History AscendedExtra / VideoGames

** ''VideoGame/OnePiecePirateWarriors'' has 3 installments, each of which builds upon the roster of the one before it. Many of the new additions in each installment were characters that have already appeared in previous games as {{Non Player Character}}s, before becoming fully playable.

* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'': As with ''Crusader Kings II'', the nameless Captains of your fleet's ships can occasionally be promoted to the Admiralty after a battle, giving you a free fleet leader. In a similar vein, promising researchers on your science ships can occasionally give you the option between promoting them to full on Scientists or to leave them in their current position for a temporary boost to that ship's current chief scientist.

* One of the companions in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear'', Voghiln the Vast, previously showed up as a gladiator who players could briefly fight alongside, but who had no real plot role.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', Daud is the assassin who murdered the Empress Jesamine Kaldwin. He appears at the beginning of the game to do the killing, and again near the end to confront Corvo after [[spoiler:the Loyalists betray him and dump him in the river near Daud's hideout]]. The game's two story [=DLCs=] - "The Knife of Dunwall" and "The Brigmore Witches" focus entirely on him (Corvo doesn't appear outside of a dream until the very last seconds of "The Brigmore Witches") and what he was doing while Corvo was exacting his revenge. Also doubles as HeroOfAnotherStory.
** Then there's the princess Emily herself. She goes from a LivingMacGuffin in ''Dishonored'' to one of two playable characters in ''VideoGame/Dishonored2''.

** Kytes and Filo were named, recurring {{Non Player Character}}s of little importance in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' become fully playable characters in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIIRevenantWings''. Likewise, Tomaj (another named but unimportant NPC that shows up the original game's tutorial) is promoted to supporting character, and Ba'Gamnan becomes a GuestStarPartyMember and recurring {{Quirky Miniboss|Squad}}. Heck, even Vaan goes from SupportingProtagonist to HeroProtagonist.
*** Also, Hurdy (one of the Moogling operators from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'') becomes a supporting character in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2''.

* 5pb, a DLC-only bonus character from ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'', joins the party as part of the regular storyline in ''[[VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaMk2 Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2]]''.
** A weird example because while Neptune is the main character of ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'', she becomes a supporting character to her sister in the ContinuityReboot ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaMk2''. Come ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaV'' and Neptune is now the protagonist again while Nepgear is a supporting character.

** Additionally the ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' series expanded some of the badnik enemies from the original games and converted them into recurring henchmen for Dr Robotnik. Scratch (based largely on Clucker from Sonic 2), Grounder and Coconuts frequently appeared as comic relief in the show.
*** This position was reversed around with the promotional UsefulNotes/SEGAGenesis title ''Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine'', that not only includes said recurring characters as opponents, but uses numerous original badnik characters from the show, the large majority of them background characters from the pilot episode that weren't even given a name or speaking role in the show itself.

*** The ducks from ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'' appeared in ''Melee'' as a trophy (which had two ducks) and a sticker in ''Brawl'' (which only had one). They would later team up with the infamous dog from the same game in the fourth installment. Oddly though, this was the first time the dog appeared in a Smash game.

** Cullen. In ''Dragon Age: Origins'', he was a minor NPC with only two scenes (three if the player chooses the Mage Origin). In ''Dragon Age II'', he returns as a fairly important NPC. In ''Dragon Age: Inquisition'', he returns as an advisor, a role that has nearly as much dialogue as a party member, and is a love interest.

* In the original ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'', Brant Harris, Doctor Elizabeth Cross, acting Engineer chief Jacob Temple and Chen were all just minor characters in the game with Chen being the first person killed by the Necromorphs, Brant only having his name brought up once in a Log and Cross and Temple both killed with Temple being killed by Challus Mercer in front of Isaac. In the ''VideoGame/DeadSpaceRemake'' however, all of their roles get expanded significantly. Chen ends up coming back as a Necromorph and takes the place of the random slasher from the original that Hammond sent out in an escape pod and killed the crew of the USM Valor as well as taking the place of the Brute that killed Hammond by having them both die after being pulled into the engine of the ship. Brant Harris is revealed to be a Unitologist and willingly allows Mercer to inject his skull with Necromorph tissue [[spoiler:and becomes the Hunter Necromorph that chases you throughout the game while still aware of his life as a human instead of the random victim Mercer used in the original.]]

* In the original ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'', Brant Harris, Doctor Elizabeth Cross, acting Engineer chief Jacob Temple and Chen were all just minor characters in the game with Chen being the first person killed by the Necromorphs, Brant only having his name brought up once in a Log and Cross and Temple both killed with Temple being killed by Challus Mercer in front of Isaac. In the ''VideoGame/DeadSpaceRemake'' however, all of their roles get expanded significantly.

** In the original version of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', Enuo was mentioned once as being the one indirectly responsible for the plot and never showed up at all. In later versions, he was made into the game's [[BonusBoss ultimate opponent]].

* In the first ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', Damion Wolfe and his FM-ian, Wolf, are just {{Bonus Boss}}es you can challenge anytime you want. In the third game they were promoted to secondary characters, helping our heroes in an occasion or two. In the anime he was also promoted, but to a "villain" (well, he softens up later).

** {{B|loodKnight}}ass in the first ''Battle Network'' was just a BonusBoss, but became one of the villains in the two next sequels. Battle Network 4 and beyond then turned him into an extra again, but at least he gets dialogue. He was important in the anime and manga adaptations, too.

** Zero in ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' was initially just meant to be a disposable [[TheObiWan Obi-Wan]] to X, a stronger Maverick Hunter to gauge X's progression in strength by. He even appears in a mere 3 scenes before dying in a HeroicSacrifice. His popularity, however, led to him being revived at the end of [[VideoGame/MegaManX2 the second game]], being playable under specific circumstances in [[VideoGame/MegaManX3 the third]], and fully PromotedToPlayable in [[VideoGame/MegaManX4 the fourth]], becoming the series' deuteragonist. He even eventually [[VideoGame/MegaManZero got a series of his own.]]
** Players who seen ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'''s cutscenes might recall that Evil Energy was part of the game plot, and its intro had Duo and an unnamed robot, whom we'll call the Evil Energy robot, fighting before both of them defeat themselves and collapse into the atmosphere of Earth. ''VideoGame/MegaMan8BitDeathmatch'' does exactly this, and guess who's the FinalBoss (or rather DiskOneFinalBoss) for chapter 8? Why, it's [[spoiler: the Evil Energy robot, instead getting his own day in the limelight by appearing out of nowhere in one of the matches, absorbing the powers of the 8 robot masters, and flying out to space; Duo, who's in pretty bad shape and cannot fight it himself, lends his fist to the player to stop them for good. Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the Evil Energy ''nor'' the Evil Energy robot, though, seeing as the former gets refined into the Roboenza virus by Wily in V5's ending and the latter is revealed to have to barely survived, hijacking Sunstar and the Wily Star in V6, turning it into the MechanicalAbomination known as Eclipse]].

* Iris' death in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' is one of the most iconic moments in the series, and the developers ended up feeling so bad for her that they made ''VideoGame/MegaManXtreme2'' a prequel to ''X4'' so that she could show up one more time. ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' shows that Zero is still haunted by her death, and she's since gotten special artwork made for her for the ''[[CompilationRerelease Mega Man X Legacy Collection]]'' and even made a cameo in ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', as well as becoming a major character in the AlternateContinuity ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series [[spoiler: though she ultimately suffers the same fate there as well.]]
* Johnny Sasaki from the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' franchise. In the first three games he is shown as a purely comedic character with bowel issues. [[spoiler:In the fourth entry he ends up as Meryl's love interest and more or less evolves into a BadassNormal.]]
** Master Miller, one of Solid Snake's minor allies in ''Metal Gear 2'' [[spoiler:and impersonated by Liquid Snake in the first ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'']] becomes a major character in ''Peace Walker'' and ''Ground Zeroes/Phantom Pain'' [[spoiler:as Big Boss' right-hand man]].
** [[spoiler:This is the endgame twist in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain''. The PlayerCharacter is not the Big Boss you've been playing as since ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'', but a BodyDouble who made his debut as a nondescript male MSF soldier in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker''. He went on to become the medic in ''Ground Zeroes'' who performed surgery on Paz, and nine years later, he's building on Big Boss's legacy and avenging those who wronged him, while Big Boss himself builds the nation of Outer Heaven off-screen.]]

** Blaze first appeared as a background character under the name "Torch" in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' until his [[DarkerAndEdgier major character overhaul]] in VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon, where he wound up becoming not only [[BigBad a towering juggernaut and the Story Mode's final boss]], but also the Elder Gods' trump card in deciding the fate of all the realms from preventing Armageddon..

* In ''VideoGame/PrincessConnect'', Ayumi started out as a RecurringExtra who would appear in various cutscenes and [=CGs=] as "mob" character. During the game's original run, she was the last playable character released before the game's termination. In ''Re:Dive'', she once again serves as "mob filler", even showing up as early as Chapter 1 of the main story, before being made playable once more after being a main character in the ''Great Detective'' event, though she still serves her original "mob character" role. Hilariously, they justify her always being around in the background by making her a StalkerWithACrush on Yuuki.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series, most of the games focus on the efforts of the [[BadassFamily Belmont family]] to do away with {{Dracula}} once and for all. In 1989's ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse Castlevania III]]'', we are introduced to Alucard, the Dark Lord's [[IHateYouVampireDad prodigal son]]. Here, Alucard didn't really amount to much, seeing as he was a generic-looking vampire who threw weak fireballs. However, when he resurfaced eight years later in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Symphony of the Night]]'' (the series' reinvention into its now-iconic {{Metroidvania}} formula), revamped as a badass, [[TheStoic stoic]] {{Bishonen}} with a slew of nifty tricks and weapons (as well as strong, yet conflicting ties to both [[{{Dhampyr}} his father and mother]]), he instantly became so popular that he's now just as synonymous with the series as the Belmonts, Dracula, and [[TheGrimReaper Death]] are. It doesn't hurt that he's basically immortal, thus meaning that he's the sole recurring hero with the greatest chance to be in ''any'' game should his presence be required (i.e. his appearance in the ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Sorrow]]'' games, which are [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture a few decades in the future]] rather than the typical late medieval setting, as Genya Arikado).

* ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'': Harmony acts as the shopkeeper of Hotlantis, a store that sells miscellanous items to decorate your locker and splashtag. Harmony is also the vocalist for Chirpy Chips, one of the in-universe bands, and as such, her existence was relegated to promotional artwork in the first two games. Her acting as a shopkeep marks the first time a non-idol band member from the ''Splatoon'' universe has appeared in-game.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', Doomfist was originally intended to be a throwaway name in the cinematic trailer. But due to overwhelming fan request, he ([[LegacyCharacter or they]]) eventually became a major figure in the overarching story (via being one of the major leaders of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Talon]]) and was later made into a playable character.

** In ''VideoGame/YsIVMaskOfTheSun'', Karna is only a minor character that Adol runs into a couple times. However, in the UsefulNotes/PCEngine CD version, ''VideoGame/YsIVTheDawnOfYs'', she is a badass ActionGirl and a major plot driver.

** The [[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}} Inklings]] were a late addition to the trophies and Mii Costumes in ''3DS/Wii U'' but ascend to being playable in the next game.

** Saxton Hale, the Australian C.E.O. of Mann Co., started out as a gag parody of a 1940's Charles Atlas advertisement. The community then embraced him as a MemeticBadass, even giving him a mod where the whole RED team fights him in his honor. Although still not officially in the game, he is a major character in the Mann Vs. Machine arc, hiring the mercenaries after they lose their jobs working for RED and BLU.

** Skie is a completely optional, superfluos (one of the already many thieves and she is also lackluster in that) and easily missable companion in the first game, since she can only recruited in the final chapters of the game as part of a side quest of another at best average character, Eldoth, whom you meet in mid-campaign when your party is already established. Comes the Enhanced Edition with the ''Siege of Dragonspear'' expansion, and Skie, while not being anymore recruitable, acquires a major role at the end of the campaign that is pivotal for the story.

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'', similar to the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' example above, there's a small chance that one of the nameless soldiers will distinguish himself in combat, which turns him into a proper, named character who joins the player's court and is then treated like any other named character (can hold titles, can participate in factions and be their target, can command armies, and so on).

* Cookie Masterson of ''VideoGame/YouDontKnowJack'' was first the sign in host for the first 3 games (Yes ''Sports'' did come before volume 2) then finally gets in the limelight starting in ''Movies''.

** The crossover game ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' ascends several characters from several different games. The [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII Cloud of Darkness]] is upgraded from a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere with no personality to a thoughtful individual whose true desire is to keep the balance between the light and dark. The originally FlatCharacter [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Shinryu]] got to be a major player in the game's backstory. And Cid of the Lufaine from the first Final Fantasy game (who was introduced into the game retroactively) became [[spoiler: the instigator of the game's central plot]].

** Anna, the SeriesMascot, is a playable character after twenty two years of games in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. She returns in the following game, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', as DownloadableContent, and as a starting character in the mobile spin-off ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes.''

** Toni Cipriani, who was one of the first characters that gives few missions to the player in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', is the protagonist of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories''.

** In another branch of the series, you have Alisa, novice priestess to the Harvest Goddess. IN her first appearance in ''Island of Happiness'', she's was merely the cute assistant to GoodShepherd Nathan. In ''Sunshine Island'', she was one of your potential love interests[[note]]Though that turned out to be a cruel fake out on the Dev Team's part.[[/note]] In ''The Tale of Two Towns'', she one of two unlockable female love interests[[note]]with yet again another catch -- you can't have a child with her.[[/note]].

** From that same Legion of Doom, Madame Lazul was originally the unnamed female troll narrating the ''Whispers of the Old Gods'' trailer. She became part of villain team, with some hints that she's actually a Faceless One dropped on her.

** Blaze first appeared as a background character under the name "Torch" in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2'' until his [[DarkerAndEdgier major character overhaul]] in VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon, where he wound up becoming not only [[BigBad a towering juggernaut and the Story Mode's final boss]], but also the Elder Gods' trump card in deciding the fate of all the realms from preventing Armageddon..

* Before the final boss of ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters '94'', a blonde woman escorts your team to Rugal's chamber. After a number of victories in ''KOF '95'', a brunette woman informs the unseen Rugal of your team's progress. These two otherwise unremarkable secretaries would go on to become playable characters in ''KOF '96'' under the names Mature and Vice, complete with relevance to the Orochi storyline. And even though they were both killed at the end of the game, they still proved popular enough to return in full-cast compilation games and intercompany crossovers.

* Peter Puppy of ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' served as a minor assistant ([[WithFriendsLikeThese or hindrance]]) in the original games. In the [[WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim animated series]] he is promoted to Jim's KidSidekick and HeterosexualLifePartner. ''Earthworm Jim 3D'' uses concepts and character traits from the show, and thus Peter has a similar expanded role, acting as a tutorial character.

** Pocket Circuit Fighter from Yakuza 0, one of the characters from a mini-game re-appears in Kiwami [[JustifiedTrope alongside said minigame]]. However in 6 he only appears as part of a sidequest, In Like a Dragon, he returns alongside a different minigame.
** Onomichio from Yakuza 6, even though he is the mascot of a city that appears in a single game, he appears as a DLC character for the Clan Creator minigame in Kiwami 2, there are also [[GenderBent female versions of him]] as hostesses that appear as pre-order bonuses in the Cabaret GP minigame. He later appears in a substory in Judgement where the costume is used to commit a robbery. In Like a Dragon, Onomichi appears as summoned Poundmate, as well as a bootleg version of him being part of a side-story.