History OCStandIn / VideoGames

** Dr. Regal ([[spoiler:[[OverlordJr Dr. Wily's son]]]]) is an established character in ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', but the ForWantOfANail nature of [[AlternateTimeline the timeline]] means he likely exists in the Classic universe as well, which has led to several fan interpretations. This can apply to any character in either the Classic timeline or ''Battle Network'' timeline who'd logically have an AlternateSelf in the other, but Regal is easily one of the biggest magnets for this kind of thing.

* ''VideoGames/{{Hades}}'': Zagreus, the main character, ''is'' based on a figure attested to in Greek mythology, but so little information has survived about him to the present day that the game essentially has to create his character wholecloth; this seems to get a nod, with several characters wondering what he's even the god ''of'', as sources don't make it clear (the game seems to imply he may be a god of blood). The sequel does it likewise with Zagreus' sister Melinoë, who is even ''more'' obscure, but is definitely mentioned in a few places.

* ''VideoGame/{{Hades}}'': A rare canon example; Zagreus, the main character, ''is'' based on a figure attested to in Greek mythology, but so little information has survived about him to the present day that the game essentially has to create his character wholecloth. The sequel does it likewise with Zagreus' sister Melinoë, who is even ''more'' obscure, but is definitely mentioned in a few places.

* ''VideoGames/{{Hades}}'': Zagreus, the main character, ''is'' based on a figure attested to in Greek mythology, but so little information has survived about him to the present day that the game essentially has to create his character wholecloth. The sequel does it likewise with Zagreus' sister Melinoë, who is even ''more'' obscure, but is definitely mentioned in a few places.

** Despite just being someone's quick ''VideoGame/{{MUGEN}}'' creation, the character "Sendai Hakurei no Miko" (The Previous Hakurei Shrine Maiden) was picked up by artists and fully fleshed out as the Miko who existed so long ago everyone has forgotten her name. Depicted as a BoisterousBruiser with BoobsOfSteel, she fights without Reimu's spell card rules. As such, she ended up CoveredInScars. Also depicted as a MamaBear, depending on the artist.

** The "Library Girl with a Pigtail" in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', who crushes on Zell and seems to have his interest by the end of the game, yet who remains nameless and without any personality beyond "bookish and shy" in canon. Begs for PossessionSue treatment by any Zell fangirl.

* ''VideoGame/Destiny''
* The player Guardian/The Young Wolf is a customizable character who's gender, species, and class are all dependent on player choice, and spends much of the series (especially the second game) as a HeroicMime. As such, this trope is inevitably going to be in effect throughout any Destiny fanfics you find.

* Kaede from ''VideoGame/DotHackGU'' has absolutely no real importance in the story other than acting like Zelkova's bodyguard, although until she joins your party in the post game you have no idea what her weapon even is. The worst part is she basically vanishes in volume 1 after her appearance, yet you can still do the marriage event with her in Volume 3 despite her having absolutely no development and virtually no game time.

** As an interesting wrinkle to the above, a DLC chapter in ''Awakening'' provides the player with an opportunity to [[CanonWelding weld together]] the Avatar's backstory with that of the aforementioned Mark's. When interacting with an Einherjar of Lyn (a spectral copy that possesses at least some of her memories), she recognizes the Avatar on sight and feels they could be her tactician once she learns that they, like Mark, woke up in a strange place with no recollection of how they got there. Couple this with several other similarities between the two tacticians that are likely intentional (similar clothing and map sprites or the fact that the Avatar's PrestigeClass -- Grandmaster -- is named for the highest Tactician ranking in the Japanese version of ''The Blazing Blade'') and a popular {{Fanon}} theory that the Outrealm Gate of ''Awakening'' is connected to the Dragon's Gate metioned in the backstory of ''Blazing Blade'', and she might just be on to something. The player can either confirm or deny the notion, making this an {{invoked|Trope}} example.

** Sasasha, a Chocobo raiser from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'', had very litte information about them. We never met them, just heard of them. This allowed some fanfic authors like the one for ''FanFic/TheTaintedGrimoire'' to shape the character as they pleased.

** The [[PlayerCharacter tactician]] from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade seventh game]]. His [[CanonName default name]] is Mark, but you can change that and his gender. He never says anything (that we hear) and is only spoken to. There are a small wealth of fanfics about him/her, and almost each one gives him a separate personality and back story.[[note]]Most popularly coming from Bern.[[/note]]
** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem New Mystery of the Emblem]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'' have My Unit/Avatar, a customizable unit who actually appears in your army during gameplay. They do actually have lines, though, but their personalities (particularly that of the My Unit in ''New Mystery'') are [[TheGenericGuy somewhat nondescript]]. Naturally, plenty of fanfics have been written around these two (more so ''Awakening''[='s=] My Unit than ''New Mystery''[='s=], probably because of NoExportForYou).

** In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', Alberto Robert is a minor character who gives Sonic a quest at the start. In LetsPlay/GhabulousGhoti's ''VideoGame/TomodachiLife'' LetsPlay, he's an immortal comedian who made the game intentionally bad and put himself in it as a joke.

** Another major one is [[spoiler:Guinevere]]. She played a well-known central role in the ''Fate'' franchise's backstory, but we still don't know her personality or appearance, so fanfiction set in her time has to come up with those from scratch. However, at the pace ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' has been developing, any and all current fan ideas may well be jossed tomorrow morning.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' series has the player characters from its various campaigns, due to them being {{Heroic Mime}}s. Fan works generally have Agent 3 be a stoic PerpetualFrowner who is also a ClosetGeek, Agent 4 as a jovial, constantly joking BunnyEarsLawyer, and Agent 8 continuing off her AmnesiacHero storyline to be a curious and innocent [[FishOutOfWater Cephalopod Out of Water]] with traces of PTSD due to the Kamabo Co. experience. There's also a tendency to make Agents 3 and 4 constantly bicker, either in jest or due to some actual dislike caused by the personality clash. Finally, Agent 8 is often shown to live with either Pearl and Marina or Agent 3; this is despite WordOfGod stating that Pearl and Marina don't live together, and implying that Eight becomes roommates with Agent 4 (hence why they have the same gear -- [[SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration they happily share their weapons and clothing]]).

** The Guardian Spirit from the first game is supposed to be [[AnyoneYouKnow you]], and is therefore a sort of FeaturelessProtagonist. Naturally, there have been several fanfics written about the this character. Unfortunately, too many of these fics end up making the Spirit a powerhouse with a crush on Kalas. The term "Spirit Sue" was created by the fanbase to describe this particular interpretation of the character.

** As alluded to in the canon examples above, the Light Warriors from the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' get this due to basically being [[HeroicMime blank slate player avatars]] rather than true characters. Popular {{Fanon}} includes things like WhiteMage being a woman, BlackMage being non-human (which [[AscendedFanon actually became canon]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''), Fighter being an idiot, and much more. Of particular note is ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', which uses many of these fan-made personalities, invents some of its own, and popularized them all so much that [[ParodyDisplacement a lot of younger fans mistakenly assume that is really what the Light Warriors are canonically like]].

* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': Kasumi Yoshizawa from ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'' has very few disernable character traits due to [[spoiler:being [[PosthumousCharacter deceased]] by the time the game takes place and impersonated by her sister Sumire, with any personality traits Sumire displays being non-indicative of the real Kasumi]]. Fics that give her a larger role have to make up her personality based off the scraps of information other characters give about her and what little of her is actually seen in-game.

** The protagonist of ''Undertale'', [[spoiler:Frisk]], is almost always portrayed as an extreme pacifist who ends up living with Toriel, the caring motherly figure. Their parents are, with few exceptions, dead, waved aside in some way, or never referred to, and sometimes their past is never even mentioned. While they may be portrayed in different ways, often sweet or funny, their overall character is usually very positive. It's common for them to have completed a Genocide Route in the past and regret their actions. To be fair, this does make sense in the regard that a vast amount of Undertale fanfiction is set after the True Pacifist ending of the game, in which they would be very kindhearted and determined. Also, the majority of players do choose to [[spoiler: stay with Toriel at the end of the game, due to her emotional significance]]. However, even in works where they have chosen the Genocide Route, they are usually [[spoiler: possessed by Chara, the first fallen human]]. In the game, the protagonist is a [[FeaturelessProtagonist completely clean slate]], with the sparse dialogue options being chosen by the player as well as any decisions to kill or spare monsters. They are genderless, and although a fair amount of fanworks keep them that way a huge number portray them as a girl. Male representations are very hard to come by, [[spoiler: the same applying to Chara.]]

** Several fan fictions expand on Grillby’s backstory, some making him a soldier in the war between humans and monsters. His personality varies from DeadpanSnarker to calm and controlled to a high-strung ball of anxiety. Sometimes he’s the father or uncle of fellow minor character Fuku fire. In-game, he runs a bar and has a single line of dialogue.

** Part of the reason for the massive doujin and fanfiction community that has arisen around the games is that, despite the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, only a small portion of the cast receive anything more than a brief character profile and some dialogue, and even fewer receive any form of backstory, leaving writers with enormous wriggle room. Even the two {{Universe Compendium}}s are written by {{Unreliable Narrator}}s working with a lot of second- and third-hand information, and ZUN himself is [[ShrugOfGod notoriously unhelpful]] and even outright [[FlipFlopOfGod contradicts himself]].

* The Guardian Spirit from the first ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' game is supposed to be [[AnyoneYouKnow you]], and is therefore a sort of {{Featureless Protagonist}}. Naturally, there have been several fanfics written about the this character. Unfortunately, too many of these fics end up making the Spirit a powerhouse with a crush on Kalas. The term "Spirit Sue" was created by the fanbase to describe this particular interpretation of the character.

* WordOfGod has stated that this was the purpose behind not giving ''Franchise/{{Doom}}''[='=]s protagonist much in the way of backstory or characterization other than a brief mention of why he's on one of Mars' moons (beating a superior officer within an inch of his life after he was ordered to shoot civilians) - no matter how many other outside adaptations try to shoehorn a name and concrete identity on the Doomguy, canonically he's just supposed to be ''you'', the player.

** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem New Mystery of the Emblem]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'' have My Unit/Avatar, a customizable unit who actually appears in your army during gameplay. They do actually have lines, though, but their personalities (particularly that of the My Unit in ''New Mystery'') are [[TheGenericGuy somewhat nondescript]]. Naturally, plenty of fanfics have been written around these two (more so ''Awakening's'' My Unit than ''New Mystery's'', probably because of NoExportForYou).

** Preitor Gavorn – a turian whom you only meet outside of Afterlife – is this to an extent, too. He was largely ignored by the fanbase for some time, until a video in ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' showed him with a human male in what appears to be a bedroom. Since then, he has been given varying personalities, though most have some hints of StraightGay in them.

* For the ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' series, the Bonnes' parents show up in fics at times despite not appearing in canon.
** ''Fanfic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'' names them Don Juan and Bonnie Bonne, and had them be on constant vacations and overall neglectful.
** ''Fanfic/MegaManReawakened'' names them Victor and Anastasia. They died by the time the story starts.
* Doctor Cain usually gets this treatment in ''VideoGame/MegaManX''. Despite being a pretty important canon character in regards to the backstory, he barely gets a few lines in the games before vanishing. Most fanfic writers characterize him as a kooky old man and a father figure to X and Zero. Lots of other characters could also qualify, since the MMX games were very sparse on characterization until the later games.
** Dr. Cain finally did receive some characterization in ''Day of Sigma'', a tie-in OVA for ''VideoGame/MegaManMaverickHunterX''; the problem here lies in the fact that ''MHX'' was something of a reboot for the series, the SNES games in particular, and as such, the cast received tweaks to their characterization (some minor, some major) which may or may not be incompatible with the later titles (plans for sequels fell through when the game underperformed). That, and [[spoiler:Cain being killed off in a missile strike on Abel City ordered by Sigma, despite original canon stating that he was alive at least until the time of ''X4''.]]

** Dr Regal ([[OverlordJr Dr Wily's son]]) is an established character in ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', but the ForWantOfANail nature of the timeline means he likely exists in the Classic universe as well, which has led to several fan interpretations.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' has a whole group of these in the form of the Cobra Unit. [[Webcomic/TheCobraDays Several fan writers/artists]] [[FanFic/TheJoyOfBattle have done their]] [[Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound takes on the Cobra Unit]] who, in the game, have a total of about three minutes on screen outside of the battles with them, only one of which (The Fury) really gives any explanation for how or why he is how he is. They are one of the most popular topics of MGS fanfic, especially among female writers.
* The {{Franchise/Nasuverse}} has several characters [[AllThereInTheManual only mentioned in backstory]] that aren't very well described. Thus when these characters are used in fanworks, the trope is present. Perhaps the biggest example is Altrouge Brunestud, Arcueid's sister. We don't even know what she ''looks'' like (beyond [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld that she looks like a fourteen year old girl]]), but that doesn't stop the fanart.

** Likewise with game fanfics themselves. Almost no one takes into account the NPC in-game personalities of the opposite gender protagonists. Most {{NPC}}s get this treatment to various effects. Rivals and protagonists are given whatever personality, being that you really have to look into the text of the games to see any bit of personality beyond "HotBlooded, determined ChildProdigy".

** The Generation IV Frontier Brains (other than Palmer and Caitlin, who have appeared outside the Frontier in the games) rarely appear in the anime continuity, but when they do, they are this trope.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' has accrued several such characters, though since these often turn up [[AdaptationDistillation in the comics]], said personalities are often used. Nevertheless, Ray the Flying Squirrel, Mighty the Armadillo (though he's almost always put as the lost fourth member of Team Chaotix), Bean the Dynamite, and Bark the Polar Bear (often paired together, for being introduced in the same game), often end up being OC stand-ins, as do [[GlitchEntity Ashura the Hedgehog, and Wechnia]], [[DevelopmentHell Tiara Boobowski]], [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Nazo]], and [[DummiedOut Honey]] [[VideoGame/FightingVipers the Cat]], though these five are very rare to see in fanfic, not that the first four show up often, {{original character}}s are far more common.

* In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', Alberto Robert is a minor character who gives Sonic a quest at the start. In LetsPlay/GhabulousGhoti's ''VideoGame/TomodachiLife'' let's play, he's an immortal comedian who made the game intentionally bad and put himself in it as a joke.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' series has the player characters from its various campaigns, due to them being {{Heroic Mime}}s. Fanworks generally have Agent 3 be a stoic PerpetualFrowner who is also a ClosetGeek, Agent 4 as a jovial, constantly joking BunnyEarsLawyer, and Agent 8 continuing off her AmnesiacHero storyline to be a curious and innocent [[FishOutOfWater Cephalopod Out of Water]] with traces of PTSD due to the Kamabo Co. experience. There's also a tendency to make Agents 3 and 4 constantly bicker, either in jest or due to some actual dislike caused by the personality clash. Finally, Agent 8 is often shown to live with either Pearl and Marina or Agent 3; this is despite WordOfGod stating that Pearl and Marina don't live together, and implying that Eight becomes roommates with Agent 4 (hence why they have the same gear -- [[SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration they happily share their weapons and clothing]]).

** Following the release of the ''[[VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy Reignited]]'' remake of the classic trilogy, the elder dragons from the very first game -- most of whom only appear for all of ten seconds and get one or two lines at most -- often appear in fanfics with greatly expanded roles and fleshed-out personalities, owing at least in part to their [[CastOfSnowflakes memorably diverse redesigns]] [[DivergentCharacterEvolution (in contrast with the borderline palette swaps they were in the original game)]]. The Artisan dragons in particular get this a lot, with Nestor -- the very first dragon most players will free, as he's literally right in front of Spyro at the beginning of the game -- often depicted as the leader of the Artisans and Spyro's father-figure.

** The player characters from the ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' series, being {{Heroic Mime}}s who's only real characterization is "friendly and hard working." Real [=OCs=] only come into the picture when fic writers want an exotic-looking character (90% of the time, female).

* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' has this mainly in the form of the dialogueless midbosses[[note]]except Te([[SpellMyNameWithAnS w]])i, who got plenty of canonical characterization later[[/note]]. The standouts are Daiyousei, Koakuma, and Momiji, who have managed to become [[EnsembleDarkHorse fairly popular]]. Most of the time they remain {{Satellite Character}}s to the boss whose stage in which they appear.

** It's extremely easy to give this treatment to the bosses from the very first game (''Highly Responsive To Prayers'', for PC-98) because literally ''nothing'' aside from a name and a title is known about them. No dialogue, no backstory, nothing. Sariel is apparently an [[TheGrimReaper Angel of Death]], and that's the extent of the canonical information we have. Konngara, meanwhile, is even '''more''' ambiguous - her title "Astral Knight" and theme "Swordsman Of A Distant Star" suggest an extraterrestrial origin, her horn resembles an oni's, her apparent lack of legs make her look like a ghost, while her name seems to reference a deity's attendant. You can do literally ''anything'' with the character and not violate any sort of canon in any way.

** The protagonist of ''Undertale'', [[spoiler: Frisk]], is almost always portrayed as an extreme pacifist who ends up living with Toriel, the caring motherly figure. Their parents are, with few exceptions, dead, waved aside in some way, or never referred to, and sometimes their past is never even mentioned. While they may be portrayed in different ways, often sweet or funny, their overall character is usually very positive. It's common for them to have completed a Genocide Route in the past and regret their actions. To be fair, this does make sense in the regard that a vast amount of Undertale fanfiction is set after the True Pacifist ending of the game, in which they would be very kindhearted and determined. Also, the majority of players do choose to [[spoiler: stay with Toriel at the end of the game, due to her emotional significance]]. However, even in works where they have chosen the Genocide Route, they are usually [[spoiler: possessed by Chara, the first fallen human]]. In the game, the protagonist is a [[FeaturelessProtagonist completely clean slate]], with the sparse dialogue options being chosen by the player as well as any decisions to kill or spare monsters. They are genderless, and although a fair amount of fanworks keep them that way a huge number portray them as a girl. Male representations are very hard to come by, [[spoiler: the same applying to Chara.]]

** We know almost nothing of the obscure character [[spoiler: [[DummiedOut W.D. (Presumably WingDings) Gaster]]]]. Most players will not even know he exists until referring to the internet, as he is only described or (presumably) seen in unlikely random encounters. His portrayal vastly differs within the fandom, although it is common for him to be the father of Sans and Papyrus.

* ''VideoGame/StardewValley''
** In the game there's an [[SoulSuckingRetailJob exhausted-looking]] cashier at the [=JojaMart=] and she is implied to be the same person attending the movie theater's concesions stand later in the game, she has no name given and only a few lines. In the unofficial fan-made [[GameMod expansion mod]], ''VideoGame/StardewValleyExpanded'', she is named Claire and she's revealed to love to dance, dreams of becoming an actress, and she is a potential love interest.
** ''VideoGame/RidgesideVillage'', another popular fan-made expansion mod, does this for the player character's grandmother, who in the original game only appeared in a picture during the opening cutscene but went completely unmentioned in the rest of the game. The mod added her a backstory and fleshed her out more.

* In ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' there's an [[SoulSuckingRetailJob exhausted-looking]] cashier at the [=JojaMart=] and she is implied to be the same person attending the movie theater's concesions stand later in the game, she has no name given and only a few lines. In the unofficial fan-made [[GameMod expansion mod]], ''VideoGame/StardewValleyExpanded'', she is named Claire and she's revealed to love to dance, dreams of becoming an actress, and she is a potential love interest.

* In ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' there's an [[SouldSuckingRetailJob exhausted-looking]] cashier at the [=JojaMart=] and she is implied to be the same person attending the movie theater's concesions stand later in the game, she has no name given and only a few lines. In the unofficial fan-made [[GameMod expansion mod]], ''VideoGame/StardewValleyExpanded'', she is named Claire and she's revealed to love to dance, dreams of becoming an actress, and she is a potential love interest.