at the ending of Season One]]. She's also the secondary playable character of Season Three, though the player controls new character Javier for the majority of that game.
59** AJ becomes playable towards the end of the fourth and final episode of ''The Final Season'', with control switching between him and Clem after [[spoiler:the latter is bitten by a zombie and slowly succumbs to infection. After her apparent death, AJ becomes the sole playable character, mirroring Lee and Clem's fates from the first season. However, it's later revealed that Clem survived (thanks to having her infected leg amputated), but she never becomes playable again, with the player controlling AJ for the whole last chapter of the finale.]]
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Beat Em Up]]
63* Shiva was TheDragon to the final boss in ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage 2'', notable for having a move set remarkably close to that of the playable characters. In the sequel to that game, he became selectable from a Continue after being defeated in an earlier level -- however, he lacked one of his special moves when playable, which was available to a later boss version of him. ''Streets of Rage 4'' has him as a playable character via DLC and his ''Streets of Rage 3'' incarnation is also playable. Likewise, Estel in ''4'' was a boss only character until the Mr. X's Nightmare DLC promoted her to playable status and gave her moves usable by the player that she doesn't have as an enemy.
64* In the older games based on the first ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' cartoon, April O'Neil and Splinter had standard [=NPC=] roles, which usually had them be [[DesignatedVictim kidnapped]] or idle witnesses. The modern arcade-style tribute game, ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesShreddersRevenge'', has both of them be playable characters for the base roster.
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Card Battle Games]]
68* ''VideoGame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft'':
69** Illidan Stormrage was originally (besides his appearance as a tutorial boss) a Legendary card from the original card set, and for such an iconic character in the series, his card ended up being [[LowTierLetdown incredibly subpar]]. His stat distribution was bad, his effect of summoning a 2/1 minion whenever you play a card was a mediocre payoff and was too expensive to combo with, and even his niche as a Neutral demon didn't give him any decent use. Come the ''Ashes of Outland'' expansion, which introduced the first new class in the game, the Demon Hunter, with Illidan being chosen as the class representative, and to fully transition his promotion, his card was replaced with Xavius, who has the [[MovesetClone exact same crappy stats and card text]] as the original. In this case, Illidan became both literally and [[GameBreaker metaphorically]] playable.
70** ''March of the Lich King'' added Death Knights as a playable class, and Arthas the Lich King would end up being the class representative. Though in this case, his original card counterpart from ''Knights of the Frozen Throne'' from four years back, being a decent (albeit [[PowerCreep power crept]]) card on his own, didn't receive any changes.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Driving Game]]
74* The main campaign in ''VideoGame/AngryBirdsGo'' consists of beating recurring characters in the series who appear as bosses in their particular levels, and are unlocked as playable characters upon the player's victory.
75* Many characters in ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing'', of which most of its cast was formed by the bosses of all 3 previous games in the series. ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' turns [[BigBad Nitros Oxide]] into a legitimately playable character, available either through an Adventure Mode unlock or as part of the game's SpecialEdition. In the original game, he's the only boss character who can't be accessed through normal means, leading to [[UrbanLegendOfZelda all kinds of false rumors surrounding how he could be "unlocked"]]. The bosses from ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart'', who were only selectable in its Platform/GameBoyAdvance version, are also made fully playable in this game. The game's Grand Prix events would proceed add almost every named character in the entire ''Crash'' series, many of them (like Komodo Moe, the trophy girls, Chick and Stew, and [[AnimateInanimateObject Iron Checkpoint Crate]]) having never been playable before.
76* Amy Rose and Dr. Robotnik/Eggman made their first playable appearances in ''VideoGame/SonicDrift'', years before they would become playable in the main series in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' respectively. Fang the Sniper and Metal Sonic would join them in ''VideoGame/SonicDrift2''.
77* In ''[[VideoGame/JakAndDaxter Jak X: Combat Racing]]'', it's your allies who become playable.
78* Multiple characters from the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' franchise made their first playable appearance in the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' series, most notably [[BigBad Bowser]] (and [[{{Mook}} Koopa Troopa]]) in ''Super Mario Kart'' and Lakitu in ''Mario Kart 7''. Other characters, while having already been playable outside of ''Mario Kart'', would become playable in later titles after being background characters in earlier ones, like Shy Guy in ''DS'', Wiggler in ''7'', and Monty Mole in ''Tour''.
79* ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'':
80** Minion is the final boss in the first game, in subsequent games he's usually featured as a mid-game boss and tends to be unlockable, [[LightningBruiser and generally is as strong when playable as he is when he's a boss]].
81** ''Twisted Metal 2'' FinalBoss Dark Tooth became an unlockable car in ''Twisted Metal: Head-On''.
82** Oddly inverted with Darkside, who was fully playable in ''Twisted Metal'' but removed from the second and only appears as a boss in ''Twisted Metal 3''. Especially odd in that he's fully functionally playable in ''3'' with a cheat device and certainly isn't overly {{Game Break|er}}ing in any way (unlike Primeval, the FinalBoss who has overpowered stats and a ''devastating'' special, Darkside has overbalanced stats putting him between a regular vehicle and Minion with a special that simply fires a freeze missile and a flamethrower simultaneously).
83** The fourth game has a case of being ''de''moted to playable. Calypso, the host of Twisted Metal in every other game, is forced to compete after Sweet Tooth hijacks the contest from him.
84[[/folder]]
85
86[[folder:EnvironmentalNarrativeGame]]
87* In the VideoGame/LayersOfFear UpdatedReRelease you can not only play [[EmbeddedPrecursor all the previous games from the series]] but two new scenarios: one called "The Final Note", which lets you play as The Painter's Wife/The Musician from the first game; and the other called "The Director's Cut", where you play as The Director from the second game.
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Fan Games]]
91* [[VideoGame/GoldenSun Isaac]] is an assist trophy in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''. He becomes playable in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash 2''.
92* Petey Piranha, Ridley and Porky Minch were boss characters in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''. They became playable in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade''. Waluigi, Shadow, Tingle, Saki and Little Mac were assist trophies in ''Brawl'' before being part of the roster in ''Crusade''.
93* Before ''[[VideoGame/StreetsOfRage Streets of Rage 4]]'' made it official many years later, Shiva, a boss only character in the series, was promoted to playable. Likewise, Ash from the Japanese version of the third game was also made playable. Even [[BigBad Mr. X]] gets to be a playable character!
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:FightingGame]]
97* Yuri Sakazaki, the DamselInDistress of the first ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' game, becomes playable in the sequel and turns out to be a skilled fighter in her own right. She became so popular that she's a mainstay in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' series.
98* Each ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' game promoted at least one NPC from a previous game:
99** ''Continuum Shift'' promoted [[TheDogWasTheMastermind Hazama]] and Tsubaki Yayoi, although Tsubaki only appeared in TheStinger of the first game. Further DLC promoted Makoto Nanaya and [[BattleButler Valkenhayn R. Hellsing]]. The UpdatedReRelease, ''Continuum Shift Extend'' promoted [[MadScientist Relius Clover]].
100** The console version of ''Chronophantasma'' promoted Kokonoe, [[BigBad Yuuki Terumi]] and Kagura Mutsuki, the latter of whom first appeared in the arcade version as an NPC. From the wider franchise, it also promoted Celica A. Mercury.
101** Almost all the new characters in ''Central Fiction'' were this: Hibiki Kohaku (Kagura's attendant), Nine (one of the Six Heroes), Izanami (the other BigBad) and, nine years after his initial appearance, Ragna's mentor Jubei. From the wider franchise, it also promoted Naoto Kurogane, Mai Natsume and [[VisualNovel/XBlazeCodeEmbryo Es]].
102* For ''VideoGame/BloodyRoar'' its original FinalBoss Uriko was completely retooled when she became playable in ''Bloody Roar 2''.
103* ''VideoGame/BodyBlows'': Max, who was unplayable in the first game and also a weaker version of [[SNKBoss T-17]] prior its RoboticReveal after losing one round to its opponent, was made playable in the sequel ''[[DreamMatchGame Ultimate Body Blows]]''. T-17 remained the unplayable FinalBoss of that installment.
104* Bai-Hu, the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/{{Breakers}}'', can be playable through codes in the CD version and the UpdatedRerelease ''Breakers Revenge''.
105* ''VideoGame/BushidoBlade 2'' saw some of the previous game's bosses become hidden characters: Sazanka, Tsubame and Hongou.
106* The ''VideoGame/CapcomVs'' series has a tendency to do this with most of its bosses and cameo appearances:
107** ComicBook/{{Magneto}} and Juggernaut started out as boss and sub-boss in ''VideoGame/XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'', to later become playable in ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' and subsequent games.
108** In ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'', ComicBook/{{Thanos}} and ComicBook/DoctorDoom became unlockable in the home ports, and then as standard playable characters in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2''.
109** ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} went from non-playable in ''VideoGame/XMenVsStreetFighter'' to secret character in the home ports of ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesVsStreetFighter'', alongside Cyber Akuma.
110** ComicBook/{{Onslaught}} gained his own "Onslaught Mode" in the Dreamcast port of ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfSuperHeroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]''.
111** ComicBook/{{Galactus}} got his own "Galactus Mode" in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'''s UpdatedRerelease, ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
112** In some way, this also applies to Jin Saotome in ''Marvel vs. Capcom'', since he was more a "story path" choice rather than a playable character in ''VideoGame/{{Cyberbots}}''.
113** ComicBook/JeanGrey made cameo appearances in ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}' and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'s respective endings in ''X-Men: Children of the Atom'' before going on to appear as a playable character in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.
114** ComicBook/SheHulk and ComicBook/{{Nova}} appeared as petrified statues in Thanos' ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' stage, and would return to normal after his defeat. Both heroes later appeared as playable characters in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' and ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', respectively.
115** In a variation, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] and [[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Arthur]] started off as {{Assist Character}}s in ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' before returning as fully playable fighters in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
116** ComicBook/GhostRider, [[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]], [[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Firebrand]], [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Nemesis]], ComicBook/IronFist, and ComicBook/DoctorStrange made cameo appearances in Dante's, She-Hulk's, Dormammu's, Hulk's, Ryu's, and Hsien-Ko's endings in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' respectively, before becoming playable in its UpdatedRerelease, ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
117** VideoGame/MegaManX appeared as a DLC costume for Zero and Frank West in ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' before returning as a fully playable fighter in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite''.
118** [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Jedah Dohma]] appeared in Hsien-Ko's ending in ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' before becoming a playable character in ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite''.
119** ComicBook/BlackPanther appeared in ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}}'s ending in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' before becoming a playable DLC character in ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite''.
120** [[Characters/MarvelComicsUltron Ultron]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]], ComicBook/BlackWidow and the [[Characters/MarvelComicsBuckyBarnes Winter Soldier]] all appeared as cards in ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'''s Heroes and Heralds Mode, before being made playable in ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' (as part of the base roster in Ultron and Carol's cases, and as DLC for the rest).
121** [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Dan Hibiki]] and [[VideoGame/FatalFury Joe Higashi]] originally made a cameo appearance in ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNKMillenniumFight2000 Capcom vs. SNK]]'''s ending, before being added as playable characters in ''[[CapcomSequelStagnation Capcom vs. SNK Pro]]''.
122** Eagle was originally an unplayable opponent in the first ''VideoGame/{{Street Fighter|I}}''. While he did eventually show up in the ''Alpha'' series, his first playable appearance was in 2001's ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium Capcom vs. SNK 2]]''.
123** ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos'' featured the Mars People from ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'' as a playable character, as did ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum''.
124** Saki Omokane was originally one of the main love interests in ''VideoGame/QuizNanairoDREAMS'', a DatingSim that was never released in America. She eventually made it into ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfSuperHeroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' as an AssistCharacter, and later, as as a fully playable fighter in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom''.
125* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaJudgment'' has the recurring villain Carmilla playable from the start, while Dracula and Death are unlockable characters.
126* ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' made Pyron and Huitzil playable in the second game. Oboro Bishamon was a {{superboss}} in ''Vampire Savior'', but is made playable in ''Darkstalkers 3'', the enhanced [=PlayStation=] port.
127* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' made many villains of the series, including the incredibly popular [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]], (though he had already been playable in ''VideoGame/{{Ehrgeiz}}'') into playable characters. ''Dissidia 012'' does it again, adding [[DimensionalTraveler Gilgamesh]] into the mix. Also notably--in the first ''Dissidia'' game, many fans wished that the {{Final|Boss}} SNKBoss Chaos was playable (he wasn't, not without hacks). But his new and altered form, Feral Chaos, is.
128* ''VideoGame/DiveKick'' allows ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' fans to play as ''the'' Johnny Gat for the first time ever, as he's a guest character.
129* ''Anime/DragonBallZKai: Ultimate Butouden'' marks the first playable appearance of [[EccentricMentor King Kai]] in '''''any''''' ''Manga/DragonBall'' game.
130* In ''VideoGame/EternalFighterZero'', we have the final bosses [[VisualNovel/OneKagayakuKisetsuE Unknown]] and [[VisualNovel/{{AIR}} Kanna]]:
131** [[MyLittlePanzer Unknown]] was originally the FinalBoss, later, in the ''Blue Sky Edition'', [[WingedHumanoid Kanna]] took her place and Unknown became a SecretCharacter instead, till finally, she became fully playable from the beginning in the ''Bad Moon Edition''. Although her moveset was toned down, her boss version remains as powerful as before.
132** Kanna started as the unplayable FinalBoss in the ''Blue Sky Edition''; she later became playable in ''Memorial'', however, unlike Unknown.
133* ''Videogame/FatalFury'':
134** ''Videogame/FatalFury2'' featured Axel Hawk, Laurence Blood and Billy Kane, a trio of sub-bosses who were only playable in the home ports. All three, plus the final boss, Wolfgang Krauser, would eventually be made playable in the UpdatedRerelease, ''Videogame/FatalFurySpecial''.
135** The intro to ''Real Bout Fatal Fury 2'' showed Rick Strowd beating up a pompadoured brawler named Lao. The Neo Geo Pocket Color remake, ''Fatal Fury: First Contact'', added Lao as an unlockable character.
136** In a cross-series example, Alice Nakata from the ''Fatal Fury: Legend of the Wild Wolf'' pachinko game was later added to ''Videogame/TheKingOfFightersXIV'' as the newest member of the Women Fighters Team.
137* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', being more story-driven than other fighting games, does this quite often.
138** ''Guilty Gear X'' promoted [[IaijutsuPractitioner Johnny]], the captain of the Jellyfish Pirate crew that May is a part of, who first appeared in May's ending in the original game.
139** ''Guilty Gear XX'' promoted [[EvilKnockoff Robo-Ky]], who first appeared as a CPU-controlled opponent in the Japanese exclusive ''Guilty Gear X Plus''. Further iterations expanded on this and gave him his own unique playstyle. The game also promoted [[HotWitch I-No]], the second assistant of That Man, who originally debuted in one of the light novels. ''Guilty Gear XX Slash'' also brought [[CanonImmigrant A.B.A.]] into the main series after her debut in ''Guilty Gear Isuka''.
140** ''Guilty Gear 2: Overture'' promoted long-time NPC [[CombatSadomasochist Raven]], after years of him sitting on the sidelines in side material and story modes.
141** ''Guilty Gear Xrd'' does this in spades.
142*** ''Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign-'''s console release promoted Sin Kiske, the son of series rival Ky Kiske, into the fighting game scene proper after his debut in ''Overture'', as well as after being an NPC in the arcade release. Further DLC promoted [[LoveFreak Elphelt Valentine]] and [[AFatherToHisMen Leo Whitefang]], who started off as [=NPCs=] in Story Mode. In terms of lore, the game also saw the return of Zato-1, who was previously dead and had his corpse possessed by Eddie, the creature seen fighting alongside him.
143*** The arcade release of ''Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-'' re-promoted Johnny after his appearance as an NPC in ''Sign'''s Story Mode, and promoted [[SplitPersonality Jack-O']], That Man's previously unknown third assistant. The console version promoted Raven to the fighting game scene and after appearing as an arcade-only NPC, much like Sin. Further DLC promoted [[MiniMecha Kum Haehyun]], who was also previously an arcade NPC, and brought back Dizzy, who was originally an NPC in both story modes.
144*** ''Guilty Gear Xrd -Rev 2-'' saw the return of EnsembleDarkhorse [[{{Ronin}} Baiken]], as well as the promotion of [[GratuitousNinja Answer]], an NPC who appeared all the way back in ''Sign''.2'''s Arcade Mode.
145** Goldlewis Dickinson and Happy Chaos were first introduced in ''-STRIVE-'''s story mode before becoming playable characters via DLC. Jack-O' and Testament were also re-promoted after their appearances in story mode. Season 2 re-promoted Sin after his appearance in the season 1 story DLC and also promoted Bedman?, who also made her debut as an NPC in said story. Season 2 is also noteworthy for finally promoting That Man, who has been unplayable for the last 20+ years.
146* Happens after a fashion in ''[[VideoGame/GundamVsSeries Gundam Extreme Vs.]]''; the boss of the game is the Extreme Gundam from the manga ''Gundam EXA''. The sequel, ''Extreme Vs. Full Boost'', introduces ''EXA'''s protagonist Leos Alloi, who has his own version of the Extreme Gundam complete with [[MultiformBalance melee, ranged, and funnel forms]] based off the original Extreme's MetaMecha. Several of Leos' attacks are taken directly from the original, allowing players to be on the delivering end for a change. Also happens with some mecha (such as [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char's Geloogo]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Deathscythe Hell]] or the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Strike Rouge]] going from {{Assist Character}}s to playable over the course of the franchise. It also [[DemotedToExtra happens in reverse]], with playable units being bumped down to Assists.own, her moveset was not toned down, and [[GameBreaker she's so overpowered]] that she's banned from tournaments.
147* There are several characters who had background cameos in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' that were promoted to playable status in [[VideoGame/{{Injustice 2}} the sequel]]. These include ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}, ComicBook/DoctorFate, ComicBook/{{Deadshot}}, Scarecrow, Gorilla Grodd and ComicBook/TheAtom (though in this case it's the [[LegacyCharacter successor of the guy that had a cameo in the original]]).
148* In ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Battle of Aces'' allows you to use the [[FinalBoss Materials]] once you beat the storylines of the three characters each of them is based upon (e.g. Nanoha, Vita, and Zafira for Material-S). Needless to say, they are the most powerful characters in the game, [[spoiler:except [[GameBreaker Unison Reinforce]]]].
149* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'':
150** Shang Tsung became playable (and young) from the first game to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'', where Shao Kahn replaced him as the FinalBoss. This is repeated with other boss fighters: Goro in the Platform/GameBoy port of ''[=MK=]'', ''Trilogy'' (Platform/PlayStation only), home versions of ''[=MK4=]'' and [[Platform/NintendoGameCube GameCube]]'s ''Deception''; Kintaro in ''Trilogy'' ([=PlayStation=] only), Motaro and Shao Kahn in home ports of ''[=MK3=]''/''[=UMK3=]'', ''Trilogy'' and [=GameCube=]'s ''Deception'' (Kahn only). And all of them, plus Moloch, Onaga and Sareena (from ''Mythologies'') became playable in ''Armageddon''.
151** Unplayable hidden characters as well: Reptile (''[=MK=]'') and Jade (''[=MK2=]'') were added to the main roster in ''[=MK2=]'' and ''[=UMK3=]'' respectively, whereas Smoke (''[=MK2=]'') and Noob Saibot (''[=MK2=]'' & ''3'') were first playable "hidden" characters in ''[=MK3=]'' (Smoke only) and ''[=UMK3=]'' before becoming regulars in ''Trilogy''.[[note]]though Noob still tends to jump back and forth between being a normal or hidden character[[/note]]
152** ''Armageddon'' has everyone. Literally every fighter over the course of the entire series is playable in that one (except for Human Smoke, and Khameleon continued to be Nintendo exclusive).
153** The developers deliberately [[InvertedTrope flipped this on its head]] for ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', by relegating Goro, Kintaro, and Shao Kahn back to non-playable territory.[[note]]Though you ''can'' play as Goro once, for a single match in the Challenge Tower[[/note]] They said they were trying to bring back the feeling of [[SNKBoss impossible, unplayable bosses]] from the arcade days.[[note]]Except for Motaro, who is absent for story reasons.[[/note]]
154** In a rather surprising semi-promotion, the Vita port of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' included an extra Challenge Tower where the player can play as Tremor, one of the bosses in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces''. Tremor was later confirmed as the fourth kombatant in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'''s Kombat Pack, alongside with fellow fan favorite Tanya and two iconic guests, [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]] and the Franchise/{{Predator}}.
155** ''Mortal Kombat X'' inverts the trope with Rain, Sindel and Baraka, who all become AI-controlled opponents exclusive to Story Mode. Tanya was originally among these characters, but DLC promoted her back to playable status. All three get promoted back in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''.
156* With more information being available in the [[Manga/{{Naruto}} source material]], Darui went from a support-only character in ''VideoGame/NarutoShippudenUltimateNinjaStormGenerations'' to a full-on playable character in ''[[VideoGame/NarutoShippudenUltimateNinjaStorm3 Storm 3]]''.
157* ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' allows you to play as Elizabeth, the {{Superboss}} from ''VideoGame/Persona3''. The console port of its sequel, ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'', adds Rise Kujikawa, Tohru Adachi, Margaret, and Marie to the playable roster, the latter three via DLC.
158* Croagunk in ''VideoGame/PokkenTournament'' was just a Support Pokémon at first that lowered the opponent's defenses. A later update made it a playable character while also retaining its Support Pokémon status.
159* Bradshaw and Ayala, two lore characters in ''VideoGame/RivalsOfAether'', are playable as unlockable skins by defeating 250 opponents as Wrastor and Elliana respectively.
160* ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' added Amakusa to the playable roster in the third game.
161* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'':
162** ''Soul Edge'' saw penultimate boss Cervantes playable in its 2nd revision, and FinalBoss [=SoulEdge=] in the PS port.
163** ''Soulcalibur'' saw Inferno selectable in the Dreamcast port.
164** Amy, Raphael Sorrel's adopted daughter, is briefly seen in the opening of ''Soulcalibur II''. She is made a unique custom character in ''Soulcalibur III'' (using the generic rapier moveset), before becoming a proper playable character in ''Soulcalibur IV''.
165** Patroklos and Pyrrha, Sophitia's children, have been mentioned in their mother's in-game bio since as far back as ''Soulcalibur II'', and make an offscreen speaking cameo in Tira's ''Soulcalibur III'' ending. They are made playable in ''Soulcalibur V''.
166* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
167** The four Shadaloo Grand Masters (Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison) from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' were exclusively computer-controlled in the original game, but were promoted to playable characters in ''Champion Edition'' and onward.
168** The ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' sub-series received 4 of the CPU-only characters from the first ''VideoGame/StreetFighterI'': Gen, Adon, Birdie and (much much later) Eagle.
169** Akuma (aka Gouki) was originally the TrueFinalBoss in ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'', playable only via a cheat code. He became a regular playable character in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 2'', with an alternate "Shin Akuma" version as a secret boss (who was only playable in the [=PS1=] and Saturn ports).
170** In a sort of cross-series example: ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' bosses Sodom and Rolento became playable in the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' sub-series; Hugo (Andore) became playable in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' and Poison became playable in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken''. Though Poison and Hugo (together with [[CorruptCop Edi.E]], [[EnemySummoner Thrasher]] and [[EliteMook El Gado]]) were first playable in the Sega Saturn fighting game ''Final Fight Revenge''.
171** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'':
172*** The roster of the game has veterans from old entries of the ''SF'' series and newcomers that made their debut in said game. However, while Season 2 DLC featured a veteran like Akuma, the 5 remaining characters from said Season were pre-existing [[NonPlayerCharacter [=NPCs=]]] that are now playable:
173*** Kolin AKA Helen (Gill's secretary) made minor appearances in the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' series. She first appears in Dudley's ending in ''[=SFIII=]: New Generation'' and ''2nd Impact''[[note]]It's the same ending between both installments[[/note]] and stands alongside Gill prior to his boss fight in ''3rd Strike'', then walks off-screen. Before becoming playable, [[AscendedExtra she had a larger role]] in ''[=SFV=]'' during the Cinematic Story "A Shadow Falls".
174*** Ed first appeared as a nameless child in the respective endings for Rose and Balrog in the original version of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', as well as the latter's ending in ''Super SFIV''. In the aforementioned ending, Ed came across as a failed replacement body for M. Bison that had no powers whatsoever, until the Shadaloo emblem faintly began to glow on one of his palms. And with that, [[AscendedExtra there were definitely plans for him in the future]]. Surely enough, he returns in ''[=SFV=]'', making more NPC appearances in several Story Mode campaigns before finally becoming playable.
175*** Abigail was seemingly a one-shot character that appeared as the 5th boss of the original ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' game. Between then and ''SFV'', he only reappeared for subsequent ports of ''[=FF=]'', ''Mighty Final Fight'' (a FunSize retelling of ''[=FF=]''), and made [[TheCameo background cameos]] in both Guy's stage in ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Street Fighter Alpha 2]]'' and the Mad Gear Hideout stage featured in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' and ''Ultra [=SFIV=]''.
176*** It didn't take long for Menat to become playable, since she was created much later. Debuting in ''[=SFV=]'' during Ed's Story Mode campaign, she makes an appearance as the mysterious "Fortune Teller". This is more of an EarlyBirdCameo.
177*** Finally, we have Zeku, who debuted in Guy's ending in ''Street Fighter Alpha 2''. Prior to ''[=SFV=]'', his video game appearances were limited only to the same scenario in subsequent ports of ''[=SFA2=]''. He also made a minor flashback cameo in the ''[[ComicBook/StreetFighter [=SF=]]]'' [[ComicBook/StreetFighter comic series by Udon]].
178*** In the case of Season 3, one of the new playable characters is Falke. She was briefly seen walking alongside Ed at the end of his Story Mode campaign.
179* In the ''Godzilla'' FightingGame for the Turbo CD, Biollante was not playable by any means, but became available to players of the game's Platform/SuperFamicom successor, ''Kaijuu Daikessen''.
180* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
181** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' marks the first time that [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Sheik, Ganondorf]] and (if one doesn't count ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames'') Princess Zelda have ever been playable in any game. Also, whereas Metal Mario and Giant Franchise/DonkeyKong appear as unplayable bosses in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64'', from ''Melee'' onward anyone can be made metal or giant with the [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 Metal Block]] and Super Mushroom items respectively.
182** Wario, Meta Knight, Pit, Olimar, Squirtle (who doubles as the starting platform in Poké Floats) and King Dedede (who also appeared in the N64 installment as a background character in Kirby's stage) all appeared as trophies in ''Melee'' before becoming playable characters in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''. Charizard was one of the Pokémon summoned in the first two games before it became a playable character in ''Brawl'', Red made a cameo in the N64 game's intro before becoming playable as Pokémon Trainer and Wolf became playable in Brawl after making a cameo in Melee's intro. Also, [[TrueFinalBoss Giga Bowser]] from ''Melee'' becomes playable through [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser's]] Final Smash in ''Brawl''.
183** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU'' has [[VideoGame/KidIcarus Palutena]] and the dog and duck from ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'' becoming playable after appearing as [=NPCs=] in their own series. [[VideoGame/PunchOut Little Mac]] also became playable after being an Assist Trophy in ''Brawl''.
184** Several characters became playable in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' after being referenced in earlier games: the [[Franchise/{{Splatoon}} Inklings]],[[note]]just a trophy and a DLC Mii Gunner costume in ''3DS/Wii U''[[/note]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Chrom]],[[note]]an assistant exclusive to Robin's Final Smash, a trophy, and a downloadable Mii Swordfighter costume in ''3DS/Wii U'',[[/note]] [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime Dark Samus]],[[note]]a trophy in each game since ''Brawl'', a sticker in ''Brawl'', and an Assist Trophy in ''3DS/Wii U ''(as well as having her first playable appearance ever)[[/note]] [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry King K. Rool]],[[note]]a trophy in each game since ''Melee'', a sticker in ''Brawl'', and a downloadable Mii Brawler costume in ''3DS/Wii U''[[/note]] and [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing Isabelle]].[[note]]an Assist Trophy and a downloadable Mii Gunner costume in ''3DS/Wii U''[[/note]] DLC also added a [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Piranha Plant]] as a fighter, which has appeared in both ''Smash'' and ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' but had never been playable in either.
185** The finale of ''Ultimate'''s adventure mode, ''World of Light'', marks the first time that [[spoiler:[[AscendedGlitch Master Hand]]]] is legitimately playable.
186** [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Ridley]]. In the first game, he sometimes [[EasterEgg appeared in the background of Planet Zebes]]. In ''Melee'', he briefly appears in the opening cutscene fighting his arch-nemesis Samus and also appears as a trophy. ''Brawl'' has him appear as a boss, in both his regular form and his Meta Ridley form from ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', while in ''3DS/Wii U'' he is a stage hazard on Pyrosphere. Finally, after years of fan's cries to make him playable despite him being "too big," he debuted as a full playable character in ''Ultimate'', which also marks his first playable appearance in any game.
187** [[VideoGame/{{ARMS}} Min Min,]] [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2 Pyra, and Mythra]] have gone from being mere Spirits in the game to part of Fighter Pack Vol. 2.
188* ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'':
189** In the first game, Anna Williams, Armor King, Ganryu, Heihachi Mishima, Kuma, Kunimitsu, Lee Chaolan, Prototype Jack, and Wang Jinrei were unplayable in the arcade version, but became playable in the console version.
190** In ''Tekken Tag Tournament'', the FinalBoss, Unknown, is unplayable in the arcade version, but is playable in the console version.
191** In ''VideoGame/Tekken5'', Devil Jin, who was first introduced in ''VideoGame/Tekken3'', finally became playable in this game. In addition, while Jinpachi Mishima was not playable in the original version of the game, he became playable in the Platform/Playstation3 version of the ''Dark Resurrection'' update.
192** In ''VideoGame/TekkenTagTournament2'', Sebastian, who first appeared as a nonplayable character in ''Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection'', and Slim Bob, who first appeared in a cutscene in ''VideoGame/Tekken6'', became playable.
193** In ''VideoGame/Tekken7'', Kazumi Mishima was an unplayable boss in the original version, but became playable in an update.
194* ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'': Texas went from a relatively minor story NPC to fully playable as the first character in the Season 1 DLC pass.
195* ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'':
196** The first game has a whole slew of background characters who end up becoming playable in subsequent releases.
197*** The arcade release of the game's first update, ''Exe:Late'', added [[TheBeastmaster Chaos]], the de-facto second-in-command of Amnesia, as well as the first NPC to physically appear.
198*** The second update, ''Exe:Late[st]'', added Phonon, a previously scrapped character, and [[PintSizedPowerhouse Mika Returna]], a Licht Kreis Executor who appeared in Orie's Arcade Mode ending, while the console release added [[BareFistedMonk Enkidu]], a member of Amnesia who wanders the Hollow Night to seek out worthy opponents that made an EarlyBirdCameo in Hilda's Arcade Mode ending, and finally [[PlayingWithFire Erika Wagner]], one of Licht Kreis' most prominent and feared Executors, as well as a prominent NPC who was bought up in the Arcade scenarios for both Gordeau and Chaos.
199*** The last update, ''Exe:Late[cl-r]'', adds [[AnIcePerson Londrekia Light]], a member of Licht Kreis' twin organization, Ritter Schild, who first appeared properly as an NPC in the Chronicle Mode of ''Exe:Late[st]'', and much like Phonon, was originally a scrapped character.
200** The sequel, ''Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes]'' adds another three previously established characters to the roster: [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe Tsurugi]], the hot-blooded second-in-command of the school student-driven EFG, [[GunsAkimbo Kaguya]], a gun-wielding Licht Kreis Executor, and most notably, series BigBad [[TheChessmaster Kuon]].
201*** The season pass for the game promotes [[BlackMagicianGirl Uzuki]], a {{Necromancy}}-wielding member of Amnesia who, much like Enkidu, originally appeared in Hilda's original arcade mode ending, [[BackFromTheDead Ogre]], the once-thought dead leader of the Bankikai and a prominent NPC in the first game's Chronicle Mode, and [[MysteriousWaif Izumi]], a mysterious girl with a deep connection to the Hollow Night who first appears in Tsurugi's arcade mode story.
202[[/folder]]
203
204[[folder:Hack And Slash]]
205* All the bosses and a few of the enemies of ''VideoGame/Hours2020'' get this treatment, the game allowing you to unlock them through completing certain tasks.
206* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'' has missions where Shinobu and Henry are playable. They first appeared in the first game as bosses.
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:MOBA]]
210* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has a number of champions who were introduced in the lore, and took a few years to actually become playable:
211** [[CombatMedic Senna, the Redeemer]], was first introduced in 2013 in the backstory of [[TheGunslinger Lucian, the Purifier]], being [[TheLostLenore his fallen lover]] whose soul was captured and imprisoned by [[TortureTechnician Thresh]]. In 2019, Lucian successfully freed her soul, returning Senna to life and allowing her [[BattleCouple to fight alongside him once again]].
212** [[DemonSlaying Yone, the Unforgotten]], was also [[PosthumousCharacter introduced posthumously]] in 2013 as the brother to [[{{Ronin}} Yasuo, the Unforgiven]], where [[MiscarriageOfJustice in a grave mistake of responsibility]], the two were forced into a duel, with Yone being seemingly slain. In 2020, it was revealed that Yone was mysteriously resurrected by a demon attempting to prey on his soul, and he was made into a playable champion with [[MovesetClone an intentionally similar moveset to his brother]].
213** The lore of [[UnholyGround The Shadow Isles]] heavily centers around a figure known as "The Ruined King", who invaded and cursed the former "Blessed Isles" [[LoveMakesYouEvil in a mad attempt to try to bring his dead queen back to life]]. [[TheGhost His appearances since then were nominal]], but as more and more emphasis was placed on the need to confront and defeat him, [[UnseenNoMore he was finally introduced in the flesh]] in 2021 as a man named Viego, making him into a playable champion the process.
214** [[HorrifyingHero Kai'Sa, Daughter of the Void]], is a somewhat ambiguous case of this. Early in the game's life and in the backstory of [[MageKiller Kassadin, the Void Walker]], it was mentioned in his backstory that his daughter was sacrificed to the Void by a mad cult, with an occasional tease here and there that she would return. However, when [[ContinuityReboot the game's lore was rebooted in 2014]], this story was {{retcon}}ned so that Kassadin's family was seemingly swallowed up by the Void by accident, while Kai'Sa was introduced as a girl who fell into the Void, separated from her family, and only survived thanks to [[SymbioticPossession a Voidborn symbiote]]. Riot has been [[LukeIMightBeYourFather very coy about outright confirming that the two are related]], but given the sheer amount of subtext and hinting, it's clear that at the very least, Kai'Sa very existence was influenced by Kassadin's backstory.
215[[/folder]]
216
217[[folder:Party Game]]
218* In previous ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' games, the only playable character was... the playable character. In the PartyGame spinoff, ''Toys/{{amiibo}} Festival'', fifteen of the animal [=NPC=] characters are playable themselves: Isabelle, K.K. Slider, Tom Nook, Mr. Resetti, Lottie, Kapp'n, Blathers, Celeste, Cyrus, Reese, Digby, Rover, Mabel, Kicks, and [[TheDividual Timmy and Tommy]]. Many more are playable through the card-based minigames.
219* ''VideoGame/MarioParty'':
220** ''VideoGame/MarioParty5'': Toad, after being a host in the three previous games, joins the playable cast. Boo and Koopa Kid also become playable characters, though Koopa Kid cannot be played as in Story Mode. Inverted with Donkey Kong, [[DemotedToExtra who stopped being playable from this game onward]] to serve as Bowser's BigGood counterpart. Donkey Kong wouldn't be playable again until ''Mario Party 10'' in 2015, twelve years after this game first released.
221** ''VideoGame/MarioParty8'': Hammer Bro. and Blooper make their playable ''Mario Party'' debut after having appeared as items and non-playable characters in previous games.
222** ''VideoGame/MarioParty9'': After appearing as items and non-playable characters in previous games, Koopa, Magikoopa/Kamek, and Shy Guy all make their playable ''Mario Party'' debuts in this game, the latter two being unlockable.
223** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyIslandTour'': Bowser Jr. becomes a playable character after his first appearance as a non-playable character in ''VideoGame/MarioPartyDS''.
224** ''VideoGame/MarioParty10'': After not being playable since the fifth game in the series, Donkey Kong finally becomes playable again in this game. Bowser also becomes playable for the first time in Bowser Party and {{Toys/amiibo}} Party modes (if one does not count his playable appearance in ''VideoGame/MarioParty4'''s Beach Volley Folley minigame). Bowser becomes a fully playable character like everyone else in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioParty''. Additionally, Rosalina and Spike become playable characters, the former having hosting a board in ''Island Tour'' and the latter appearing as a boss in ''Mario Party 9''.
225** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyStarRush'': Diddy Kong appears as a playable character in a ''Mario Party'' game for the first time after having appeared as a board host in ''VideoGame/MarioPartyDS'' and hosting a bonus minigame in ''Mario Party 9''
226[[/folder]]
227
228[[folder:Platformer]]
229* ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'': After being only a non-playable character in the game's predecessor (''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie''), Mumbo Jumbo can be played as after Banjo and Kazooie give him a Glowbo in a level.
230* The three main cartoon characters from ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'' are the protagonists in ''VideoGame/BendyInNightmareRun'', with Bendy as the default character and Boris and Alice as unlockable characters.
231* ''VideoGame/{{Bravoman}}'' enemy Pistol Daimyo became the star of his own SpinOff ShootEmUp game, ''Pistol Daimyo no Bouken''.
232* The main villain from ''VideoGame/ContraHardCorps'', Colonel Bahamut, appears as the main character in the prequel, ''VideoGame/HardCorpsUprising''.
233* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'':
234** Cortex became playable in ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity''.
235** Coco got partly-playable in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'' and fully playable in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex''. She later appears as the co-op character in ''Crash: Mind over Mutant'' and in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'' as an alternative to Crash.
236** Nina too, thanks to EarlyBirdCameo -- she appears as a boss in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootPurpleRiptosRampage'' before her intended debut in ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity''.
237** A fair amount of the main cast got limited playability in ''VideoGame/CrashBash''.
238** ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' not only re-promotes Cortex back to playable for the first time in a mainline ''Crash'' game since ''Twinsanity'', but also did the same for recurring boss character Dingodile and, more surprisingly, Tawna Bandicoot, [[TheBusCameBack making her second-ever appearance in the main series since the original game]][[labelnote:*]]sort of, anyway, as technically this version of Tawna is from an alternate universe[[/labelnote]].
239* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': For "The Delicious Last Course" DLC, the Legendary Chalice makes a playable appearance as the normal-bodied Ms. Chalice.
240* ''VideoGame/DisneysMagicalQuest'': In the first game, WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck makes a brief cameo in the game's ending, and in the sequel, he is the one who gives [[WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse Mickey]] and [[WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse Minnie]] their first costumes in the first level. Come the third game, he's the second playable character alongside Mickey with his own costumes and movesets, replacing Minnie.
241* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' series:
242** Starting in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'', the various Animal Buddies outright replace the Kongs as player characters at times, as opposed to being {{Power Up Mount}}s (or, in Squawks's case, not even that).
243** After years of lamenting the sorry state of modern video games and boasting of his trained-on-the-good-old-hard-games skills, Cranky Kong finally gets to put his money where his mouth is in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze''. Funky Kong later followed suit in the Switch re-release, though he had also been playable in some spinoff games earlier.
244* In ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'', Neera Li was [[GoddamnedBoss a particularly tough midboss]] that attracted some popularity thanks to her character design, detailed animation, and sporting moves that have the feel of a playable character. Come [[VideoGame/FreedomPlanet2 the sequel]], she's the fourth playable character with an extensive moveset.
245* ''VideoGame/FreshMintyAdventure'': Minty, the DamselInDistress of ''VideoGame/MintyFreshAdventure'', has this happen, causing the series to have a ChangingOfTheGuard.
246* In the ''VideoGame/GanbareGoemon'' series, Sasuke first appeared as a boss in the first Platform/SuperFamicom game (which was translated as ''The Legend of the Mystical Ninja''), but became playable from the Japan-only sequel onward.
247* The Red Arremer that just spent the past few lives terrorizing you in the ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins'' series? He's not nearly as nimble when under your control in the ''VideoGame/GargoylesQuest'' subseries, though his fighting game appearances in ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos'' and ''Ultimate VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' show greater shades of his abilities.
248* ''VideoGame/HauntedHalloween86TheCurseOfPossumHollow'': Tami becomes a PlayerCharacter in this game, whereas [[VideoGame/HauntedHalloween85 the previous game]] only had Johnny as playable.
249* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
250** The enigmatic swordsman Meta Knight received his own campaign mode sub-game, ''Meta Knightmare'', in ''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land'' (which happens to be a remake of ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'', Meta Knight's first appearance). This mode returns in ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' and ''Kirby: Planet Robobot''.
251** Kirby's rival King Dedede was playable in ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'' as a PowerupMount in certain level sections, then became fully playable in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand''. As of ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'', he has his own standalone gameplay mode just as Meta Knight does titled ''Dededetour!''.
252** Bandana Waddle Dee was a JokeBoss from ''Kirby Super Star Ultra'' before becoming one of the playable companions in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' alongside Dedede and Meta Knight.
253** Gooey was a simple NPC Kirby found trapped in a sack in ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2''. He got promoted to [[PlatformingPocketPal second player]] in ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3''.
254** This also counts for several of the [[MonsterAllies helpers]] in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' and ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' that appeared as enemies in previous games such as Waddle Doo, Blade Knight, Parasol Waddle Dee, Bugzzy, Bonkers, etc.
255** Rick, Kine, and Coo were just {{Power Up Mount}}s in ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2'' and ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'', but ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' made them into a full-fledged playable character. [[TheDividual That's not a typo.]] Likewise, the final boss of ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''[='=]s ''Milky Way Wishes'', Marx, becomes playable in ''Star Allies'' as well, as well as Daroach (the main antagonist of ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad'' and a NPC ally in ''VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack''), Dark Meta Knight (the main antagonist of ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'' and the final boss of ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe''[='=]s ''Dededetour!''), Adeleine and Ribbon (two allies from ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards''), Magolor (the main antagonist and final boss of ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand''), Taranza (the secondary antagonist of ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe''), Susie (the secondary antagonist of ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot''), and Francisca, Flamberge, and Zan Partizanne (the supporting antagonist PowerTrio of ''Star Allies''' story mode).
256* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
257** Zero becoming playable as the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series went on was inevitable; first he was an underpowered extra character in ''X3'', but he later became a fully fleshed out alternative to X.
258** The PSP remake ''Maverick Hunter X'' allows you to unlock and play as Vile.
259** The other PSP remake, ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'', does this with all eight Robot Masters. Of course, only six of them were in the original ''VideoGame/MegaMan1''. Also in the same game, Roll and Proto Man were also unlockable each with their own stories. Roll was a background character in the first game while Proto Man made his debut as Break Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan3''.
260** Proto Man (as well as Bass) was playable way earlier, in ''Mega Man: The Power Battles'' for arcades, though Bass was technically also playable in a FightingGame-esque EasterEgg mode in ''VideoGame/MegaMan7'', his debut game.
261** After being X, Zero and Axl's navigator from ''X5'' to ''X7'', Alia is promoted to unlockable in ''VideoGame/MegaManX8'' with moves similar to X. Unlike X, however, she cannot use any of X's armors. Layer and Pallette are also unlockable with moves similar to Zero and Axl, though you have to rebuy the weapons for Layer and Pallette cannot metamorph like Axl.
262** Done in an [[PlayingWithATrope odd way]] in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' games:
263*** All fightable enemies ended up as a Battle Chip to use.
264*** ''4'' and ''5'' added Double Soul, which allowed [=MegaMan=] to imitate other Navis that he formed bonds with under the right conditions, which included series classics like [=ProtoMan=], [=NumberMan=], and [=FireMan=].
265*** ''5'' and ''6'' played this straight, allowing you to play as the Navis themselves as well as Double Soul (''5'') and Cross Fusion (''6'') with characters such as [=ProtoMan=], [=NumberMan=], [=HeatMan=], and [=AquaMan=].
266** {{Exaggerated|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/MegaManXDive''. The playable roster includes the likes of [[VideoGame/MegaManX3 Bit]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 Colonel, Iris, Magma Dragoon]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX5 Dynamo]], [[VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission Ferham]], [[VideoGame/MegaManZero Ciel, Harpuia, Leviathan, Copy X, Omega]], [[VideoGame/MegaManZX Pandora]], [[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Roll Caskett]], and [[CanonForeigner X -kai-]], with the final update batch doing this to its OriginalGeneration characters [=RiCO=], [=iCO=], [=ViA=], Droitclair, Angepitoyeir, and Eratoeir.
267* Previous recurring series antagonist Captain Qwark became playable in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal''. Sort of. (In-game, Ratchet is controlling an interactive "vid-comic" where the player controls Qwark). He also had his own playable dream sequences in ''VideoGame/SecretAgentClank''. He was officially made a playable character in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One'', alongside Dr. Nefarious as well as ''Full Frontal Assault''.
268* ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}:''
269** ''VideoGame/RaymanM'' promotes Globox, [[BigBad Razorbeard]], the Teensies and Henchman 800 from ''VideoGame/Rayman2TheGreatEscape''. Globox and the Teensies would be playable again in the platformer ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins''.
270** ExpositionFairy Murphy is playable in the Wii U version of ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends''.
271* ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'' has [[AnIcePerson Freudia Neuwahl]], who was originally a boss in the first game, but later returns as the protagonist and main playable character of the sequel, ''Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel'', where Freudia has the mission of rescuing Spritia, who has been kidnapped by the Church.
272* DLC packs for ''VideoGame/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorldTheGame'' added Knives Chau and Wallace Wells as playable characters.
273* After the release of ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', additional campaigns for three of the game's boss characters (Plague Knight's ''Plague of Shadows'', Specter Knight's ''Specter of Torment'', and King Knight's ''King of Cards'') were released. ''Shovel Knight Showdown'' finishes the task by incorporating the rest of the Order, Shield Knight, Black Knight, the Enchantress, Mona, the original four guest characters, and even two generic enemy types.
274* Kaos, BigBad of the ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' franchise, becomes playable in ''Trap Team'' using a special Trap toy. He then becomes playable in aerial racing segments in ''[=SuperChargers=]'' and ''[=SuperChargers=] Racing'' using a trophy, then gets a proper figure in ''Imaginators''. ''Imaginators'' also upgraded [[HeelFaceTurn former Doom Raiders]] Golden Queen, Wolfgang, Chompy Mage and Dr. Krankcase, who were only playable via traps as well to playable figures, along with other former villains Tae Kwon Crow, Pain-Yatta, Blaster-Tron, Hood Sickle, Grave Clobber and Bad Juju.
275* The ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series made Bentley and Murray playable characters in its [[VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves second game]], while [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves the third]] finally upgraded Carmelita Fox, and former antagonists, Panda King and Dimitri, to playable status.
276* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
277** Although he was playable as a reskin of Sonic in the multiplayer mode of ''Sonic 3'', Knuckles became fully playable in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]''.
278** Tikal and Chaos were playable in the multiplayer of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', and believe it or not, you can play as Maria Robotnik in two levels of ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog''.
279** Inverted for Amy in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' where she becomes an NPC. She is playable in multiplayer mode, though.
280** There's also Tails in the [[VideoGameRemake remake]] of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD''. In the original, he just made a couple of [[TheCameo cameos]].
281** The CompilationRerelease ''Sonic Origins Plus'' makes Amy this in the context of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'': In the original, she only appeared as a benign NPC who appears in four levels [[note]]Palmtree Panic Act 1 (but only in the present, near the end of the level), Collision Chaos Act 1 (where she gets kidnapped by Metal Sonic), Stardust Speedway Act 3 (where she is rescued by Sonic) and Metallic Madness Act 3 (After Eggman is defeated, following into the ending)[[/note]], but in ''Origins Plus'', Anniversary Mode allows the player to play through the game as her.
282** [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Mephiles the Dark]] made a surprise appearance as a playable character in ''VideoGame/SonicRunners''.
283* Hiryu's rival in ''[[VideoGame/StriderArcade Strider 2]]'', Hien, became playable in a special "Hien Mode" in the PS port of the game.
284* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
285** Princess Peach was introduced as a generic DamselInDistress, but ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' included her in the playable cast, and she's made occasional playable appearances ever since. She's even starred in her own spinoff game, ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach''.
286** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' is Yoshi's first time in becoming a playable character and having a game focusing on him.
287** Wario was strictly a bad guy in his first few appearances (''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'', ''Mario & Wario'', and ''Wario's Woods''). He was first playable in ''Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!'', then got ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'' as the start of [[VideoGame/WarioLand his own platforming series]], and now he's both a recurring ''Mario'' playable character and a star in his own right.
288** Rosalina, after her debut in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', became a regular character in the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' spin-off series. Eventually, she took a spot in the main series by becoming a SecretCharacter in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld''.
289** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'' introduced a villain named Nabbit who would occasionally show up for a special challenge. In the DLC ''VideoGame/NewSuperLuigiU'', he becomes playable - though he can't collect power-ups, he is utterly immune to enemies.
290** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' has several classic enemies that Mario can control such as Goombas, Charging Chucks, Hammer Bros (that wield frying pans but it's basically the same concept), Bullet Bills, and so on, which makes them playable for the first time in a mainstream ''Mario'' title. [[spoiler:Bowser is also playable via capture at the final level.]]
291** Like with Peach, Toad became a playable character in ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' after being only a Mushroom Retainer in the first game, which was followed up by him being the main playable character in ''VideoGame/WariosWoods''. Relatedly, Captain Toad debuted as a supporting NPC in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and retained that role in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', before being playable in certain levels of ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' and then getting a full game starring him and Toadette in ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker''.
292** After '''decades''' of being delegated to spin-offs ever since her first appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'', Princess Daisy makes her playable debut in the mainline [=2D=] console game ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder''.
293* In the ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventures'' LicensedGame for the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]], Babs Bunny was a DamselInDistress and Hamton merely traded you extra lives for every 30 carrots you collected when you found him. In ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventures2TroubleInWackyland'', you get to play as each of them in their respective stages.
294[[/folder]]
295
296[[folder:Puzzle]]
297* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/BestFiends'' with the Earthworms. They originally had their own solo missions where they were played as entirely separate from the main cast. Eventually, it was changed so playing these solo missions unlocked the five of them as official Fiends in the main game.
298* ''VideoGame/DeadlyRoomsOfDeath'' has a couple of examples, though they are only playable in short interlude levels, and Beethro remains the only playable character for most of the game.
299* Updates to ''VideoGame/DrMario World'' have promoted certain "Assistant" characters to playable, such as Lakitu, Koopa Troopa, and a Dolphin. The last one is particularly noteworthy as dolphins had never been playable in a ''Mario'' title beforehand.
300* ''Videogame/MarvelPuzzleQuest'' had for years PVE events featuring Apocalypse and Ultron as bosses before both villains were made into playable characters.
301* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'':
302** After Flora Reinhold was the driving plot force of ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'', and [[spoiler:replaced by Don Paolo]] for most of ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox'', she finally became playable in ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture''.
303** The prequel trilogy's antagonist Jean Descole is playable for a few puzzles of ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheAzranLegacy'', [[spoiler:and even more when you factor in his tenure as Sycamore]].
304[[/folder]]
305
306[[folder:Racing]]
307* ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'':
308** In the [[VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing original game]], trophies would be handed out by 4 female bandicoots, dubbed "The Trophy Girls", after each race. In the remake, they are no longer present in the cutscene to accommodate for the fact they are now playable characters.
309** Also present is the addition of [[BigBad Nitros Oxide]] as a playable character after completing his race in the Adventure Mode, an idea that had been tossed around during the original game's development but ultimately decided against due to hardware limitations. This also unlocks his signature hovercraft as a kart. He was also previously playable in the game's sequel, ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart''.
310[[/folder]]
311
312[[folder:Real-Time Strategy]]
313* ''VideoGame/KingdomRush Vengeance'' has you [[VillainProtagonist play as the forces of Vez'Nan]], and the towers and heroes under your control are the various mook types that you had to fight against in the previous games.
314* [[NebulousEvilOrganisation SEAS]] in ''VideoGame/{{Paraworld}}'' Boosterpack.
315* ''VideoGame/RepublicAtWar'': In the [[VideoGame/EmpireAtWar original game]], Dark Side Adepts were enemies that could only be encountered in the campaign. In this mod, players can recruit them on Korriban while playing as the Confederacy.
316[[/folder]]
317
318[[folder:Rhythm]]
319* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' rhythm games:
320** Nanako is playable in ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'', becoming the youngest human character playable in the ''Persona'' series.
321** ''VideoGame/Persona3DancingInMoonlight'' and ''VideoGame/Persona5DancingInStarlight'' make playable their source games' respective MissionControl characters (Fuuka from ''3'' and Futaba from ''5'') and Velvet Room attendants (Theodore from the PSP port of ''3'' and Caroline, Justine, and [[spoiler:Lavenza]] from ''5'').
322* [[DistaffCounterpart CommandGirlVideo]] in ''[[VideoGame/BitTrip BIT.TRIP Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien]]'', the only non-[=CommanderVideo=] character from the original saga to become playable so far. ''[=RUNNER3=]'' also adds TheNarrator as a playable character in the form of a cartoon caricature of his voice actor, Creator/CharlesMartinet.
323* Ashley from the ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'' GameMod ''VideoGame/QtMod'' first appeared within the mod's files added in 1.1. In 2.0, you play as her in the BonusLevel "Interlope."
324[[/folder]]
325
326[[folder:Roguelike]]
327* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'': Zigzagged with [[spoiler:The Keeper]]. It's not directly the same character, but his attack style, unique life mechanic, appearance, and unlock method are obvious references to fan-favourite MiniBoss [[spoiler:Greed]].
328* ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon'' downplays this trope with [[spoiler:The Resourceful Rat]]. He is one of the many [=NPCs=] encountered throughout the game, but in ''Advanced Gungeons and Draguns'' you can "transform" into him by collecting certain items which are available after defeating a {{superboss}}. However, since he's technically not a standalone playable character, [[spoiler:the Rat]] is missing unique HUD sprites and doesn't have his own [[FinalBoss past to kill]] (the Ammonomicon justifies the latter part by explaining that [[spoiler:he doesn't have any regrets from his past]]).
329* All the bosses from ''VideoGame/IzunaLegendOfTheUnemployedNinja'' are playable in the second, including the two hidden ones ([[spoiler:Gen-An and Shino]]).
330[[/folder]]
331
332[[folder:RPG]]
333* Sarevok in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal''.
334* ''VideoGame/BattleChefBrigade'': In the "Deluxe" update, Ziggy is turned into an extra playable character. It's worth noting that him and Kirin were both originally meant to be playable, before time constraints stopped the production from doing it.
335* Joachim in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence''.
336* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': Magus is set up one of the game's main antagonists, and a good portion of the game its dedicated to preparing for a confrontation with him where he is a major boss. However, after the events in the Kingdom of Zeal, he can be recruited as a party member.
337* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'':
338** The game added Cassandra Pentaghast as a playable character. ''Dragon Age II'' only featured her in cut scenes, interrogating a friend of the protagonist.
339** It also adds Cole, who first appeared in the novel ''[[Literature/{{Asunder}} Dragon Age: Asunder]]''.
340** The ''Dragonslayer'' DLC promotes the Avvar Sky Watcher met in the main game to a playable character in the multiplayer mode.
341* Isabela, an NPC in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', becomes a party member in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. Also, Merrill was a tutorial NPC in ''Origins'' with not a lot of personality and without her characteristic accent; the sequel expanded her role significantly and added her to the main party.
342* In the 3DS remake of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'', you can recruit fan favorite characters Red and Morrie -- the former during the plot after the Pirate's Cove, the latter as an extra reward for beating Rank S in the Monster Arena.
343* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, Orcs and Imperials became this as of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''. Prior to that, the Orcs were generic {{Mooks}} in ''Arena'' and, while they got development toward becoming [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Blizzard Orcs]] in ''Daggerfall'', they weren't actually playable until ''Morrowind''. Also prior to ''Morrowind'', TheEmpire was considered to be a melting pot of all the other races. The [[GaidenGame spin-off game]] ''Redguard'' defined Imperials as a distinct race, but they were not yet playable.''Morrowind'' then made them playable.
344* In the ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' series, this happens fairly regularly:
345** [[CuteKitten NoLegs]] was a boss in the first game, a summon in the next three, and became a playable character in the ''Bullet Heaven'' spinoffs before ''finally'' becoming a fully-fledged party member in the fifth instalment.
346** Lance, the BigBad of [=EBF2=], [[HeelFaceTurn joins the party after you defeat him]] and is a player character from [=EBF3=] onward.
347** Anna, a random NPC who appears in [=EBF3=], is effectively the ''main character'' of [=EBF4=], and is the character you start off as. She also bears a striking resemblance to the shopkeeper from [=EBF1=].
348* In the original version of ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'', Prince Crescendo and Princess Serenade are royalty who your party interact with at various points in the game. The Platform/PlayStation3 UpdatedRerelease makes them both playable and adds a new dungeon, Lament Mirror, that cements their playable status.
349* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyRecordKeeper'' allows you to add characters to your party that were not playable in their original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'' game. Yes, even Sephiroth.
350* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'':
351** General Leo is able to be controlled for one plotline battle.
352** Two notable ROM hacks make General Leo a permanent party member. The first is [[https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1619/ General Leo Edition]], which makes Leo a permanent party member right after Thamasa. The second is [[https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7775/ Antinomia]], which only has him recruitable in the World of Ruin, but only if you [[WaitingPuzzle wait for him on the Floating Continent]].
353* Reno from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' holds the honor of being the first playable character in ''Record Keeper'' to have not been playable in a prior game.
354* In ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXV'', Gladio, Prompto and Ignis were made playable in their own DLC. A later update allowed you to switch between the party members in the main game itself, with each character retaining their unique gameplay mechanics. "Episode Ardyn" deals with main villain Ardyn and the events that led up to the game.
355* ''VideoGame/FindingLight'':
356** Mari was originally an NPC sidekick in ''Mari and the Black Tower'', but she's the main playable character in this game.
357** Keller, the apprentice of Morgoth, is now playable as the party's primary healer.
358** Malady, Gwen's sister, is now playable as the party's primary offensive caster.
359* In ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'':
360** Your beginning party is Felix, Jenna and Sheba, either willing or unwilling members of the antagonists' group in the first game. Jenna was briefly playable early in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun1'', while Felix and Sheba were [=NPCs=].
361** Eoleo is a party member in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' after appearing as a child in ''The Lost Age''.
362* Histoire finally became playable in ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaReBirth1'' via DLC.
363* ''[[Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon DanMachi]]'': ''VideoGame/MemoriaFreese'': In the first run of the ''Literature/DateALive'' crossover, ‘’Ais Catastrophe’’, Kotori was merely an assist character while Shido, the main protagonist of ''Date A Live'', was neither featured as [[PlayerCharacter an adventurer]] nor an assist. The rerun addressed that by making them both adventurers with Kotori being in her spirit form.
364* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
365** Riku had an entire campaign to himself in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'', and later in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]''. He is also temporarily playable during a certain stage of the FinalBoss in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' (with a limited moveset), ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]''[='=]s Mission Mode as an unlockable character, and at two separate points in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''.
366** ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' promoted every member of Organization XIII (bosses) into a playable character in Mission Mode from the getgo, not counting Roxas (the initial player character of ''II'') and Xion (an unlockable character who debuted in this game). The game also promotes Donald and Goofy ([=AI=]-controlled support party members), as well as Mickey (who is playable in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', but only briefly if you die in certain boss fights), all as unlockable characters.
367** The {{superboss}} of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is a set of AnimatedArmor called the Lingering Will, which is Terra's armor brought to life by [[ThePowerOfHate his sheer hatred of Xehanort]]. During Terra's scenario in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'', players take control of the Lingering Will after [[spoiler:Xehanort hijacks his body in their FinalBoss fight]].
368** After only being promoted to temporary AI party member in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Kairi is given a fully playable role in the FinalBoss battle of the game's ''Re Mind'' DownloadableContent.
369* ''VideoGame/KnightBewitched2'': Rae and Alex were two characters that only briefly were introduced in the previous game drinking in a city and giving tips to Ruth on how to explore the Midnight. Hermes is a novice cleric and a friend of Ruth's she can briefly speak with in the initial town of the game. They're now playable characters and members of your party.
370* ''VideoGame/KnightEternal'': Dylan is Uno and Malady's son from the previous game ''VideoGame/FindingLight'', and he's one of the party members of this game.
371* ''VideoGame/LonelyWolfTreat'': Mochi and Moxie appear as [=NPCs=] in the first game. The second game has you control Mochi, and the third game has you control Moxie.
372* ''VideoGame/LufiaTheLegendReturns'' has two recurring [=NPCs=] join the party: Milka as the final main party member and [[spoiler:the Egg Dragon]] as a SecretCharacter.
373* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'':
374** ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}} appeared as an NPC in the first game, and was later made playable as DLC and on the Xbox 360 port. He and the rest of the downloadable characters were also included in the subsequent UpdatedReRelease for the [=PS4=] and Xbox One. The same goes for ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, who was a sub-boss in the game before being made playable as a DLC character and in the various aforementioned rereleases.
375** ComicBook/{{Psylocke}} was a sub-boss in the first game, and became playable in the second and third installments.
376** Crystal of ComicBook/TheInhumans appeared as an [=NPC=] in the first game, before becoming playable in ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder''.
377** ComicBook/{{Loki}} is a boss enemy in the first game, but is playable in ''Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3''.
378* [[TheDon Aria T'Loak]] is a temporary companion in the [[StormingTheCastle Omega DLC]] for ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. She comes with the unique biotic power Flare, which contrary to its unassuming name is a staggeringly powerful ability. Mass Effect Multiplayer then made heroes of Batarians and Vorcha, species you could only encounter as enemies in Mass Effect 2. They were followed by the Volus, who had never been used in combat at all, and eventually joined by playable Geth Juggernauts and Collectors.
379* ''VideoGame/PapaLouieArcade'':
380** Papa Louie, the main protagonist of the series, regularly does this to his loyal customers. Either he will abandon them (in Pancakeria and in Pizzeria), will hold a contest (in Burgeria and in Taco Mia), or flat out give the job to someone (in Freezeria). Usually, the customers pulled into these schemes are not pleased, but end up liking their jobs. This has not stopped with fictional customers. Mandi and Tony Solary, who are both inspired on real people (one of which is the co-founder of Flipline Studios, the creators of the games) both have jobs in the Papa Louie universe (in Wingeria and in Donuteria).
381** Willow and Rudy have the distinction of being chefs after their debut appearances (in Hot Doggeria and in Donuteria, respectively).
382** In real life, Flipline Studios has held a challenge called "Papa's Next Chefs", which is a contest held by fans to determine the chef at Papa's next restaurant. The winners were:
383:::2011: Cooper and Prudence
384:::2012: Taylor and Peggy
385:::2013: James and Willow
386:::2014: Tony and Scooter
387:::2015: Rudy and Scarlett
388* ''VideoGame/Persona2'': Katsuya, Ulala, and Baofu, all non-player characters in ''Innocent Sin'', become party members in ''Eternal Punishment''.
389* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', Goro Akechi is a GuestStarPartyMember who joins during the the sixth dungeon, and leaves after it's completed. In the UpdatedRerelease ''Royal'', he rejoins during the third semester and sticks with you to the end. [[spoiler: Also, in the third semester, the "Prince" Akechi is replaced by the version you fought in Shido's Palace, AKA: "Black Mask" Akechi. NewGamePlus allows you to put him ''back'' in his Prince outfit, though.]]
390* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'': [[spoiler:Flynn, Isabeau, Jonathan, and Walter, the main character and three main partners from the original game, are fully playable during the Peace Route's final battle, while Flynn fights with Satan in the Anarchy Route's final battle. In addition, Merkabah and Lucifer, the original game's final bosses and thus unable to be fused as per series tradition, can be summoned in New Game Plus since they are only bad ending final bosses now]].
391* In ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'', [[spoiler:Kwanda Rosman, Milich Oppenheimer, Sonya Schulen, Varkas, Sydonia, the pirate trio, Alen, Grenseal (though technically their boss is defeated to recruit them), and Griffith (defeated in a tactical battle)]] can be recruited after defeating them. All are necessary to obtain the 108 Stars (best) ending. Many other recruitable characters are like this throughout the series, to the point that the game may as well shove forgiveness and DefeatMeansFriendship down the player's throats.
392* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
393** Bowser joined Mario's part- er, "let Mario join his party" in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''.
394** Bowser, after being an antagonist in the two preceding games, becomes a playable character (and is in fact the [[ADayInTheLimelight driving force]] behind the plot rather than being a [[BoisterousWeakling mere joke]]) in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''.
395** Bowser becomes playable in brief sequences in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' between chapters. In ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', he's a full-fledged party member.
396* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' tends to do this with its remakes and sequels.
397** ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' has Suzu Fujibayashi going from minor NPC in the Super Famicom version to fully playable in the [=PlayStation=] and beyond.
398** Lilith was dummied out as a playable character in the [=PlayStation=] ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' but got full status in the [=PlayStation 2=] remake.
399** Flynn is a minor example in ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'', going from GuestStarPartyMember in the Xbox 360 version to a fully party member in the Playstation 3 version. The same happens to Richard in ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' in the transition from the Wii to the [=PS3=].
400** Chalcedony in ''VideoGame/TalesOfHearts'' goes from enemy and summonable character to fully playable in the VITA version.
401** Gaius and Muzét become playable in ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2'', retaining every single attack they possessed in their original appearances. [[spoiler:Made especially noteworthy by the fact that they were the final bosses in [[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia the original game]].]]
402** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'', a prequel to ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'', has two straight examples and one inversion.
403*** Eizen is a minor sidequest boss in ''Zestiria'', and becomes one of the main characters of ''Berseria''.
404*** [[spoiler:Laphicet turns out to be a young version of Maotelus.]]
405*** Zaveid inverts this, going from a playable character in ''Zestiria'' to a recurring NPC in ''Berseria''.
406* ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'':
407** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky SC'' makes many important side characters playable, including Josette, Mueler, Julia, and Anelace.
408** ''The Third'' adds several more, to the point where the heroine Estelle loses her spot as protagonist! The game more or less exists to give CharacterDevelopment to the side characters and wraps up plot threads unresolved by the end of ''SC''.
409** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel II'' makes a whopping number of characters playable that weren't originally, and adds a significant amount of time for two that were only very briefly playable in the original title. This includes fan favorite Towa Herschel, one of the most requested characters thanks to being the most approachable girl in her Bonding Events.
410** By the time ''Cold Steel IV's'' final battle commences, players would have a whopping [[spoiler:'''''39''''' characters to choose from to take into the TrueFinalBoss fight. Although only 24 characters are allowed in the roster with [[TheHero Rean]] locked onto the A Team.]]
411** For ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'', players can control '''51 playable characters''' throughout the entire game though only players can only play as 40 for the main story and the rest of the characters are only available at the [[BonusDungeon True Reverie Corridor]]. This includes [[spoiler:Rufus Albarea, who manages to become the BreakoutCharacter of the game by being the third protagonist, and [=McBurn=] who were bosses only in the previous games.]]
412** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsThroughDaybreak II'' turns Fourth Dominion Celis Ortesia and Eleventh Dominion Leon Balthazar into {{Guest Star Party Member}}s, after they spent the first game as [=NPC=]s.
413* ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' lets you fight Freya, Brahms, and Lezard Valeth in the BonusDungeon, and they join you if you defeat them. You can't use them in the regular game, however, since the bonus dungeon is chosen from the main menu instead of being part of the regular game.
414* While he was an ArcVillain, TheStarscream, and overall loose cannon in the original ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', ''VideoGame/NEOTheWorldEndsWithYou'' sees MadMathematician Sho Minamimoto return as a playable member of Rindo's party.
415* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}''
416** ''VideoGame/YsOrigin'' has [[spoiler: Toal Fact]]. He's encountered several times as an NPC when playing as Hugo or Yunica; completing the game with either of them unlocks him as a player character. Beating the game with him reveals the canon ending.
417** In the [[VideoGame/YsIVMaskOfTheSun original]] versions of ''[[VideoGame/YsIVTheDawnOfYs Ys IV]]'', Duren and Karna were [=NPCs=]. They are completely playable in ''VideoGame/YsMemoriesOfCelceta''.
418[[/folder]]
419
420[[folder:Sandbox]]
421* In ''VideoGame/AgentsOfMayhem'', Pierce Washington and Oleg Kirrlov are playable as "Kingpin" and "Yeti". Gat and Kinzie also return as playable characters in the form of DLC.
422* ''VideoGame/MafiaII'' has this as a midgame plot twist. [[spoiler:Vito is actually one of the two generic hitmen who killed Tommy at the end of ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven''; you actually get to play this scene from Vito's perspective.]]
423* ''VideoGame/SaintsRowGatOutOfHell'' has the first time Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington are playable in a ''Saints Row'' title.
424[[/folder]]
425
426[[folder:Simulation Game]]
427* In ''VideoGame/TheSims'', most {{Non Player Character}}s can be made playable if you have a high enough relationship score and ask them to move in, or marry them. (There are also various {{Game Mod}}s to do so.) This is possible in all the main series titles, as well as most spin-off games.
428* In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'', Kaylynn Langerak - who was a NonPlayerCharacter maid with a minor story role in ''The Sims 2'' - is included as a playable pre-made character with her own household due to her popularity with fans. And because it's a prequel, ''The Sims 3'' has fun including some lore characters who existed as ancestors in the family trees of the playable characters in the first two games. Notable examples include Zo and Notzo Curious (grandparents of the Curious brothers from ''The Sims 2'') and Skip Broke (Brandi Broke's husband, who was deceased by the start of ''The Sims 2'') - all of whom had EnsembleDarkhorse status - though some more obscure characters (like the grandparents of the Monty and Capp families) are present and playable as well.
429* In ''VideoGame/VirtualVillagers 5: The New Believers'' another tribe of 'heathens' appears, which is controlled by the AI. The player can 'convert' them individually using various methods and they become members of your tribe.
430[[/folder]]
431
432[[folder:Shooter]]
433* Two years post-launch, ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' promotes Ash, who was introduced in ''VideoGame/Titanfall2'' and fought as boss in story mode, to a playable Legend.
434* A Splicer with a unique character model show up in cut-scenes early in ''VideoGame/BioShock2''. She's Naledi Atkins, one of the playable characters from the (now defunct) ''[=BioShock 2=]'' ''Multiplayer'' mode, placing her somewhere between this trope and an EarlyBirdCameo. As a group, Splicers go from being the fairly interchangeable enemies of the first and second games to the playable character class in the multiplayer mode.
435* Part 2 of ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' DLC ''BioShockInfinite/BurialAtSea'' has you playing as Elizabeth.
436* ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' inverts this trope by making the previous playable characters, Lilith, Roland, Brick, and Mordecai, NPC's assisting the players.
437* ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'' is an {{Interquel}} taking place before the second game that features Wilhelm and the Sheriff of Lynchwood (known as Nisha) as playable characters as well as SeriesMascot Claptrap and Athena from the General Knoxx DLC of the first game. Even Handsome Jack counts in a way- a DLC allows you to play as a body double of him. The only exception is Aurelia, who is a new character introduced to the series though she is connected to a previous character (being the sister of Sir Hammerlock).
438* In ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms'', Hartsock is an NPC in the first game, but is the main playable character in the second.
439* The ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series has several examples of this, including Sgt. Viktor Reznov from ''World At War'' being playable in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps Black Ops]]'', Sgt. Frank Woods from ''Black Ops'' being playable in ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII Black Ops 2]]'' and ''Declassified'', and Captain Price from the ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' series being playable in the present time in the final level of ''Modern Warfare 3''.
440* [[TrueFinalBoss Hibachi]] is an unlockable fighter in the iPhone port of ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi Resurrection]]'' after beating the game [[BulletHell (Good luck with that by the way)]].
441* ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerStarResistance EXTRAPOWER Star Resistance]]'': Galaxy Star was a support NPC in ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerAttackOfDarkforce Attack of Darkforce]]'' and Valhalla was mentioned once as defending San Antonio. In this game they are both playable characters.
442* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
443** ''VideoGame/Halo2'' makes the [[VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved predecessor]]'s main EliteMooks, the Elites, a playable race in multiplayer. While they aren't technically more powerful, the altered hit-boxes has led to arguments on which model is superior and standardization in the MLG circuit.
444** Elites are also playable in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' where they have more shield strength and faster movement speed than their Spartan counterparts. But for balance reasons, they possess larger hitboxes, slightly slower shield recharge times and less physical health, though the last balance is somewhat negated by their ability to fully recover physical health over time without a health pack.
445** In ''VideoGame/Halo3'', multiplayer Elites are more of examples of ConfusionFu, since, despite the dramatically different character models compared to Spartans, they still had the exact same hitboxes.
446** The ODST soldiers introduced in Halo 2 become playable in their own GaidenGame, ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST''.
447* The Galactic Federation soldiers in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' franchise were usually regulated to being either background characters or directly assisting Samus. ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeFederationForce'' is the first ''Metroid'' game where the soldiers are promoted to player characters.
448* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesGardenWarfare'' makes four plants (Peashooter, Sunflower, Chomper and Cactus) from the original ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' playable classes, [[PlantPerson complete with the ability to move their roots]] (as this installment is a third-person shooter instead of a TowerDefense game). The zombies have a playable version of a pre-existing character (The All-Star), but the other three are completely new.
449* The Death Knight was originally an enemy in ''VideoGame/QuakeI'' with an ability to swing his sword and create flaming projectiles that the player killed by the dozens. In ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'', a Death Knight is a playable Champion, complete with that same attack as his Active Ability.
450* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'': From [[VideoGame/Splatoon1 the first very game]] onward, the elites of the Octarian army in all the campaign modes are the octopus counterparts of Inklings called Octolings. ''VideoGame/Splatoon2: Octo Expansion'' gives you the ability to play as one in a single-player campaign, and beating said campaign allows you to use them in multiplayer. Come ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'', you can choose which race you want to be from the start.
451* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': Vs. Saxton Hale Mode lets a single player become the larger-than-life Mann Co. CEO and fight all mercenaries on the RED team simultaneously.
452* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' does this all the time.
453** Every one of the Windows games has had at least one boss villain reappear as playable in a later game in some way shape or form. That includes the final bosses and some Extra Stage bosses.
454** Being the Stage 5 boss is something of an exclusive club that seems to guarantee promotion to the role of "main protagonist", especially in main games (To note: The three most recurring player characters outside of series-wide main protagonists Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame are Sakuya Izayoi, Youmu Konpaku and Sanae Kochiya, ALL of whom were Stage 5 bosses in their debut games). As of ''Unfinished Dream Of All Living Ghost'' - the nineteenth main installment - there are only two previous Stage 5 bosses who have never been playable in any main series games or any {{Gaiden}} games: Shou Toramaru and Megmumu Iizunamaru.
455** ''Hidden Star in Four Seasons'' breaks the trend by adding the playable characters Cirno (the Stage 2 boss from ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil'') and Aya Shameimaru (the Stage 4 boss from ''Mountain of Faith'').
456** Several characters have gone on to get their own {{Gaiden}} games in the series canon, two of which would later be promoted to "main protagonists":
457*** Aya Shamemaru in both ''Bunkachou'' games, with what can be most easily described as photography games combined with the bullet hell of the usual series
458*** Seija Kijin in ''Impossible Spell Card'', whose game plays like Aya's but with the difficulty cranked up and the ability to cheat through special items.
459*** Cirno in ''Fairy Wars'', whose game was a bullet hell with bullet freezing mechanics.
460[[/folder]]
461
462[[folder:Sports]]
463* Many ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' characters have made their first playable appearances in sports spinoffs:
464** The ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'' series had [[VideoGame/SuperMarioLand Daisy]], [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2 Birdo, Boo, Shy Guy,]] and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 Paratroopa]] in the N64 game, [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Wiggler]] and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland Fly Guy]] in ''Power Tennis'', [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy Luma]] in ''Open'', the [[VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld Green Sprixie Princess]] in ''Ultra Smash'', and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3 Chain Chomp]] and [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong Pauline]] in ''Aces''.
465** ''Mario Superstar Baseball'' had [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 Goomba,]] [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3 Paragoomba, Dry Bones, Boomerang Bro, Fire Bro,]] [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Magikoopas, Monty Mole]], [[VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine Nokis, Piantas, and Toadsworth.]] Its sequel, ''VideoGame/MarioSuperSluggers'', added [[VideoGame/YoshisIslandDS Baby DK]] to the roster.
466[[/folder]]
467
468[[folder:Stealth]]
469* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedChronicles'' has three protagonists who while not having been [=NPCs=] in the earlier titles were prominent in the Franchise's ExpandedUniverse.
470* The ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'' franchise makes frequent use of this trope:
471** The first game features two story-based [=DLC=] episodes, ''The Knife of Dunwall'' and ''The Brigmore Witches'', during which the player takes control of Daud (one of Corvo's antagonists from the first game) during his HeelFaceTurn.
472** In ''Videogame/{{Dishonored 2}}'', Emily Kaldwin, the first game's DamselInDistress, becomes one of the playable protagonists of the game alongside returning [=PC=] Corvo Attano. Thanks to a TimeSkip she's aged up from ten years old to twenty-five to support her new ActionGirl status.
473** The standalone spin-off ''VideoGame/DishonoredDeathOfTheOutsider'' has Billie Lurk, a major supporting character in the Daud [=DLC=] and the sequel, becoming playable and sole player character.
474* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
475** Big Boss counts in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', having been the final boss of the series' first two MSX games.
476** Gray Fox is briefly playable in 3 missions in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'''s UpdatedRerelease, ''VR Missions''.
477** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'' has a metric buttload of playable [=NPCs=] from the series, from major characters like Ocelot and Dr. Sokolov to minor characters like Johnny Sasaki Sr. and Raidenovich Raikov.
478* ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}: Wrath of Heaven'' marks the first playable appearance of series' regular bad guy Onikage, in the game's Co-op Versus mode. Some of the bosses from ''Fatal Shadows'' (plus a few from older games) became playable in the PSP game ''Time of the Assassins'' for its LevelEditor.
479* In ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' Ayano's mother Ryoba is mentioned as part of the backstory to the game, but in the game itself is out of the country [[spoiler:tracking down the Journalist]]. In [[{{Prequel}} 1980s Mode]] she's the protagonist, as the mode details just how she got her Senpai.
480[[/folder]]
481
482[[folder:Survival Horror]]
483* Quite a few [=NPCs=] have received this treatment throughout the course of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'':
484** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak'' lets you play as most of the [=NPCs=] from the game, even though they're only [[AndYourRewardIsClothes skins that change the appearance of the main characters]]. With a VideoGame/GameShark or Action Replay you can literally play as [[DummiedOut any NPC in the game as well as a few that didn't make the cut]].
485** Barry Burton, Jill's beloved side-charcter from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', is promoted to the main player character in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilGaiden'', and similarly is one of the two main player characters in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2''. To a lesser extent, he's also a playable option in the Mercenaries Reunion mode for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5''.
486** BigBad Albert Wesker became playable as a selectable character for Battle Mode in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'', playable in the Mercenaries Reunion mode in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil 5'', and has several chapters in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'' dedicated to playing as him as he works behind the scenes to unfold his plans.
487** Excella, TheDragon to Wesker in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', is also a playable character in the game's Mercenaries mode.
488** The Banned Footage Vol. 2 DLC for [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard Resident Evil 7 ]] added the Jack's 55th Birthday minigame in which the player controls Mia Winters and Daughters, a prequel story featuring Zoe Baker as protagonist.
489** The 2019 remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' has a DLC mini-game called "Ghost Survivors", in which Robert Kendo the gunshop owner (a OneSceneWonder from the A scenario of the original game) and Katherine Warren the mayor's daughter (who is dead when encountered in the original game) are playable characters.
490** [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake Annette Birkin]], [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 Oswell Spencer]] and [[Videogame/ResidentEvilRevelations2 Alex Wesker]] are playable masterminds in Resident Evil Resistance. Depending on the chosen mastermind, the player can also control [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake G-Birkin, the T-103]] and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake Nemesis]]. [[note]]Who has been a playable character in [[VideoGame/CapcomVs other]] [[VideoGame/DeadByDaylight franchises]], but not in Resident Evil itself[[/note]]
491** Jack Baker from Resident Evil 7 became a playable monster in Resident Evil Re:Verse. A later update would also add the members of Wolf Hound Squad from Village to the list of playable survivors.
492** Ethan's infant daughter from Village, Rosemary Winters, is the protagonist of the Shadows of Rose DLC which takes place in the [[FlashForward future of the Resident Evil timeline]]. Additionally, Alcina Dimitrescu and Karl Heisenberg were added as characters for the game's Mercenary mode.
493* ''Franchise/SilentHill'':
494** The Director's Cut re-release of ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' includes a new scenario, ''Born from a Wish'', which features major supporting character Maria from the main game as the playable character.
495** ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' protagonist Heather is revealed to be [[spoiler:the baby Harry adopts in the Good and Good+ endings to the original ''VideoGame/SilentHill1''. (This also confirms the Good ending to that game as canon.)]]
496** [[spoiler:An AlternateUniverse version of Cheryl-Heather Mason is also revealed to be the true playable character of remake/re-imagining ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories'', with that game's version of playable character Harry being an idealised version of her father she imagines to cope with his death.]]
497* The "No Return" {{Roguelite}} mode in ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII Remastered'' has several characters playable for the first time in the series, including Dina, Jesse, Tommy, Lev, Yara, Mel, and Manny.
498[[/folder]]
499
500[[folder:Strategy]]
501* Hachi the shop owner in the ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' series becomes unlockable in ''Black Hole Rising'' and ''Dual Strike''. [[IzchaksWrath Appropriately]], he is one of the game's most powerful [=COs=]. Also, Hawke and Lash in ''Black Hole Rising'' become playable in the campaign of ''Dual Strike''.
502* ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' does this quite a bit in the PSP VideoGameRemake ''Dark Hero Days'', making almost all of the formerly unusable optional boss characters playable, perhaps the most notable of them being [[VideoGame/MakaiKingdom Zetta]], who's a GameBreaker due to some retained ContractualBossImmunity, and the absurdly large hit radius on his attacks.
503* ''Franchise/FireEmblem''
504** Some games let you unlock the BigBad and several of his cronies (and some unrelated villains or other supporting characters) as playable characters for Trial Maps. That is, those who [[HeelFaceTurn don't join you during the main game anyway]]. The characters who first join you in this manner are: Narcian, Galle, Hector, Brunnya, Eliwood, Murdock, Zephiel, and Guinivere from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', Caellach, Riev, Ismaire, Selena, Glen, Hayden, Valter, Fado, and Lyon from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'', and Oliver, Shihiram, Petrine, Bryce, and Ashnard from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''. Hector, Eliwood, and Oliver would go on to become proper playable characters in the respective next games in the franchise (''The Blazing Blade'' for Hector and Eliwood, ''Radiant Dawn'' for Oliver).
505** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'', you fight a powerful enemy general named Camus. He returns as a playable character in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'', now amnesiac and acting under the pseudonym Zeke.
506** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'', you are able to briefly control Nyna (an NPC in ''Shadow Dragon'') in the final chapter.
507** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'':
508*** Of particular note is the BlackKnight. ThatOneBoss in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', one of the coolest characters in the game, becomes playable in a few chapters in ''Radiant Dawn''. And he, in fact, kicks even more ass than before, so players can use him to single-handedly inflict beat downs of epic proportions on their enemies. The only problem is that he is a CrutchCharacter to the max who already has the max level, so using him will cost your other characters much-needed EXP, causing many players not to use him at all.
509*** Oliver (the main antagonist for the portion of ''Path of Radiance'' that took place in Begnion) turns out to be NotQuiteDead in ''Radiant Dawn'' and can be recruited near the end of the game. [[JokeCharacter Statwise he's not very impressive, but his conversations with some of the other characters are among the funniest things in the game]].
510*** There are also several other examples in ''Radiant Dawn'' including the previously busy Sanaki, Sigrun, and Caineghis, the previously neutral Kurthnaga, the previously powerless Leanne and Nealuchi, the previously BrainwashedAndCrazy Renning, the previously confusing [[spoiler:Prime Minister Sephiran]], and (probably the most surprisingly) [[AscendedExtra Gareth]], Kurthnaga's servant who spoke two lines and five words through the entirety of ''Path of Radiance''. Guess they did give him a name for a reason.
511** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem]]'' allows you to recruit [[spoiler:Michalis]], an antagonist in ''Shadow Dragon'' who suffered RedemptionEqualsDeath in the original ''Mystery of the Emblem''. In addition, the DLC chapter "Three Assassins" allows you to control antagonists Clarisse, Legion, Eremiya, and most notably ''Gharnef''.
512** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' makes recurring series NPC Anna playable for the first time. The game also features many bosses and characters from previous games that can be recruited through [=SpotPass=]. The characters who make their playable debut in this manner are: Arvis, Julius, Ishtar, and Travant from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', Raydrik from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'', and Nergal, Linus, Lloyd, and Ursula from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade''. Finally, Eldigan from ''Genealogy of the Holy War'' makes his playable debut as a DLC character.
513** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', Fuga is an NPC boss in the ''Birthright'' and ''Conquest'' routes, and becomes a playable character in the DLC ''Revelation'' route.
514** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]'' has the "Rise of the Deliverance" DLC, which makes recurring antagonist Fernand a playable character for two maps.
515** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' is this for multiple [=NPCs=] and antagonists. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem Naga, Medeus]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Annand, Díthorba, Ullr, Hilda, Arion]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 Reinhardt, Kempf, Veld, August]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Idunn, Elimine]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Leila, Bramimond, Sonia, Limstella, Mark, Fargus]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones Fomortiis, Vigarde]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Greil]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Yune, Altina, Jorge, Dheginsea, Ashera, Ludveck]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Mustafa, Phila, Cervantes, Validar]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Garon, Mikoto, Lilith, Iago, Arete, Hans, Anankos]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Berkut, Duma, Rinea, Rudolf, Mila, the Brigand Boss, Hestia, Marla]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Sothis, Kronya, the Death Knight, Rhea, Nemesis, Solon, the Gatekeeper, Cornelia]][[note]]Though the Death Knight would be made playable as a post-launch update character in ''Three Houses'', and ''Warriors: Three Hopes'' would make [[spoiler:Sothis, Rhea, and the Gatekeeper]] post-game secret characters[[/note]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage Lumera, and Zephia]] in particular have never been controllable under any circumstances before ''Heroes''.
516** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'' makes Monica, Rodrigue, Holst, and [[spoiler:Jeralt]], [=NPCs=] from ''Three Houses'', playable characters.
517* Guss Tarball from ''[[VideoGame/JaggedAlliance Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games]]'' becomes a controllable mercenary in Jagged Alliance 2. He's pretty powerful although quite expensive.
518* The fourth game in the ''VideoGame/KingdomRush'' series, ''Kingdom Rush: Vengeance'' has you [[VillainProtagonist play as Vez'nan and his dark army]], who were the villains of the first game. Several of the enemies themselves are either tower units, heroes, or {{Guest Star Party Member}}s in certain areas. Even the Juggernaut who was the first boss of the first game is playable as a summoned unit via using an item.
519* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesHeroes'' has several of the Zombie Teammates. While a number of zombies were playable in I, Zombie, this game even has zombies from ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' that are now playable. This includes some of the [[BossBattle Zombots]], and yes, the FinalBoss Zombot of the first game is a playable and very powerful unit.
520* Wendy, Scott, Clyde, Craig, Token, and Tweek are all just [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'', with only one of them ever being fought and most not even having a significant role in the story. In the sequel ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'', they're all playable party members. The ''From Dusk to Casa Bonita'' DLC adds Henrietta Biggle to the list.
521* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'':
522** When the game's first expansion pack was released, [[spoiler:Sarthorael the Ever-Watcher (the game's TrueFinalBoss)]] was promoted to be a playable general for Custom Games and Multiplayer in a simultaneous free patch.
523** Later updates would make Bretonnia and the Norscan Tribes their own playable factions, with full unit rosters, build trees, and Legendary Lords.
524** ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII'' would later add in the Vampire Coast, which were only mentioned under the Undead Roster, into the game, with a few characters from ''TabletopGame/{{Dreadfleet}}'' and one OriginalCharacter Legendary Lord.
525** ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerIII'' did this for, well, ''everyone'' - Kislev goes from the just being an Empire re-skin to a major faction in its own right, while the Daemons of Chaos finally show up in full, with each of the four gods getting their own major units. Last but most certainly not least, the Empire of Grand Cathay, [[HufflepuffHouse who were practically a non-entity in the tabletop game and the novels]], [[UnseenNoMore finally makes its debut as a major playable faction]]. Notably, Games Workshop and Creative Assembly have confirmed that the [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner new units Cathay and Kislev will get in this game]] [[CanonImmigrant will also be included in the relaunch of Warhammer Fantasy]], effectively making this game a preview for Cathay and Kislev's new rosters.
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527
528[[folder:TabletopGames]]
529* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
530** The original rules always featured humans and human-like fantasy races with the "core" type of classes. However, official and fan-made rules sprung up early and often to allow players to play things like dragons, ogres, vampires, orcs, and so on. Examples from various editions include Council of Wyrms, Savage Species, Reverse Dungeon, The Advanced Race Guide, and many more.
531** It happened to the settings ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'', where both settings originally existed as a thing "normal" characters got pulled into (such as in the Manual of the Planes and the earliest Ravenloft adventures). Eventually, this was (mostly) eschewed for having characters be natives of those settings.
532* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' made the Goblin race LaughablyEvil in the first installment, to the point of having a special module with goblin protagonists ("We Be Heroes!"), and eventually included them as a base race in the second edition of the game.
533* In the original editions of ''TabletopGame/{{Trinity}}'', full Quantakinetics (psychics with power over energy and inanimate matter) were off the table, deemed appropriate only as {{Non Player Character}}s, although the ''Trinity Players Guide'' made their first-level powers available to other psions as secondary powers they couldn't raise higher, and fan supplements gave them full PC writeups. For the reboot, ''Trinity Continuum: Aeon'', full Quantakinetics were made available as [=PCs=] in the main book.
534* Despite the fluff and tie-in novels depicting them as major players in the Imperium, for the longest time the [[MachineWorship Adeptus Mechanicus]] of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' had a negligible presence on the tabletop, relegated to techmarines and enginseers that were wrapped into the Space Marine and Imperial Guard army lists respectively. Then, towards the end of 7th edition, the Mechanicus burst onto the scene with three individual armies (the [[HumongousMecha Imperial Knights]], the [[MechaMooks Skitarii]], and the [[{{Cyborg}} Adeptus]] [[SpiderTank Mechanicus]] proper), all of which synergized well when taken as a combined force. The three would be merged under a single Mechanicus codex in 8th Edition, though the Imperial Knights still retain enough flavor to have their own codex.
535* In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'' the Empire of Grand Cathay was effectively a non-entity in the series, with only a sentence or two acknowledging that they exist in the games. Games Workshop, however, confirmed that Cathay will be playable in the relaunch of the game, ''Warhammer: The Old World'', with a complete roster based on what is seen in ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerIII'', [[GodCreatedCanonForeigner with GW directly working with Creative Assembly to make sure the new units will fit in with the redesigned Cathay's lore]].
536* The traditional playable races of ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' are restricted to Human, (High) Elf, Dwarf and Halfling. 2nd edition technically offered the ability to play a Skaven or Mutant, although the rules were incredibly punitive. 4th edition seems intent on following this trope, having given players the option to play Laurelorn Elves (a new elven subrace in between the wargame's High and Wood Elves), [[OurGnomesAreWeirder Gnomes]] (who hadn't been seen since 1st edition), and [[OurOgresAreHungrier Ogres]].
537* The ''TabletopGame/WorldOfDarkness'', old and new, pulled a similar trick. Often, the "core" faction in the game had enemies who were both related to and opposed to them, such as the vampiric Camarilla and their enemies, the vampiric Sabbat. Sure enough, it wouldn't take long for a {{Splat}} to make that faction playable. Later editions would just stick them right in the core rules like any other player option. Examples include the Technocratic Order, Marauders, and Nephandi from ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', the Sabbat and Independent Clans in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', and the Shadow Court and Nunnehi in ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming''.
538[[/folder]]
539
540[[folder:Visual Novel]]
541* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
542** Mia Fey, Phoenix's deceased mentor, is playable in two flashback cases of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations''.
543** Miles Edgeworth is also playable in ''Trials and Tribulations'' [[spoiler:for the first half of the final case "Bridge to the Turnabout", with the in-story reason being that he takes over Phoenix's investigation while the latter is in hospital.]] [[note]]WordOfGod states that Phoenix's hospitalisation was written in as an excuse to get fan-favourite Edgeworth BackForTheFinale.[[/note]] He later got his own spin-off duology ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'' between games four and five of the main series, though thanks to various factors affecting localisation attempts, only the first game has been released outside of Japan.
544** In ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney 2: Resolve'', you assume control of TheLancer Susato for the first case [[spoiler:and her father Yujin for the investigation part of the fifth]].
545* ''VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls'' promotes [[spoiler:Toko Fukawa[=/=]Genocide Jack]] to playable {{Deuteragonist}} status when in [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc her last appearance]], she was one of over a dozen [[NonPlayerCharacter Non Playable Characters]] making up the ensemble supporting cast. This trope also technically applies to main heroine [[AscendedExtra Komaru Naegi]], who had a very brief appearance in the first game when she's glimpsed in a video her brother Makoto receives threatening his family, before becoming the star of the show here.
546* ''VisualNovel/MonsterProm'': The original game was about four monster students trying to hook up with an expanding roster of potential love interests and take them to prom. ''Monster Prom: Reverse'' makes four of the love interests playable: [[BigRedDevil Damien]] (from the base game), [[AdorableAbomination Zoe]] and [[ArtificialIntelligence Calculester]] (from the [=DLC=]), and [[AmazonianBeauty Dahlia]] (from the sequel). The goal is the same, except that the dateable characters are now the four original playable characters.
547** Various [=DLC=] packs for ''Camp'' and ''Roadtrip'' introduce new playable characters, many of whom had previously been [=NPC=] or lore characters. With all [=DLC=] you can play as promoted characters Whiskey, Jacqueline, or Mamimi in ''Camp''; Juan in ''Roadtrip''; and Zoe in both games.
548[[/folder]]
549
550[[folder:Other]]
551* In ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneAmnesty'', when [[spoiler: Clint's character Ned dies, instead of making a new character, Clint instead chooses to play Thacker, who was previously an NPC.]]
552* During Campaign 2 of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'', Nott the Brave/[[spoiler:Veth Brennato]] of the Mighty Nein is revealed to have a 4 year-old son named Luc. In the post-campaign ''Echoes of the Solstice'' oneshot, a now teenaged Luc tags along with the Mighty Nein instead of his mother, being played by Sam Riegel.
553[[/folder]]

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