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It’s natural for people to form connections with fictional characters, whether it’s books, novels, movies, tv series or video games.
We “know” the characters aren’t real in a literal sense but still can’t help but to root for them and feel personally attached to their struggles and successes.
That is, as long as characters are actually worth rooting for…
RPGs have a long history of creating some fantastic characters with realistic motivations, growth and personalities. Storytelling and worldbuilding are quite important aspects of an RPG and it’s the people that really breathe life into them.
The characters need to fit the story, whether they’re joke cracking tricksters, burnt out veterans, quirky weirdos or well written player inserts.
They must have something that sets them apart from the crowd.
There’s nothing more boring than a character without clear motivations or a reason for doing things in an RPG.
The player has to feel that there’s a clear driving force behind actions. This is especially true for protagonist characters as it helps players to make decisions that feel like “what the character would do”.
Followers/companions should also have a reason why they wish to join forces with the protagonist. Their personal stories are meant to give an extra layer of realism of the world. They’re part of it, have personal goals and stakes which can oppose the player’s objectives, creating more drama and opportunities for interesting role-playing possibilities!
As mentioned at the beginning, players tend to form a connection with the characters within the games. Whether the protagonist or an NPC, if they feel “human” enough we see them as more than just video game beings.
The players need to like them enough and feel that they’re worth caring about. Once that is achieved the game needs to test them by giving constant challenges to overcome and shape them further.
The legacy isn’t created by the developers themselves but rather the players. It’s the fans that share their favourite characters with the rest of the world and potentially influence others to learn about them.
It’s quite common today to find out about new games by accidentally stumbling on some interesting character designs or having someone recommend it. Further increasing characters' popularity!
A mix of older and newer characters that are without a doubt beloved by many.
Don’t let the lack of your favourite character affect your personal opinion about them, there are thousands of interesting ones out there but covering every single one isn’t very feasible. We’re sure that at least few of these should be quite high on everyone's list though!
The blonde spiky hair with a giant sword, Cloud Strife is possibly one of the most recognisable JRPG protagonists in the world.
His first introduction is that of a cold hearted mercenary focused only on getting paid. As the story progresses it's shown that there’s a lot of backstory elements that allow him to grow as a character, developing attachments with other companions while trying to stop Sephiroth from ending the world.
Despite his initial cold demeanour, Cloud proves on multiple occasions that he’s willing to help out others, even if it means putting himself at risk.
His growth into a hero is probably one of the reasons he’s well remembered by the fans of the series.
Kim is a perfect example of a man who wants to get his job done.
He’s paired with the protagonist who suffers from a severe amnesia due to extreme substance abuse. What’s more, said protagonist is actually communicating with his psyche to comprehend (and misunderstand) the world around him.
Despite that, Kim really goes out of his way to assist and keep him focused on solving the case.
He’s a perfect supporting character, willing to jump in to help at a moment's notice, keeping the player’s more “esoteric” choices in check but not dismissing them outright, while still being able to stay true to his own convictions and personality traits.
A real MVP, hands down!
Geralt of Rivia, the titular Witcher is a complex character.
He is most well known from the Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt game where he has a massive world full of NPCs to interact with.
Witchers are generally considered as mutants, possessing supernatural abilities like sharper senses, enhanced physical abilities and access to rudimentary magical abilities in the form of “signs”. All these abilities come at a heavy price though, from harsh training and consumption of a special potentially deadly mutagen to discrimination from regular humans.
There are no “good” or “bad” choices to make, they’re more shades of neutral and each one has consequences which are revealed after some time.
Geralt isn’t a monster though, he doesn’t go out of his way to be cruel or unjust but he’s also not going to jump at any situation to save others. He’s very human and conflicted, making it very easy for the player to emphasise with him throughout each quest and main story.
An anti-hero if you wish.
Kratos is definitely a very memorable character with quite a hero journey. Initially he was a demi-god seeking vengeance against Ares for tricking him into killing his family. After defeating Ares and becoming the titular God of War.
He was then betrayed by Zeus, his father (affected by Pandora’s box), and killed. Due to the interference from the Titan Gaia, he came back to enact brutal retribution on Olympus, leaving only those who didn’t stand in his way alive.
He leaves Greece and ends up in Midgard, where he fathers a son Atreus with Faye. Despite all the hatred and betrayal, he eventually regrets his past actions and seeks to lead a peaceful life.
Kratos starts as a brutal and violent warrior with hints of his caring nature from his interaction with his family, as he arrives in Midgard, he becomes more mature and regretful about his shortsighted decisions, knowing the consequences others have to deal with because of it.
A very complex character that becomes more interesting with each new title!
Despite being a silent protagonist, Crono has no problems communicating to the player his caring nature and kindness. He’s willing to put his life on the line for the sake of his friends and loved ones.
Despite being only a teenager, he’s a skilled swordsman, which he wields only against those who wish to harm him, his companions or innocents.
While he is the protagonist for the majority of the game at one point he loses that status, making him quite unique in that aspect as well.
Adventurous youth with a kind nature, great combat prowess and loyalty to his friends. A great combination for a hero!
Possibly one of the most recognizable characters in the world. While he’s not native to the RPG genre, he does have a few titles under his belt.
His speciality is platforming and a copious amount of power ups spread throughout the Mushroom Kingdom to assist him in tackling multitude of enemies. His main adversary is Bowser (or King Koopa) who constantly kidnaps Princess Peach in an attempt to control the Kingdom.
Funnily enough, mario’s greatest power as a character is that the players themselves have the ability to decide themselves how they see him and it really shows in the fanworks created with him.
A very iconic character despite(or maybe thanks to?) his simplicity.
The Protagonist of the Mass Effect series. Commander Shepard is very customisable, allowing the players to have different experiences depending on their own choice.
Whether you’ll play a heroic saviour focused on uniting everyone against greater threat or a brutally efficient “end justifies the means” kind of character.
Shepard himself is a very skilled and capable soldier, being chosen as the first human Spectre (a type of galactic above the law group), other than that, it’s up to the players to decide both his backstory and what type of Commander Shepard they wish to be.
A great character for the player to project themselves onto due to skilled writers!
The protagonist of most Yakuza games, Kazuma Kiryu, is best defined as a “noble bandit”. He’s a kind and caring man but his past and relationships forced him into the Yakuza organisation. It doesn’t mean he’s not capable of holding his own in a fight though, he is very skilled in hand to hand combat, capable of taking on armed opponents with his bare hands.
Throughout the series, Kiryu faces many challenges, with most beyond his control. Despite that, he’s always trying to act in an honourable way, often putting him at odds with his Yakuza members.
A well meaning man trying to do the right thing in a bad situation, that’s Kazuma Kiryu.
Astarion is a very… divisive character. It’s easy to dismiss him as an annoying, self centred narcissist. A persona he can act out quite well. But there’s plenty of reasons as to why he does that.
As a High Elf vampire spawn, he’s bound to his sadistic master to do his bidding.
At the beginning of the story, he’s “released” from his grasp for the first time in 200 years, regaining the ability to walk in the sun or walk into houses uninvited. Unsurprisingly, he wishes to revel in his new found freedom as much as possible, even at the expense of others.
Astarion has the capacity to change to become more empathetic towards others (or more selfishly if the player so desires) depending on the action of the player but needs to be given a chance to do so, something that he didn’t receive for over 200 years.
It would be a disservice to not mention the voice actor doing an amazing job at portraying him, really delivering the cynical and witty High Elf magistrate vibe perfectly.
Overall, he’s REALLY fun to be around if given a chance.
There’s no secret to the fact that each character has a different impact on different people. It’s a personal choice as to which character is your favourite without a doubt.
But some characters are just done in such a superb way that even if you don't really like them, you just want to see more of them.
That is the power of well written characters with human-like motivations and sensible choices. They're just that interesting and we wish to see the final chapter of their stories.
And once that’s done, the fans can further write their own stories, create fanart or other related works. Thus securing their legacy, even after their stories conclude in their respective franchise!
Characters have to be interesting enough for players to become invested in them. Clever dialogue and engaging personality make them distinct amongst others.
If the players form a connection with the character there’s a chance they’ll talk about them with others, making the character more known even to people that didn’t play the game.
