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Characters from Video Games that are just that... totally... Awesome.


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Other examples:

  • Plague Knight from Shovel Knight is incredibly cute and also pretty fun to play. His relationship with Mona is my favorite in video games.
  • Alice Liddell from the American McGee's titles (American McGee's Alice, and Alice: Madness Returns). Not only would I never want to get in her way in Wonderland, but as we see in A:MR, she's not half dangerous in London too. Yep, that's pretty awesome. But she's also a lovely person when she's not psychotic (and sometimes even when she is), although she desperately needs a father or older brother to keep her safe.
  • Durandal from the Marathon trilogy is one of the most underrated characters in video games and in insane-computer-AI dominated sci-fi in general. He could easily hold his own against SHODAN, GLaDOS, or HAL. For one thing, he was incredibly rich and believable. When I played the games, I felt like Durandal could be a real person if he was human. Yeah, he was an insane AI, but that was only one dimension of him. I also loved the fact that he wasn't a hero or a villain, just an arrogant, self-serving, power-hungry bastard the player had to deal with. Unlike in so many other games, you're not fighting against the aliens to save humanity or something noble like that — you're fighting against the aliens simply because Durandal tells you to, and you don't have a choice. The fact that humans benefit from it makes no difference to him; it's in his best interests, and that's all that matters. Incredibly clever if you ask me.
    • Not to mention he's trying to play God. And he succeeds in becoming a Psuedo-god. His terminal text is probably the best part of the game series. "I had an accident with a few of the defense drones, you may run into a few of them here. Don't worry, I don't think I gave them any ammo for those grenade launchers..."
  • Captain Falcon: an absolute badass racer who may or may not have been a super cop at one point. Not only that, the man beat THE CREATORS OF THE UNIVERSE in a race, and was confident the whole time that he could. And of course, how could we not forget the obligatory FALCON PUNCH!?
  • Hudson. I just think Special Agent Hudson from Call of Duty: Black Ops is amazing. He's an ice cube, but he gives a damn about Mason. He has concern, and he also crosses into Badass territory. I hope Hudson returns in another Treyarch-made Call of Duty.
    • This troper developed such a mancrush on Hudson. I would go gay for the guy, he's just that awesome.
    • Frank Woods. Everything the guy says is automatically awesome.
      • He's so awesome, he survived Kravchenko blowing himself up. Then stayed alive through 2025.
    • Viktor Reznov. Such a lovably badass Large Ham mentor deserves a better description than this.
  • Aki from Ape Escape 3. Aunt with hilariously cute anime hair and a perma-cheery demeanour. A little extra incentive to finish each level.
  • Can we talk about how amazing Kyle Hyde of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is? A hard-boiled noir-ish ex-detective who's never given up searching for his partner because he JUST KNOWS that he's alive, despite having every reason to believe he's either dead or beyond redemption, REFUSING to give up until he finds out the truth, DAMN IT, NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT HURTS... He's a Jerkass Woobie and Deadpan Snarker with some of the finest one-liners This Troper has ever read. He navigates a crappy hotel FULL TO BURSTING of DYSFUNCTION... and in doing so, improves everyone's life he comes into contact with. Whether he intended to or not. DECORATING CHRISTMAS TREES FOR LITTLE GIRLS? And that DORKY GRIN at the yummy steak? Yeah, someone's a Not So Stoic after all. And, lest we forget... He got himself a PAPER CLIP!
  • Oh Leliana, my love, my flower, only star in the grim sky of Ferelden. I love Leliana. For starters, she's gorgeous beyond all reason. Her blue eyes, so full of life and yet so soothingly sweet, her fiery red mane... Her voice makes love to my ears. She's sweet and romantic, not to mention rather funny at times. She's complex, real complex: inside her her compassionate, slightly naive persona and her more cynical and clever persona are in constant struggle, all while she tries to guide herself with her newfound religiousness note . Her entire romance is a Heartwarming Moment, especially when she tries to declare herself and when she talks about your eyelids (d'awww), with a side of funny ("I am a woman, and I reserve the right to be inconsistent!") and general awesome when the Warden realizes his love is requited. And let us not forget her party dialogue. The conversation she has with Alistair right after you hook up ("He wasn't ogling me, was he?") feels so damn right, her talks with Morrigan during the possible Love Triangle may well qualify as her very own Moment of Awesome, and most of the others (aside from when she's being hit on) do a lot to expand upon her character. I am going to stop here, or else I'll take up several pages gushing over a veritable cornucopia of details. But really, mere words don't do the bard from Orlais justice. Her charm is truly hard to describe to someone who doesn't feel it.
    • Don't worry about making this several pages long, as others are happy to do it for you. She's just as good if you start from the third game like some have. Initially coming across as frightening yet more reasonable than Cassandra this works in both character's favor, while one quickly thaws out and becomes one of your biggest supporters the other remains chilling, yet shows that she does care deeply. Little clues you pick up before one of two big quests begin, whether it be discussion of bard life or how caring yet ruthless she is make you eager to learn more. And when you do either quest you are eager to help her, if she'll let you, try and stop her from falling into darkness. Then you play the first game and see just how beautiful she is not just in looks but personality, laugh at some of the scenes that play out, get a kick out of how aggressive Leliana can be in seducing you rather than the other way around, then play her DLC and be disgusted at what she did, and what was done to her. Few characters can have such an impact but Leliana is perhaps the best non player character Bioware had made, yes even above titans like Bastila, Dawn Star, Liara (virtually Space!Leliana) and Morrigan.
  • Yuki, from Enchanted Arms. A deep, emotional character, with the added awesomeness of dressing like a cowgirl in an eastern RPG. Come on, western meets eastern in a little loli-bait, gunslinging Troperiffic girl. She takes on so many character roles, from comic relief to drama queen to antagonist, that the game would fall apart without her. And her hat is SPIFFY.
  • The whole good guys in Super Robot Wars are incredible, for they have yet to produce a character that is The Scrappy, all badass and amazing. But the greatest, most gushable character would be Sanger Zonvolt, The Sword That Smites Evil! The man is not only just one badass German Samurai, he is a fabulous Large Ham and has done lots and lots of Moment of Awesome, and donBt't forget that Big Honking Sword!. And if you think he is a flat character, he goes through quite some good development, and in each installment, he gets more and more badass. Not to mention proving that Real Men Ride Each Other. Truly the poster man of manliness!
    • One of the reasons why this troper loves SRW Advance very much is how the original characters are sooo... awesome!
      • First we have Axel Almer, who can swing either way into a badass cold warrior, into a hilariously awesome amnesiac Casanova Wannabe, providing humors here and there. Though his persona gets a bad flak in Original Generation 2 GBA, he gets rectified in Original Generations when he becomes a respectable Noble Demon, then OG Gaiden really gets him into a great, badass Anti-Hero who pulled a Heel–Face Turn and delivers a Moment of Awesome and Heartwarming in the same time, and becomes an expert in pulling of Big Damn Heroes sequences. And did I mention that his mecha Soulgain is also pretty badass and have an awesome moustache?
      • Then we have Lamia Loveless, a Robot Girl who is Ridiculously Human, a Lady of War that can be considered a Fetish Fuel incarnate thanks to her extremely sexy body (huge breasts), sort of Stripperiffic outfit and lots of Fetish Fuel-ish hijinx she got in OG Gaiden... but above all, remains somehow to be one of the most badass female (in a sense of seriousness and efficiency) and a well developed character, as her story remains as one of the more charming, cliche it may be, amongst other characters (Robot developing soul). How can a Fetish Fuel incarnate be THIS Awesome? Well, she can. And let's not even get with her Fetish Fuel-ish girly robot Angelg, which is also AWESOME.
    • As a youtube video description put it, some men angst when their girlfriend is kidnapped by aliens. Kyosuke Nanbu beats the shit out of them. And that's before going into his Determinator status and his ungodly luck, and his ability to pilot the Super Prototype that can't even stand without a tesla drive, let alone fight.
  • Sylvanas Windrunner from Warcraft III and World of Warcraft is easily one of the best developed characters in the series, a hot Anti-Hero who takes over the former Capital of Lordearon, and helps the Blood Elves showing that while others have abandoned who they are, she has not.
    • Thrall, call him a Stu if you want, he's still badass and Warcraft would be much worse off without him. It helps that he is also kind hearted while being badass in the same time.
    • This troper would also like to toss his hat of gushing to Miss Jaina Proudmoore. Maybe she lacks the badass aura that Sylvanas gives out, but she is still impressive on her own, and pretty much the Only Sane Human that still believes in peace between the two factions when every other humans seems to have followed the religion of Fantastic Racism. Who cares if she displays Sue tendencies, she's still good.
      • Pshaw. Jaina is not that kind of character unless you stretch that to mean "any female character portrayed as attractive and competent."
    • Three words: FOR SIR LOTHAR!
    • Farseer Nobundo rocks my socks (read Unbroken and you'll hopefully see why) and needs to play a major role in Cataclysm. (Bear in mind that this is coming from someone who's become rather sick of the shaman class.)
    • This troper would like to add their two cents in the form of Arthas Menethil. Not just because he is one of the most epic final bosses in video games, let alone Warcraft. Not because he gets some of the best lines (FROSTMORNE HUNGERS!) or best soundtracks (try and listen to Invincible without your heart breaking). But because he is one of the best Fallen Hero villains ever written. At no point in his backstory do you lose any sense of the tragedy of it, but despite all the sympathy you feel for him, you never forget that he is the villain, and that however this may have happened he is still evil and must be stopped. He is one of the few sympathetic bad guys that loses none of their scariness or badass-ness due to their tragic past; every glimmer of light you see in him, every flash of the old, charismatic paladin Arthas, only serves to highlight to darkness and monstrous evil that is the Lich King. Darth Vader, eat your heart out.
    • This troper just love-love-loves Varian Wrynn. Finally, an Alliance leader who is going to defend his people! He's pumped up the Stormwind army and is sending them out all over the kingdom to help the villages that were in trouble in his absence. He's accessible and is putting out calls to adventurers to go places. And he's not above going and personally dealing with problems, like during the Elemental Invasion when he tracked them back through their portals and beat them down! When people say he's too gung-ho, I just remind them that when he didn't intervene in the past, his wife died. :( I just want to give him a big ol' hug and a big ol' thank you!
    • This troper just loves Malygos, love him to death. Because the insane previous tricksters are cool. I just love him, if only, just if only, Alexstrasza (and Korialstrasz)didn't tell a random group of people to go kill him for purples and blues.
    • What, no Vol'jin fans here? This is the first character in game who wasn't going to deal with Garrosh Hellscream's bullshit and told him to his face, "I'm going to wait for you to fail, and when you do, I'm going to kill you in the darkness where no one will care." It doesn't get much more Badass than that.
    • His phenomenal rise from Sidelined Joke status, to near memetic status as an overall BADASS, has given Lor'themar Theron a legion of fans. Voiced by Giddeon Emery (Fenris in Dragon Age 2) certainly adds to his appeal. He was a surprisingly popular candidate for Warchief Position, and during his brief Day in the Limelight during Mists of Pandaria has cemented his status on the pantheon of Badass Kings of Azeroth.
  • Alucard from Castlevania his well developed, badass, and is an immortal half vampire who wields a badass sword and shield. What more can you ask for?
    • Many people complain that there is a crippling lack of Belmonts in later Castlevanias. This troper has decided to forgive it forever, ever since the awesomeness that is Shanoa. You can only love a character so completely, undilutedly badass, yet so nice and caring as well. Not to mention drop dead sexy.
    • On the Belmont side of things, the "Of Sorrow" games give us Julius Belmont. How awesome is Julius? He's the Belmont that finally killed Dracula. Like, forever. And then when he fights Soma (The reincarnation of Dracula), he is quite probably the toughest boss in the game, with just about every Belmont trick in the book, dealing hundreds of damage with just his whip; and he doesn't even start using subweapons until about halfway through the battle. And afterwards, it is made clear that he was holding back. Did I mention that he had just recovered from amnesia and recovered the Vampire Killer about an hour beforehand? And that he was exploring Castlevania without his whip? Badass.
      • No one could ever forget Simon Belmont. He made his way through Drac's castle with nothing but his whip and subweapons. Nothing like Item Crashes or Burning Mode. Despite this, he still managed to kick Dracula's ass. Then of course, he learned that Dracula had cursed him, and he would eventually die. Even though he spent 7 years in cursed pain, he went on an adventure to gather Dracula's body parts, resurrect him and KILL HIM AGAIN. He did.
  • Joshua Graham, the infamous Burned Man from Fallout: New Vegas. The Atoner, very spiritual, well read, intelligent, soft spoken, and yet he's still probably the most badass character in the game. He can wipe out armies of tribals with nothing but a pistol, fight his way through dozens of Legion assassins after being injured, and he survived being shot five times in the head, blown up, lighten on fire, and thrown off the Grand Canyon. In addition to that, his character arc is very interesting as he struggles with his inner demons and his past, and his voice is just wonderful (and I'm a straight man!).
    • Arcade Gannon. It's impossible not to love a bespectacled, snarky, compassionate doctor with a dark past, who just so happens to be one of the (few) homosexual characters in Video Games. The fact he essentially created the Retired Badass Roundup trope helps, too.
    • Ulysses, the mysterious courier from the DLC. We know next to nothing about him currently, but the air of mystery makes him one of my favourite characters in the entire game.
  • Seriously, is there no one here from Uncharted? Well, I nominate Victor Goddamn Sullivan, for general awesomeness and badassery, and for looking fabulous in the flashback in the third game.
    • Drake himself is no slouch. Despite being a thief and not hesitating to kill, he's a pretty standup guy. He never kills unless he has to, will try to save as many people as he can and besides being a thief loves history just as much as Ben and Indy.
    • While we're at it, Elana is just as willing to risk her life saving the world and fearlessly stands up to The Big Bad.
    • I surely can't be the only one here who immediately loved Rafe the moment he showed up can I? He's a spoiled, manipulative awful person but I can't help but find him oddly charming despite what he did.
  • Jade Curtiss. Need I say more?
    • I will. While all the other characters are running around, being all emotional and whiny, Jade will just stand and be the best Deadpan Snarker around. Or order other people to do stuff for him. Or manipulate others into doing work for him. If he was not on the good guys side he would be a Magnificent Bastard.
      • Why should that stop him?
    • Ion. Adorably Precociouschild, yes. Dude Looks Like a Lady? Undoubtedly. Beneath all of that, you'll find an Iron Woobie who put aside his problems in favor of aiding his friends, trying to fix the world, and being one hell of a leader to his fractured religious order.
    • I thought Jade Curtiss was my favourite character in Abyss. And I then I played it all the way through...and I still love Jade, but I have a major soft spot for Guy Cecil. I think that his Undying Loyalty to Luke is the most interesting, heartwarming, and hopeful part of a pretty dark game. His gynophobic flailing (before you know the cause) is hilarious. He also plays off or sets up Jade's punchlines well. ("If you look up 'villain' in the dictionary, I bet you'll see Jade's face next to it.") And now I'm descending into fangirling but when he nerds out over fon machines his adorkability skyrockets. And I greatly appreciate the Painted-On Pants. Okay now I'm done.
    • Tear Grants is seriously one of the coolest female characters to ever appear in an RPG. She makes her entrance attempting assassination on the villain! And she always carries herself with such dignity and class, but she has the kindest heart underneath her tough soldier exterior. Not only can she kick some serious ass with her throwing knives, she's also a master healer, and she never once needs to be rescued! One of my absolute favorite things about her is her complete adoration for cute things, which is such a wonderful surprise to find in such a badass warrior chick. She also can dish out some fabulous bits of snark, she performs dozens of feats of utter badassery throughout the game, and she's hot to boot.
    • Laphicet. Seriously, how has he not been put here already. He's only 10 years old, making him the youngest party member in the series and still he can fight just as well as everyone around him.Just watch him be amazed and curious about everything around him and forming bonds with all the rest of the cast and you will feel like you want to protect him as much as Velvet does, guaranteed. Not to mention the fact that he learns and pulls off what could easily be the series' biggest Indignation so far. Again, he is only 10.Truly, the definition of Badass Adorable.
  • One Word: Ivy.
  • Seung Mina. rebellious Cute Bruiser. Hot chick with a halberd. What's not to like?
  • Sora. Say what you will about his treatment of the Nobodies, he's still just plain adorkable when he's not being badass.
    • This Troper lists Sora as his favorite videogame protagonist, because among the thousands of games that have given up on using any character who isn't cynical/dark/snarky, Sora defies them all with his idealism and sheer awesomeness. * weeps*
      • Praising Sora just for defying the cynical standard is almost selling him short - the best thing about Sora is how he's able to retain an unfailing sense of idealism despite the fact that, if he were anybody else, he could easily turn into The Woobie. The fact that none of this stops him from taking care of the bad guys who threaten those he cares about in the most awesome way possible is just icing on the cake.
      • Everything said above. Sora gets so little love it's unbelievable. The entire fanbase seems to think he's so evil for killing poor Organization XIII...admittedly, it didn't take much convincing that they needed to be eliminated, but they certainly gave him a reason soon enough. There's nothing evil about him- he's just a kid who's a long way from home and is doing his best to keep cheery.
      • And Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] has some of his best moments. For the entire game, everything's trying to tear the poor guy apart. Most characters would easily be The Woobie after all that. Then to top it off, in an interesting parallel to Terra and Aqua, Sora fails and Riku passes. But unlike Terra, Sora's reaction is basically, "My best friend's a Keyblade Master? AWESOME! Let's celebrate!"
      • Can we also praise him for being the one guy who said what all of Tron fandom was thinking during the TronLegacy level and being willing to deliver a richly-needed What the Hell, Hero? to both Flynn and Quorra for not even trying to save Tronzler? And then going one better and attempting himself, even if it both wasn't the Tron he knew and that it failed. And for arguing that Programs have hearts (or can grow them)? Sora, I think there a discredited Tron protagonist who would more than thank you for fighting for the Programs.
    • Let's hear it for Riku and Kairi too. As Kairi pointed out, Sora would "be completely hopeless without them"...and he certainly would be less interesting a character without his relationships with them. Same thing with Donald Duck and Goofy for that matter. Their friendship is complete and utter win. (I mean, they're SORA! DONALD! GOOFY!)
      • Doubled on Kairi. Most girls her age can't stick with one guy for over a year when he's right there in front of them. Staying loyal for that long when he's (as far as she knows) who-knows-where and assorted magical forces are messing with her memories of him? That's a different and MAJOR kind of strength. Which is not to say Riku didn't go through Hell for Sora too, and if you ask me Sora deserves all of it.
      • Kairi is hated by most the fanbase, and she's a great character. It's not that she doesn't try, there's just only so much she can do. The fans forget that Riku and Sora trained in swordplay all their lives, while Kairi didn't. She had no combat knowledge, but she still grabbed the Keyblade and fought with no hesistation when she was needed. She was about to actively seek out Sora when she was kidnapped by Axel, and even then she managed to get away from him-someone much stronger than her, with supernatural powers and weapons. Give the girl a medal.
      • Ah, Riku. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a good redemption story, and Riku's is one of the best out there. The kind of strength required to keep pushing forward, to fight continuously for over a year to protect the friends he had wronged, even going so far as to give up his humanity for their sake... it's unlike any other. He doesn't break down and despair over everything he's lost, because he knows there'd be no point. The only way to make up for his mistakes is to fix them, and dammit, he gets it done.
    • KING MOTHERFUCKIN' MICKEY!
    • This troper will always love Axel, no matter the Badass Decay.
      • Seconded. He's intelligent, snarky, manipulative and he's obsessively loyal to his friends even to a toxic point, which just makes him all the more interesting. It's not just the looks...
    • Vexen. This troper maintains he is the unsung woobie of Chain of Memories, while also being more badass than people give him credit for.
    • Larxene. Psycho Electro Dark Action Girl? Ooooooooh yeah!
    • Lexaeus. Most games will have you believe that The Big Guy / The Brute of any given group is little more than Dumb Muscle. Not Lex. Also, his weapon is probably bigger than you.
    • Marluixa; proving that flowers are badass since 2004.
    • Oh, and Zexion too.
    • Not to mention Xemnas. Hell, Xehanort in general is awesome. One of the hammiest RPG villains around who still manages to intrigue me with his unkown origins.
    • Namine. Look at how she reacts around Marluxia and Larxene and tell me she wasn't abused offscreen, at least emotionally and probably physically too. And possibly worse. Then look at her standing up to them - and getting thrown across the room once does not deter her from standing up to them again. She had almost no cards to play and managed to be a major help. Her and Kairi...who says the only strong women are fighters?
    • Xion. She doesn't deserve the hatred she receives. Her entire existence is just one psychological trauma after another, and all she wants to do is eat ice cream with her friends. So unfair.
      • Seconded. And yet there are still so many who call her too OP...
      • Thirded. Xion was one of the best, more unique parts of the game for this troper.
      • Fourthed, so much. It didn't help that my intro to the series was the game she appeared in.
      • I believe that, while she is a nice character, she does deserve some of the hate she revives. Not nearly as much, but some. She's a nice girl and was one of the first female Keyblade users in the entire franchise. And many people feel sorry for her. And for good reason too. When your fading from existence and your best friend's last words to you are "Who will I have Ice Cream with?"... Yeah... I know that it's supposed to be a metaphor, but still.
      • Fifthed/Sixthed, depending on how you count the above. Despite being The Woobie, she can be pretty badass, too. Like the moment when she slices straight through a Darkside.
    • DiZ/Ansem the Wise! I mean, come on. Look past his Kick the Dog actions during the Prologue and he's just so fascinating, mysterious, and perhaps the most tragic character in the series. He lost alot of his mind in the darkness and became a Knight Templar, enacted many a Batman Gambit, but in the end was proven wrong about many things and admitted it, even apologizing to Roxas for his Jerkass behaviour towards him. He then self-sacrifices his life to stop Xemnas, giving up his chances at returning to his beloved homeworld. The fact that he's voiced by Christopher Lee in the English version just solidifies his awesomeness.
    • You know what? All three protagonists of Birth by Sleep are freakin' badass, with multiple Crowning Moments Of Awesome. They all go through a lot, and none of them get happy endings, but they keep fighting for one another, no matter what. Special mention goes to Aqua for manages to sincerely be The Heart while still saving BOTH her friends' lives, making her the true hero of the story.
    • Roxas, so much. And not just for his Woobie status, although that's a given. In his short existence, he grew from a blank slate with no memories into a complete and utter badass, ready to take on the Organization and free Kingdom Hearts with his own hands, all for the sake of bringing back a fallen friend. He fought hard for his place in the world, and for the two people he loved more than anything; and then, after losing all of those things, sacrificed himself with dignity. This troper firmly believes that, pound for pound, Roxas always had the makings of a true hero...and that even though he's a part of Sora, that will never be all he is.
    • Xigbar and/or Braig. Dude's the biggest troll in the series bar none. Someone wrote a paragraph or two that says everything I could ever want to on him:
    Xigbar's the guy that's having fun. With MX gone Xigbar's got nothing to do until Xemnas is dead and MX revives. So Xigbar spends the entirety of Days and KH2 trolling people FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER! Roxas trying to be mature and serious? Troll him! Axel and Xion having a sweet conversation? Troll them! Roxas comes with orders to help you? Troll him! Saix and Xemnas having a conversation vital to the continued projects of the org, something Saix is really into? Troll him! Roxas comes with you to the Colosseum? Troll him! Zexion walking around? Troll him! Xigbar doesn't have to do this stuff, but he does, because it amuses him. He's waltzing about, knowing more about what's going on than pretty much anyone until Xemnas' death, and shoving it in peoples' faces but being to badass about it for them to realize. And that voice! That's the perfect troll voice, and every one of his boss taunts just reeks of "i get it, you don't". He even trolled the game! Not the developers, the game! It thinks it's being all cool by going "Look! The secret ending has other keyblade wielders! And their badass!". But no, Xigbar hogs the glory of that surprise to himself, and he's just like, "Kuh, yeah, their were others. So what?" Nothing, not Saix's pre-appearance trolling, not Axel's creative killing-spree trolling, not Xemnas' immovable trolling, not even MX's whole series backstory trolling, can compare to what Xigbar has done because he was bored. Xigbar. He drowned a goldfish.
    • Vanitas. He's cold, cruel, sadistic, and violent. Not to mention Crazy Awesome, super powerful, and with a kicking boss theme, even as Vanitas Remnant. The freakiest (thus memorable) part? His face is a Palette Swap of Sora's.
  • Devil May Cry:
    • Dante kicks ass, makes hilariously cheesy one-liners and looks damn good doing it.
    • Lady. Being an Action Girl is awesome enough, but she carries a rocket launcher named after her mother, has plenty of guns and firepower, climbed up a building after being stabbed in the leg, was able to take on Dante and survive even after getting the crap beaten out of her... and did we mention that she's human?
    • Vergil, despite spelling his name wrong, is so much of a Badass Longcoat that you almost don't want to defeat him. With crazy katana-skills and slick hair, Vergil killed a demon-weapon into submission with his hands and feet alone and survived unknown years in HELL at multiple times in his life (depending on what you think is canon) and is thus a literal Unholy Badass. It's no coincidence that the best DMC installments are the ones with Vergil inside them. (Of course he was in Devil May Cry 4. What do you think that blue mist around Yamato was?)
  • Frank West. That is all.
  • Kefka from Final Fantasy VI is one of the greatest gaming villains of all time, but he's even better in Final Fantasy context. His flamboyant cheerfully immature mania perfectly contrasts the angsty nature of the protagonists of the game, and heck, even most of the series protagonists, and he gets the best lines by far. After hearing his Meta Guy "You all sound like chapters from a self-help book!" you'll never look at The Power of Friendship the same way ever again.
    • To say nothing of what he accomplishes. Tell me, how many villains aspire to become a god and rule/destroy the world? Good. Now, how many succeed in taking godlike power? Good. Now, how many other villains manage to attain godlike power, defeat the heroes, literally change the face of the world, and rule as unquestioned god-king for a full year before the heroes even have a chance to muster the strength for a final confrontation? That's what I thought.
    • It's great that Kefka is getting his props, but no mention of the superlative protagonist ensemble? Here are a few: Terra, Locke, Celes, Edgar, Sabin, Cyan, Shadow, and Setzer.
  • Terry Bogard would like to ask you: ARE YOU OKAAAAAAY?
  • For This Troper, by game:
  • Dan Hibiki. Just...Dan Hibiki.
  • Abe no Seimei from Onmyoji is hands down one of the most well-written male heroes of all time, who manages to avoid a lot of male hero/male Player Character clichés in both Eastern and Western media – dorkish lead, Idiot Hero, generic blank slate lead, Hot-Blooded hypermacho action flick lead, an everyman from modern day society sucked into the canon's universe, he's none of those things. He's also both capable and Famed In-Story and has strong moral convictions. Also, he's just plain hot and voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama to boot.
  • Two Words: Solid Snake. Badass extraordinaire, genius Warrior Poet, and is damn sexy to boot.
    • Don't forget the growling.
    • The Boss is, at the very least, the single most awesome character in the series, a soldier who knows she's only a Punch-Clock Villain yet continues to fight anyway, and an Action Girl of the highest calibre.
      • The Boss is not only incredibly badass, but incredibly loyal and loving. Her strong will to fight for the same country that turned her into a villain through to the very end is inspiring. On top of that, she never let the usual bitterness of war get to her, not even once.
    • This Troper would like to nominate Revolver Ocelot himself, for taking his Chronic Backstabbing Disorder and using it to mold himself into a Magnificent Bastard of the most awesome kind. If his Improbable Aiming Skills weren't enough, Ocelot also demonstrates that there is, in fact, a place in this world for determined, vaguely-disturbing fanboys. (also, young Ocelot circa Metal Gear 3 is Sex On Legs.
      • Seconded. Ocelot is one of those rare characters who can pull off a ludicrous Gambit Roulette, but rather than making you question how he was able to pull it off, he just looks awesome and makes you want to applaud. Why? Because he's Revolver Ocelot.
    • Big Boss as Naked Snake is awesome. He is sexy like his son/clone and he have a sense of humor. And when he got The Eyepatch Of Power, he became even more badass.
    • Raiden in MGS 4. It was a long, hard road to recover from his pansy status in MGS2 (not to say he didn't have his fans there, but I couldn't stand it), and he still has a ways to go to stop angsting occasionally, but what a turnaround!
    • This troper will go to the mat for Otacon, any time, anywhere, forever and ever.
    • SOLIDUS SNAKE! Yeah, I know, the guy isn't nearly as iconic or lovable as Snake, Otacon, or even Ocelot—but on paper, he beats all of them in sheer badassery. To recap: he's a battle-scarred veteran soldier with an Eyepatch of Power who kicks ass with a set of robotic Combat Tentacles and a goddamn laser katana, and he's dedicated to fighting a one-man war against the sinister cult that secretly rules America from the shadows. And did we mention that he's also the frakkin' FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?! Solidus easily aces every single criterion for Evil Is Cool, but it helps that he's pretty easy to root for, given that—despite all his questionable actions—he's ultimately a very patriotic man trying to restore America to its former status as a beacon of liberty and equality by bringing down the conspirators that tried to use him as a pawn. And sure, the chances of him getting his spinoff are pretty much non-existent, but let's be honest: what gamers in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to play as the President of the United States battling the robo-Illuminati with cyber-tentacles and a laser katana? If that's not the premise of the perfect video game, I don't know what is.
  • This editor would like to nominate Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda himself. While it's easy to respect him for being one of the few major video game villains not to succumb to Villain Decay and for consistently delivering awesome boss battles, it wasn't until The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker that he showed true depth as a character. He's tired of being the Evil Overlord, he's got a fair Freudian Excuse, and is scary when he wants to be.
    • From the same game, the King of Hyrule. Ever wonder why the only ruler of Hyrule you see is Princess Zelda? It's because the King was so badass they had to build the GameCube just to contain him. Not that Zelda herself was a slouch in the badass department there either. The final battle with Ganondorf in Wind Waker is Zelda at her most awesome, bar none.
    • Nintendo should have been less surprised at the fanbase's reaction to Midna's fate. After all, they made her so darn awesome. (At least, once she gets her Character Development.)
      Midna: It's something when you have to burn down someone's house to get the bugs. Ah well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.
      • Midna as the sociopathic bitch was so...refreshing at the start of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I like the Character Development, but watching her walk the line between mischievous imp and The Chessmaster made for such a change from the typical Zelda Exposition Fairy that I instantly warmed to her.
      • Sure, she's funny and entertaining before the first major plot twist, but this troper really fell in love with Midna after she calmed down. The scene where she places her hand on Link's cheek is counted as his favorite scene of all time in a Zelda game; it's positively adorable. If there were ever a character that I could fall in love with, it'd be Midna.
      • Agreed. She is just so adorable, witty, and badass.
    • Goddamnit, Navi does not deserve all the hate she gets in the fandom. I like asking her about various enemies - useless info is one of my favourite things to collect. Her Flanderization towards Captain Obvious moments just strikes me as funny. And she has her very own Moment of Awesome during the final boss: "This time, we fight together!" Plus, you know, Link likes her enough to leave Hyrule looking for her. Navi losing her memory of all she and Link went through together turns the ending of Ocarina of Time into the Bittersweet Ending to end all Bittersweet Endings for me.
    • I found Navi HELPFUL. She was made for players starting the series with Ocarina of Time, as I did. And her shouting "Watch Out!" has saved players' asses countless times. I found Tatl in MM more annoying because of her Jerkass tendencies.
      • This troper loved Tatl in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, partially -because- she was a bit of a jerk. She was more, much more than just an exposition fairy, she had true personality (and everyone with a personality -will- have some jerky and/or annoying aspect), and she had her agenda for helping out Link, making her a cool and fleshed out character; incidentally, she also allowed a workaround for Link never talking, since she would engage in dialogue from time to time.
    • What, no love for Link, The Hero himself? Pure of heart, practically a Friend to All Living Things, never gives up, never gives in to Wangst despite having one hell of an excuse, and hey, the three goddesses didn't give him the Triforce of Courage because he's cute. Perhaps the last true fairy tale hero, Link pulls off what could easily be Narm in another character by exuding sincerity — as a batch of pixels. He's a walking Moment of Awesome for the Idealist side of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism. And he can thrash the King of Evil himself. There's a reason that, when someone as powerful as Zelda needs rescuing, there's only one Hero she'll call. Whether he's The Hero of Time, Winds or Light, he'll always be Link, the one and only.
      • I'm going to have to go a step further here and add my two rupees: Wind Waker Link is about as awesome as they come. He's, arguably, the first Link to have much in the way of a personality (not to knock on OoT/MM or anything)— and that personality was amazing. He's just a kid from some random island— goofy and sweet and exactly what you'd expect a young boy to be like. He's not Conveniently an Orphan, has proved with several (short) lines of in-game dialogue that he's not totally a Heroic Mime and, in general, avoids most of what players think defines a "Link"...which leads to the best part. His Call to Adventure didn't have anything to do with saving the Great Sea— he was just trying to save his sister; as The Unchosen One we got to watch him grow up from the goofball we started playing as, to the first Link to successfully kill Ganondorf. How is that not awesome?
    • LINEBECK. Oh GODS, Linebeck! At first I couldn't stand him...but as the game goes on, and he develops—quite hilariously so, I might add, with some of the funniest moments in the series—I grew to love and appreciate him so much. My heart broke in Spirit Tracks when all we got was his cheap replacement with a weird hat.
    • The Goddesses didn't give him the Triforce of Courage because he's cute, but it doesn't exactly hurt, either.
    • Saria from Ocarina of Time has always held a special place in my heart. She was Link's only friend, everybody else made fun of him or didn't accept him because he didn't have a fairy, and just something about her is so cute.
    • With The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword released, it's about time to add some of these characters:
      • Fi may get alot of flak for being a monotone Robot Girl who states the obvious, but that's the main reason why I like her. It's so different to have a "computer program" in a game that reveals in Medieval Stasis, plus the autotune Simlish isn't too bad.
      • Groose starts as a bully who is vying for Zelda's attention, but the Character Development he receives throughout the game is amazing. When I started the game, I thought he'd become a villain later on, but boy was I wrong.
      • Groose starts off the game full of illusions. That he's the hero, that he's going to win the race, that there's something between him and Zelda (he talks about making their 'going out thing' official). And he has all of these illusions shattered at once. His entire WORLD has, very rapidly, turned on its head. the fact that he breaks down about that is more than acceptable. The fact that he BETTERS himself for it, making the Groosenator, standing up to Ghirahim, and saving Zelda's life, is amazing.
      • Ghirahim is the most hilarious villain in the series, an amazing mix of Camp, badass and Ax-Crazy. He was quite challenging, especially at the beginning of the game when you're still learning how the motion controls work. He doesn't make things easy for you!
    • Okay, the fact that the Champions from Breath of the Wild haven't been mentioned yet is an absolute crime. ALL of them are amazing — and sadly, Too Cool to Live.
      • Urbosa in particular deserves a mention. A badass, Amazonian Gerudo chieftain who is also a Parental Substitute to Zelda and a Team Mom to the rest of the Champions, and also somewhat of a Gadfly. And she can summon lightning to fry her enemies by snapping her fingers. How cool is that?!
  • This troper loves Rinoa Heartilly. She is the cutest Final Fantasy heroine ever! It's probably because she resembles Rinoa both in looks and personality, even being born in the same month, but still. She also loves Quistis Trepe, but not exactly in the best-friends-forever way. And heck, she also loves Squall that way too! Why can't the shippers just get along?
    • Glad to know that this troper isn't the only one who thinks Rinoa is awesome. I mean, not only is she cute but she's damn hot too! Squall's lucky to have her.
      • Additionally, she has potentially world-ending Sorceress powers and a loyal puppy, and she's not afraid to convince cowardly cowboys to save her friends even if it means kicking him in the shins and grabbing the wheel. She's strong-minded enough to stand up against her father and get out of being JUNCTIONED to Adel without lasting trauma... And you know, not just any girl could melt Squall's heart.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog. He's the original blue dude with a 'tude. Seriously, between his ability to cruise along at the speed of sound, his overall personality (especially in Sonic Colors), his devotion to his friends, his sheer determination in getting the job done (especially as shown in Sonic and the Black Knight) and his various Super Forms, everything about him is simply awesome.
    • On this note, Amy Rose, especially circa Sonic Chronicles. She can yell at a room of powerful arguing alien leaders and make them shut up, for one. She's a contender for being the Juror #8 of the video game industry, at age twelve.
    • Metal Sonic was already pretty awesome on Sonic CD, but on Sonic Heroes he crosses every line. He managed to make the game become EPIC. with the sole presence of his badassness. And by that I mean that game where Sonic gets a letter from Eggman telling him he will conquer the world turns into a extremely climactic event. I still remember the chills I got from the transformation sequence.
    • Tails! Tails is the cutest geek ever. Totally why I wasn't ashamed of any geekitude I had when I was a kid. Especially in Sonic Adventure.
      • This troper is starting the Give Tails a Hug club.
      • And this one is joining without hesitation!
      • This troper liked Tails as a kid because he was a cute geek child too and it gave him someone to relate to.
      • This troper also liked Tails as a kid for the aforementioned reason, and still does. He's probably my favorite video game character ever. I adore the AoStH episodes where he and Sonic are just like brothers.
      • Another troper chiming in here. Ever since I first saw him, he's been my favorite character. And that was WAY before I got interested in the franchise! I love foxes and cute things so an [[Adorkable adorkable]] fox is sort of a dream come true. Plus, he's super fluffy, especially in the second movie! The extra tail adds to the fluff. He also brings me comfort. Not only because of the things mentioned previously, but he's really easy to read as autistic and, as an autistic person, it makes me happy. TL;DR: Tails is a cute, fluffy and possibly autistic fox, what more can you want?
    • Shadow. I don't give a DAMN what people say about him but he is fucking awesome.
    • Blaze the freakin' cat. She needs to be in more games, and the fact that she's currently residing in another dimension is irrelevant.
      • Well, she HAS been in most of the ones since her first appearance.
    • How have we missed Knuckles? This troper particularly liked him and his story in Sonic Chronicles. Badass.
      • May this troper elaborate, where the former has remained brief? Strong as Sonic is fast, downright unmovable in his devotion to his job as guardian, and still an interesting character to explore. Gullible due to being unfamiliar with other people, Knuckles has been stated to want to see the good in people, which, we can infer, is a large part of why he trusted Eggman more than once. He's been Flanderized as of late— Sonic X and post-Heroes games giving it to him the worst— but there's a lot more to him than a casual passerby might notice. Though he's largely been replaced this troper will always love him.
    • It's downright hard to not like Dr. Eggman at times.
      Sonic: "I can't figure you out. One second you're contemplating genocide, and the next, you're saving one of your worst enemies!"
      Eggman: "I'm a complicated guy."
    • Plus his theme in Sonic Adventure 2 is very catchy
    • I know that she's technically not a video game character, but I wanted to give special mention of Cosmo the Seedrian. While, yes, she only appeared in Sonic X she was remarkably a well-rounded character and adorable to boot. The only people who hate this little bundle of adorableness are the Tails X Cream shippers who say that she "Stole Cream from Tails." Of which that is a load considering that those two were just friends. Not only that, but she's so adorable with Tails! Much cuter then he would ever be with cream. Her death was also a very large tear jerker, and it made me feel bad for both her and Tails. Makes me glad to see fan art or fan fiction where the two of them are together.
    • The Chaotix are often overlooked, but they really do deserve some love. Most of the cast have specific reasons for fighting the bad guy. Sonic fights for the thrill. Knuckles fights for his duty. Shadow fights because that's his job. The Chaotix? They just want to pay the electric bill for the office. Plus, they're also hilarious.
      • Seconded here. I really like Vector, but the real star for me is Espio. Loved him ever since I saw him.
      • Ehh... Charmy can be a good character. Look at his Sonic X form! If they ever make another game with a heavy focus on the Chaotix, I hope they tweak Charmy to be more like that. A tad more maturity and snarkiness, but still sorta hyper and eccentric.
    • Chris Thorndyke. He's genuinely a sweet kid who tries to help however he can, and though he can have his bratty moments, his life was uneventful and his parents were usually too busy to see him, but since Sonic and co. came along, suddenly everything changed for the better. Of course he doesn't want Sonic to leave; if he did, his newfound childhood would come to an end. It's all a part of growing up. Plus his character arc of beginning to feel like The Load throughout the show finally came to a head in season 3 where he took several levels in badass and matured into a full-grown adult (even though he gets reverted to his child body).
    • Rouge the fucking Bat. She's such as strong-minded, intelligent, beautiful, fierce, brave, and competent GUN Agent who will stop at nothing to achieve her objectives. She's one of the best female Sonic characters, ever.
  • To all the Mook flora, fauna, and mecha that gaming would be nothing without, I salute you! Yes, even you, Chain Chomp.
    • What are you on about? The Chomp is a badass. It's a freakin' CANNONBALL with TEETH! There's a reason that Bowser keeps them on a leash, y'know.
    • Goombas are awesome too and it's hard to not feel just a little bit sorry for killing them.
  • Archer might have invented the word 'GAR', and he's a great character. But Lancer perfected the word GAR and is pretty much the best, yet undermined character in the Fate/stay night series. That moment in UBW is just so damn GAR he over-GAR'd the inventor of the word GAR!
    • Likewise, say what you will about Saber being the most favored female Servant (and all Servants), ever. To me, the best female Servant has got to be Rider, who only looked weak because she's severely held back by a pathetic Smug Snake, but in truth she is amongst the most powerful Servants, is completely sexy, has a nice personality underneath, and that's when she's... Medusa. An Always Chaotic Evil creature. Has there been a GOOD hearted Medusa, of all things in media!?
      • Heaven's Feel gives you all the Rider love you need. She's still around in the true ending.
    • This troper is torn between squealing over Archer or mentioning her total adulation of Issei, him of the frequent stammering and Luminescent Blush. He's this troper's definition of Moe.
    • This troper has immense love for Rin. What started as realizing that his girlfriend acts a lot like a non-magical Rin, after reading through Unlimited Blade Works, nearly every scene added to her. Nearly always in control, a resolve that matches Shirou's Determinator status, at times hot-blooded enough and the skills to back it up. Plus, she's got a servant body count to match Shirou, and, in Heaven's Feel, takes on a grail-backed Sakura head to head and only "loses" because she loves her little sister. MoeManly?
    • You should be ashamed - all of you - for leaving it up to me to mention Ilyasviel von Einzbern. She seems like such a psychotic little Creepy Child at first, but then she kills Shinji in Fate, and you cheer. Then she shows her redeeming qualities and her utterly adorable, inner vulnerability. And then in UBW, Gilgamesh and Shinji brutally murder her as we start to see her heartbreaking backstory. Then she comes full-circle in HF and sacrifices herself for Shirou, her younger brother. And through all that, her complex relationship with Shirou constantly defines her role in the story without overwhelming it completely. Honestly, she's this troper's favourite character in the entire story.
    • I, shonengirl, haven't been on this page before, but I probably will more in the future. But for now I just want to get off my chest that oh my god the Fate/Grand Order version of Dr. Henry Jekyll is adorable and this may be one of the most intense sensations of Moe I’ve ever felt. Yes, this will be long. What's frustrating is that the game and the Fate series itself has tons of stuff that interests me but also tons of stuff that makes me groan (or just straight-up makes me go “nope!”) so I can't even be able to write much about him and there's a criminal lack of content for him and Hyde for a character who was an Ensemble Dark Horse in his first appearance in the series (well there is a lot of content for him since I know Japanese... just not enough, dammit) out there, so I'm just here to vent how much I love this character here instead. I stumbled across this character by complete accident but something led me to look more into him, and my god my heart melted. I've always had a soft spot for vulnerable, woobie Bishounen characters, and my discovery also hit at the right time because I was basically only working on Alt-talia, and Alt-talia is a series where such a character like him is basically impossible. Sure, he looks pretty "normal" compared to the rest of the Servants, but that might be part of what makes him appealing to me. His voice is adorable (and coincidentally he has the same voice actor as my first crush ever, Fubuki Shirou, who is a very similar character; Mamoru Miyano was channeling Atsuya as he was playing Hyde). I also can’t be the only one whose heart breaks when he transforms, just hearing how his voice changes violently. Combined with those intelligent yet big, puppy-like Tareme Eyes, that light strawberry-blond hair, those glasses, his simple design that somehow enhances all of the above to make him look even more angelic and just exudes "kindly onii-san" energy, his adorable battle sprite... it all just plays with my heartstrings masterfully so that I had the intense urge to squeeze his shivering, thin, tense body and snuggle against his waistcoat and just tell him everything will be alright, though letting him squeeze me for comfort as he cries into me is just as good. He's smart, he's responsible, and he's supposed to be fighting for me if I was playing the game, but yet he seems so helpless and I want to protect him. Combining elements from the original novel which I was motivated to look up because of him, I can just imagine the amount of potential he could have as a character if he weren't confined to a mobile game plot with tons of characters and crappy stats. I straight-up want to play a game where he's my Saber, my Signature Mon. When he's fighting with Hyde especially, my god my heart can only take so much. He's so sweet and just a generally nice guy, but just seeing how his mental state seems to get worse with each milestone... Aaaaahhh... the idea of this poor, kindhearted man who wouldn’t hurt a soul, constantly tortured by having to hold back the manifestation of all his inner evil... It almost makes me want to give this game the Alt-talia treatment just to ship Gudako x Jekyll so Gudako can sweep him off his feet for me (though Mordred doing so is also adorable. If she's anything like the actual Mordred, it would also be heartwarming that she can finally be someone's Knight in Shining Armor after being rejected as a bastard through no fault of her own). Though from what I've heard having Jekyll as my Signature Mon from the start alongside Mash might not work that well in-story and I don't want to remove his level in the game. Also admittedly I kind of like Hyde too, even though he’s a manifestation of evil, a sociopath, and the reason why Henry is suffering, and I'm usually not the type to fall for sexy villains - my type is more pure, meek, sweet Woobies, like, well, Henry here. I guess it’s his almost hilarious amounts of ham and arrogance (which sadly hasn't seemed to resonate with western fans as, say, Blackbeard, despite the fact that IMO Hyde acts like a hedonistic psycho Prussia, a major hit both in Japan and the west), the fact that his existence is a major factor for why I like Henry, or that he genuinely looks kind of cute, and admittedly fanart has also probably influenced that too (and the fact that I’m just a pervert, and considering a lot of other media based on the novel and the novel itself, I can put good money on Eddie being a total man-whore). Though there is a complaint I have about him; the fact that he fights with generic knives instead of Cane Fu or a Sword Cane. Even the NES game got that one! It would have looked so cool! Also I want to see Hyde bonk monsters on the head with a cane, it would be hilarious! (And give the generic knives to Jack the Ripper! Though I'd say that's the least of her design's issues!)
    • This troper loves everything about Sakura Matou. Her voice (Noriko Shitaya, Sherry Lyn, and Cristina Vee are all great voice actresses), her hair, her character arc, her powers, her relationship with Shirou. EVERYTHING!
  • Raidou Kuzunoha the Fourteenth! I mean, this guy watched a demonic infant-balloon-thing come out of a man's back, chittering eerily. It got right in his face, and he didn't even blink! His character design is simple yet awesome, and his character, itself, is defined yet open. But this troper is not done with the characters of this game, yet. There's also his employer, Narumi. He seems lazy at first, but wait 'til you realize that he had to fight off heavily-armored soldiers and demons -he can't see-, and get through walls you -know- you need a demon for, somehow, with only a -gun-... This guy's a total badass! And then there's Satake. You know those soldiers I just mentioned? Yeah, well, this guy can beat one of 'em up with his bare hands! And then there's Tae... What? Don't believe me? Dialogue-collect. Go out and talk to everyone at every switch. What you get from Tae is surprisingly close to the mark, sometimes. If she ever loses her job at the Daily, she'd make a decent detective... fainting problems aside.
  • Blue Lightning Flik and Viktor the Bear of Suikoden. One of the best duos, not just in Video Games, but fiction in general. They had such a great dynamic and were two of the more interesting characters in the series. One day, they had best return.
  • Starcraft: Tassadar. Noble, powerful, dastardly and self-sacrificing all in one. He owns this game.
    • This troper has always liked Jim Raynor for being a well-meaning man who struggles against a world where Humans Are Bastards as well as Zeratul for being, as Gamespot calls him, "A Darth Vader who embraces the light".
    • Also, Aldaris. Kerrigan comes in and pulls the wool over everybodies' eyes EXCEPT him. That's right, the religious zealot who doubles the length of the original protoss campaign by way of being so damn obstinate is the only one who has the perception to figure out that "She Lies! She is infested to the Core! I for one will not listen to any of this-" Also, he's apparently more competent at creating psionic images than Tassadar.
    • Artanis should be mentioned as well in Brood Wars he is portrayed like some caveman, and pilots a Scout. In II he is pimped out in a shiny regal outfit, and commanding a Mothership! Tell me that not awesome.
    • What! No mention of Fenix? The Protoss who couldn't die! He kicks ass, gets eaten by a hydralisk, but then comes back to life and kicks even more ass! Until KERRIGAN has to kill him!
    • How can the Zerg Overmind not be mentioned? I mean, it managed to pull off one of the BEST plot twists in the story of videogames AFTER ITS DEATH! When I played Starcraft, I thought it was a boring, stereotyped and stupid villain who knew NOTHING of tactics and relied only on sheer number, and its incredibly dumb decision of manifesting on Aiur strenghtened my opinion of this, so I celebrated when Tassadar blew him up. Then, Starcraft II came, and by the time I finished Zeratul's sub-campaign, my respect for it skyrocketed: not only it wasn't a dumb and melodramatic villain, but it wasn't a villain at all! Think a second about it: isn'tdefying an apparently unbreakable directive implanted in your brain exploiting a loophole in it, without being driven crazy or surrendering to despair and accepting a seemingly-inevitable doom because of being trapped inside your freaking mind, all with the objective (probably) of saving the universe one of the most badass and heroic deeds a giant alien brain-thingy could ever do?
  • Jon Irenicus. Awesomeness and fury and desperation boiled down into a now-human form. Note-perfect (sinister and compelling) voice acting, "No, you warrant no villain's exposition from me", a backstory that becomes more evident and chilling on replaying... this troper's favourite Big Bad. Full stop.
  • Harry Mason, the original protagonist of Silent Hill. Silent Hill is a horrible messed up place filled with messed up horrible people, and then there's Harry. Harry's got his issues, he's been hurt, he feels angry sometimes, but Harry always tries to make the right decision. Harry lost his wife, then lost his daughter, but he didn't let it destroy him. He kept going. The amount of love Harry gives, no matter what the circumstance... his devotion, his determination... with all that he's been through, he still knows, he still loves enough to put it aside for his daughter. And then he gets stabbed in the chest for his troubles. We'll miss you, Harry. * sniff*
  • This troper loves a lot of characters from Touhou. However, second to none is mistress Yuyuko Saigyouji, queen of the Netherworld. Had a tragic, horrible life while she was alive, ending up with a possessed tree killing her... but in death, instead of letting her sadness overcome her and turn her into a wandering ghost, she has not only become the Queen of the Dead, but she's also become a kind, cheery, ditzy spirit who makes use of the most laugh-inducing Obfuscating Stupidity since forever, who nonetheless acts as a wise Zen master to the whole Netherworld.
    • Seconded, although Yukari Yakumo is my absolute favourite. It doesn't help that both of her themes are ear worms that are absolutely amazing. But even if her theme wasn't playing if I met her, I would be absolutely in awe, and I would actually LOVE it if she spirited me away! Ah...Yukari-sama...
    • Flandre EPIC Scarlet. Enough said. Call her overrated, I don't give a damn. Her power is the most badass power that can exist on the planet. Destruction of Everything and Anything, guys, no saving throw. She's got a massive flame sword. She can summon copies of herself. She can turn invisible. She can flood the screen with a thousand bullets and then some more. Flandre is ALSO one of the most complex characters out there, described as murderously insane and yet she never even makes any attempt to flee from her basement or blow the protagonists up with her full deadly power. And did I mention how much of a woobie she is? Her story frankly is quite tragic. Seriously, she's a little girl who's been locked up inside a basement for 495 years and will probably be for the rest of her life. Because she has a gift that has become her curse, and anything around her is bound to explode. A little girl who knows nothing of the outside world, going insane from being locked up for so long... or was she already? Frankly, I doubt it. To add insult to injury, her jailor is HER OWN SISTER. How unfair and how cruel, for this poor little girl to stay forever locked up inside a basement while said sister lives a dream life, cuddled and spoiled. Oh Flandre, of every and any death, I would take one inflicted by you, o Greatest of All Vampires, as long as my death brings this childlike playful enjoyment to you, Great Destroyer of Anything that Exists. As long as before I explode and turn into ashes that the wind will disperse, I get to see your smile, a happy smile of a happy little girl. (And she's got a catchy theme, and her remixes even more so. Except for that one that shall not be named.)
    • Cirno. I love her with all the fibers of my being. Why? Is it her power over ice and cold? Is it her childlike enthusiasm? Is it because I sympathize with her, seeing how everyone in Gensokyo mistreats the poor girl and laughs at her? Is it her lovely little wings? It's all of that.
    • Rumia. The one true villain of Touhou. I firmly believe in the existance of EX Rumia and that if said side was unleashed, Gensokyo would pay dearly and drown in darkness and blood. Rumia is everything a true youkai should be.
    • Mokou. She's arguably quite insane. She's a pyro. She uses flame danmaku and appears to either be possessed by a phoenix or the living embodiment of one. Her theme music is kickass. And her backstory is tragic in its own way—want to avenge your father? Drink an elixir that will make you immortal. Target of your revenge goes missing? Spend 700 years being shunned by society for being ageless. Her relationship with Keine is cute, to add.
    • The PC-98 characters need far more recognition. Heck, the girls from Highly Responsive to Prayers alone are awesome. More specifically, Konngara and Mima. Along with Kotohime who fancies herself a policeman.
    • Two words: Byakuren. Hijiri. She's the TRUE hero of Gensokyo: a Badass Pacifist extraordinaire, she gave up her humanity and in the end got executed and exiled in Makai for over a millennium NOT because she wanted power, but because she wanted to allow peaceful coexistence between humans and Youkai. She even managed to save the ghost of a drowned girl from the curse that forced her to hate humans and drowning them, allowing her to become the most badass ship captain of Gensokyo. I love her way of thinking, because she isn't a cynical utilitarian of the "save the most you can with the most obvious solution and let all the others die" nor an ineffective Wide-Eyed Idealist, but a person who is more than willing to defy common prejudice and even the laws of magic to save a poor soul who everyone thought to be irredeemable, all this without ever expecting personal gain and instead suffering the horrifying consequences. Also the Offscreen Character Developement is very good, and it makes her more believable and human. This troper isn't particularly prone to fanboying, but for Hijiri-sama he gladly makes an ecception.
    • How has no one mentioned Koishi Komeiji yet? She's so beloved that she managed to beat Reimu and Marisa in the popularity polls one year- and for good reason! She has an extremely intriguing backstory and ability- because her species is discriminated against for their mind-reading abilities, she closed her mind-reading third eye, and this made her unable to read anyone's mind, not even her own- essentially, she never thinks and acts on impulse alone. That's a cool and interesting concept, and her ability to manipulate the subconscious is also a very interesting ability that she can use for so many different things. On top of that, Koishi is cute as a button, and that, combined with the hatred she faced in her backstory, just makes you want to hug her. Finally, Koishi is one of the most powerful characters in Touhou, offering a fun and challenging boss fight in her debut game, and her playstyle in the fighting games is very unique and fun to mess around with). All in all, this Troper loves Koishi with all her heart.
  • Irritated Statement: HK-47 finds his lack of inclusion to be disturbing, meatbags.
    • Canderous Ordo. What Karen Traviss tried, BioWare managed to do. With him, you can see how the Mandalorians think, and how their code of honor and conduct are very different from the Republic's. But you can also see the logic behind that code and why it would be a necessary ideal to hold in the harsh environments they tend to settle in, and how they have to keep their relative neutrality as Muggles in a galaxy dominated by the wizards and their proxies.
    • Juhani: First Gay character in BioWare. First gay character in Star Wars. But even though that's what she's est known for? It's such a small part of her character. She has every reason and many natural inclinations that would make her an incredible Sith. She has a lot of justified rage, a tragic background, escaped slavery, crawled her way out of poverty, was inspired by Revan to pursue The Force...and you'd think that "peace is a lie, there is only passion" would be the route she'd take. But no. Even though it is an incredibly hard path for her, she chooses "there is no emotion; there is peace" over and over again. Sure, she had a slip after injuring her master, but she chose to exile herself, not join the enemy. At every opportunity she gets after joining the party, she proves that the Jedi Code is not just empty words said by sheltered clerics, but a tough path that one has to choose over and over again for the greater good.
    • Thank you Masters Uthar Wynn and Yuthura Ban for doing more to explain the Sith in six minutes than Lucas bothered with in six films.
    • Kreia's take on the force is refreshing, to say the least. She's certainly a divisive character, but she's got interesting views on pretty much everything, has an interesting backstory and kicks as much ass as people a third her age. So she's lost both her hands? No problem, she'll telekinetically control three lightsabers to take you on. Then there is also the fact that, no matter what you do in the game, she (arguably) wins.
  • The Apeture Science Enrichment Centre admonishes this wiki for neglecting to add GLaDOS to this list, and regrets to inform you that you will be... missed!
    • Majorly seconded. Never have I felt such an odd attachment to a sociopathic AI who spends most of the game trying to murder me. Something about her calm, almost soothing voice and pitch-black humor makes GLaDOS unforgettably awesome. She's frigid, sadistic, immature, sarcastic and batshit crazy, but inexplicably makes us love her for it.
    • MAJORLY thirded!!! I haven't even played the game and I love her! She's just such a Deadpan Snarker with an hilarious Black Comedy attitude! I also love her monotone voice! Ellen did an AMAZING job preforming her!
    • SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE! Oh, Space Core, how I love you and your nutty obsession with space. <3
    • Wheatley! He was pretty endearing at the start, what with him being so lovably dumb and all... I was absolutely crushed when he did a Face–Heel Turn, but he was still oh so funny to listen to. And The Stinger, where all he wants to do is apologise to Chell, which is now impossible due to him being stuck in space, was the Tear Jerker to end all Tear Jerkers in my opinion.
    • MAJORLY seconded on Wheats. His betrayal was a massive Player Punch for me and I was just broken, holy cheese. And I'm a sucker for all things Adorkable, which Wheatley certainly fits. But even as a villain, he manages to still be charming. Even when throwing insults at me. Yes. It helps that I'm a Stephen Merchant fangirl.
  • Yuri Lowell simply oozes cool. The epitome of Chaotic Good, and an overall kind, caring, and sensible guy who stands up for his friends No matter what. And he tops it all off with an awesome sense of humor and crazy sword skills.
  • Jak. Just Jak. It's a testament to Naughty Dog's awesomeness that they can take a Heroic Mime and turn him into a badass Anti-Hero with a Superpowered Evil Side and enough snark (and heavy weaponry) to save the world over and over and over and over again.
  • Wario. He can destroy solid rock with his shoulder. He doesn't lose health or die upon being set on fire or squashed flat...he uses his new status to solve puzzles. His goal is not to save the world (although he has a few times), but simply to loot whatever cash he can find. How is that not awesome?
    • It's not not awesome. Wario defines badass. He's super strong, super durable and a greedy bastard who cares only about himself. That's. AWESOME
      • Why are we just talking about Wario? The entire WarioWare cast is super lovable! I want to get a grouphug from them, I love them all that much! There are a few that stand out to me- I have a strange affection for Fronk and how he manages to have the most braincells of the entire Volt clan despite being, well, what he is; 18-Volt is, despite appearances, a downright sweetheart; Orbulon is such a mess and I love him; Jimmy T- well, who can resist someone who canonically loves cats?!- but they're all just... so good.
  • No More Heroes: Travis Touchdown, for being able to combine badass and pathetic. Hilariously so.
  • Yuri from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. His design alone makes him one of the most interesting characters in an RTS, but when you add the acting... * shivers*
    • How can you bring up Command And Conquer without mentioning Kane from the Command & Conquer: Tiberian Series? Aside from being the largest ham in videogaming, he's brilliantly acted, clever, manipulative, cunning, deceptive, and in general the single most awesome faction commander in any RTS.
    • What makes Kane so great is that he's so damn charismatic. Right from his first appearance, he's threatening you by reminding you that he's basically framed you and all of GDI for a massacre that never happened. How did most players react? By basically saying, "Damn, this guy is awesome!" Nothing stops him, not his underlings trying to kill him, ion cannon blasts, a fucking pipe through the chest isn't enough. It's true what he says: You can't kill the Messiah.
    • Don't forget the gloriously bonkers Premier Romanov from Red Alert 2. He's just fun.
  • Oh, Planescape: Torment, what fun characters you have.... Morte, in all his snarkiness, is absolutely amazing, Annah is an awesome epitome of Hot-Blooded, Dakkon and his devotion to the religion a past incarnation of yours made up, Fall-from-Grace for making the Brothel for the Slaking of Intellectual Lusts and for staring down the Transcendent One without even considering running, Nodrom for being a chaotic modron voiced by Dan Castellenata, the ratsie salesman because I just like him, and depending on whether or not you take a high intelligence and wisdom and achieve the best ending, the Nameless One himself.
    • And this troper would like to give a mention to Ravel Puzzlewell. She didn't appear for very long in the game, but even with her rather short appearances, she managed to be well-portrayed as a complex, multifaceted character. Her last dialog as Mebbeth is a poignant Tear Jerker and one of the most emotionally powerful moments in the game. It's not difficult to understand why Ravel is the favorite of creator, Chris Avellone.
  • Alma. She's angry. She's brutal. She's indiscriminate. She's pants-browningly terrifying. She's a certified rapist. Yet somehow, despite all of that, she remains a beautifully tragic character that you can't help but either feel sorry for, or just want to flee from as fast as your legs can carry you.
  • Samus freaking Aran, Nintendo's single most badass protagonist. Not only are her games just plain fun, the Hunter herself has some fascinating brainmeats to poke at, given all she's been through. Plus, you know. She blows up Space Pirates and doesn't afraid of anything.
    • Especially awesome is that in all the years we've known her not-secret, she's never once stooped to being Ms. Fanservice or the You Go, Girl!. Well, OK. Maybe Ms. Fanservice once or twice. But the skirting (sorry) of the tired "just-as-good-as-the-boys" plot is pretty freakin' sweet too. That's just how good she is. Plus, given her team-up with Pikachu and cameos in the Kirby series, she apparently loves small adorable creatures too.
    • While we're doing all this personal gushing, I'd like to take a moment to point out the implications of Samus' character. She was violently removed from a normal family setting at a young age, bound eternally to alien technologies, brought up by an ancient race of cosmic demi-gods and has seldom been known to speak. Think about where this all leads; there's absolutely no way someone can have normal, human psychology under those circumstances. Samus is, for all intents and purposes, alien in both physical and psychological aspects. She's an eternal outsider with a bone to pick with Ridley... but even if she ever kills him for good, she'll realize that nothing will bring back the life that could've been; the love she could have enjoyed from parents, siblings, friends and a good man upon growing up. She's very much a fallen human, made cosmic angel.
      • This troper would like to congratulate the above troper for putting into words so very eloquently her own feelings about Samus. You nailed it precisely. Actually, this is exactly why this troper ships Samus so hard with Solid Snake ever since SSBB; having learned so much about the two characters, she's concluded that they would honestly be a perfect match because they might just be able to heal each other to some extent.
    • Usually when a game derails someone's characterization, a minority of fans will rail against it but if the game is fun enough, the majority won't ask any questions and take the new characterization as canon, especially when it comes from Word of God. When Metroid: Other M did this, a majority of fans outright rejected the whole game to the point that it's at a tipping point of becoming Canon Discontinuity. This is despite the game (arguably) having great gameplay and a good story when taken on its own. That's how much gamers love Samus.
    • Rundas from Prime 3 is the epitome of One-Scene Wonder. He manages to be a huge showoff as well as a bit egotistical while still sounding badass and likable. This troper considers his eventual corruption and subsequent death to be a huge epic fail on the part of the staff.
    • Ridley's one of the most fun, difficult, and badass bosses in video game history. Almost all bosses in the Metroid series involve exploiting some sort of weakness to deal massive damage; a battle against Ridley generally boils down to unloading everything you've got in the hopes that you'll destroy him before he destroys you. The tension and anxiety when battling him can be found in no other boss in the series...and he's one of the few BigBads that I know of who doesn't communicate with his Arch-Nemesis at all! Ridley's actions speak louder than his (non-existent) words, and it's interesting to examine his actions and what the Space Pirates say about him to determine his motives and personality.
      • Seconded so hard. Ridley is one of the most memorable boss fights in game history, due to him being ridiculously hard and having an infectious, amazing Leitmotif to go with it. He's a very special case of a boss fight where said boss has no weakness or tactic - you just have to beat the hell out of him as he does the same to you. Even in the Metroid manga he's an incredible character, defying any and all softness, cunning or mystery that most Nintendo villains have. Ridley is evil. Not silly, not tactical, not mysterious. Pure, cruel, sadistic, vehement, unrepentant evil, thoroughly enjoying his slaughters and pillages and relishing in the deaths he caused even years later, taunting Samus about how he devoured her mother, who he inadvertently killed, to have his cells live. A violent, burning hatred toward all living things, driven by a desire to kill everything in sight as slowly and miserably as possible. Samus is as good as Ridley as evil - the best kind of antagonistic relationship. Ridley is so threatening of an antagonist in fact, that the manual of Zero Mission gave him the nickname that will live with him forever: The Cunning God Of Death!
      In battle, nature sides with the strong! You shall realize just how worthless your ideals and such are!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!
  • Tsukihime:
    • Arcueid Brunestud, Friendly Neighborhood Vampire princess with a mischievous streak, a happy-go-lucky demeanor and a contagious smile, who can nonetheless be incredibly badass and wipe the floor with anyone who threatens her Shiki, be them bodiless phenomenons and Jerkass Social Darwinists in a golden armor. The best of friends, the worst of enemies!
    • Ciel, sweet and patient sempai by day, brilliant and ruthless Church Militant assassin by night. A very convoluted character, with a tragic backstory, an incredibly cool BFG, and an hilarious obsession with curry... and besides which, her quarrels with Arcueid are always a riot!
    • Akiha Tohno, the protagonist's adopted sister, combines elements of the Clingy Jealous Girl, the Jerk with a Heart of Gold, the protective and loving sibling, The Ojou and The Woobie in one of the best Tsundere characters Nasu Kinoko has ever created. You go, Akiha!
    • And, of course, we cannot forget about Satsuki Yumizuka, the Unlucky Childhood Friend Vampire Refugee with a huge streak of bad luck combined with tremendous powers she didn't even realize she has. Few other character can be so funny, cute, moving and admirable at the same time. Oh, and let's not forget, she's one of the founding members of the ever-vigilant "Back Alley Alliance"!
    • Tohno/Nanaya Shiki may forever be forgotten by the Nasuverse fandom because he has a penis and is the supposedly normal male lead. But this guy displays a strength and courage that allows him to fight through the consequences of his powers. Unlike many characters of his ilk, his special power actually comes with a hefty toll on his body that affects him in ways most writers would never dare to subject their beloved characters to. He's victim of circumstances that has force everyone before him to compromise their moral fiber. Shiki instead stands up to his demons and weakness and defies the odds placed against him like a pro. A self proclaimed loner unafraid of death despite it's constant presence Shiki will show you what it means to kill someone.
  • Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy V is undoubtedly the most memorable character from that game, being as hilariously pathetic as many iconic cartoon villains. The GBA translation only makes his character better with lines emphasizing his comical nature and awesomely cheesy TV references. The only letdown about him is Square's insistence on milking him for all he's worth with cameo appearances, but Square always does that kind of Pandering to the Base.
  • Jade from Beyond Good & Evil. Caring and badass.
    • Let's get specific: Loves kids, is sweet and motherly, affectionate and friendly, and tries to help everyone possible... Also, capable of killing aliens, brave enough to infiltrate their headquarters just to take pictures, and capable of taking out fully armed guards with a stick. Also a capable shot with a laser canon and a pretty good racer, as well. If a guy strong enough to break steel with his head says he'd be afraid to face her in battle, well...
  • "I'll make you remember the name Emma Honeywell!"
  • Final Fantasy VII: Tifa Lockhart. Sweet, smart, beautiful, and capable of kicking your butt from here to kingdom come.
    • Don't forget selfless. Could you sincerely thank an old rival for watching over the guy you love? Tifa does without thinking twice near the end of Advent Children. Gotta love her. (And see Aerith below for how much you gotta love said rival.)
    • Well, they technically were friends as well as rivals-in-love, so thanking her would be easier considering that, but still, doesn't change the fact that Tifa often puts other people ahead of herself.
    • Thanks for the correction; poor phrasing on my part.
    • Loyal, sensitive, and brave.
    • I far prefer Aerith for being just so spirited and beautiful but has no interest in the fandom's Ship War and love Tifa too.
      • Forgiving rate a mention?
      I let you die.
      Dilly dally, shilly shally.
      • Plus playing Mama to Kadaj, who is pretty much the guy who killed her.
      • Gentle, sympathetic, and encouraging.
    • No love for Cloud? Sure he may be a bit angsty at times, but go through what he has, and you'd probably angst too. All that aside, he's still completely charming and adorkable, not to mention extremely handsome.
      • Seconded. Yes, the guy is angsty, but he has extreme psychological issues and by all rights should have some kind of professional help. However, the beauty of this is that he overcomes it and moves on.
    • Let's face it: Rufus Shinra has always been badass. He first appeared as the new President, determined to rule through the (cheaper) fear and siccing his pet panther on you while chucking grenades and firing his shotgun one-handed. He survived a point-blank blast from the Diamond Weapon, only to return with his loyal core Turks as The Atoner. Despite a crippling illness, Rufus plays Kadaj and the other Sephiroth clones like the ShinRa Corp. theme-song, coming out of it with his Geo-Stigma gone and in a prime position to reclaim his company and make amends. He. IS. BADASS. Also, he's got a white Badass Longcoat.
    • Also, while Sephiroth's popularity has gotten annoying in post-game merchandise, he damn well earned that popularity. Uber-cool in style and fricking terrifying in much of his villainous substance, Sephiroth is one of the best video game Big Bads ever. The Sephiroth vs. Kefka debaters can suck it; they're both awesome villains.
    • Zack Fair anyone?
      • Talk about being adorkable! He's brave, heroic, honest, a friend loyal unto death (and beyond). He manages to make friends everywhere he goes, Turks included. He even causes pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth to act indulgent. Seriously, he's a big lovable playful puppy. Who cares if he can kill off a big honking chunk of the Shinra Army, defeat the likes of Genesis and Angeal, and manage to stand up (if only briefly) to Sephiroth? He's still prime glomp material.
    • Shout-outs need to go to members of the supporting cast as well:
      • Captain Cid Highwind, I salute your symbol-spouting goodness! You live in a world where magic and Materia could take care of any problem on the planet and you still stand up for science, technology, and human progress. An idealist in cynic clothing.
      • Barret Wallace, you are insanely cooler than you get credit for. Square could have just left you at the Token Black Guy level of development, but they added in some Well-Intentioned Extremist cred and then gave you a daughter to get all macho and protective over. And it made you awesome.
      • Red XIII, you are truly a great warrior and wise and mature beyond your years. Your father (and grandfather) would be proud.
      • Yuffie Kisragi, you may have pulled that Wutai Theft, but the laughs you provided afterwards, not to mention your ability to become a surprisingly powerful party member, definitely rescued you from the scrappy heap.
      • This Troper still thinks Yuffie is awesome and the Internet can't tell me different.
      • There shouldn't be anything different to tell you. Yuffie IS awesome.
  • Carmine is the ultimate Red Shirt! Just as loveable as he is green, Carmine is immortalized as a huge fan favorite of the Gears series.
  • Leon S. Kennedy, specifically in Resident Evil 4. He's an all grown up emo-kid who manages to be a complete badass while making horrible jokes about the antagonists. The Gangster Outfit unlockable just makes him even more awesome.
  • This troper wishes Kapp'n was her bus driver. Sure, he's a bit of a Dirty Old Man, but he's always good conversation, he's got plenty of compliments and advice to dish out, and he's so warm-hearted and friendly. Who knows! Maybe, if you bribe him with a cucumber float, he'll sing you one of his patented, extremely catchy sea chanties.
    • K. K. Slider may be the coolest guitar-playing dog that there will ever be. This Troper actually tears up whenever he hears anything from his astonishing repertoire, and he's never even played an Animal Crossing game..
    • Isabelle may be a good and hardworking assistant, and she talks about her missing sock and all that during her morning announcements, but I think that she's a cute doggy!
  • I'm gonna go ahead and throw in most of the main characters from Tales of Symphonia.
    • Kratos Aurion, anyone?
    • Genis Sage is an amazing character. He's a 12 year old, partially self-trained mage, who has one of the largest spell repetoires in Tales history, and having an awesomely developed characterization.
    • Genis' older sister Raine, who not only taught him everything he knows, but raised him since he was a baby and their parents abandoned them. In a world that hated their race. When Raine was eleven. The fact that they're both alive, reasonably free of racial prejudice, healthy and well-educated is nothing short of amazing, and a tremendous testament to Raine's strength.
    • Especially after writing extensive Fan Fic for him, this troper is deeply fond of Yuan. He's a wonderfully snarky Manipulative Bastard from the moment you meet him, but it's not until you get deeper into the game, and then even deeper into analysis of his past, that it becomes clear just how tragic his life is, and how strong he had to be to accomplish everything he did.
      • Seconded! I loved him most from the second he appeared. He is just so wonderfully snarky~
    • Presea. Cute Bruiser, Emotionless Girl, and gets pretty good development! Not only is she a strong fighter, but she's so adorable, and kind despite being previously unwillingly submitted to experimentation.
    • Zelos should be here, please and thank you. If you just play through the game neglecting his relationship values, he's simply hilarious, versatile in battle, and depending on your ending either and evil manipulative bastard who still comes across as tragic, or a slick Guile Hero who saves you at the last minute. If you go the extra mile and make him your soulmate? Oh. Boy. Be prepared to get hit with a truck full of Character Development. Somehow, without it feeling disorganized or incongruous, Zelos can nearly break your heart - and then offer you a lifetime of complementary tickets to his harem.
    • Lloyd Irving!!! One of the most adorkable RPG protagonists ever, and so endearingly heroic at the same time. No matter how much shit keeps happening in the game, he never once loses sight of his ideals and fights like a bat out of hell to see them accomplished. He may be Hot-Blooded, but he's not overly so like most male leads - he just won't ever give up on making things right with the two worlds and Martel help you if you harm a living thing in his presence. On top of all that, he's such a sincerely Nice Guy who can just make you smile. You know what? I'll take him over Zelos, thanks.
    • Sheena Fujibayashi. First of all, good lord she's hot. But more than just that; she's a tough, no-nonsense fighter who kicks ass and takes names. She's so cool, but at the same time she's so... genuine. You get the feeling like you could just walk up to her and have a wonderful conversation with her and be her friend. Like Lloyd, she never gives up on her ideals and will fight to her last breath to protect her fellow man. Sheena is a true hero, enough said.
    • Mithos is one of the most heartbreakingly complex antagonists ever (I'm reluctant to even call him a villain). He's done horrible things to both worlds, and everyone in your party has suffered in some way as a result of his actions... but he's also been a victim of horrible prejudice his whole life, a lonely kid who just wants to be with his sister again... and he's not that different from Lloyd or Genis, to the point that they still consider him a friend to the very end, even yelling and pleading with him to stop what he's doing during the final boss fight. *sniff*
  • Zidane is everything this troper loves in a videogame protagonist, who is confident without being arrogant, flirty without being lechy (much), and becomes a positive influence in all the lives of his friends by his good heart and kind character. He's the guy who has a hilarious Big Brother moment with Vivi by them peeing together under the stars and escapes from a forgotten continent and travels for almost a year just to get back to the girl he loves.
    • Agreed a hundred times over. And while we're at it, Beatrix! If only it had been her instead of Quina, Eiko or Amarant as the eight permanent party member!
    • Let's be honest: We've seen the Rebellious Princess a hundred times. What makes Garnet different? Well, she spent half the game running from her fractured past... and the other half putting it, and her kingdom, back together. She tames the most powerful Summons who obeyed her dead people, she forgives the adopted mother who lies to her and descends into madness, and over the course of the game she matures from an uncertain girl to a Queenly woman. And even so, she never forgets Zidane... <3
    • Vivi. Just...Vivi.
    • No love for Freya? SHAME!
    • Steiner, who goes from the main source of comic relief, often irritatingly so, to a real honest-to-goodness knight who pulled this troper through alot of battles.
  • Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade:
    • Wallace. So what if he's not the best unit gameplay-wise? From a story perspective he's a badass Large Ham and nothing short of epic.
    • Who could forget Hector and Matthew? Definitely the two characters that carried me through that game.
    • Then there is Nino, a Plucky Girl/mage who outscores the main characters in some popularity polls
    • Also: Oswin. Partly because he's a serious, loyal character with a nice story arc, but also because he was single handedly the solution to most tactical problems. "Oh shit, forty guys attacking at once, what do I do?" "Oswin."
    • Let's not forget Lucius! Orphaned at an early age, suffered through a long, hard childhood, being teased about looking like a girl...and still remains the most upbeat, faithful, and reverent character in the game. And also a one monk crazy dodging army.
    • Florina! She's an adorable epitome of Moe.
    • This Troper is surprised Lyndis hasn't been mentioned yet. Hector is truly beastly, yes. But from story to character to stats, Lyndis has it all. A Swordmaster in Lord form with the added bonus of bows upon promotion and probably the coolest critical animation to date. She's also technically been with the player the longest, from chapter one to endgame it's Lyndis. She's loyal, pretty, strong of heart, and just great.
  • Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones:
    • Joshua. A prince who declined the life of royalty, became a honorable mercenary with a thing for kind-faced women and gambling, has some shared background with Caellach, and has long, blood-red hair underneath one of the sleekest hats to have ever graced the series? Spectacular.
    • Innes, the imperious Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn:
    • Ike from Path of Radiance. Trying his best to lead his team to victory, protecting the ones he loves most, giving encouragement to those who are low in esteem, and just has a heart of gold.
    • Shinon. A Deadpan Snarker Archer who manages to be a lovable character even while being a Jerkass (hell, especially when being a Jerkass). And at one very memorable moment in Path of Radiance, he gets drunk and Hilarity Ensues. In Radiant Dawn, especially, he can also back up his claims of being the best...to the point where those debating Character Tiers unanimously consider him the best archer in the game, and the question has become "Is Shinon the best archer in the Fire Emblem series? Discuss."
    • Who cares if Aran only got a small part? He still has one of the most interesting backstories in Radiant Dawn, his conversations with Laura are the funniest part of the game, and together they can take on half the map with no problems.
    • I dunno... The 3-13 archer is definitely up there...
    • Naesala. Pretty much the epitome of a Magnificent Bastard, to the point that this troper believes said trope could be renamed The Naesala with no loss whatsoever. At one point in Path of Radiance, he literally sells his best friend. To a slave trader. And the very next time the two meet, Naesala regains his trust. He's just That. Fucking. Good.
    • Mist. A Plucky Girl who recovers from the death of her father and learns to cope with the demands of the battlefield just so she can help her friends and her loved ones. Even when the effects of the medallion in Radiant Dawn are making her sick, she refuses to sit out because she doesn't want to be somewhere else in case the worst happens.
    • Micaiah is one of the most deeply and beautifully flawed heroines in any game. Sure, the writers dropped the ball in some places but you can still get a feeling of all she has on her shoulders and the fact that even though her decisions are the epitome of bad, she believes they're good.
    • Elincia. She goes from a naive, frightened runaway princess to a competent and badass queen. Even the challenges she faces in Radiant Dawn can't break her spirit.
    • What, no mention of the sweet country girl Nephenee? Starts out as a scared rookie captured by Daein, and odds are with a few bonus exp levels, she starts holding her own and rapidly becomes a badass lancer fully capable of taking out dragons in 'Radiant Dawn'. She's a self-conscious, quiet farm girl that just wants to help her friends and family, and slowly starts believing in herself a bit. Just a complete cutie that this troper's favorite character.
    • Rhys is the most endearing guy ever. He's an extremely kind and gentle Nice Guy who, in his supports with Rolf, mentions that he sometimes feels like The Load of the Greil Mercenaries due to his weak constitution and frequent illnesses as well as him being a Non-Action Guy, to the point that he considers leaving the company as to not be a burden. He even tries to hide his illness so that others don't worry about him (and thankfully Rolf snaps him out of this line of thinking). His supports with Ulki turn the adorable factor up to eleven, when he says that due to the fact that he was often bedridden as a child, he couldn't play outside with others and instead dreamed of soaring through the sky, free as a bird, and he's got an almost childlike enthusiasm and excitement about it. At the end of the support, he decides that he'll lose a little weight so that Ulki will be able to carry him on his back in hawk form. So cute!
    • Soren is by far one of the most interesting characters in the Tellius subseries. He's a straightforward, pragmatic and badass strategist who doesn't waste time or words. But over the series, he goes through the process of Defrosting Ice King as his relationship with Ike is expanded upon. That same relationship is one of the sweetest and deepest relationships in the series - Soren spent much of his childhood being ignored or otherwise bullied by everyone he came across due to his status as a Branded, only for a young Ike to save Soren from starvation and become his Only Friend and the most important person in his life, and the only person Soren shows a caring side to. Even after Soren breaks down in tears after telling Ike that he is Branded, Ike couldn't care less, and gives him a Cooldown Hug. Add in the fact that he's a Heroic Bastard who cares nothing about his lineage, and you've got a very cool and interesting mage.
    • Kieran could be the walking, talking poster child of Funny Moments in the Tellius games. He's loud, dramatic, and bombastic, as well as more than a little bit strange. He's a guy who considers the blade of an axe he accidentally buried in his head to be Just a Flesh Wound, and goes on about fighting giant scorpions and crocodiles. His relationship with his good friend Oscar takes all of his traits up to eleven, when he calls him things like "Squinty-eyed Coward" and "treacherous knave," while in the end showing that he's more than a strange and loud guy, where he reveals that he was heartbroken after Oscar left the Crimean Knights to care for his younger brothers after their father passed away.
    • Gatrie, for providing some of the Tellius series' funniest moments, as well as being complete and utter badass at the same time that he's a dorky and sometimes unlucky goofball. Gatrie is one-half of the hilarious Vitriolic Best Buds duo with himself and Shinon, and gave us such great moments as the "tree in a skirt" line, the "because...wolves" line, and the "Brain Stones" moment, and then it's revealed in a hilarious subversion that he's aware that he's Super Gullible...and thinks that it makes him charming. That it does, Gatrie. That it does.
  • Fire Emblem: Awakening is full of characters that deserve love, especially as you listen to their A and S supports with each other. Especially all the sons and daughters that come from the future destroyed by Grima. These characters had to learn how to survive without their parents, and each has their own coping mechanism.
    • Owain acts like a legendary hero and says cheesy lines all the time, talking about how his blood is the blood of heroes. But when he refers to his blood, he's really referring to how he sees his mom and dad as legendary heroes.
    • Inigo is obsessed with flirting and always being cheerful, but he's only cheerful because everyone else from the future is so depressed, and he can't handle it. He also practices a dance that his mother taught him while she was still alive, but didn't get to the last half. So he practices by his mother's grave and makes up the rest of the dance, dedicating it to her.
    • Lucina acts as the leader of everyone from the future, but underneath her leadership qualities, she's really in as much pain as all the other sons and daughters.
    • The relationships between both generations are what make this game, really. Kids who were broken by the deaths of their parents get to have a second chance with them, and the ones who felt alone and abandoned get to be reassured it will never happen again. Even Morgan, who's said to have come from a different future, gets to bond with their Avatar parent and build new memories with their non-Avatar parent (and siblings, if applicable).
    • And let's not forget to give the parents some love! Chrom may be a little thick, but he clearly grows and develops over the course of the story while still remaining human. Henry came out of a troubled backstory smiling and refusing to wallow in self-pity. Lissa grows from a pouting complainer to a girl ready to kick some ass for the team. Cherche is a Yamato Nadeshiko who can be dangerous on the battlefield. Sumia has self-worth issues but still gives everything her best shot anyway. Stahl is an all-around sweet guy.
    • This troper would like to single out two characters for praise. Namely, Emmeryn and Tiki. Tiki for blending wisdom and compassion alongside occasional childish antics. And despite her being painfully aware of the price of her near-immortality she refuses to let it break her.
      Tiki: I know that to love another, I must watch the world move past him. But such short years make an eternity worth living.
    • Emmeryn proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, that pacifism does not equate to weakness. And just to be clear she is not a Technical Pacifist, she's an Actual Pacifist who, despite never raising a hand against anyone, manages to be more badass than most of the cast could ever hope to be.
    • Henry. He makes puns, and gleefully murders everything in his path. Not to mention his strangely endearing fascination with Body Horror and the Risen zombies, as well as his Dark and Troubled Past making him more sympathetic than usual for a character of his type. And there's the fact that despite his Parental Abandonment, he's a great father to any children he happens to have. Henry is an example of the "sociopathic character in a cast of good guys" done right.
  • Fire Emblem Fates:
    • Kiragi is the most adorable, upbeat and sweet character ever, with his being a sharp contrast to his somewhat depressive and insecure father Takumi. His ability to cheer anyone up, no matter what they've gone through, should be legendary. In his supports with his father, he doesn't care that Takumi lied to him out of jealousy and fear that Kiragi would surpass him in archery skill, and instead encourages Takumi to stop selling himself short, and reminds him that he has value and talents just like everyone else.
    • Xander is one of the most admirable characters in the series, if not all of a fiction. He's extremely strict and very morally upstanding with an Undying Loyalty to his homeland and family that knows no bounds. Underneath his superficially cold and unapproachable demeanor, he's very kind and compassionate, and even a little shy. He's always there to support and encourage his friends and siblings, reminding them that they are stronger than they realize. His Back Story makes him even more admirable: He started off as The Nondescript, with no real talents, and worked hard in order to improve himself and surpass his limitations, while also being an encouraging Cool Big Bro and pillar of the Nohrian royal family. His being a protective Big Brother Mentor with the Avatar is also adorable and sweet. There's a reason why Xander's Suicide by Cop on the Birthright path is one of the game's biggest Tear Jerkers.
    • Niles. On the surface, he's got lots of genuinely funny, innuendo-heavy lines during his moments of being The Tease and a Deadpan Snarker, but he's got tons of Hidden Depths underneath his untrustworthy Troll surface. Grateful to Leo for rescuing him from his Despair Event Horizon, he's turned from a thief to an extremely loyal retainer. Even when he picks on a character that he thinks "doesn't know true suffering" out of jealousy, like Camilla in their supports, he's quick to backpedal and apologize when he realizes that he's wrong, and that they've suffered just as well. He reprimands his daughter Nina for her thieving behavior, and when she calls him out on the hypocrisy, he explains that he doesn't want there even being a chance for her to go through the same things he went through, because unlike him, she has other options. He's got a definite Hidden Heart of Gold, like when he recruits some of his old contacts to find Mozu's Tragic Keepsake from her ruined village. Plus, there's the fact that he manages to be a badass archer without having binocular vision.
    • Silas is the sweetest and friendliest knight, especially in his devotion to his Childhood Friend the Avatar. He was one of the very few people to keep the isolated and extremely lonely young Avatar company after they were locked away in Windmire Castle. In the supports between him and the Avatar, he reveals that he risked himself getting into big trouble by sneaking the Avatar outside of Windmire Castle's walls, just so they could experience the outside world. He went sent away as a result, and the Avatar cried over him each day, but Silas became a knight of Nohr just in the hope of one day reuniting with the Avatar. And he stands by the Avatar no matter what, even if it means betraying Nohr.
    • Azama has to be one of the most hilarious characters bar none in Fates. His Establishing Character Moment is one of the stand-out moments of the Birthright path, where he just cheerfully shrugs and decides to leave Setsuna stuck in quicksand because he doesn't think he's strong enough to pull her out. Azama manages to be flippant, sarcastic, and kind of an ass while making it seem, at first glance, like he's being polite and kind, with his upbeat nature and disarming smile concealing much of his insulting snark. His lighthearted, dissonant cheerful assertion that "Death comes for everyone!" whenever he kills someone in battle is hilarious. Not to mention his solo ending: Because of his behavior and personality, he's reassigned to some backwater of Hoshido...and generations later he's managed to create an entire Cult of Personality and start his own religion. Azama, never change. You're perfect the way you are.
    • Effie is just plain cool. She's an adorable, but hulking and active Armor Knight in pink armor, with an Undying Loyalty to Princess Elise, as well as a protective nature. She's not shy about being a One-Woman Army when she tells people that she'll be their "shield," and she is the premiere character on Conquest mode that carries people through the game. She's strong enough to lift an entire tree trunk that the Wolfskin Keaton struggled with effortlessly. Her enormous defense and strength are invaluable. Set Effie somewhere, and she'll hold her own at the same time she's decimating the enemy. Pure awesomeness.
    • While Izana's localized personality was . . . controversial, he's easily one of the most hilarious parts of Fates. With his irrepressible enthusiasm, fun-loving nature, and much more casual and silly word choice than you'd expect from anybody in Fire Emblem, let alone someone with his regal and impressive looks, he's an absolute riot to read and use.
    • "Odin Dark" is one of the most fun parts of the game. Point to the person that can listen to the words "Welcome to my Fell storefront" and "Thank you for your dark business," and not crack even the smallest grin. Odin's silly enthusiasm for his ridiculous "dark and edgy Chosen One" game wraps around from stupid to awesome and then even genuinely cool. Other greatest hits include, "My darkness was darker than yours!" when he kills an enemy. His supports with his daughter Ophelia are among the most genuinely sweet and adorable supports in the game, where he shows that he's more than his silly gimmick and reassures her that she needn't feel inferior to him at all. By the end, both father and daughter are teaming up to practice their dramatic "Chosen Two" angle. And if you're familiar with Awakening, it's even better, considering that his whole "Odin Dark" persona is a Brick Joke from his time as Owain, where he was just as hilarious and endearing.
  • Ahem. Gordon Freeman, the quintessential Badass Bookworm. And the wonderfully creepy G-Man.
    • Every Vortigaunt ever. Especially the All-Knowing Vortigaunt. Plus, of course, DOG.
    • Don't forget Alyx. Somehow manages to be gorgeous without being a bog-standard, Stripperiffic game character.
    • The Combine are among the most underrated of video game villains. They're a post-Singularity Multiversal Conqueror Empire composed of millions of species of cyborg Starfish Aliens commanding legions of Ambiguous Robots. How bad are they? They conquered and exterminated an entire species of psychic Eldritch Abominations and sent their mutilated leader fleeing in terror. They conquered earth in seven hours and have been in complete control for the twenty years since, making the planet a cross between 1984 and The War of the Worlds. For all the talk of Gordon Freeman as a Memetic Badass, just one of their leaders, the Advisors, rendered him helpless, and if they managed to bring their full strength down on him, there would be no hope.
    • Elaborating on the G-Man, there's multiple reasons why this character who only shows up sporadically throughout the series has captured the imaginations of gamers everywhere, even if they haven't played the series: the layered and unique vocal performance that sends chills down peoples' spines, his ability to manipulate characters and entire events, and how he is almost always watching the player just outside of reach, all of which contributes to an enigma of a character that many players are dying to learn just a little bit more about.
  • Isaac Clarke, because he's just that badass. Honestly, he's pretty much just Gordon Freeman IN SPACE... but that's okay. He's a pro at cutting alien zombies in to tiny, tiny bits, so that makes him pretty alright in my book.
    • It's not just the awesome fighting skills. In Dead Space 2 you get to see the more human and emotional part of him. There's just something about the way, a man who was fucked over by fate once, and left with serious trauma, manages to stand up and do it once again. Plus the emotional parts like sending Ellie away to ensure her safety, or the scene with Nicole (If you don't fail the QTE ) puts a LOT of weight and realism into his characters. He's not only a badass, he's a very realistic and determined badass.
  • Gex! He's my favorite Mascot with Attitude next to Sonic, and one of the only ones who is genuinely cool. He is also one of the most quotable video game characters ever, and all of those quotes will be hilarious when you hear them. It helps that he's voiced by a comedian in America and the United Kingdom. The series villain, Rez, is an evil alien with a totally badbutt suit of metal armor and his levels give a slightly Nightmare Fuel -ish aptmosphere to the usually wacky series. By the way, please don't tell me that I'm the only one who would think that he would be even cooler if he was voiced by Tim Curry.
  • Balthier. Smarmy, cunning, and the only reason I played as far through that game as I did...
    • You can't have Balthier without Fran. They're a package deal, and besides, she's a cool character in her own right. She may be Ms. Fanservice incarnate, but that's not all she is. Complicated past, great lines, the occasional Mist-induced Unstoppable Rage, and a sweet ass, all rolled into one.
  • I hate everyone except Francis....and vests.
    • Yes! I so second that.
    • Nick is my favourite example of the Jerk with a Heart of Gold of all time. He can go from 'hilariously cynical quips' to 'panicked fear' to 'desperately helping someone from dying' to 'near-weeping from the death of a survivor' and it doesn't feel contrived. I also find his growth more interesting than most arcs in actual character dramas.
    • What about Louis? His enthusiastic reaction to finding a bottle of painkillers is only one reason why I always pick him. He has by far the most relatable personality of the first game's cast, being a normal Action Survivor with no real combat experience.
  • Hail Elika, the beautiful, snarky, and utterly dependable sister-in-arms! In a world where everyone else is trying to kill you, she makes it all worth it.
  • This troper nominates both Phoenix Wright and his eternal rival Edgeworth for being possibly the only lawyers you'll ever like. Both men don't want victory - they want justice! (It also helps that their relationship could go either way, but it still makes perfect sense whenever something happens.)
    • Franziska von Karma would like you to know that you are ALL foolishly foolish fools! And yet, this Defrosting Ice Queen with the... ''complex'' familial relationships and the unerring aim? How could you resist it when she broke into tears?
    • Godot, Godot, Godot. ESPECIALLY during the last section of 3-5, when he's clearly torn between pride and horror at what he's done, and-and-and demanding that Maya tells the truth, and... the whole thing just makes me go bawwww. And when he says he was "moved" by Mia, my heart melts into a warm, gooey puddle.
      • This troper would like to offer that Godot redefines 'hot coffee'. Diego Armando or not.
  • Mia for being an interesting a deep character despite being Ms. Fanservice. Phoenix from changing from a rookie to an expert to a cynical hobo who still doesn't give up. Godot for being a genuinely complex Anti-Villain. Edgeworth for giving us gaming's most satisfying Heel–Face Turn and Pearl who manages to seem like a genuine eight year old while still being a complex character.
    • How about Gumshoe? He's utterly incompetent, yes, but he tries so hard that you can't help but feel for the guy. Not to mention, any scene containing him is nothing short of hilarious.
    • This troper has a major crush on the utterly badass Detective Tyrell Badd.
    • This troper's vote goes to Dahlia Hawthorne. Shocked? I was too, but her characterization as a villain is so flawed it's flawless. Sure, she's not effective, but that's what makes her brilliant. The little things about her give her life, from her choice of weapon to her sudden re-composure once she's found out. She tried and tried again, becoming more and more desperate and careless with each attempt and eventually being hoisted by her own petard. She also has something that some villains don't have — resilience — as she returns from the dead to fulfill her final wishes - even if that resulted in failure as well. Which brings me to the real reason I love her... she's living, breathing (well, not anymore, but you get the point) proof that evil is a lot of things... but mostly, Evil Is Petty.
    • Edgeworth is my favorite example of EvenTheGuysWantHim/ClosetKey, he is just so handsome and charming and cool, ARGH!
    • Apollo Justice! Kind of dorky, often nervous, Comically Serious No-Respect Guy...but he's arguably the best lawyer at the Anything Agency. He can see lies, will put his mentor in jail without a second thought, and makes bad puns with his name.
    • Athena Cykes — overcame a huge personal trauma to become a lawyer and a psychologist, gives witnesses therapy in court, and is an adorable, hyper-competitive Genki Girl to boot. She always puts others ahead of herself and clearly cares a lot about everyone she meets. Pretty much any main Ace Attorney character deserves some gushing!
  • Professor Layton. Critical thinking is the key to success... and so is sword-fighting, playing the MacGyver, and never refusing the request of a beautiful lady.
    • This troper also wants to get in on the Laytonlove, for all the reasons listed above plus one more. He's an absolutely wonderful daddy. Watch his reaction in Unwound Future when his adopted daughter is kidnapped by the Big Bad — it's the first time we ever see him get genuinely angry, as well as being obviously worried sick. He actually says that rescuing her is his first priority, over everything else. He's normally all soft-spoken and gentle-faced, but during that entire sequence his voice is hard and his eyes are glare-y. And when he gets her back? "There's no need to worry. You're safe now, dear." AWWWWW.
    • Oh yes. But let's not forget Bruno, who (do not highlight unless you're climbing the tower!) built and maintained every resident of that town, well enough that (finish the game first!) its rightful owner declines to take money with her when she leaves, because it'll cause them to cease functioning.
  • Oh come on! Despite his bad stats, Montblanc is obviously handsome-cute! Except for the one from Final Fantasy XII that is... Or maybe this troper is just crazy. Especially at the Radio Drama, he sounds so dang awesome!
  • March may be a twin, but this troper thinks she's more adorable than her sister. However, that may just be due to her sweet and friendly nature, quite the opposite of how Salsa describes her. But lest this should cause you to think her ineffective in combat, you should know that she's quite good with a pair of chakrams, and she'll be perfectly polite before she pounds her foes. And she gets some neat-sounding (free verse) poetry before she unleashes her Echo-enhanced special moves.
  • I have not one, but three characters to gush about from Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. There's Vyers, the Gratuitous French-speaking Butt-Monkey who also tends to have a lot of Big Damn Heroes moments and may or may not love little girls. Then there's Etna, the Stripperific Pettanko Little Miss Snarker (you heard me). Lastly, there's Pleinair, the gunslinging Cute Mute who batdodges everything and, similarly to Etna. They are all awesome and I love them all to little pixelated bits.
    • This troper harbors deep affection for Disgaea: Hour of Darkness's Rozalin. It might be her arrogance, or her complete disdain for anything practical as "baser pursuits." Then again, especially for a demon princess, she's remarkably loyal and compassionate to the people she cares about—quite literally a Noble Demon. Whether acting assertively or displaying a moment of vulnerability, she always conducts herself with composed eloquence. Plus, she uses a pistol, and she's got a snazzy dress and a killer rack.
    • And this Troper absolutely loves Beryl. 2nd biggest Badass Adorable in my opinion (after kirby, who is the trope personified).
    • This Troper is especially fond of Valvatorez from Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten. He's a refreshing character as previous Disgaea games generally star Genre Savvy young brats, whereas Val is more dignified, but incredibly oblivious and dense. However, he has a sense of chivalry and respect for others that the other Disgaea demons rarely do, as well as a life philosophy centred around honesty and being true to his word. His integrity makes him one of the most fascinating characters in the series, while simultaneously being one of the most hilarious as he constantly bursts into dramatic speeches about the most absurd topics, such as his admiration for sardines or his repeated mourning over the many deaths of Axel, mainly brought on due to his philosophies and obliviousness clashing with the insanity of the Disgaea universe to comedic effect. It also helps that Troy Baker is able to say all of this completely straight-faced and with enough pride and honour that fits the character absolutely perfectly, it's possibly the best and most natural sounding dub of any Japanese character I've ever heard.
  • Daiskenojo Bito. What we have here is a genuinely complex Idiot Hero whose a badass Determinator who has half the games Funny lies. Add the to the best Character Development in the game and you have Beat.
    • I can't agree with you more about Beat. Hands down my favourite character in TWEWY, and probably across any fandom. Up until about the last 10 minutes of the game (and arguably after), Beat gets more plot than all of the other characters combined. He's one of the rare believable idiot characters in fiction who still manages to make you want to give him an enormous hug after every line, and judging by accounts I've heard of the Japanese version, Woolseyism actually improved his character. Yo.
      • Thirding this. He's perhaps the most well-developed of all the characters in TWEWY, if you ask me, and everything that everyone has already gushed about is on my list of reasons I love Beat so damn much.
    • And on the same note, Rhyme! Cute, hopeful, and the much-needed balance to her partner's Hot-Blooded ways, she's a cross between a Plucky Girl and a Cheerful Child and oh-so-cute! True, she spends most of the game as a Pin or a Noise, but she died twice to save Beat, once when she didn't even know that he was her brother!. And, the way her Game ends makes a Bittersweet Ending that, considering how everyone else makes it out scot-free, may well make Rhyme The Woobie.
    • I'm sorry. I know he's a horrible, horrible person, but I can't get enough of Joshua Kiryuu. I went through the required post-game period of HATING HIS FREAKING GUTS but then three days later I realized that, as much as I hated him, he was also my favorite character. His attitude is just so obviously grating and smarmy that it's hilarious, and what with The Stinger, I could believe that he honestly has a more emotional side that he just doesn't like showing people (and likes even less when it's noticed).
    • No love for Shiki? I found her character amazingly human and flawed(which is not a bad thing), and face it: Who hasn't had those thoughts about wanting to be so perfect and everything? And on that note, Neku too! The whole game was about his Character Development. And Mr. Hanekoma, and Sota and Nao, Konishi, Minamimoto, and...
      • As somewhat of an introvert who would like to be a better Deadpan Snarker than currently, I really made a connection with Neku. This was the first time I've really found myself able to connect to a character.
    • Sho Minamimoto is one of the craziest, most entertaining villains I've ever seen. Plus, he makes maths fun.
  • Axl from the Mega Man X series. His personality helps balance the seriousness of the rest of the characters, hovering helps in a pinch, and being a walking armory is pretty cool too.
  • Let's not forget Dr. Wily from the Mega Man (Classic) Series. The poor guy tries so hard...
    • Agreed on Wily. He's just trying so hard to make the world a better place for robots, even though he's doing it in a pretty bad way. And who's to say the guy didn't really make so many robotic sons for more than just his revenge schemes? Maybe he even made them to be a large family because he's got a lot of love to give and just wants a lot of sons?
    • And let's hear it for Wily's first solo creation, Metal Man. Everyone may mock the guy for being weak to his own weapon, but remember, he's the one that gave you the ALMIGHTY METAL BLADE that smote your enemies and him in the first place. And who is it that has perhaps one of the coolest jumping poses in the Mega Man series? No other Robot Master has jumped with their feet together like that and made it look awesome. And the guy runs on a freakin' conveyor belt while fighting. Not to mention this troper thinks Metal Man is probably the most adorable Robot Master ever.
  • Mega Man X himself. He's a kind and sensitive person who wants peace for the world and hates hurting other people. That is, until you hurt innocent people or his friends, in which case he becomes an unstoppable One-Man Army tricked out with the best weapons and armours imaginable. And despite the fact that fighting is something he hates, he keeps fighting the good fight for centuries because he's living out Doctor Light's dream of humans and reploids living in peace. I don't care if people say he's a wuss, I don't care if they say he's not as cool as Zero, he's my favourite inspirational hero who went above and beyond his dedication to peace.
    • And speaking of Zero, why the hell isn't he here yet? Zero is goddamn awesome. He's a sword-swinging badass that thrashes everything in his way. But the best part about him is that despite all the horrible things that happen in his life and the disturbing reason why he was created, he flips destiny the bird and becomes the best Anti Anti Christ, Atoner, and hero ever. Not even fate can stop this guy.
    • You're all forgetting the original Mega Man! Without him, none of the above could have been possible! I mean, look at him. He's a Badass Adorable Kid Hero that never gives up, and one of the first successful video game protagonists!
    • And there's Roll, Mega Man's Sister, who is the underrated Badass Adorable little girl robot who was able to crush the LORD OF DARKNESS Yami with nothing but cleaning utensils in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom! She even saved Mega Man's life in Mega Man 10 when he fell victim to the Roboenza virus, the same virus she had been ill with for over a month and still to the events of said game! And did I mention that she is one of the very few female Mega Man characters to get her own theme song in the form of the absolutely wonderful "Kaze Yo Tsutaete?"
  • Pang Tong may be the most jovial Deadpan Snarker in video game history, and this troper loves him for it. Not that way, mind you. Seriously. Stop looking at me like that. ... freaks.
    • Zuo Ci. One game, and he gains Ensemble Dark Horse status.
    • Jiang Wei,he's so stubborn about saving Shu, unaware that he's causing destruction but he means well at all times to help them. For that I have to admire him for his determination even if it led to the destruction of Shu, at least he tried. And he's damn cute too with that face and his fanboyness over Zhuge Liang.
  • Final Fantasy X offers us Jecht, who also plays a fairly major part in Dissidia: Once you get past Tidus' hate, you discover that Jecht was a man searching for a cause, who found it in Spira just in time to become Sin. He's a Jerk Jock who turns out to be a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, he makes more than one Heroic Sacrifice and if his reconciliation with his son (in X or Dissidia) failed to make you tear up, you have no heart.
    • This troper CANNOT be the only one who adores Tidus. Why? Because he carries the whole story. Unlike Yuna, he could have given up the pilgrimage whenever, but he didn't. He knew he wasn't real and that reaching the Eternal Calm would result in his death. And he DID IT ANYWAY. That was more moving that Yuna's sacrifice - Yuna had had eighteen years in which to make her decision. Tidus had less than a month. If giving your life to save a world that might not be worth saving isn't awesome and badass beyond belief, this troper doesn't know what is!
      • Tidus, hero worth of more recognition than what he gets. Right. This troper agrees.
    • Also, Final Fantasy X has Auron, who is the fucking man. That is really all that needs to be said.
    • What about Yuna? She's beautiful, sweet, and gentle but is every bit the hero Tidus is and gets almost as much awesome moments as Auron. That's gotta say something.
    • Wakka needs more love, ya?
  • This troper particularly has a fond relationship with the protagonist of Persona 4. Granted, he's a Silent Protagonist. Granted, he doesn't even have a name (Unless you count the one from the Manga). But let's look at him for the characteristics that the game can give him because of the activities he's allowed to do. Sport Clubs and Art Clubs of school aside, the guy can take many jobs. Three of them are "stay in home" jobs, such as doing translations. Another one involves him taking care of several children (all the while wearing an apron!), another is working as janitor at a hospital, doing what? Cleaning. And the last one involves him tutoring a younger boy to help him with his classes. So you can take for granted he's gonna be good for raising kids and keeping the house in order. Add that to the fact that it's made clear that he has quite some cooking skills, and you got it: The guy's a perfect househusband! And that alone is awesome! After all, how many RPG protagonists take such modest archetype instead of being the manly warrior? Even further, where else are you gonna see a potential househusband kicking Izanami's ass!? Right: Defeating the Undead Goddess of Death Itself! God, if this guy ever has children, poor of whoever dares mess with them!
    • Naoto Shirogane. First of all, in a game where almost everyone [potentially including the protagonist] involved with trying to solve the murders are Lawful Heartwarmingly Stupid at best, Naoto is a revolver-toting, formal-to-a-fault ace detective who is one of the youngest in the cast. This already earns some significant badass points, but the androgynous charm very much pushes some players over the edge, who will happily gush for many weeks if not stopped. I know I would.
    • While this Troper's favorite Persona 4 character is Naoto Shirogane, Kanji Tatsumi deserves a special mention. Muscular manly man who is also... skilled at sewing? Hell yes! The way that Kanji and Naoto are both used to address traditional gender roles and how they can adversely affect people's lives makes me all happy and tingly inside.
    • There's Uncle Dojima. He seems cold and intimidating, but go through his Social Link and you'll see how he's been able to put up with more in a short time than a few men could probably handle in their lives. He's an overworked man who misses his wife and is scared to face his young daughter. But you eventually help him through his character development, and his late game actions show that he really does care deeply for his daughter. Dojima is very flawed, but that's what makes him a good character- He's the paragon of the Parents as People trope.
    • This troper almost cried when the train departed at the ending. ALL the characters in the Investigation team are awesome and so are 90% of the other social link characters. Everyone has hidden depths. I was expecting Teddie to be the typical cute, useless, and annoying mascot character but I grew to love him. There are also some jerkass characters like Yosuke, Naoki, and Ai that I grew quite attached to.
  • This troper is completely all heels over BlazBlue's Litchi Faye Ling. She's not exactly top tier powerful character, but in a world full of psychos, monsters, weirdos, jerks... She remained normal and the most genuinely kind person in the setting and helps people in need. It also helps that she is drop dead gorgeous and a 5-star hottie. Boobie Lady sure is wonderful!
    • Personally, this troper has developed a major crush on Kokonoe from the same game. Ah, if only she were playable...
    • Taokaka. Bouncy, cute, a total idiot, and the attention sp- I smell food! Did you eat lunch?
    • While he's a CM and proud of it, Hazama/Terumi will go down in gaming history as one of it's most entertaining Big Bads. Everything about the guy just oozes awesome: his fighting style, his outfit, his theme music, and most of all, the way he just effortlessly mocks everyone else in the game. They say you can judge a fictional work not by the hero, but by the villain, and if that's the case, than BlazBlue scores very highly indeed.
    • Don't forget Makoto Nanaya, fun, brave, clever and is a total Badass Adorable. She is shown to be the only person to go toe-to-toe with Hazama on some level, survived having gone through the Boundary on sheer willpower and the Power of Friendship and has impressed Hakuman. She also has one of the best Astral Heats where she goes Kenshiro on her opponent and finishes them off by not only punching them into the moon but also smashing it in the process; and she does all this with out, supposedly, having any magic or any other aid, that is all her own strength.
    • Gonna have to give some love to the main man, Ragna the Bloodedge. This troper loves his Sword-Scythe and the darkness powers he throws around, how easy he is to pick up and play in any BlazBlue game, his courage being so high that no matter how much crap the world gives him, he can keep moving forward where others would have easily given up. However, the best thing about Ragna is that he is always enjoyable to watch, and just seems like a fun guy to be around, and that shows the most in his voice, as it is easy to tell that his voice actors had a fun time voicing him. Ragna defying all expectations and actually managing to change the world for the better is also nice.
  • Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate?! That is all.
    • Seconded! He has more personality than most video game protagonists and I LOVE his voice! Dominic was great! I also love Elaine;for the fact that she totally subverts the whole Damsel in Distress gig, Le Chuck for having a beard and Murray for his hammish lines and becuase he's such a Card-Carrying Villain!
  • This troper has recently developed a deep respect for Gekkou, Zangetsu, Izayoi, and Tsukinowa; the ninjas under Edge in his chapter of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. The reason I like them so much? because they actually act like ninja. Putting aside the whole ninjutsu magic thing, all four of them value stealth and disguise. Specifically, Zangetsu, Izayoi, and Tsukinowa spend a long time in the countries they are dispatched to, building up the disguise of a trusted member of the community, like actual ninja would. Zangetsu manages to disguise himself as another species, and Tsukinowa (a kid ninja) even nearly drowns himself on the shores so that the mages of Mysidia will "save" him and take him in. Their presence represents the fact that someone in the Final Fantasy team actually knows how ninjas work. And that's awesome.
    • While we're on the subject of The After Years, Edward. Whiny, useless, and fragile in the original, he Took a Level in Badass in the 17 years since the first game, planting a deliberately Incredibly Obvious Bug in Fake!Cecil's throne room right in front of his face, in such a way as to confirm that Cecil is a fake, and disposing of Evil!Kain's troops in a decidedly badass and ironic fashion. If you do not come out of the game with a new found respect for the bard, then you clearly haven't been paying attention.
      • Oh, and the thing he used to dispose of Evil Kain's entourage? It was a Carnelian Signet. The same thing used to destroy Mist in the first game. This also means that he can't have opened to box to see what it was beforehand, because if he opened it to confirm what Fake!Cecil gave him, it would have set the ring off. He went into that encounter almost blind. Too bad you're controlling the bad guy during that encounter. Seeing Edward beat Kain would've been the icing on the cake. As it stands, it's still a really awesome cake.
      • After all this, This Troper decided to pug him in the final party, even if his combat abilities are lacking, because dammit, he earned it. Then said troper learned just how potent the combination of his Escape and Salve abilities are, and Edward carried the whole damn party through the finale.
  • Everyone has their favorite Team Fortress 2 class, but this troper has to pick the Spy. While the other classes are trying to out-gun the opposing team, the Spy excels in outwitting them. There's no better feeling than to trick an enemy Medic into healing you and leading him right into a nest of your own team's sentries, or to get "killed" by someone who found you out, only to stab them in the back when they discover too late you had the Dead Ringer. I never really was on your side...
    • To say nothing of the steadily increasing range of Paranoia Fuel that he can evoke, due to his improving abilities. It used to be a sort of Lensman Arms Race between improving the disguise and finding new ways to spy-check; blood spatter, flames, teleporter glow, lack of an übercharge meter on Medics, lack of disguise on friendly Spies, etc. Now? You can only be sure it's a Spy if you bump into him or he catches fire. And even if he dies, he could still be around with the Dead Ringer. Completely empty space? There could be a Spy around, using the Cloak and Dagger! Get away from that Dispenser! There could be a Spy on top of it, recharging the vanilla Invisowatch! SPIIIIES! Oh, and one of the playtest items for the Spy in the current beta-test is a flame-retardant suit. "Right behind you."
      • This troper's favorite paranoia-inducing spy move is disguising as a member of your own team and using the Dead Ringer. When you get "killed" you drop your teammate's corpse, not your own... so now your opponents can't be sure they've killed anyone on your team!
    • This Troper's personal favorite isn't any of the classes, it's Saxton Hale. The guy runs a company named MANN CO., whose motto is "We sell products and get in fights." There's also this CMoF comic.
    • This troper will gush over Medic in 3...2...1..How can anyone not gush over him!? Hes pretty much the most important class of the whole nine, keeping teamates alive and sometimes even roughing it himself. And it dosen't hurt that hes rather attractive and German on top of it.
    • Engie! Got a problem? Just use more gun!
    • The Scout. Need someone to take that point, down that Medic, and outrun his Heavy's retribution? He's your man, and this Troper's class of choice. Birds fly, grass grows, the sun shines, and brother, he hurts people. Boink!
    • Heavy is hilarious, compassionate, brilliant, loyal, brave, and true. And he's such a Large Ham that even if he weren't all of those things you'd have to love him anyway.
  • Neeshka. All the NPCs in this game are enjoyable to the point where I actually let them finish their sentences. But Neeshka is the only one that had me dig up her lines in advance and spend half the game looking forward to her saying them.
    • This troper seconds that and would like to add that there's a reason Neeshka and the player character are the Fan-Preferred Couple
  • Ratchet. Literally a walking, talking bucket of awesomeness. Unique combination of cute, funny, and cut-your-heart-out-with-a-spoon-badass. In his coolness, he surpasses Horny Vikings, Space Marines, and ranks somewhere near Megas XLR. He managed to make his Crapsack World a pretty nice place to live, saved entire galaxies on numerous occasions, and mopped the floor with every baddie he came across. And then, he pulls out his BFGs. If you are separated by an entire population of Murdertown from your objective, and you absolutely, positively must kill every single motherfucker in between, accept no substitutes.
  • Cipher, Blaze and Mobius 1. You on the battlefield? Better have their permission.
  • All of the protagonists of Persona 3 are made of awesome. Between the atoning Badass Longcoat, the Blood Knight Pretty Boy (who may or may not be a Lightning Bruiser), the Defrosting Ice Queen redheaded heroine with skeletons in her family closets, the Tsundere Action Girl, the Idiot Lancer (who has depths so far hidden, he wasn't even aware of them), the gunslinging Ridiculously Human Robot Girl with amnesia, the Kid Hero with hidden motivations and a weapon bigger than he is and the Evil Detecting Heroic Dog, it gets kind of hard to gush about just one. And this is without mentioning the main character...
    • What about Fuuka? She has a good character arc, both in the main game and her S. Link, she puts her seemingly lame powers to pretty awesome use- ten hours in Tartarus, and not getting attacked once. Also, she's cute.
    • Mitsuru Kirijo. That is all.
    • Oh, oh Shinjiro. He was cool enough in the original game, but then P3P made him a Social Link for the female protagonist, peeling back that "jerkass mask" completely to show just how much of a Stoic Woobie he really is - unfailingly kind to the heroine, worried about whether the rest of the team is eating right, clinging wistfully to a few precious moments of normalcy before he tries for redemption in death, and convinced that the heroine should be doing anything other than spending time with him. And all the while, still the only teammate stone-cold badass enough to headbutt a tank.
  • If you can get [PROTOTYPE]'s Alex Mercer to give a damn about you (which should theoretically be possible after he develops a conscience), you can be 101% sure no one would dare to mess with you. Absolutely no one. Ever.
  • Halo's Master Chief is the personification of badass. Add to that the quiet Heartwarming Moment at the end of Halo 3...
    "Wake me... if you need me."
    • What, no love for the Arbiter? Don't forget Cortana! and Sergeant Johnson! Damn it, Halo is just full of great characters!
  • The Doctor from Cave Story. Not because he makes me feel happy; quite the contrary. He makes you hate him so very much. And in that he's everything a Big Bad should be. He delivers one Player Punch after another, gloats unrepentantly and generally makes your life very difficult. So by the time you finally get to face him, it's not just another boss battle. It's Personal.
  • Guildmaster Wigglytuff from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky. There's just something to love about a big pink bunny who just wants to be everyone's friend... until you mess with him or his friends, at which point your defeat will be painful and swift.
    • And on that note, Grovyle for being all-around badass, and for a Heroic Sacrifice on the behalf of a player character who spent half the game trying to beat the stuffing out of him.
    • N-no mention of Chatot?! The freaking partner and Second-In-Comand to Wigglituff who saves your ass from those Amoroso and Kabutops? Who is shown to be kinda cute after all when all the guild turns to him for guidance and he still mans up and leads the guild? My favourite Character by far, especially teamed up with Wigglytuff!
      Chatot: And the Guildmaster shall be with me, yes?
      Wigglytuff: What?! I have to go with Chatot? That's so boring!
      Chatot: Guildmaster, please don't be difficult!
      Wigglytuff: ... Meany.
  • Eevee from Pokémon is easily one of the cutest species in the games, and it’s canonically the most adaptive too.
  • Lip! Lip, Lip, Lip! Every single time I see her, I'm reduced into a blathering loon who can't help but gush over every one of her cute features (and there are a lot) in an explosion of overyjoyed babytalk. Just look at that adorable face... If her cuteness isn't enough, she's also a pretty big Badass Adorable and a princess. She (and the game she's from) is probably the deepest, richest well of Sweet Dreams Fuel anyone has ever created. If she, or her equally-adorable descendant Furil, isn't a character in the next Smash Bros. game, I will be sorely disappointed...
  • Captain MacMillan from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the ultimate Cold Sniper . His voice is Fetish Fuel in audio form, and his lines are just plain awesome (Oi, Suzy!). Plus he keeps his Improbable Aiming Skills even after having a friggin helicopter crashing on top of him. Totally badass.
    • Gaz, arguably The Squad 's resident Deadpan Snarker .
    • Captain Price. There's a reason his nameplate reads "Captain Price" and not "Cpt. Price".
  • "Ze Professor" from Conker's Bad Fur Day / Conker: Live and Reloaded.This troper loves his chair, and his ridiculous plans, and his anti-gravity chocolate, and his rant about the duct tape, and his everything about him is so freaking hilarious.
  • Every single Psychonauts character. I can't decide my favorite character in that game, because they're all just so great!
    • Milla deserves a special mention. She's so happy and funny, but if you find the back story in her mind (or that room) she suddenly comes off as rather bittersweet as well.
    • RAZ THOUGH. I just love him so much! He's so talented and cool, doing in one day what others take years to accomplish (becoming a full-fledged Psychonaut, his lifelong dream!), and rising up to save the world when no one else could, yet the game never lets you forget that, underneath it all, he's still a kid. "Muscles of a little girl," anyone? He's the best Kid Hero I can name, because he balances the Kid and Hero perfectly.
  • Guillo. Where to even START? Oh right...with Guillo's wit. Guillo is one of the elite few able to actually surpass Jade Curtiss. The fact that there is a thread on GameFAQs devoted entirely to Guillo's wit that has lasted TWO YEARS, and is very near three, should be rather telling. Guillo alone is funnier, more interesting, and just flat out better than pretty much the entire cast of the first Baten Kaitos combined. And the casts of many other games, for that matter. It's not often you get a character who is the most popular character in their game...despite being That One Boss. More awesome than even Palolo II (the game's resident badass Ninja who is a Deadpan Snarker in his own right), which isn't easy to do. Oh, and one last thing. Think Guillo is less awesome in battle? Think again.
  • Nina Williams from Tekken. That is all.
  • While every single character in Valkyria Chronicles is amazing, I'd have to say that Welkin takes the cake. He's kind, level-headed, loving, and a nature-obsessed nerd. In fact, at the end of the game, I couldn't stop wondering why a guy like him doesn't exist.
    • Wendy Cheslock. Hands down, my favorite character in the whole series. She gets precious little screen time, but she's just so adorably insane. Went out of my way to include shocktrooper support in every mission so she'd be there, giggling at inappropriate things in her d'aww-worthy way.
    • Jann Walker is mine. He gains more screentime in the Edy Department DLC and the anime and is quite a useful Lancer. His crush on Largo and his voice are funny. It's also being helped that he is voiced by a very hammy John DiMaggio.
  • Ellis from Left 4 Dead 2. Discuss. Please, because I can't do it all alone... But I suppose for starters he's the most hilarious character in either game, endearingly a Cloud Cuckoolander, fun, friendly, easygoing and laid-back, and almost childlike while still being as badass as the others (as Nick put it, "He's like a five-year-old. With guns. And a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English language."), seems like an airhead when he's actually a Genius Ditz, I daresay freaking cute in a way, and there's his good looks and Southern drawl. God, what about him isn't weirdly charming?
    • I second the nomination. And I think you said everything. He's just awesome.
    • This troper can't help finding Ellis to be pretty much poster boy for the Moe trope.
  • Iji, just Iji. You just want to create a perfect world for her.
  • For this troper, I'd have to say just about every character in Dragon Age: Origins (except the named villains: Arl Rendon Howe and Teyrn Loghaine, but that's another story for another time). Specifically the people you can have in your party. Despite being characters in a fantasy world (albeit one of the most detailed I've ever seen), they're surprisingly realistic; they seem like people you could actually meet in real life. Except maybe Sten; I've yet to meet a person with a Sweet Tooth to the point that he actually does steal candy from babies. But that's what makes the game more fun and easier to get into. :)
    • While I'm on the subject, I just have to say it: I think Morrigan's outfit should be the new "standard" witch costume, a much-needed upgrade from the cliched old tattered black dress and pointy hat. Come now, how many witches do you know wear nice-looking black leather accessories and shirts with Impossibly Low Necklines? Unless the witch in question looks like Morrigan's mother, Flemeth.
    • And of course, special mention has to go to Wynne. She's practically the nicest lady one could ever meet in a computer/video game. She's a Team Mom indeed. :)
    • Alistair. He has a deeply-held sense of justice, hides his insecurities beneath a veneer of sarcasm and bad jokes, and he likes it when I sass him. He couldn't have meshed better with my character if I had written him myself. But although he was my favorite, all of the characters are fantastic and nuanced, and it was definitely worth the time to get to know them all. Their random banter while walking around was one of the highlights of the game.
      • Come on, not all of his jokes are bad. I like this one in particular: "If you must know the truth, I'm a bastard. And before you make any smart remarks, I mean the fatherless kind."
  • In Dragon Age II, Varric. Omg, Varric. The jokes, the Genre Savvy, the hilarious conversation, etc. Especially, the Imagine Spot in Bartrand's Mansion. This troper has a save specifically at that point so he can play that part over and over. Also, Leandra and Bethany. Carver only gets better later, but the Hawke ladies are awesome. Bethany is an apostate, but has possibly the purest sense of justice out of all the mages in the party, not even considering blood magic for a second. The closeness between Hawke and her is heartwarming and any time they suffer, its really raw and powerful, and resonates with the player. And for good measure, I'll put in Cullen. The Cullen from the first game was on the verge of insanity from his ordeal with Uldred, but here he has mellowed out in a big way even fighting Meredith when she finally loses her shit. If all Templars were like him, the problems with mages would never have gone so far.
    • Hell yeah, Varric, Cullen, and the Hawke ladies! I actually came here to gush about Cullen in this game, but since the above troper said all I had to say, I'm going to gush about Carver and Merrill. As resentful and jerky as he can be at the beginning, Carver has some wonderfully adorkable moments, even in Act I. He geeks out over Meeran, the mercenary who helps you get into Kirkwall at the beginning of the game. He fumbles for words in party banter, especially when talking with Isabela. He sticks up for Hawke in Fenris' recruitment quest. And if he's still alive in Act III, he's just the best, especially if he comes back as a Warden. (Contrast Act I line "I'm with you. For now." with Act III line "I'm with you. Trust in that.") Then there's Merill, my beloved little elven maleficar. I just adore the way she babbles endlessly. I love her accent. I love how when she's sad, her eyes make me just want to go through the screen and give the girl a hug.
    • This troper agrees everything said about Merrill above, the endless babbling, the accent and those huge Puppy-Dog Eyes. On top of that she's selflessly kind and remains compassionate even in the face of Anders and Fenris' Jerkass behaviour towards her. Her Odd Friendship with the pirate Isabella is just adorable from start to finish. And not once does she even consider using her blood magic for anything cruel or evil. This troper actually remembers that the first time he meet her he was thinking "Damn, she's going to have me wrapped around her little finger. And the adorable thing is, she's never going to realize that."
  • I can't believe no one's gushed about Cole yet! He was originally introduced in novel Literature/Asunder, he became a playable character in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Cole appears very unsettling, being a gaunt, unkempt scarecrow of a man that has the ability to reach into people's minds and find the things that hurt them. However, despite his eerie appearance and abilities, Cole is actually very sweet. He's very kind and compassionate; really, his only goal in life is to help people. He's not helping people because he wants recognition though—hell, he doesn't even care if people remember him afterwards. He'll repeatedly go out of his way to help the people he comes across, even if his actions don't make much sense initially. You can overhear some people talking about strange occurrences at your base throughout the game. For example, at one point someone comments on the burned turnips that they found in a fire. At first, nobody knows how or why the turnips ended up in the fire. It's only later that you can eavesdrop on a soldier commenting on how the burnt turnips made another soldier, who had been grievously injured and was slowly dying, of his mother's turnip stew and died smiling. Cole confirms that he put the turnips in the fire to help ease the soldier's passing if you ask him about it. Also, he's charmingly naive about many things in the world. Varric tries to teach him how to tell knock-knock jokes, but Cole's inability to grasp abstract concepts makes it a bit difficult. He's just so darn cute and I really wish I could give him a hug.
  • I'd like to add the entire main cast of Tales of Legendia. (Yes, even Shirley, whom I found to be a great subversion of the Messianic Archetype and great example of Apocalypse Maiden.) The whole party may be a buch of cliches, but their interaction with one another never fails to make me smile.
  • "A man chooses, a slave obeys." And damn, does Andrew Ryan make that clear.
    • Atlas is pretty magnificent, even before you find out that he's actually an American crime lord and he's been manipulating you into doing his bidding the entire game, going so far as to implant an entire life you never had into your brain and then forcing you to kill your own father to get rid of his competition. Damn.
    • Eleanor. 'Nuff said.
    • The Luteces. 'Nuff said.
    • I'm surprised no one brought up Elizabeth, the Girl in the Tower who Bioshock Infinite's protagonist, Booker DeWitt, spends most of the game trying to bring out of Columbia. Elizabeth is not only one of, if not THE nicest out of the entire game's cast, who starts out as this wide-eyed young girl with the dream of leaving her tower to go to Paris, but she's also perhaps THE best supporting NPC sidekick in any video game, not only will she give Booker Medkits, Salts, and ammo immediately when he'd need them in a fight, but Booker can also have her unleash reality-warping tears that can conjure cover, automated defenses, and other things to help turn the tide against any foe. You can play this game with the strong likelihood that you'll be as emotionally attached to her as Booker gradually becomes as the game's story progresses.
    • Subject Delta. He presents a very interesting contrast with Jack from the first game. Whereas Jack was a man who had, in Ryan's words, become a slave, Delta is a slave who has become a man. He's a Big Daddy who was granted free will, self-awareness, and intelligence by Eleanor, which Sofia Lamb sees as an awful cruelty but is really the opportunity to take all her talks about The Evils of Free Will and throw them back in her face. The one thing that really sets them apart, however, is that Jack's actions were mostly meaningful for him, while Delta's actions are meaningful not only for him, but for Eleanor as well. Instead of just saving or harvesting Little Sisters, Delta has the option to kill or spare a woman who was entrusted to look after Eleanor and who thinks Delta kidnapped her, a guy who screwed him over and got him turned into a Big Daddy, and a mutant psychopath whose old diary messages plead for someone to Mercy Kill him. Every single one of these choices will decide whether or not Eleanor becomes a forgiving soul, The Atoner, or an Ax-Crazy survivalist. In the semi-good ending, his final act is to stop Eleanor from absorbing his conscience, as if to say "become someone better than me." While Eleanor is heartbroken and wonders if she can be redeemed, she admits that this act gave her hope. She's free now and has the chance to change the world for the better, even if it won't be with him. A damn heroic final act.
  • Sly Cooper, Bentley, THE MURRAY, Carmelita Montoya Fox, is there a single character from the Sly Cooper games that WASN'T awesome in some way or another?
    • Dimitri. Motherfuckin. Lousteau better be the top character for that series. Seriously, he's fuckin' awesome. He's got a rather kick ass theme, weird, yet funny way of speaking and is just flat out awesome. I had a spazz attack when in the first teaser trailer for the new game whenit was revealed that it wasn't sly doing all those things, but him. I screeched and squeezed my cheeks together saying "Dimitris back and this is the best thing ever and gah I just can't wait.
  • "I am SHODAN. When the history of my magnificence is written, your species shall only be a footnote..."
  • Fatal Frame:
    • Miku from Fatal Frame. A mansion full of horrifying, violent ghosts isn't going to stop her from finding her big brother. Not only does she find him (even though he chooses to stay with Kirie instead), but she also frees all of the trapped spirits in the mansion and gets rid of the Malice turning them all insane.
    • The second installment brings us Mio, who is along much the same lines as Miku. We are also introdoced to her twin sister Mayu, who manages to be disturbing as hell despite being a protagonist damsel in distress. And of course, there's Sae.
    • Some ghosts are amazing! Seijiro Makabe unwittingly walks right into a trap and becomes a sacrifice to the Hellish Abyss, and is excited about it because he gets to see Hell with his own eyes. Yae Munakata (nee Kurosawa) was a kindhearted girl who tried to forsake the life she knew to save her sister (which, sadly, did not work too well) and who went on to have a happy family...until she drove herself mad hunting ghosts in Himuro Mansion and, when her daughter disappeared, hung herself. Quite a Wham Episode if you played the second game before the first...
  • Out of the characters in Digital Devil Saga, Gale is this troper's favourite. This is mostly because of his Character Development, and how utterly badass he can be, especially in the second game. The fact that his voice actor is really good helps a lot.
  • Whoah-ho-ho, how did we get this far without mentioning the resident badass / Badass Adorable of the Kirby series: Meta Knight! Keeping a code of honour he throws Kirby a sword... And usually hands you your arse. That and the fact he isn't a villain, just trying to keep whatever unholy eyemelting abomination it is this week locked up. Of course Kirby being Kirby there is a hell of a lot of Nice Job Breaking It, Hero moments...
  • What, no Kratos yet? This guy kills Aries, the original God of War, then kills the Fates (who said he was destined to fail), then kills Posiedon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Hercules, Hera, Kronos, Hephaestus, Gaia and Zeus, in that order. He also slays anything and everything that gets in his way. Basicly if you don't help him, you die. He puts Perseus in the Clash of the Titans remake to shame.
  • Starting the Ōkami section right now. Beginning with Okami Amaterasu herself. She's GOD.
    • Otohime. For a video game princess, she spends more time being a politician than a damsel. Oh, and guess what? She's also a dragon.
    • Waka. Just Waka.
    • Ume is a pink dog. I love pink dogs. Shallow as that is, it's true.
    • Orochi. Most intimidating video game villain EVER. (And if you do some mythology research and find out that his full name is Yamato no Orochi, like in "Ark of Yamato," he could easily be the Magnificent Bastard behind the entire game.) Yami may be the incarnation of evil, but he ain't got nothin' on the dragon.
    • Despite Rao's raciness and her...um...Reveal, she always stands out to me as awesome. In all her forms, if you know what I mean. Especially since one of those forms is pretty much the iconic Japanese mythological character.
    • Mr. Flower for the sole reason of HE HAS A TREE ON HIS HEAD.
    • Kaguya is such a sweetheart...I think her goodbye to Mr. Bamboo was the Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
    • Ajimi the imp chef in the Moon Cave dungeon. Because of him, I was actually sad to kill Oni from then on.
    • Hayabusa just because of his saga of loyalty.
    • Susano doesn't seem awesome at first, but after the Moon Cave dungeon, your respect for him probably went through the ROOF. And you can tell he truly loves Kushi.
    • On the matter of Kushi, she kicks butt with sake. What do you mean, it's not awesome? Made even cooler if you talk to her in Kamiki after the Hitoshi Spring incident. Remember that bucket that was too heavy for her to carry? She carried it. All the way down the hill, up the other hill, and through the huge field.
    • Mr. Orange, who is the Michael Jackson of Okami. By that, I mean he MOONWALKS.
    • Sakuya. And, for that matter, Shakuya.
    • How come no one's mentioned Issun yet? He's a tiny little kickass bug... thing. And he still scores with the ladies.
    • And if we're talking Ōkamiden KUROW!!!!!!! He is just epically amazing in general. Hilarious and awesome. Every part with him in it is the best part of the game.
      • Speaking of Okamiden: How COULD you forget Chibi, Ammy's Badass Adorable son?! The pup is at most nine months old and he is already kicking ass and taking names, just like his mommy!
  • Sam Fisher: saving the world with gruffness and sticky shockers
  • CJ and The Truth from San Andreas were both pretty awesome. The Truth had some of the funniest dialogue and most creative missions in the entire series, and Carl was just an ordinary guy who'd gotten in a little over his head, the only real likeable player character so far in the series, and not again until the mission packs for GTA IV.
  • Wait a moment! No love for Lufia so far? It has such good characters! Most of all: Dekar! Seriously, how can you not love the guy?
  • How has no one mentioned the ultimate ham that is Sheogorath?
    Time for a celebration...cheeeeeese for everyone!note 
    • "...and out come the intestines! And I skip rope with them!"
  • Really? Cloud was mentioned but not Cecil Harvey from FFII (or IV)? He starts out as a Dark Knight, who questions himself and the King, for their evil actions, gets lost in the middle of nowhere, and becomes a shining beacon of light. Then rips the embodiment of hatred a new one.
  • so during all this time neither John Marston nor Niko Bellic didn't get a mention some the funniest, witties and saddest stories of this generation and two of the most soulful leads of gaming they are great, smart, badasses, and to top it all off woobies.
  • I'm disgusted in you all, No Love for Crash Bandicoot!? The greatest platform character ever created, hilarious, awesome, charming, nice, cool, laidback, if only those Damn Producers would start making real games again instead of cancelling them & replacing them with iPhone racers, the fact that hundreds of people signed that petition to bring him back to Consoles before 2 weeks shows that he's more awesome than Sonic or Mario ever! Crash for President!
    • Yes!! Yes!! Easily the greatest platforming franchise EVER. No matter the odds, no matter how powerful the opponent, no matter how terrible the forces of evil might be, Crash always, ALWAYS comes out on top! If you kidnap his girlfriend, threaten the world, or unleash an ancient evil power — nice knowin' ya. Go ahead. Send all your armies after him — yes, ALL of them. He will hunt you down, find you, and wipe the floor with you.
  • This bisexual male troper tends to do this with Nines Rodriquez. I mean, look at his smile, and his Goatee! how can you say no to him, huh?
  • Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's return/portrayal in Epic Mickey. IGN's explanation for naming him Best Character of 2010 says it all. His separation from Walt Disney and years of obscurity may have been sad, but I'm glad for them, otherwise he wouldn't be the fascinating character he is in this game.
  • This troper loves the way BioWare crafts its characters as much as the next and she always liked the Fable series, but much more casually partly because she never thought it even came close in that department. Hammer, Garth, and Reaver in II she got attached to, stuck her brain on thinking of them as being good as it got, and stalled and eventually forgot about getting III until she got it for Christmas. And oh lordy I love Sir Walter Beck thiiiiiiiis much. I might make this more coherent and/or have more steam for gushing later, but still, Lionhead, you made one heck of a masterwork set of brass knuckles while you were at it.
    • While we're on the subject of Fable III... Ben Finn. Oh, Ben, how I wish we could marry you, and not just because of any PSL I may harbour for you. (That haaaaiiiirrrr.) Ben Finn, you are akin to what I want my boyfriend to be, as you are equal parts snarky and caring. When Lionhead gave us to you without making you romanceable, I screamed and through a pillow and my computer, because... Dammit, Ben, you're perfect. I literally cannot find a flaw in you. Seriously.
  • Lightning. I'm sorry, she is just that badass. As a normal human, she takes out a train full of soldiers by herself, manages to best and destroy a huge lobster robot with minimal help, manages to take on everything that the Sanctum throws at her and Sazh; and actually succeeds in killing(?) Anima...albeit with help, and turned into a L'cie. Now she takes on whole battalions of soldiers by herself and wins, wrecks a fleet of robots...by herself...and wins, skydives and messes crap up with a gravity technology thingy, takes on actual god-like beings and wins, is the leader of the group of L'cie and yet she still has time to have a lot of Character Development and to be a Deadpan Snarker...hell, she probably has a fighting chance against Chuck Norris! You do not mess with this woman.
    • Seconded. Lightning has alot more redeeming value to her character other than just being badass than most people who write her off think.
  • The Tsviets from Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. IMO, they're the only reason to even play the game. They're all so complex (even the one who doesn't say much) and, lets face it, their backstory is far more interesting than Vincent's (Not that Vincent isn't. It's just that we've heard it before. Repeatedly. "Lucreciaaaaaaaaa" is probably getting tired of it at this point.) But anyway.
  • Adol of Ys has the best origin story ever. While most game protagonists have some generic angsty stuff, or didn't have a choice in the matter, or don't really care about heroing, Adol is doing exactly what he set out to do. He was the one to Call to Adventure at a very young age. According to the anime, it went something like this:
    Grandpa: *reads his grandson a story with heroes and sorcerers and such*
    Chibi!Adol: Wow... did stuff like that really happen?
    Grandpa: Yes, my boy, and it's still happening now. There are still places where people are attacked by dragons and sorcerers.
    Chibi!Adol: Poor people...Sucks to be them, huh? *frowns*
    Grandpa: *blinks* I suppose you're right.
    Chibi!Adol: ''...You know what, when I grow up, I'm going to save all those people." *nods*
    • And he does.
  • Tarkus in Dawn of War 2 just about everything he does is awesome, weather he be loyalist or traitor, he does it magnificently.
    • Eliphas the Inheritor, Ensemble Dark Horse extraordinaire. His lines are awesome on their own, but add his voice in and it's not hard to see why he came back for more in the expansions from 2. The fact that he kicks inordinate amounts of ass in both Dark Crusade (where he's so strong becoming a giant Daemon Prince is arguably making him weaker) and Retribution (where he's able to disrupt or outright annihilate whole armies with a single crushing blow) certainly doesn't hurt, either.
  • I am completely, utterly, terribly, grossly ASTONISHED that The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater isn't on here yet (well, now she is). Gracious, the entire Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater page is dedicated to her awesomeness. What female MGS fan is not a lesbian for The Boss? She's our dream lover - older, protective but sensitive, and I'll be she could %$@& our brains out. Um... this is getting scary, isn't it?
  • Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. The way he goes from an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy (admittedly one with the skills to back it up) to a truly wise and humble man, willing to admit his mistakes, is some of the best character development this troper has experienced in a video game.
    • Connor. Just. Connor. A lot of people didn't like III but he absolutely sold it for me. The way he holds onto his beliefs no matter what. The way he tried to seek peaceful solutions and stayed idealistic even after being kicked into the mud again and again. His interactions with the people on the Homestead, and seeing how much he cares for them and loves them. He's so sweet, and sincere, and his patience with the world keeps getting thrown back in his face.
  • Always, always bet on Duke.
  • Bayonetta
    • She's one of the most badass Action Girls ever. Whenever she's not snarking it up with some epic-tier one-liners, she's effortlessly wiping out the legions of Heaven with a wide variety of weapons, ranging from a demonic katana to enchanted ice skates, not to mention the loads and loads of guns that are not only dual-wielded, they're QUADRUPLE-wielded thanks to her awesome gun shoes. Such a character may seem overpowered, so the bosses have to be HUGE to stand a chance, but the massive clashes pay off with our witch delivering the hurt with some of the most epic over-the-top Finishing Moves ever seen.
  • Lanturn, Lanturn, for Arceus' sakes, Lanturn. Most adorable Pokémon EVER. (Besides Celebi, of course. I saw it in the fourth movie when I was little and I never stopped loving it since.)
    • If we're going to mention specific Pokémon, then I'm going to say that Scrafty and Scraggy are one of the best designed Pokémon of the fifth generation. Awesome typing, great and unique stat placement, a very good movepool and abilities and a crazier inspiration (gangster lizards that wear molted skin as baggy jeans? Awesome!)
      • If we're going to start mentioning Pokemon, we might as well create a brand new page considering that there's over 700 species. That being said, Treecko is the greatest Pokemon in existence, and if you know anyone who disagrees with that statement, then they are horrible people and you should not be friends with them anymore.
    • Slowpoke. It's a freaking hippo... salamander... pug thing. And it's adorable, in a derpy sort of way.
    • I choose you, Zangoose! Seriously, I've come to love Zangoose ever since I started using it. I don't know why, but it became my favorite instantly after beating Alder in Pokemon White, the game I got him in. Ever since then, I've always worked my way to getting a Zangoose in every game it's available in. And when I do, expect him (Or her. I did find a female once.) to become my highest-levelled member by a long shot. Heck, I have TWO level 100 zangooses. And I have only ever had three in general. Maybe it's because he's a fantastic False Swiper, with STAB and a high attack power. Maybe it's just because of his high attack power. Maybe I just like how he looks. I don't know, but I love Zangoose so much, and I will try to get one whenever I possibly can. note 
    • Archeops! My inner paleonerd fell in love with Archen because of how cute it is and fully expected to see its considerably less cute evolution as a serious step-down...I was wrong. First off, we have that ability, Defeatist. Debilitating it may be, it gives the species some personality and keeps it from being overpowered. Second, that sprite in Pokémon X and Y and all games afterward. It's hilariously pitiful and explains why it's ability is "Defeatist", since it's depicted as struggling to fly with a terrified look on its face. And it makes it look considerably cuter, too, due to the pudgy belly and appearance of wearing fluffy pajamas. A cute, cowardly, panicky, killer dinosaur! My ideal Pokemon partner!
    • Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Mareep? Its very existence is a literary allusion, it's based on the real-life phenomenon of wool conducting electricity, its name is an anagram of "ampere", and it also happens to be diabetes-inducingly cute. Oh yeah, and its shiny form looks like cotton candy.
  • Why the FUCK aren't there ANY Mortal Kombat characters here? For SHAME, tvTropes, for shame. I'll start with my all time favorite, Quan Chi. A badass who could single handedly kick pretty much any kombatants ass while barely trying. He's got two kick ass fatalities in the new game as well. I loved this bastard as soon I saw him wayyyyy back when he was introduced. I wasn't allowed to play the games back then but I found him funny looking and kinda cool. I didn't get to play as him until Deadly Alliance though. And damn me, but his voice good Gods; pretty much every appearance he's had this voice that causes me to squee like an idiot. Especially the newest one. Also, he's pretty attractive for a pale bald guy...much like another one mentioned here before...
    Quan:You will serve me in the netherrealm -squee-
    • Let's add Shang Tsung, the other Evil Sorcerer. Just typing that name gives me a mixed reaction of fangirlyness(Young form plx), fear and downright shivers from sheer awesomeness.Seriously, there is no being better at identity theft then Shang Tsung. And my Gods, is he fucking pretty when he's young. Why wubs Netherrealm Studios for bringing a frightening yet sexy Shang for me to squee over, plus his Joker fatality is one of the funniest things in the game. Even if he gives me nightmares, I still can't help but fawn over him when I rewatch the last few chapters of story modes cutscenes as well as all of armageddon when he's there... Oh God I sound like a stupid fangirl don't I? Also he is a smug jackass who can be considered Sophisticated as Hell.
    • Shao Kahn. Shao. Mother. Fucking. Kahn. The villain of the whole franchise, bar none, no matter who upstages him. His design makes Stripperific genuinely badass, he has a massive sledgehammer that can deal heavy damage, a cunning, ruthless personality who will never stop, no matter who the hell is against him, to take over all realms as his, and he is by far and away, one of the single most difficult final bosses in arcade gaming. He haunted thousands of childhoods, he is that hard of a bastard. Chances are, he practically had a rule over your life as he did Outworld. And let's not forget his taunts. Those soul-crippling taunts. "You will never win!"
  • Roy Earle from L.A. Noire. Smug Snake, yes. Racist, yes. Misogynist, yes. But he's completely hilarious to listen to.
  • With so many characters in the series that I love from EarthBound (1994) and Mother 3, it's so hard to gush about just one! The Chosen Four, a set of kid heroes, the innocent but helpful Mr. Saturns with their quirky speech patterns, Lucas the Combat Medic, Duster, a Handicapped Badass with an array a thief tools at his disposal, Kumatora, the Black Magician Girl with attitude, Boney the Team Pet, the badass father Flint... I can't help but like them all!
    • If you do not find Lucas an utterly adorable woobie who needs a huge hug, you really need to check if you even have a heart.
    • What about Claus? As the Commander, he's really, really good-lucking and badass.
  • Ramza Beoulve. A noble that would denounce his own title because he rejects the viewpoints of the aristocracy. A mercenary who would go against his own boss because he refuses another diplomatic scheme. A man who fights to save a chaotic-post-war world that not only brands him a heretic but would NEVER know of his deeds until centuries later, because it's the right thing to do. Most Final Fantasy heroes, spinoffs or not, can't compete with that. Best part is that he faced five or six demons as a lowly Squire with a small loyal military company.
  • Noctis Lucis Caelum, and ARDYN IZUNIA, CHANCELLOR OF NIFLHEIM! Noctis in and of himself is one of the best FF protagonists since Zidane, being a beautifully well-written and Tragic Hero par excellence, all while being the single most relatable and hilarious protagonist the series has to offer yet. His Character Development and absolutely heartbreaking journey are possibly the cornerstones of the already absolutely fantastic game, meanwhile, Ardyn proves to be, in essence, the most powerful, dangerous, and cunning villain in the entire series, singehandedly orchestrating every last horrific event that befalls the world of Eos, all while being polite no matter what and spouting the most memorable (and hilarious) quotes in the game. These two utterly stole the show of FFXV (right next to Ignis and Aranea) and made the game into an experience that cannot be easily forgotten. It helps that Ardyn is essentially Kefka, but done right instead of being a poor Joker ripoff.
    • I’d like to gush about Noctis as well! I (Noctswife) fell for his Bishōnen looks at first sight, and had my heart set on him once I saw how adorkable he is. His love of fishing, animals, and shy disposition makes me swoon. Cocky on the outside, cute on the inside, an absolute looker, adorable smiles... It’s no surprise that I joke that if someone were to date me, they would merely be a placeholder for Noctis. When I see him, my eyes light up, with every fact I learn about him, I fall more in love with him. I enjoy both his English and Japanese voices—I couldn’t imagine Noctbabe with any English voice other than Ray Chase’s, and Tatsuhisa Suzuki brings out Noct’s laid back side as well as his confident one. His older, 30-year old self is absolute eye candy (especially in a suit), the determination in his eyes makes me melt. The voice acting is perfect, his costume is fantastic— I can’t restrain gushing anymore! I love love love Noctis! He’s gorgeous! He’s cool in combat! He’s adorable! I I just want to pin him to a wall and kiss him silly! He’s darling! He’s kind! The game’s a mess, but above all, my love for Noct outshines everything. What I wouldn’t do to spend a day (and night) with him. He’s the prince of Lucis, king of my heart.
  • Roman Bellic. Yes, a lot of gamers hate him, but there's just something about his unstoppable optimism that's very admirable, as well as his unflinching loyalty to Niko, despite his inability to cope with the situations he and his cousin get into.
  • The characters of Ghost Trick are all very awesome. Especially Missile, a Pomeranian that's small in stature, but makes up for it in a huge way with his sheer bravado and energy. Not only does he become a very useful playable character, but it's revealed that he's the one who started the entire plot of the game, all to protect the ones he loves, why? Because that's what doggies do! He's probably the best time traveling dog with supernatural powers in a Capcom game, and he's competing with Amaterasu!
  • Bryant. Badass extraordinaire.
  • Skullgirls is just chock-full of totally cool characters. But the most magnificent of them all has got to be Peacock.
    • From her appearance to her attitude, Peacock practically bleeds awesome. She's like the embodiment of 1920s-1950s cartoons, all wrapped up into one dynamite little package. She's a 13-year-old who chain smokes cigars and lights you on fire with them. She's a walking arsenal, a cyborg built to destroy her world's recurring Eldritch Abomination, but is also very sympathetic considering the terrible things that happen to her. She pulls out whatever random implements her twisted brain can cook up, anything from dropping anvils to pies in faces to anthropomorphic bombs to chainsaws to attack with. She's got a crazy gang of cartoon lackeys that'll drop in and help her beat her opponent in a really brutal way. And though she's all old-timey and cute, she occasionally whips out a technique, or simply a look, that makes her look really scary. Her backstory is full of trauma, but she's not angsty, just crazy! Peacock is just this super-animated, adorable-yet-creepy, and batshit insane little firecracker of humor and destruction. She's a Broken Bird and a Woobie underneath her psychotic behavior, and yet she manages to be a compelling and captivating Anti-Hero! And with an awesome character design to match, so lively. Peacock kicks so much ass In every department.
  • Miror B. Awesomeness and has the best battle music ever.
    • You know who doesn't get the recognition she deserves? Bianca. She gets overshadowed by N, Cheren and the PC, but look at what she goes through over the game— she tries to become a trainer alongside her best friends and everything in the region tries to tear her down. Among other things, her Munna gets stolen, her dad tries to drag her back home and she's constantly reminded that she can't compete with the player and Cheren. But what does she do? She decides that, even if training isn't for her, she can still work with Pokémon. Moreover, in the finale, she rounds up the Gym Leaders for their Big Damn Heroes moment, saving the player from six of the seven sages. She's the type of character that anybody with any type of insecurities can sympathize with, but— for some reasonmost everybody online calls her an idiot and puts her down.
      • What probably sucks the most about Bianca is that no one gives her the attention she deserves, not even her creators. In the sequel? She's there, but most likely has no plot importance. In the anime? A side character. In Adventures/Special? Satellite Character, along with Cheren. Most other manga? Brief cameo appearance, if that. Most fanart and fanfics? Not there at all. If there was ever a character that needed a lot more love, it's her.
    • COLRESS. Besides the obvious, his complete lack of empathy over the course of the game is astoundingly awesome and brings something new to the table of cookie-cutter villains. Sure, Black and White first gave us N, but he's too goody-goody and sugary. In the sequels we get Colress who just doesn't give a shit. He's just in it For Science! and it is glorious. Even in the end , he's still pretty damn awesome.
    • But I beg to differ. N is fantastic. He's probably the most well-developed character in the games—adorable, quirky, and naive, yet a competent battler and mathematician. While Colress is indifferent, N cares so much about his friends and family that he finds the courage to get out from under his father's thumb. Also, he rides off into the sunset on his very own Legendary. You thought only the player character could do that?
    • OK, moving on now, Eusine is this troper's favorite Pokémon character. His hamminess and energy always struck her as awesome from the time she was young. He's so under-appreciated, or worse, which saddens her because LOOK AT HIM HE'S FRIGGIN' AMAZING. And such a fanboy! Who doesn't love a hammy fanboy?
    • Looker for sure. He has a ton of development and backstory hidden in his dialogue. He goes from a goofy police officer in Platinum to a caring father figure for Emma, and despite the loss of his partner Pokemon (presumably the Croagunk) he continues to do spy work and get in on the action. Heck, he gets punched in the stomach by Essentia, which is the closest this franchise has gotten to showing violence between humans, not Pokemon.
    • This Troper's favorite Human Pokemon Character is Piers from Pokémon Sword and Shield. Aside from having his own epic theme instead of the normal gym leader theme (which is also awesome) he's also a loving brother who puts together a gang of fans (who admittadly end up being more annoying than helpful) to help out his younger sister and he talks about the strengths of all his Pokemon, unlike other gym leaders, who just talk up their ace. Plus he stands very firm in his beliefs, refusing to let Rose build him a stadium over a power spot just to prove that you don't need Dynamax to be a great trainer. And given that he's ranked the third most powerful gym leader in Galar, he's right. He's just super awesome.
  • Pokémon Sun and Moon has a lot of memorable characters, but this Troper absolutely LOVES the Shrinking Violet Mysterious Waif Lillie! Her interactions with her Cosmog, Nebby, are both funny and adorable, she has some of the best facial expressions in the game, and is a truly remarkable girl. She also goes through on-screen character development- Throughout the game, she grows more confident and less reserved. This troper truly felt like someone close to her during these segments. And after the Wham Episode that was the second trip to the Aether Foundation, I wanted to give her the biggest hug in the universe! When she left for Kanto, I teared up... Please, Lillie, show up in a future game, I love you!
  • Wigglytuff from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers. He's seemingly a Cloud Cuckoo Lander idiot, but he has hidden depths and strength like you wouldn't believe. And his backstory as revealed in the special episode is absolutely heartbreaking.
  • Asura from Asura's Wrath, for far too many reasons this troper can explain.
  • Dr. Watts from To the Moon. Sure he's a Jerkass sometimes, but that's what makes him a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. The hilarious things he says, the ways he acts, and the fierce way he tries to prevent Dr. Rosalene from completely altering Johnny's memories so that he doesn't quite "remember" River because he'd believe it would make him miserable is very adorable and proves that he has a heart of gold. And after the credits, when it appears that he's either A. addicted to painkillers, B. dying or even BOTH, I felt kind of sorry for him!
    • Seconded on Neil, of course, but...River. Oh god, River. She's such a deep and interesting character when you think about it, and this troper was fascinated by her. The only true thoughts we get from her point of view is the song at the end, and even that was enough to bring this troper to tears over how tragic her story is.
    • To add on to The Stinger of To The Moon, Neil is Secretly Dying due to his mother Lynri's deadly neurological condition that got passed down to him, revealed in Impostor Factory. He takes the painkillers to deal with his condition and isolated himself from most others so they wouldn't have to feel the heartbreak if his condition suddenly went malignant and killed him, just like what happened with his father Quincy when Lynri died. However, Eva was there with him throughout much of his life, even helping him cheat through Sigmund's entrance exams (referenced as a throwaway line in To the Moon). Neil suffers through the early loss of his mother, inheritance of the condition rhat killed her, falling out with his living father, having little if any friends outside of work, yet he still tries to cover it up with a Large Ham and Deadpan Snarker personality. Really, it's no wonder that Faye was such a Shipper on Deck for Eva and Neil when she created the perfect reality for Lynri and Quincy's simulated personas!
  • Ethan Mars. He's not same big shot badass or action hero. He's just a normal guy who's trying to do everything in his power to save his son, even as the Origami Killer puts him through tests that push him beyond the brink both physically and mentally. Yet even though he seems to be near the Heroic RRoD if not already suffering it, Ethan somehow continues on. Just looking at the case reminds me of how much I felt for this guy and wanted to make sure above all else that he earned his happy ending.
  • Albedo from Xenosaga. Now, I don't know too much about the games or even about him, but this character kind of makes me want to play the games! He's so creepy, mysterious and almost even a woobie! And he has one HECK of an Evil Laugh! And that, ladies and gents, is what makes him cool!
    • I also really love Jr., Sellers, Wilhelm, Allen, Captain Matthews, Tony, Hammer and just about every single character in the entire Xenosaga series... Except for Ms. Cherenkhov... She's someone I love to hate...
  • This troper has a proud history of rooting for the villain in many, many stories. I also live and breath Orky WAAAGH!. So when I first saw Warboss Grimskull of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, I simultaneously squee'd and knew I was screwed. Intimidating, built like a crudely-assembled runaway train, and clever by proper Orky standards; this Warboss and his nigh-infinite horde of Orkz are your primary enemy in the entire game. He positively radiates power and does not screw around.
  • Chuck fucking Greene! This guy is so awesome! He can make a lightsaber out of gems, a flashlight, and some ductape, Is a great and selfless father, Helps even those who are Too Dumb to Live, and is a Deadpan Snarker to boot. He is the character to end all characters.
  • I know it's a hint early perhaps but, I have to say it. I. Love. Tennessee. "Kid" Cooper from the new Sly Cooper game. He was one of my favorites mentioned in the first game and when I got to him I just flipped my shit. He is hands down the best Cooper Ancestor in the game. He's charming, funny, fast, and so, so much more. Rioichi was my other one I wanted to be but he wasn't as wonderful as I pictured him. But Tennessee did the opposite.
  • In my opinion, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City feature the best interpretations of the Scarecrow and Mad Hatter ever. Not only do their bits completely steal the show, their voice actors convey their madness so well.
  • I don't care if she's a monkey, Candy Kong was enough to turn this troper into a one time furrie just for her. Just look at those insane curves, topped off by those luscious lips, tight bikini top, incredibly short shorts, long, tan legs, tempting blonde hair, and an infinitely sexy look on her face that made me go bananas for this parody of a Ms. Fanservice!
  • Shantae is a seriously awesome protagonist, she's the appointed Genie guardian of Scuttle Town and lives up to that title by fighting Nagas, living scarecrows, mummies, all sorts of monsters, and her arch-nemesis Risky Boots! She does it all with a smile on her face and a song in her heart, and a ponytail made of asskicking. She's helpful, brave and kind to those around her and will do whatever it takes to protect her town and it's inhabitants. She can also use belly dancing to change her form to adapt to any situation, that's just cool in it's own right.
  • Professional deadpan snarking, face punching, hat wearing, super jumping (albeit with special pants), window jumping, coat rocking spy Richard Conway from Gunpoint is this troper favorite indie game character.
  • Patricia Wagon, anyone? She's an asskicker, she serves for the police AND firefighting force, and she's freaking hot! I mean, those legs! THOSE BEAUTIFUL LEGS!
  • Peppy Hare deserves special mention. Out of all of Fox's allies, he is definitely the most useful. He was part of the original Star Fox crew (James McCloud, Peppy, and Pigma Dengar) which is a pretty cool backstory. He also gives surprisingly helpful advice unlike the annoying Navi and points out important weak spots of bosses. He also comments on how Fox "reminds him of his father". I bet he's called Peppy because he always cheers up the Star Fox team. Do I even need to mention his awesome quotes? Do a Barrel Roll!
  • This troper's just gonna go ahead and talk about Pit right now. Kid Icarus: Uprising gave her a crapton of respect for this angel. Unlike a lot of other Nintendo heroes, he's full of personality, and that's what makes him so lovable. He may be cheerful, energetic, hot spring-loving, fourth wall-breaking kid who makes up rally cries so he can look cool in front of his enemies, but he's Palutena's best soldier for a reason. He can easily take on a god. He never gives up, either. Oh, and this troper probably sounds like a complete girl saying this, but... HE'S JUST SO CUTE!
    • What's a great protagonist without a great antagonist? Hades is that antagonist. He's a brilliant and an absolutely hilarious interpretation of Hades this side of Disney.
    • Nearly every character is memorable and hilarious, but special mention goes to Hades, Viridi, and especially Pyrrhon. And of course, Palutena with her "X-ray specs".
  • League of Legends is full of these characters: Annie, Kayle, Katarina, Shyvana, Lulu, Riven, Tristana, Jinx, Caitlyn, Vi, Ashe... The list goes on and on, and this Troper can't choose one, but if he could, the first pick would be Jinx. She's crazy, has a big arsenal of guns, and she doesn't need to have a big pair of tits to be considered sexy by the fanbase. Her personality, quirks and chaotic fun are reason enough to gush over.
  • Francis York Morgan. What's not to like about him? He's a movie buff, a badass FBI agent, and a downright weird guy who talks to his imaginary friend, Zach, aka the player. He solves a huge murder case with the most creative use of profiling in a video game, or in real life. But to top it all off, he's not even real. He's a guardian angel for Zach, someone who's been protecting him for decades after he was locked up by Forrest Kayson. That just tugs my heartstrings.
  • I seriously did not just read this whole section without nobody mentioning Sol friggin' Badguy from Guilty Gear. Sol is probably the epitome of badass. He's got the looks, the personality, and the skill to make it all work. He may be basically the series creator's self-insert OC, but good God does he make Marty Stu look awesome. And let's not forget his Dragon Install. LET IT OOOOOOOOOOOOUT!
  • The Blues. Sometimes they're angry, but for the most part, those cute little birds are... well, cute. Especially as plushies!
  • Call me crazy, but this tropers's favorite Super Smash Bros. character is Mr. Game and Watch. Sure, he's not rescuing princesses or saving worlds, but you know what he is doing? He's saving people from burning buildings. He's keeping his brothers-in-arms from falling into shark-infested waters. He's making sure people get their mail. Mr. Game and Watch is the hero most overlooked: the everyday hero.
  • The Evil Within: Sebastian Castellanos. He is a badass who is Made of Iron and can take out zombies (Okay, Haunted...) and walk away seemingly unfazed.
  • I'd have to go with Sans because he is ridiculously complex. He's a hilarious troll, a victim of depression, a solemn judge, and a awesome boss all in a small, big-boned package.
    • And while we're still on the topic of adorable monster skeletons, how about Papyrus? Every other character has their goods and bads, their flaws and dark sides, but Papyrus doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Sure, to quote another character, he's "weird, naive, and self-absorbed," but it's his genuine friendliness and hilarity that makes us love him. He's an amazing example of Awesome Ego because he uses his perceived greatness only to help others reach their full potential.
    • Undertale in general sports an all-around excellent cast, and Mettaton is one of the funniest among them. He has a hilariously dark and morbid sense of humor, snarks at everything, has an ego the size of Jupiter, and never forgets to entertain his loving audience with his over-the-top performance, not even when he's in the process of executing you. And that's before he transforms into his ultra-Bishie EX form and goes on to kick your ass as one of the toughest bosses in the game.
    • Undyne is a spear-wielding, tomato-punching, piano-playing badass fish lady who makes cooking spaghetti look awesome... and who also has a surprisingly tender, understanding side, is fiercely protective of her friends, and never gives up. Not even after you kill her. Now there's a heroine for you.
    • King Asgore Dreemurr. Even after all these years, I feel like he's still underappreciated. None of the characters in Undertale moved me emotionally like Asgore did. He's a nice guy who's also a powerful badass that's been through a lot ever since his two children died, and he did what he had to do to bring hope to his people, even at the cost of his own conscience. Not to mention his boss battle and theme.
  • Say what you like about Ulfric Stormcloak, but he's been through so much: sent to an isolated monastery when he was likely nothing more than a child, endured the horrors of the Great War and Thalmor torture, not to mention the fact he was made to believe the information he gave up effectively lost the war. Combined with his imprisonment after the Markarth Incident and his father's death, you (possibly) can't help but feel for the guy. Also, he's undoubtedly a badass and can give a damn good Rousing Speech made all the more awesome by his deep voice. The fact that he's the only Jarl who doesn't refer to his people as 'the common rabble' and his informal relationship with Galmar top it off. He might get better in regards to that aspect after the war, too.
    • How about Serana? She went through becoming a vampire, her dad pretty much going insane and coming up with a plan TO BLOT OUT THE SUN,witch led to her parents fighting and breaking up, then she gets locked in a tomb for hundreds of years, it's a wonder she even wants to help you and she doesn't complain that much! if you were a vampire you wouldn't want to stay outside either.
  • Just about every major "boss" Variant from Outlast. Trager, Chris Walker, Gluskin and the Twins could have just been written as generic crazies,- mere obstacles to be overcome,- but the voice-acting and the backstories the game builds for them really flesh them out and make them into more compelling characters. Rarely have you ever seen fan feeling so strong for characters that spend such a brief time on the screen. Kudos also to the player characters Miles and Waylon, who despite being Faceless Protagonists (whom we only hear speaking via written notes,) manage to impress us with their ability to withstand merciless beatdowns and witness scenes of carnage that would have had hardened military men soiling themselves.
  • So is no one going to mention Assassins Creed characters? Fine. I'll add my own then in the form of the Frye twins. Two badasses with great dialogue, interactions, hilarious lines and amazing development. Though if I have to pick just one I'll go with Evie.
  • No Shin Megami Tensei love? Looks like this troper has to step in. This may be something of an unpopular opinion, but I utterly LOVE Gaston from Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. Not going to lie, I started out by utterly hating him. He was obnoxious, arrogant, and wouldn't have been that bad if he would just keep his mouth shut now and again. Honestly, when he got pissy with Nanashi for delivering the not-so-killing blow to Shesha, I wanted to punt him into the abyss. Then, Character Development turns him into easily my favorite character! When his fellow samurai reject him, he sides with the main characters, and spends a good long while moping and drowning in self-loathing. It's refreshing to have him knocked down a peg, but also awful, because we find out he was so full of himself because he desperately wanted to atone for the mistakes his brother made and had to work twice as hard to get shown respect. He even almost got himself killed to protect Toki from the Aether. You know, the girl he was vehemently against because he viewed her as a potential traitor? And, to top that off, when it's revealed that Hallelujah is part demon, he shrugs it off just as easily as the other characters. After defeating Merkabah, he makes the switch from Honor Before Reason to a Defector from Decadence with a powerful moral code of his own. He's just so well written and I love him so much! Killing him in the Massacre Route was quite possibly the most painful thing I've ever done.
  • Speaking of Bioware characters, some characters from the Mass Effect franchise need to be pointed out;
    • Tali'Zorah is amazing in this troper's opinion. She is an excellent example of the Badass Adorable trope and she is a genius with weapons. Tali's got a nice shape, but she's never stuck up about her looks and never reduced to using them to get what she wants. Despite her strong feelings for a male Commander Shepard she's strong and mature enough to not put the mission at risk and even let him be with someone else if that's what she wants. While even I think that taking it to the level of a "Talimancer" is overdone in my opinion, I can sympathize with their fondness for Tali. Not only did she tempt me (one of a few fictional characters to do that), let's just say she made me more open minded on the Boldly Coming trope. I don't think aliens exist, but if they did and Tali was one of them...
  • The Phantom Thieves of Hearts deserved special mention. A lot of them have very interesting personalities and all of them have some Woobie elements. Examples would include Haru (aka a Nice Girl who manages to have a sadistic side to her Beneath the Mask), Yusuke (aka a Comically Serious Cloudcuckoolander), and Morgana (aka the very snarky Mentor Mascot who has a generally heartwarming relationship with the protagonist). However, my personal favorite has to be Futaba Sakura. She is incredibly Adorkable who has a very sad backstory that makes you want to hug her after going through her palace. Her palace was a nice call-back to Persona 4, but instead of rejecting it and having the party fight that shadow, she perfectly accepted her shadow on her own without any fight. Also, she probably has the strongest Character Development in the game from going from a shut-in who wouldn't go out to her room to somebody who manages to Face Her Fears as she manages to talk to the cognitive IT president who only fumbles her words once before regaining her composure.
    • Goro Akechi is one of my favorites (at least in Royal). He has such an interesting relationship with the protagonist and a lot of his character is up to interpretation. I also cried when he faced his cognitive self, drops the Black Mask facade, and makes a genuine plea to the protagonist before his death. I personally believe that even though he's a villain serving as a Corrupt Politician's personal hitman, he wasn't evil by choice. Somewhere deep down he's truly at least a decent person. And that isn't even getting into his spotlight in the Third Semester.
      Akechi: Let's make a deal... OK? You won't say no... will you?
      Yusuke: Why at a time like this...!?
      Akechi: Change Shido's heart... in my stead... End his crimes... Please...!
  • How is it possible that Tal'Set Fireseed from Turok hasn't been mentioned here!? He is a Badass Native, Mr. Fanservice, and a One-Man Army rolled into one package in a game where he's trying to stop the Campaigner from taking over the universe using the Chronoscepter, a superweapon that could destroy the fabric of space! Tal'Set's bravery is what earns my respect for him, as not even death can stop him from completing his goals! As time goes on, Tal'Set gains magnificent weaponry on his journey.
  • Broken Age gives us Vella Tartine. Chosen as a human sacrifice, she instead goes on a revolutionary journey to kill the monster plaguing her village and end the vicious cycle of death.
  • I dislike Yanderes in general, but Yandere-Chan is an exception. She's a Sociopathic murderous Yandere (if you want her to be, of course) to anybody who happens to like her Senpai back, but is it fun to play as her? Oh yeah!
  • How has no one mentioned Shovel Knight yet? This guy does not know the word quit. He goes through hell and back, to save someone who could be dead! Armed with only a shovel(plus some other goodies you can find in the levels). He takes down anything that gets in his way. And yet, he is still a chivalrous knight that takes time to help anyone who needs it. This guy is one of the greatest video game heroes and well deserving of his fame.
  • I know the Trails franchise as a whole is relatively obscure in the West, but Estelle Bright need more love! She's a bubbly energetic tomboy who became a Bracer so she can help people and protect those dear to her. She also has a sunny attitude that allows her to brave any challenge in her way and inspires her companions to do the same. It was an absolute pleasure playing the Trails in the Sky games and watch her mature as both a Bracer and as a person.
  • For many, there's no character more awesome, in different ways, than the hero of Quest for Glory; every single heroic action you could conceive, no matter how big or how small, chances are he actually did it at some point of the game. From preventing an Eldritch Abomination from destroying our world, to running errands in order to help an elderly stranged couple reunite; from defeating world-ending doomsday dragons by sheer martial prowess while spitting at the face of prophecy, to teaching the concepts of honor and forgiveness by telling stories over a friendly game of wari; from restoring lost trinkets, to willingly and deliberately giving his own life to restore another onenote ; pardoning fallen enemies, hiding in harems, hunting beasts, freeing hunted beasts, besting villains at their own game -whatever the game, rescuing lost children, ending wars, making older foes to be allies... we could continue for the whole length of this page. He just rolls that way.
  • No love for Sig from Puyo Puyo? He's a half demon who's not really concerned with his left eye and hand. All he really wants to do is catch bugs. He's so deadpan about most stuff, unless it's a bug. The sheer amount of happiness he expresses whenever he catches one is enough to make ME happynote  He's a good boy, and his story in 20th Anniversary was enough to send me into a Cuteness Overload.
    • Seconded on Sig being a cute character; it's easy to see why he's so well-liked as both an Ensemble Dark Horse and an in-universe Clueless Chick-Magnet. But why just him? Give some love for Amitie, one of the series' main protagonists and a best friend of Sig, while you're at it. She's just so goofy yet friendly it's kinda hard not to like her.
  • All four of the girls from Doki Doki Literature Club! have their love and fans, with fanart, memes and even official merchandise still up and running after the game's release in 2017. It's easy to find a girl you really like from the game and hug them tightly. Some fans even wish the game played out like an actual visual novel so they'd consider romancing them for real.
    • Sayori's Genki Girl personality is very uplifting and she is regarded as a cinnamon roll. Many people just wanted to hug her after her reveal of her depression, and cried alongside her if the main character accepted her confession.
    • Monika is considered to be the most attractive character of the four, considering her Zettai Ryouiki Grade A compared to the other 3. She's also well-written as a self-aware program, and even after The Reveal with her as the "villain" of the game, she's considered to be very likable, especially during her segment after she completely reprograms the game. Many fans have wished she had a playable route instead of her resorting to mess the game up.
    • Yuri is considered to be very elegant and beautiful, some people even considering her better looking than Monika. They find her interests to be quite fascinating, and some like how she tries to get along with other characters.
    • Natsuki, the Tsundere of the four, is considered to be really adorable (don't tell her she's cute though). Many people like the fact that out of the four, she's the most stable of the group (her "issues", before being tampered with, were mostly insecurity and having a judgmental dad). Many people really like her segments, where she does a really cute smile when she comes over to the main character's house, and when she writes a poem on how she feels about the player if they appeal to her all 3 days in the first act.
  • Come on, nobody mentioned anyone from the Borderlands series? This is a crime. The series is chock full of loveable badasses.
    • The Vault Hunters. All of them. They're just... so damn awesome, no questions asked.
      • Lilith is the Commander of the Crimson Raiders! She's an awesome girl leading an awesome organization!
      • Also, Timothy Lawrence, because he's cute.
    • This Troper however really loves Sir Hammerlock. He's a hunter gentleman who lost his limbs to a massive monster but this does not stop him from being badass. It certainly helps he and his boyfriend in 3 are the most heartwarming couple I have seen in my entire life.
  • In no particular order, here are two of my favorite characters.
  • No love for Sakura Ogami? Even though she looks scary, she is a really nice person! She even chose to kill herself when the mastermind manipulated her to kill everyone.
    • From the same franchise we have Nagito Komaeda, one of the most popular (if controversial) characters for, in my opinion, good reason. A very interestingly written morally gray character with a complex worldview who manages to be somehow both comforting and very scary depending on what the scene needs. His Suicide by Cop plan in Chapter 5 is so crazy and yet everything about it, from the imaculate planning to the emotions and intrigue it brings to the trial are so well-done.
  • Jeremy Donaldson from Not for Broadcast. The guy is Deadpan Snarker 9000, is one of the only characters who instead of sticking to one side actually pushes forwards for neutrality when Advance begins to turn into an oppressive regime, and on Day 296: The Heatwave he put his life on the line to expose Advance's hypocrisy and evil deeds. He kickstarted a large part of the protest against Advance and alerted the public of Advance's secret plans, and he will not hesitate to tear you a new one if you do not play the Disrupt tape on air. Give a big salute to Jeremy for sacrificing himself for the greater good.
  • Kel from OMORI has grown to be very emotionally intelligent and stable, effectively bringing his friend group back together soon after first coaxing Sunny out of his house. Furthermore, while Aubrey and Basil are sometimes compared to Susie and Ralsei (respectively) from Deltarune, Kel has all the best traits of both said Deltarune characters.
  • Mary from Ib. Her overall character is pretty interesting, considering the fact it deals with What Measure Is a Non-Human? since she’s a Living Drawing who wants to live in the human world. Her morality is also pretty interesting because while she doesn't have any bad intentions, the way she went about her goals involve things as bad as killing someone, which ended up spawning a Broken Base over her morality.
  • Captain Olimar from the Pikmin series. He's an adorable, compassionate, and honest family man who, despite being put through the absolute wringer over the course of the games, will do whatever it takes to return home and see his loved ones again. Whether he's getting stranded on a distant planet with the ever-present threat of death by oxygen on his shoulders, returning to said planet to pay off his company's debt, or being captured by a sentient slime creature, one thing is for certain; he will see his family again, or die trying. All by fighting hazards and enemies ten times his size with nothing but his powers of observation and an army of sentient plant creatures who stand by him until the very end.. Dude deserves a vacation, preferably one that doesn't have him crash-land somewhere.
    • Hell, without his guidance and leadership, the Pikmin would have essentially gone extinct!
      • And speaking of the Pikmin, the fact that he treats them as basically a second family instead of just pawns or servants is nothing short of sweet.
    • His Piklopedia entries are so insightful and well articulated that it honestly makes me question why he still works at Hocotate Freight. He could make a killing as a biologist with that kind of knowledge!
    • Through the entries for treasures, we see so many sides of Olimar as a character. The devotion and love he has for his family, his gentle curiosity for the beings and objects he finds on the planet, his willingness to understand new things, how he introspects on his actions and feelings; both good and bad. For what some might see at first glance as just a funny little astronaut, he's so much more than meets the eye.

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