History BreakoutCharacter / VideoGames

*** Generation I: Charizard, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo, Eevee [[note]]Charizard was the fan favorite starter, and thanks to popularity poll results and merchandise sales, can be argued to be the most popular Pokémon [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore in the]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff United States]]. It was one of two Pokemon to get two Mega Evolutions in ''X'' and ''Y'', and was also depicted as the main Pokémon in ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'', the first animated Pokémon feature directly aimed at the PeripheryDemographic. Charizard's popularity also led to the one used by the main character of the anime to consistently be depicted as a total {{Badass}}, and aside from the ever-present Pikachu he's the most common of Ash's season one team to make return appearances. As noted above, thanks to the initial popularity of the anime, Pikachu was made into the official mascot of the franchise. Pikachu's popularity even warranted a RecursiveAdaptation, ''[[UpdatedRerelease Pokémon Yellow]]''. During the early days of the franchise, Jigglypuff was the second most popular Pokémon in Japan -- again, due to the anime -- and was one of the most prominent recurring characters in the anime, although its popularity has waned since then. Like Charizard, Mewtwo got two Mega Evolutions and ranks very high in popularity polls. Starting off as a BonusBoss in the original game and being the star of ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' led to Mewtwo also becoming one of the most popular Pokémon in the franchise. Eevee and its evolutions quickly became fan favorites for their adorable designs, and being the original Pokémon to have a branched evolution. Its popularity was so overwhelming that Eeveelution merchandise are frequently top sellers, and later generations would introduce more evolutions, with Sylveon in particular being used heavily in promos for ''Pokémon X & Y'' to show off the new Fairy type.[[/note]]

*** Generation III: Blaziken, Rayquaza, Gardevoir [[note]]Although not to the level of Charizard, Blaziken ended up becoming the most used starter of the third generation. Blaziken's popularity led to the game developers into creating ''two'' {{Expy}} starters in the form of Infernape and Emboar. Blaziken also was the first starter after the originals to get a Mega Evolution in Gen VI (and as an event, at that!). Rayquaza, like Charizard, ranks high in popularity polls and was voted as the most popular version mascot in a Japanese poll. It got quite a few gratuitous appearances across the franchise from late 2011 to early 2012, including as UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga's strongest Pokémon in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest''. Gardevoir and the whole family has become much more prominent in later generations than its first. It got Gallade as an alternate second stage evolution, and Generation VI gives it a Mega Evolution which is the Champion's signature Pokémon. [[/note]]

** Generation I: Charizard, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, SelfDemonstrating/{{Mewtwo}}, Eevee [[note]]Charizard was the fan favorite starter, and thanks to popularity poll results and merchandise sales, can be argued to be the most popular Pokémon [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore in the]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff United States]]. It was one of two Pokemon to get two Mega Evolutions in ''X'' and ''Y'', and was also depicted as the main Pokémon in ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'', the first animated Pokémon feature directly aimed at the PeripheryDemographic. Charizard's popularity also led to the one used by the main character of the anime to consistently be depicted as a total {{Badass}}, and aside from the ever-present Pikachu he's the most common of Ash's season one team to make return appearances. As noted above, thanks to the initial popularity of the anime, Pikachu was made into the official mascot of the franchise. Pikachu's popularity even warranted a RecursiveAdaptation, ''[[UpdatedRerelease Pokémon Yellow]]''. During the early days of the franchise, Jigglypuff was the second most popular Pokémon in Japan -- again, due to the anime -- and was one of the most prominent recurring characters in the anime, although its popularity has waned since then. Like Charizard, Mewtwo got two Mega Evolutions and ranks very high in popularity polls. Starting off as a BonusBoss in the original game and being the star of ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' led to Mewtwo also becoming one of the most popular Pokémon in the franchise. Eevee and its evolutions quickly became fan favorites for their adorable designs, and being the original Pokémon to have a branched evolution. Its popularity was so overwhelming that Eeveelution merchandise are frequently top sellers, and later generations would introduce more evolutions, with Sylveon in particular being used heavily in promos for ''Pokémon X & Y'' to show off the new Fairy type.[[/note]]
** Generation II: Lugia [[note]]One of the two Legendary Mascots for Generation II, both ''Silver'' and ''[[UpdatedRerelease SoulSilver]]'' ended up becoming the best selling versions. Lugia's popularity led to it making several extended appearances in the anime, and even served as the focal Pokémon of the [[Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}} second movie]].[[/note]]
** Generation III: Blaziken, Rayquaza, Gardevoir [[note]]Although not to the level of Charizard, Blaziken ended up becoming the most used starter of the third generation. Blaziken's popularity led to the game developers into creating ''two'' {{Expy}} starters in the form of Infernape and Emboar. Blaziken also was the first starter after the originals to get a Mega Evolution in Gen VI (and as an event, at that!). Rayquaza, like Charizard, ranks high in popularity polls and was voted as the most popular version mascot in a Japanese poll. It got quite a few gratuitous appearances across the franchise from late 2011 to early 2012, including as UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga's strongest Pokémon in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest''. Gardevoir and the whole family has become much more prominent in later generations than its first. It got Gallade as an alternate second stage evolution, and Generation VI gives it a Mega Evolution which is the Champion's signature Pokémon. [[/note]]
** Generation IV: Lucario [[note]]Lucario's popularity exploded upon release, quickly overshadowing the starters of the gen as the most popular pokemon. Lucario became the focal Pokémon of [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew the 8th movie]], a gift Pokémon in ''every'' subsequent game released after its introduction, and even given an expy in the form of Zoroark.[[/note]]
** Generation V: Zekrom [[note]]Similar to Lugia before it, its appearance on the cover ensured that the ''White'' version ended up becoming the best-selling version. Like Rayquaza, Zekrom was one of Oda Nobunaga's most prominent Pokémon in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest'', and is the closest one can get to the main Pokémon of the game. Zekrom proved to be so popular that ''Mega Charizard X'' ended up being [[{{Expy}} modeled]] after it.[[/note]]
** Generation VI: Greninja [[note]]Greninja became the fan favorite starter of Gen VI, quickly becoming both the most used starter of the gen and voted the most popular. It got handpicked, coincidentally, by Sakurai to serve as the Gen rep for Super Smash Bros and was also the starter given to Ash in the anime, complete with it's own unique transformation.[[/note]]

** Lord Jaraxxus is just a minor boss in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', so it's questionable why the Warlock Legendary in ''VideoGame/{{Hearthstone|HeroesOfWarcraft}}'' uses him instead of other Eredar lords. That said, ''it worked''; his hammy voice acting combined with fearsome card effect made him ''Hearthstone''[='s=] EnsembleDarkhorse.

* Milla Maxwell from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' was obviously engineered to be this to most players. She is the first, official, female primary hero in the Tales Series - there is [[TheHero Jude]] but his role in the game is to be more of a SatelliteCharacter for Milla. She is presented as a {{Badass}} early on and several characters comment on her beauty, strength or determination to fulfill her role as [[GodInHumanForm Maxwell]]. She has become ''the'' face of the Xillia game and is generally the first Xillia character revealed for spin-offs, if they appear. Exactly how popular she is with the fandom is [[BaseBreaker split]], since she gets a lot of [[CharacterShilling shilling]] in the game and players who do not see it that well consider her amazing aspects to be nothing but [[InformedAttribute informed attributes]].

* 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' [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest re-visitation]] into the now iconic {{Metroidvania}} style and widely considered to be the best of the series alongside ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Rondo of Blood]]''), revamped as a {{badass}}, [[TheStoic stoic]] {{Bishonen}} with a slew of nifty tricks and weapons (as well as strong, yet conflicting ties to both [[HumanMomNonhumanDad 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 help 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 as Genya Arikado).

* Georg Prime from ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' was just one of the characters of the OneHundredAndEight needed to be recruited. However, his backstory by having Richmond investigate him proved to be popular to fans so much that in ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', set a few years before ''VideoGame/SuikodenI'', Georg became one of the main characters. Indeed, the very setting of ''Suikoden V'' was chosen specifically to facilitate having Georg as a main character. [[MemeticBadass The rest is history.]]

** Saurfang was just a quest-giving NPC among thousands in ''World of Warcraft'', until the fanbase made him a MemeticBadass. Realising how popular he was, Blizzard subsequently made him a veteran fighter in all three wars, commander of a coalition army, right-hand to the Warchief, [[{{Retcon}} retroactively]] right-hand to the ''former'' warchief, second in command in the Northrend campaign, and if he hadn't [[spoiler:lost his son]], he'd probably be Warchief now.

* Tsubaki Yayoi from ''BlazBlue''.

** And then there's Akuma, who also became a consistent mainstay in subsequent Street Fighter entries (with the New Generation and the EX sequels being the only games not to grace his presence), even going as far as to appear in other Capcom fighting games.

* Handsome Jack of ''Videogame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' proved to be so popular that he received a [[Videogame/BorderlandsThePreSequel game]] that focuses on his StartOfDarkness. Even after his death he still has a certain amount of influence in ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' [[spoiler:as a VirtualGhost]]. Similarly, Claptrap originally started off as a group of robots involved in sidequests here and there, but eventually became popular enough that he became one of the playable characters of the Pre-Sequel.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', Kain was merely TheLancer to TheHero Cecil, but proved to be an EnsembleDarkHorse. In the game's sequel ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears The After Years]]'', Cecil is DemotedToExtra while his son Ceodore is the protagonist. However, a sizable part of the storyline focuses on Kain and [[spoiler:his battle with his EvilTwin EnemyWithout who is masquerading as him]].

*** [[TheProtagonist Cloud]] [[EmpoweredBadassNormal Strife]] and [[BigBad Sephiroth]] are, by far, its two most popular characters and have had the most cameo appearances outside the game, such as ''VideoGame/{{Ehrgeiz}}'', ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' (''KHI'' and ''II''), and ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy Dissidia]]''.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' Rikku went from a fairly minor member of the main cast to getting a major role in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 the sequel]].

* In most games, the child that the protagonist is saddled with protecting is despised. The developers of the ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead The Walking Dead]]'' played their cards right with [[TheHeart Clementine]], however. She's one of the most popular characters in the game.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'', the BigBad was Xande, an EvilSorcerer who wanted to destroy the Crystals to regain his lost immortality by stopping time. The final boss that appeared when he died, Cloud of Darkness, was a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere that was your typical OmnicidalManiac. But the Cloud of Darkness was a more interesting, climactic boss with a [[FetishFuel striking design]], which, combined with the game being a vague memory at best for most fans and the vagueness of the plot, meant that she was much better remembered. This became official with ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' where the Cloud of Darkness is ''III''[='s=] sole villain representative, even after the sequel adds to the cast.

*** Exdeath (the BigBad to the aforementioned Gilgamesh's [[TheDragon Dragon]]) becomes this himself in ''Dissidia 012'', the prequel to ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''. In the first ''Dissidia'', thanks to the power of [[{{Mondegreen}} incomprehensible battle quotes]] and [[LargeHam hickory-smoked lines]], Exdeath became a [[FountainOfMemes Sealed Meme In A Tree]] and went from one of the most-overlooked villains in the series to one who gave longstanding fan-faves like [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Kefka]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse a run for their money]]. It's unknown how attentive Square Enix was to his overnight surge in popularity, but given that '''[[PowerOfTheVoid VOID!]]''' jokes [[AscendedMeme run abundant]] in ''Duodecim'', it's a safe bet that they knew. On top of this, [[spoiler:[[TheManBehindTheMonsters his control of the]] [[{{Golem}} manikins]] led to the ''[[KilledOffForReal permanent deaths]]'' of every newcomer ''not'' named Gilgamesh or [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI Prishe]], as well as [[TheBadGuyWins Team Chaos' victory in the 12th cycle]].]]

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'', Shantotto started off as just a rather random NPC with a series of somewhat humourous quests and being involved in the black mage quests. Then she made a cameo towards the end of the Windurst missions and some of the ''Chains of Promathia'' missions. Then she was a major character in ''Treasures of Aht Urhgan'' and appeared in some minor events (such as being the main enemy in a fight against some of the female characters). Then she represented the game in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''. Then she got her own storyline expansion centered just around her.
*** With the added bonus that she's voiced by Music/MegumiHayashibara.

*** However, this also came with a price: many felt that bringing Shadow BackFromTheDead cheapened his [[TearJerker deeply saddening]] HeroicSacrifice in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' (the [[TraumaInducedAmnesia amnesia]] and eventual resurgence of {{angst}} over Maria didn't help in their eyes, although he ''did'' get over it by ''[=SHtH=]''[='s=] close). When their [[CreatorsPet lukewarm reception]] clashed with the equally large number of fans who [[EnsembleDarkhorse couldn't get enough of the Ultimate Life Form]], Shadow's status as a BaseBreaker would be forever cemented.
*** In the convoluted mess that was ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', it is Shadow and Silver, ''not'' Sonic, who ultimately have more ties to the plot, but in Silver's case, he hails from the BadFuture that is at the crux of the plot, making his involvement a no-brainer.

* Varric Tethras from ''VideoGame/DragonAge'' debuted in perhaps the [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII most controversial game]] of the series but that has not slowed down his popularity at all. He's the only party member from that game to be universally well-received and since then, he was a main character in three comic series as well as being one of the only two party members of the entire series to return as a party member in a sequel, ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' in his case.

* The Indie game ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' has Milla, who at first appeared as a supporting main character. Being TheHeart of the team lead to her having very cute, heartwarming moments. Nevertheless, she's become quite popular among fans, even having more fan art than [[Deuteragonist Carol Tea]], and just as much as [[TheHero Sash Lilac]]. She's often depicted from doing cute things all the way to being portrayed as LittleMissBadass.

** The Mutant Dragon Cyborg Space Pirate known as Ridley is so popular that he appears in almost every single game in one way or another. In the first game, he's a Co-Dragon Space Pirate to Mother Brain along with Kraid. In Super Metroid, he's still a Co-Dragon Space Pirate but he has a early Boss battle and steals the Baby Metroid. In Fusion, he's back as an X-Parasite clone, though he's highly deformed. In Zero Mission, the GBA-remake of the original, Ridley appears TWICE: First as a Dragon, then later his popularity among fans caused the devs to make him the final boss in the game, in the form of Mecha Ridley. In Prime, he's back as Meta-Ridley, a half dragon, half robot version of the original Ridley. In Prime 3: Corruption, he once again returns as Omega Ridley, a Phazon-corrupted, highly deformed and much more powerful version of the good old Ridley. In Other M, he appears first as a little fuzz-ball, then a large lizard and finally in his dragon-form that he's known for. The manga also etablishes him as Samus' ArchNemesis, having killed her parents.
** Another example would be Dark Samus from the Prime-series. In Prime, it appears first in the form of the Phazon Elite pirate that Samus kills, causing it to fall on top of her and melting, exposing the Gravity Suit to heavy amounts of Phazon radiation, transforming it into the Phazon Suit. Then, when Samus defeats Metroid Prime, the final boss in the first Prime game, Metroid Prime sucks in all the Phazon on the planet, including the Phazon Suit. However, the Phazon Suit takes over Metroid Prime's personality and Samus' shape as Samus leaves the planet. In Prime 2: Echoes, it appears as Dark Samus, who has 4 scan-entries in total, even though its design doesn't change from time to time. Finally, in Prime 3, it appears once again, and turns out to be from Phaaze, a living, sentient, evil planet consisting 100% of Phazon.

* The early ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' games featured Liu Kang as the lead character and the intro of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat2 the second game]] even goes as far as to declare him as the canonical winner of the first tournament. However, the rival ninjas Sub-Zero and Scorpion ultimately prove to be more popular characters (to the point that Midway created ''Ultimate VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' in response to all the complaints about Scorpion's absence in the original edition) and as the series went on, the marketing for the newer games tended to focused more around them, culminating with their appearances on the packaging of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2011'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''.

** Generation VI: Greninja [[note]]The newest entry, Greninja, became the fan favorite starter of Gen VI, exploding in popularity right out the gate. [[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'''s "Barney" Security guards, not only did they get an expansion pack (''Blue Shift'') where the player takes the role of one, but they are personified in the next game by one of the support cast (Barney, arguably only second to Alyx as a player companion).
* [[{{Badass}} Sergeant Johnson]] of ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved''. Originally intended to be a homage to the DrillSergeantNasty stock character type, became so popular that Bungie {{retcon}}ned his death in the legendary bonus cutscene to add him into ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}''. This is largely due to [[HeyItsThatVoice David Scully]]'s hilariously stellar delivery as Johnson's voice actor.

** Generation 2: Lugia [[note]]One of the two Legendary Mascots for Generation II, both ''Silver'' and ''[[UpdatedRerelease SoulSilver]]'' ended up becoming the best selling versions. Lugia's popularity led to it making several extended appearances in the anime, and even served as the focal Pokémon of the [[Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}} second movie]].[[/note]]
** Generation III: Blaziken, Rayquaza, Gardevoir [[note]]Although not to the level of Charizard, Blaziken ended up becoming the most used starter of the third generation. Blaziken's popularity led to the game developers into creating ''two'' {{Expy}} starters in the form of Infernape and Emboar. Blaziken also was the first starter after the originals to get a Mega Evolution in Gen VI (and as an event, at that!). Rayquaza, like Charizard, ranks high in popularity polls and was voted as the most popular version mascot in a Japanese poll. It got quite a few gratuitous appearances across the franchise from late 2011 to early 2012, including as UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga's strongest Pokémon in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest''. Gardevoir and the whole family has become much more prominent in later generations than its first. It got Gallade as an alternate second stage evolution, and Generation VI gives it a Mega Evolution which is the Champion's signature Pokémon. [[/note]]*** Generation IV: Lucario [[note]]Lucario's popularity exploded upon release, quickly overshadowing the starters of the gen as the most popular pokemon. Lucario became the focal Pokémon of [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew the 8th movie]], a gift Pokémon in ''every'' subsequent game released after its introduction, and even given an expy in the form of Zoroark.[[/note]]

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
** Mario ''himself'' is one. In his [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong debut appearance]], his name wasn't even in the title. He didn't have a real name and just went by the moniker of "Jumpman," and he was a villain in the game's sequel. Come ''VideoGame/MarioBros'' in 1983, he finally got his name, but then came ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 Super Mario Bros.]]'' in 1985, and the rest is history.
** Luigi started off as a simple PaletteSwap of Mario, and became perhaps the biggest EnsembleDarkhorse of the entire franchise. He got [[VideoGame/LuigisMansion a game of his own]], and while he remained out of the main series in the Nintendo 64 and [=GameCube=] era, he came back in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', earning bigger roles in the main series as it went on. 2013 was even made TheYearOfLuigi to celebrate his 30th anniversary.
** [[PowerUpMount Yoshi]] was popular enough after his debut in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' for [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland the next game in the main series]] to feature him as the main character, which set the road for his very own sub-series, with games such as ''VideoGame/YoshisStory'' and ''Yoshi's Cookie''. He even receives a cameo in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' which lampshades his then new popularity.
** Wario was created for ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'' to symbolize the development team's displeasure with developing for a series they did not create. However, the guy became so popular that he ended up getting his own SpinOff series, ''VideoGame/WarioLand''. And if that wasn't enough, ''that'' series became so popular, Wario received another spin-off series called ''VideoGame/WarioWare'', which has typically become one of Nintendo's flagship franchises for showcasing each new console's unique features. Not bad for a one shot EvilCounterpart[=/=][[TheRival Rival]] born of a WriterRevolt.
*** Within the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series is Ashley, the [[CuteWitch young witch]] introduced in ''[=WarioWare=]: Touched!'' Quite popular in Japan (and well-liked outside of Japan), she was made into an Assist Trophy in ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS'', had a reward themed after her on the Japanese Club Nintendo, has her own UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS theme, and is an unlockable costume in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker''. This makes her the first ''[=WarioWare=]'' character to appear in a ''Mario'' game in any form.
** [[TheHighQueen Rosalina]] was introduced as a main character in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''; quickly becoming an EnsembleDarkhorse amongst the fandom. Six years after her debut, after being DemotedToExtra in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' and becoming a regular character in the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' series, she suddenly took a spotlight in the main series by being PromotedToPlayable as a SecretCharacter in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', and later being featured as a playable fighter in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Wii U/3DS'', probably the biggest honor for any Nintendo character.
** Captain Toad, also introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', started off as a side character, being the leader of the Toad Brigade despite being a coward according to his partners. After taking a similar role in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', he then started making solo appearances, including [[PromotedToPlayable as a playable character]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld's'' puzzle levels, and then as the star in ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker''.
** Toadette was first introduced as a partner for Toad in ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'', and made several appearances in other games, usually as an option in large character rosters or as a minor character. Then for a time she [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome quietly dropped off the radar for several years]] before resurfacing in ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' and co-staring alongside Captain Toad in ''Treasure Tracker''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
** Illidan Stormrage appears in only one level and one cutscene in ''Warcraft III''. The Addon ''Frozen Throne'' and the ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' expansion ''Burning Crusade'' are all about him being {{Badass}}. The latter, by turning him from an AntiHero to an OmnicidalManiac, tried to take the edge off of his popularity but was widely considered discontinuity instead.
** Highlord Mograine, AKA The Ashbringer, from ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' got so popular among fans that now he has [[ComicBook/{{Ashbringer}} his own comic series]].
** Saurfang was just a quest-giving NPC among thousands in ''World of Warcraft'', until the fanbase made him a MemeticBadass. Realising how popular he was, Blizzard subsequently made him a veteran fighter in all three wars, commander of a coalition army, right-hand to the Warchief, [[{{Retcon}} retroactively]] right-hand to the ''former'' warchief, second in command in the Northrend campaign, and if he hadn't [[spoiler:lost his son]], he'd probably be Warchief now.
** In ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', Vol'jin was a witch-doctor (a very weak, support-only unit) who gave quests to the real heroes of the campaign (Rexxar, Rokhan and Chen) so they could save his people. In ''World of Warcraft'' he doesn't do much more at first, besides asking for help to deal with a level 10 mob. Several expansions later, he's leading the rebellion against [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Garrosh Hellscream]], had a novel written about him, and finally [[spoiler:becomes the new Warchief of the Horde (and the first non-orc to do so) after Garrosh is deposed]].
** Lord Jaraxxus is just a minor boss in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', so it's questionable why the Warlock Legendary in ''VideoGame/{{Hearthstone|HeroesOfWarcraft}}'' uses him instead of other Eredar lords. That said, ''it worked''; his hammy voice acting combined with fearsome card effect made him ''Hearthstone''[='s=] EnsembleDarkhorse.
* Axel was an important villain in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'' and was intended to carry over to ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' as the tutorial boss. However, both fans ''and the staff'' liked him too much, and his role was extended into ''KHII''[='s=] main scenario. He ultimately went on to become one of the main characters of the series, forming a trio with Roxas and Xion in ''358/2 Days'', having his original self, Lea, introduced in ''Birth by Sleep'' and returning to life as Lea in ''3D''. [[spoiler:To receive a Keyblade no less!]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' has a lot of characters, some of them more popular than others. Probably the most striking example is Cirno, the lovable Baka of the series. From her lowly start as a Stage 2 Boss, her popularity grew to the point where she received her own game: ''[[http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Fairy_Wars Touhou 12.8: Fairy Wars.]]''
** Marisa Kirisame, the co-protagonist to Reimu Hakurei, is also one of these; originally she was just another enemy (and a minion to Mima) in the second game, but was PromotedToPlayable from the third game on and has since appeared in as many games as Reimu. She also stars in way more fan games (both official and not) as the PlayerCharacter, such as ''VideoGame/MegaMari'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarisaLand''.
* Some say Zero, EnsembleDarkHorse of ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' is this, seeing as he was a supporting character in his first appearance, and promoted to main character status as the series progressed, especially getting his [[VideoGame/MegaManZero own series]] that further showed his [[{{Badass}} awesomeness]]. Zero was ''supposed to be the main character'' (in other words, ''Mega Man X'' himself), but was "demoted" because his creator, Keiji Inafune, was told that Zero looked too different from [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic the original Mega Man]].
* Naoto from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' also proved popular enough to get a spinoff manga.
** From the same game, Adachi got his own Social Link in the UpdatedRerelease, [[spoiler:a BadEnding where the main character chooses not to turn in Adachi]], and became a DLC character with his own storyline in ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax''.
** Aigis from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' also got her own Social Link in the UpdatedRerelease of her home game. She also becomes the main character of the new PlayableEpilogue ''The Answer'' and gains the Wild Card [[spoiler:since the PlayerCharacter of the main story is dead]]. Aigis was also one of the first characters from ''P3'' to appear in ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', whereas most of the main cast of that game wouldn't appear until ''Ultimax''.
* The Rabbids from the ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' series. Most people don't know about Rayman, while the Rabbids have their own games.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'''s "Barney" Security guards, not only did they get an expansion pack (''Blue Shift'') where the player takes the role of one, but they are personified in the next game by one of the support cast (Barney, arguably only second to Alyx as a player companion).
* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', the canon route is obviously Ryusei Date's. But Kyosuke Nanbu proved to be ''way too popular'' that he and his girlfriend Excellen Browning are promoted into main characters by the second game.
** Sanger Zonvolt is this. In his debut, he was [[CoDragons one of the Dragons]] to the BigBad that just appeared near the end of the game. In the next game, he's the protagonist of the SuperRobot route. In the next game, he's an important character. In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', he becomes the StealthMentor to the group, and then the second game has his EvilTwin and an exclusive route for his story. And he represents mainline ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'' in ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone''.
** A rather surprising example is [[Anime/GreatMazinger Tetsuya Tsurugi]]. In the first ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'', he's basically a character who complements Koji's role and strictly follows the original show's storyline. He then proceeded to become the main character of ''Alpha Gaiden''. Yes, you read that right: a non-OriginalGeneration character became the main character.

* ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]'' was so popular that Sega brought him back to life [[spoiler:[[OnlyMostlyDead well, sorta]]]] in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', and then gave him [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog his own game]].
** However, this also came with a price: many felt that bringing Shadow BackFromTheDead cheapened his [[TearJerker deeply saddening]] HeroicSacrifice in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' (the [[TraumaInducedAmnesia amnesia]] and eventual resurgence of {{angst}} over Maria didn't help in their eyes, although he ''did'' get over it by ''[=SHtH=]''[='s=] close). When their [[CreatorsPet lukewarm reception]] clashed with the equally large number of fans who [[EnsembleDarkhorse couldn't get enough of the Ultimate Life Form]], Shadow's status as a BaseBreaker would be forever cemented.
** In the convoluted mess that was ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', it is Shadow and Silver, ''not'' Sonic, who ultimately have more ties to the plot, but in Silver's case, he hails from the BadFuture that is at the crux of the plot, making his involvement a no-brainer.
** And before Shadow, in the 90s there was Knuckles. Much like Shadow, he initially showed up as an antagonist to Sonic, and then found himself upgraded to being a member of the main trio and on the 32X he [[VideoGame/KnucklesChaotix even had his own game]]. This even extends to [[ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog the Archie comics]] where Knuckles had his own spin-off book that at one point almost surpassed Sonic's in popularity.

* 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' [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest re-visitation]] into the now iconic {{Metroidvania}} style and widely considered to be the best of the series alongside ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Rondo of Blood]]''), revamped as a {{badass}}, [[TheStoic stoic]] {{Bishonen}} with a slew of nifty tricks and weapons (as well as strong, yet conflicting ties to both [[HumanMomNonhumanDad 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 help 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 as Genya Arikado).
* ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}''[='=] [[{{Deuteragonist}} Morrigan Aensland]] became not only popular enough [[SpotlightStealingSquad to promote herself to the status of protagonist]], but she became iconic to the point that there are few Creator/{{Capcom}} [[VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever crossover titles]] that ''don't'' include her. By the turn of the 21st century, most gamers ''easily'' knew who she was, [[BestKnownForTheFanservice just not]] [[IconicCharacterForgottenTitle where she came from]].

* SelfDemonstrating/GLaDOS from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''. She was originally intended to only speak in the Relaxation Chamber at the start of the game; playtesters liked her so much, Valve decided to use her throughout the game. She became synonymous with the ''Portal'' franchise and was even [[spoiler:the final boss of the first game]].
* Georg Prime from ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' was just one of the characters of the OneHundredAndEight needed to be recruited. However, his backstory by having Richmond investigate him proved to be popular to fans so much that in ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', set a few years before ''VideoGame/SuikodenI'', Georg became one of the main characters. Indeed, the very setting of ''Suikoden V'' was chosen specifically to facilitate having Georg as a main character. [[MemeticBadass The rest is history.]]
* In ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect1 Mass Effect]]'', it was obvious the spotlight was supposed to be on your two human squadmates. They both got lots of screentime, were the major romance options ([[BiTheWay Liara]] sort of played second fiddle), and were your first two partners. Instead, fans centered on [[WrenchWench Tali]], [[CowboyCop Garrus]], and [[TheBigGuy Wrex]]. In [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the sequel]], the three of them get lots of screentime and plot relevance, while the surviving human is DemotedToExtra. By the third game, both Garrus and Tali are easily in the category of "top five most important characters in the entire series," as they're the only characters who are squadmates in all three games and Shepard can call them their closest friends. In [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 the third game]], Garrus and Liara have the most dialogue with Shepard by far, even though the former can be dead at that point in the story.

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
** Chun-Li was one of the original twelve in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''. She became very popular due to [[TheSmurfettePrinciple being the only playable female character at the time]] ([[FanNickname "first lady of fighting games", anyone?]]), as well as her quick kick-based fighting style. She has since appeared as playable character in almost every ''Street Fighter'' game (with ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: New Generation'' and ''[=2nd=] Impact'' being her only absences). However, if [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom cr]][[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom os]][[VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom so]][[VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom ve]][[VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken rs]] [[VideoGame/ProjectXZone are]] [[VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever taken into account]], then Chun-Li has appeared in more games than Ken. [[WolverinePublicity She and Ryu are the only ones to appear in each of the Vs. games.]]
** Cammy, by virtue of being the second female fighter in the series, had more return appearances than the other new characters introduced in New Challengers.
** And then there's Akuma, who also became a consistent mainstay in subsequent Street Fighter entries (with the New Generation and the EX sequels being the only games not to grace his presence), even going as far as to appear in other Capcom fighting games.
* [[KnifeNut Jack]] [[AxCrazy Krauser]]. He originally appeared in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' as a RememberTheNewGuy before he dies, but his badassery led him to getting expanded on in a prequel mission in ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles The Darkside Chronicles]]''.
* In most games, the child that the protagonist is saddled with protecting is despised. The developers of the ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDead The Walking Dead]]'' played their cards right with [[TheHeart Clementine]], however. She's one of the most popular characters in the game.
* Kabuki from ''VideoGame/TengaiMakyou II: Manjimaru'' overshadowed the title character in popularity, and got his own GaidenGame besides starring in both of the FightingGame spinoffs.
* It's hard to remember, but Pikachu wasn't the original mascot of the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' franchise. ''Clefairy'' was supposed to be. The AnimeOfTheGame had Pikachu be the starter of the protagonist instead of one of the original three, and when the series took off so did Pikachu. Pikachu [[JustForPun evolved]] into the series mascot, even getting its own game in the form of ''Pokemon Yellow Version'', and never looked back. This has resulted in a steady stream of unique moves for Pikachu and ''not'' for its evolved form Raichu, in an attempt to keep the now-undisputed mascot viable in actual gameplay.

** Also worth noting that every gen tends to have its own Breakout Pokémon that end up representing the gen as whole:
*** Generation I: Charizard, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, SelfDemonstrating/{{Mewtwo}}, Eevee [[note]]Charizard was the fan favorite starter, and thanks to popularity poll results and merchandise sales, can be argued to be the most popular Pokémon [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore in the]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff United States]]. It was one of two Pokemon to get two Mega Evolutions in ''X'' and ''Y'', and was also depicted as the main Pokémon in ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'', the first animated Pokémon feature directly aimed at the PeripheryDemographic. Charizard's popularity also led to the one used by the main character of the anime to consistently be depicted as a total {{Badass}}, and aside from the ever-present Pikachu he's the most common of Ash's season one team to make return appearances. As noted above, thanks to the initial popularity of the anime, Pikachu was made into the official mascot of the franchise. Pikachu's popularity even warranted a RecursiveAdaptation, ''[[UpdatedRerelease Pokémon Yellow]]''. During the early days of the franchise, Jigglypuff was the second most popular Pokémon in Japan -- again, due to the anime -- and was one of the most prominent recurring characters in the anime, although its popularity has waned since then. Like Charizard, Mewtwo got two Mega Evolutions and ranks very high in popularity polls. Starting off as a BonusBoss in the original game and being the star of ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' led to Mewtwo also becoming one of the most popular Pokémon in the franchise. Eevee and its evolutions quickly became fan favorites for their adorable designs, and being the original Pokémon to have a branched evolution. Its popularity was so overwhelming that Eeveelution merchandise are frequently top sellers, and later generations would introduce more evolutions, with Sylveon in particular being used heavily in promos for ''Pokémon X & Y'' to show off the new Fairy type.[[/note]]
*** Generation 2: Lugia [[note]]One of the two Legendary Mascots for Generation II, both ''Silver'' and ''[[UpdatedRerelease SoulSilver]]'' ended up becoming the best selling versions. Lugia's popularity led to it making several extended appearances in the anime, and even served as the focal Pokémon of the [[Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}} second movie]].[[/note]]
*** Generation III: Blaziken, Rayquaza, Gardevoir [[note]]Although not to the level of Charizard, Blaziken ended up becoming the most used starter of the third generation. Blaziken's popularity led to the game developers into creating ''two'' {{Expy}} starters in the form of Infernape and Emboar. Blaziken also was the first starter after the originals to get a Mega Evolution in Gen VI (and as an event, at that!). Rayquaza, like Charizard, ranks high in popularity polls and was voted as the most popular version mascot in a Japanese poll. It got quite a few gratuitous appearances across the franchise from late 2011 to early 2012, including as UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga's strongest Pokémon in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest''. Gardevoir and the whole family has become much more prominent in later generations than its first. It got Gallade as an alternate second stage evolution, and Generation VI gives it a Mega Evolution which is the Champion's signature Pokémon. [[/note]]
*** Generation IV: Lucario [[note]]Lucario's popularity exploded upon release, quickly overshadowing the starters of the gen as the most popular pokemon. Lucario became the focal Pokémon of [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew the 8th movie]], a gift Pokémon in ''every'' subsequent game released after its introduction, and even given an expy in the form of Zoroark.[[/note]]
*** Generation V: Zekrom [[note]]Similar to Lugia before it, its appearance on the cover ensured that the ''White'' version ended up becoming the best-selling version. Like Rayquaza, Zekrom was one of Oda Nobunaga's most prominent Pokémon in ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest'', and is the closest one can get to the main Pokémon of the game. Zekrom proved to be so popular that ''Mega Charizard X'' ended up being [[{{Expy}} modeled]] after it.[[/note]]
*** Generation VI: Greninja [[note]]The newest entry, Greninja, became the fan favorite starter of Gen VI, exploding in popularity right out the gate. [[/note]]

* The {{Edutainment}} series ''VideoGame/JumpStart'' has a rare instant in which the "breakout" was not caused by a fandom. Frankie the dog was always a relatively important character, but in the 2001-2004 incarnation of the series, he became the central character as well as the entire series' mascot. Even worse, it seems like Frankie is much more important than any of his friends in the MMOG.
* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has Malice, the [[TheLadette tomboyish]] PunchClockHero sporting an EyepatchOfPower who first appeared in the obscure downloadable title ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia BS Fire Emblem]]''. She quickly became the most popular character in the spin-off, and was later incorportated into the main story of the ''Mystery of the Emblem'' remake, complete with a bigger role in a DLC chapter that expanded her backstory considerably. She went on to appear in ''Awakening'' as a Spotpass-distributed legacy character, "representing" ''Mystery of the Emblem'' despite ''not actually debuting in that game!'' And there she ''finally'' gets to be a female Mercenary again, to the rejoicing of many fans (for those not in the know, female members of that class are ''extremely'' rare throughout the series, so the few that exist generally receive immediate EnsembleDarkhorse status).
* One of the Waddle Dees in the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' series has turned into his own character--he's known across the fanbase as [[FanNickname "Bandana Dee"]] because of his signature blue bandana. He originally appeared as a minor opponent in the MegatonPunch ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' minigame, but later went on to become the joke boss in ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror''. He would end up being very popular with the fans after that, so the developers followed up by making a major character in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'' in the ''Revenge of the King'' episode, and eventually became PromotedToPlayable in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'', with his primary ability being the [[BladeOnAStick spear]] and being able to simply jump continuously rather than float or fly with wings. Since then, he's been a core part of the series.
* ''Franchise/MetalGear'':
** Originally, Big Boss is the BigBad of the [[VideoGame/MetalGear1 first]] [[VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake two games]]. After the release of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', he became an ultra-popular TragicHero-turned-AntiVillain and went on to star in his own prequel games to [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain show that transition]].
** Johnny Sasaki was a originally a JokeCharacter who spent the first two ''Metal Gear Solid'' games as a ButtMonkey. First he's knocked out and stripped of his clothes as Meryl Silverburgh takes advantage of his crush on her to escape her cell. Later he's suffering from a cold and [[ToiletHumor diarrhea]] while he's guarding Solid Snake in his cell. Snake fools him into opening the cell, and Johnny gets his ass kicked again. He turns up in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' guarding one of the bridges and he pulls his gun on Emma Emmerich but [[PetTheDog lets her go when he sees she's an unarmed civilian]]; he then is struck by [[PottyEmergency another bout of diarrhea]]. In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' Naked Snake meets Johnny's grandfather who guarded Snake's cell when he was captured. Johnny turns up again in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' and his legendary [[RunningGag diarrhea]] strikes again, forcing him to blow his cover and nearly ruin the Middle Eastern mission. He later captures Snake (whom he didn't recognize) at gunpoint, but falls for NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont. However, he did drag a wounded Snake to safety at the end of that mission. Then in the European mission, he actually rescues a drowning Meryl and saves her life with CPR. Finally, as Snake and the Rat Patrol prepare to board ''Outer Heaven'' via slingshot mechanism, Johnny is shot over the ship, but he returns as everyone is pinned down and gets a {{Big Damn Hero|es}} moment, killing multiple [=FROGS=] and helping hold of endless waves of enemies to buy Snake time to stop Liquid Ocelot. After Liquid Ocelot is defeated Johnny [[spoiler:marries Meryl]].
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' has the Carmines. In the first game, there was Anthony Carmine, whose entire character was to show that HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic and to [[RedShirt get shot in the head, receiving two lines of dialogue in the meantime that established him as a naive recruit.]] As it turned out, the fanbase liked his "inexperienced youngster" characterization and thought his helmet, ironically, looked cool, to the point where he was one of the most picked characters for multiplayer. The next game introduced his [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute brother]], Benjamin Carmine, who shared Anthony's earlier characterization but expanded on it, and though he died, he managed to survive most of the game and even managed a HeroicSacrifice. In the third game, the third brother shows up, an out-and-out muscular super-badass by the name of Clayton Carmine who survives the entire game.

* Isabelle from ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: New Leaf'' could probably be considered the closest thing to a main character in the series if her appearances in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'', and most bafflingly, ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' are anything to go by.
* Handsome Jack of ''Videogame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' proved to be so popular that he received a [[Videogame/BorderlandsThePreSequel game]] that focuses on his StartOfDarkness. Even after his death he still has a certain amount of influence in ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' [[spoiler:as a VirtualGhost]]. Similarly, Claptrap originally started off as a group of robots involved in sidequests here and there, but eventually became popular enough that he became one of the playable characters of the Pre-Sequel.
* Leon Magnus from ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' was originally just a {{Jerkass}} who ends up betraying the party and dying. He had a sympathetic backstory, however, and his popularity was powerful enough to [[spoiler:get him resurrected and redeemed in the sequel]], get a bonus boss battle in the UpdatedRerelease of the sequel for the PSP, and have his personality overhauled significantly to make him a [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]] who goes through a long TraumaCongaLine in the UpdatedRerelease of the first game. It's also an unspoken guarantee that he'll be a playable character in spinoff games, he'll have the most merchandise related to him made, and that either his or [[spoiler: Judas's]] outfit will be DLC for any game after ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia''.
* Milla Maxwell from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' was obviously engineered to be this to most players. She is the first, official, female primary hero in the Tales Series - there is [[TheHero Jude]] but his role in the game is to be more of a SatelliteCharacter for Milla. She is presented as a {{Badass}} early on and several characters comment on her beauty, strength or determination to fulfill her role as [[GodInHumanForm Maxwell]]. She has become ''the'' face of the Xillia game and is generally the first Xillia character revealed for spin-offs, if they appear. Exactly how popular she is with the fandom is [[BaseBreaker split]], since she gets a lot of [[CharacterShilling shilling]] in the game and players who do not see it that well consider her amazing aspects to be nothing but [[InformedAttribute informed attributes]].
* The early ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' games featured Liu Kang as the lead character and the intro of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat2 the second game]] even goes as far as to declare him as the canonical winner of the first tournament. However, the rival ninjas Sub-Zero and Scorpion ultimately prove to be more popular characters (to the point that Midway created ''Ultimate VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' in response to all the complaints about Scorpion's absence in the original edition) and as the series went on, the marketing for the newer games tended to focused more around them, culminating with their appearances on the packaging of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2011'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''.
* Dekar, the CrazyAwesome IdiotHero GuestStarPartyMember from ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals''. He's had both an {{Expy}} in Deckard from ''VideoGame/LufiaTheLegendReturns'' and a returning role [[spoiler:as a party member even]] in the GaidenGame ''VideoGame/LufiaTheRuinsOfLore''. The remake ''VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals'' gives him greater presence in the story, including [[spoiler:a PairTheSpares romance with fellow party member Tia]] and [[spoiler:returning to the party after his HeroicSacrifice]].

* ''Metroid''
** The Mutant Dragon Cyborg Space Pirate known as Ridley is so popular that he appears in almost every single game in one way or another. In the first game, he's a CoDragon Space Pirate to Mother Brain along with Kraid. In Super Metroid, he's still a CoDragon Space Pirate but he has a early Boss battle and steals the Baby Metroid. In Fusion, he's back as an X-Parasite clone, though he's highly deformed. In Zero Mission, the GBA-remake of the original, Ridley appears TWICE: First as a Dragon, then later his popularity among fans caused the devs to make him the final boss in the game, in the form of Mecha Ridley. In Prime, he's back as Meta-Ridley, a half dragon, half robot version of the original Ridley. In Prime 3: Corruption, he once again returns as Omega Ridley, a Phazon-corrupted, highly deformed and much more powerful version of the good old Ridley. In Other M, he appears first as a little fuzz-ball, then a large lizard and finally in his dragon-form that he's known for. The manga also etablishes him as Samus' ArchNemesis, having killed her parents.
** Another example would be Dark Samus from the Prime-series. In Prime, it appears first in the form of the Phazon Elite pirate that Samus kills, causing it to fall on top of her and melting, exposing the Gravity Suit to heavy amounts of Phazon radiation, transforming it into the Phazon Suit. Then, when Samus defeats Metroid Prime, the final boss in the first Prime game, Metroid Prime sucks in all the Phazon on the planet, including the Phazon Suit. However, the Phazon Suit takes over Metroid Prime's personality and Samus' shape as Samus leaves the planet. In Prime 2: Echoes, it appears as Dark Samus, who has 4 scan-entries in total, even though its design doesn't change from time to time. Finally, in Prime 3, it appears once again, and turns out to be from Phaaze, a living, sentient, evil planet consisting 100% of Phazon.
** The minor boss, Nightmare, from Fusion was clearly popular enough to get a second appearance in Other M.

* [[Franchise/StreetFighter Chun-Li]] was one of the original twelve in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''. She became very popular due to [[TheSmurfettePrinciple being the only playable female character at the time]] ([[FanNickname "first lady of fighting games", anyone?]]), as well as her quick kick-based fighting style. She has since appeared as playable character in almost every ''Street Fighter'' game (with ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII: New Generation'' and ''[=2nd=] Impact'' being her only absences). However, if [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom cr]][[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom os]][[VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom so]][[VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom ve]][[VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken rs]] [[VideoGame/ProjectXZone are]] [[VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever taken into account]], then Chun-Li has appeared in more games than Ken. [[WolverinePublicity She and Ryu are the only ones to appear in each of the Vs. games.]]

* 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' [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest re-visitation]] into the now iconic {{Metroidvania}} style and widely considered to be the MagnumOpus of the series alongside ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Rondo of Blood]]''), revamped as a {{badass}}, [[TheStoic stoic]] {{Bishonen}} with a slew of nifty tricks and weapons (as well as strong, yet conflicting ties to both [[HumanMomNonhumanDad 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 help 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 as Genya Arikado).

* In the ''Metroid'' series, the Mutant Dragon Cyborg Space Pirate known as Ridley is so popular that he appears in almost every single game in one way or another. In the first game, he's a Dragon Space Pirate. In Super Metroid, he's still a Dragon Space Pirate. In Fusion, he's back as an X-Parasite clone, though he's highly deformed. In Zero Mission, the GBA-remake of the original, Ridley appears TWICE: First as a Dragon, then later his popularity among fans caused the devs to make him the final boss in the game, in the form of Mecha Ridley. In Prime, he's back as Meta-Ridley, a half dragon, half robot version of the original Ridley. In Prime 3: Corruption, he once again returns as Omega Ridley, a Phazon-corrupted, highly deformed and much more powerful version of the good old Ridley. In Other M, he appears first as a little fuzz-ball, then a large lizard and finally in his dragon-form that he's known for.

** SelfDemonstrating/KefkaPalazzo (yes, ''he has his own page'') from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', thanks to {{Woolseyism}}, has become one of the most popular villains of the franchise... [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff in the west]].

* Kabuki from ''VideoGame/TengaiMakyou II: Manjimaru'' overshadowed the title character in popularity, and got his own GaidenGame.