65 Best Video Game Characters Who Changed The Franchises They Were In

Geralt of Rivia stands apart as a model of moral relativism in a world filled with daring heroes trying to do the right thing. It would be pointless to attempt to eliminate all the cruelty and evil in the world around him. The Witcher's unapologetic fantasy world centers around Geralt and his journeys.

Joel is a shadow of the man he once was twenty years ago after he lost his young daughter. He has something to fight for when he begins to take care of Ellie. The daughter-father relationship he forms with Ellie is an emotional journey. His decisions seem human, and their consequences are world-changing.

Since her introduction as the protagonist of 1996's Tomb Raider, Lara Croft has undergone significant development. The 2010 remake brought a new, more contemporary Lara Croft, offering her a more thorough background narrative and a fresh streak of humanity. She always remained powerful, traveling to ancient tombs and fighting off villains and dinosaurs.

While she became more known due to her appearance in The Last of Us, her concept originated in Uncharted 2 as a companion to Drake. The idea garnered plenty of attention from the game developers and Ellie was developed as a foul-mouthed, comedic, and emotional center of The Last of Us franchise.

No one can beat Mario in the legendary character category. First appearing in Donkey Kong and then in his independent games, Mario has cemented himself as a style icon and story character. Nintendo uses this character in their video games due to the popularity he has among fans

With so many Assassin's Creed titles to choose from, only one character can stand out from the lineup — Ezio Auditore. Born and raised in the great boot that is Italy, Ezio grew a lot throughout the games. Starting as a man on a path of revenge, he ended up as a respected and renowned icon in the lore of the game. 

Man's best friend is a dog in both the real and virtual worlds. In the apocalyptic world of Fallout, Dogmeat acts as a companion to the main character. With such an iconic name, Dogmeat is a cute and helpful character that joins the protagonist quite early in the story. Among the many grotesque creatures, Dogmeat is unique.

This mouse-like character has charmed several generations of video game players for decades now. Pikachu is famous in the games for its special moves and in the anime series, where he and his trainer Ash took the stage in the marketing material. Pikachu is both colorful and funny in some moments.

Pac-Man's main objectives are to consume dots and leave a ghost-filled maze. Despite its straightforward gameplay, Pac-Man has endured as one of the arcade era's most popular characters, with products and media profiles to match. Even today, he has had cameos in multiple movies and series.

While usually confused with Zelda, whose name is in the title of the games, Link is the character we play throughout the Zelda games. Silent for most games, due to a promise, he was created by Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary video game designer, and has become as well known as Mario.

Known as the World Eater and the Twilight God, Alduin is one of the first dragons to have ever cast a shadow over Tamriel. He led the dragons and subjugated the humans in Tamriel, using them as slaves to build temples in their honor. Luckily, he was cast into the future by three brave heroes and ultimately defeated by the last Dragonborn.

The most fashionable Sim to ever exist once led a pleasant, routine life. She was an excellent student who showed her Gothic side through her collection of skulls in her bedroom. She grew up in a bachelor's household. As she marries Mortimer Goth in The Sims 2, the recognizable, perfectly coiffed Sim's life becomes significantly fun.

This character can be a man or a woman — it doesn’t make a difference as both of them get portrayed as great leaders and fighters. Mass Effect by Bioware does an excellent job of creating a plausible environment in which you start developing your mythology — all thanks to the work of Shepard.

The Spartan mercenary is played with a wink and a smirk, making her as seductive as she is murderous. Kassandra is a fierce warrior and a bit of a murderous creator of merriment, whether she is rubbing elbows with famous historical personalities like Socrates or chopping up opponents in a toga.

Steve became an icon of both Minecraft and the whole gaming industry. He is also a person no other character would want to mess with, as he journeys through the infinite world with a full bag of items that weigh quite a lot in the real world. He appeared in other games, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The ideal kind of character in a video game like this is Trevor. Trevor is with gamers when they act foolishly and cause trouble online. He is intelligent and ambitious but utterly disorganized and careless with repercussions. He is a dark aspect of Los Santos and understands the world around him.

A man with a past he wants to forget — John Marston is as complex of a character as Arthur Morgan. A former member of the Van Der Linde gang, Marston is forced by the government to hunt down his previous colleagues so that his family can live peacefully. Dueling between his decisions, everything he does is for his family.

Spyro's traditional dragon green color changed to purple to prevent him from merging with the surrounding vegetation. He got the power to glide to set the game apart from other platformers. Even NASA rocket expert Matt Whiting was employed by Insomniac to refine his in-air movements.

In 2007's Uncharted, Drake made his first endearingly unkempt appearance, and he quickly became the gold standard for endearing in-game dialogue. He embodies the ideal of the lovable rogue. Nathan is a disturbed individual with a complicated background who, despite his seeming hesitation, always chooses to act morally.

The cake might be a lie, but the fandom that GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) developed for herself is truly real. This well-developed AI, created by Aperture Science as a hive mind of the facilities, has become much more popular than the protagonist herself. Evil and funny, GLaDOS is the face of the Portal games.

The Wild West requires a person to be versatile, cold-blooded, and loyal — everything that Arthur Morgan captures in just a single game. Having been raised by Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews, Morgan became a high-ranking member of their gang, who did everything to help his good friend and brother-like figure John Marston to survive.

One of the cleverest, most deceitful characters in Nintendo history, this rascal made his debut in the initial installment of Animal Crossing on the GameCube. When he sells you your first home, he may appear to be the kindest and lightest person, but the payments on the mortgage will soon start.

Chloe's depth makes her such a legendary character, as she is beautifully portrayed by Aloy actor Ashley Burch and Rhianna DeVries in the follow-up Life is Strange Beyond the Storm. She is fiercely devoted yet quick to point the finger, bold but still paralyzed by fear, and empathetic but heartless.

Dorian is one of Dragon Age's few genuinely memorable characters, and his magical prowess and astute humor make him a fantastic RPG companion. The handsome spellcaster has also led a very interesting life. Dorian studied magic in the Circle of Carastes. Despite being a star student, his fondness for dueling got him into all kinds of trouble.

The master of unlocking herself, Jill Valentine, started off the Resident Evil franchise with quite a bang. A former member of the S.T.A.R.S team, Valentine has the skills to survive a zombie-filled mansion and Raccoon City. After the enslavement under Wesker, Valentine joined forces with her old colleague, Chris Redfield, to fight bioterrorism.

Kratos was a Spartan warrior when he first appeared on PlayStation. Kratos was a god of war, on the path of revenge against the other gods that caused him so much harm. Under Cory Barlog's direction, Kratos received a new friendlier personality and a new son, Atreus, in the 2018 remake. 

This character has big hair, a sword, and a long history in the video game industry. First appearing in Final Fantasy 7, Cloud set the standard for an unreliable narrator in a video game and entertainment industry overall. Even after so many years, he is seen as the face of the franchise and one of the best characters ever.

A soundless protagonist who might be one of the smartest people in the whole video game industry, Gordon Freeman was just a simple everyday man who went to work in Black Mesa. Then, when he accidentally caused a resonance cascade, he picked up a trusty crowbar and wreaked havoc on invading aliens.

Niko Bellic is a broken man with a bowling-obsessed cousin. Niko might be one of the most complex characters in all of gaming, coming from Europe to Liberty City for a better life, when his story quickly returns to violence and shooting after the harsh city shows its face from under the curtains.

World of Warcraft has a lot of characters, but only a few are as memorable as Sylvanas Windrunner — the leader of the Forsaken. With the goal of revenge, her arc takes a drastic turn once she regains her free will and can let go of the hatred she had built up over so many years of tormented living.

Few characters are as vivid and human as Clementine. When she was just eight years old, an apocalypse started. While she undoubtedly benefited plenty from both of her parents, Lee Everett's influence did the most to Clementine's personality. Rarely under the control of the player, she gained a place in many gamers' hearts.

With your main rival being an Italian plumber in a red suit, your character has to be much more creative. When developing the mascot for Sega's upcoming games, the company went with a blue hedgehog who goes fast. Since his first appearance, he has become a star of his movies and a guest character in other video games.

Crash Bandicoot is a genetic experimentation victim, but he doesn't let it get to him. Since his debut in 1996, his talents have grown to encompass new combat maneuvers, including using a bazooka, but his defining technique is still the tornado spin. Due to his popularity, a species of bandicoot was named after him.

Snake? Snake?! Snake! Anyone who has played a game from the Metal Gear Solid franchise, especially the first ones, will know Solid Snake. A twin brother of Liquid Snake, both of whom originate from Big Boss himself, Solid Snake is a master of espionage and CQC, embarking on dangerous missions and seeing that they get done.

Cold, harsh, and crime-filled — a description of a city that corrupted Max Payne right to his core. Having lost his wife and child to a pair of drugged-up sociopaths, Payne, an NYPD cop, went on a rampage, becoming an even more broken man. We see him change for the better and worse.

Pyramid Head might have originated in Silent Hill 2, but his impact is felt throughout the franchise and in other games. Created to be a manifestation of James Sunderlands' desire to be punished for his bad deeds, he quickly became a sign of justice in the world of Silent Hill, leaving his original roots behind.

With Prince Arthas Menethil, a childhood friend and past love interest, she got sent to look into the undeath plague.  With the help of a mysterious prophet known as Medivh, Jaina saved as many survivors as she could and fled across the sea to Kalimdor.

Even an emotionless object can be a famous character. In 1984, the Z-block and her less glitzy twin, the S-block, entered our lives. This tetromino, affectionately referred to as the "squiggly," perfectly captures the delightful pain of Tetris. While the square is more useful, they are boring and not game-ruining.

The first selectable female character in a game about fighting was Chun-Li. After a few years, it is nearly difficult to envision the marketplace without her. She is one of Street Fighter's most fully realized characters as an Interpol agent eager to avenge her father. Her creation inspired other developers to create female characters.

Samus, the character, can be considered a gaming industry pioneer. Many gamers were just unable to comprehend the huge surprise in the first Metroid game, which showed we had been playing as a woman the entire time. That reveal's cultural importance is just now becoming obvious.

Starting as a rookie Racoon City cop in Resident Evil 2 and then rising through the ranks to become a daughter-saving agent for the US president, Leon S. Kennedy is as legendary as the Resident Evil franchise. While other S.T.A.R.S members might have come first, Leon S. Kennedy is a much more memorable character than all of them combined. 

While he might not be Jack Sparrow level of funny, Guybrush Threepwood is still funny on his own, a rarity in video games. A pirate with an array of talents to boast, Threepwood has become quite an icon in the works of fiction related to pirates. He got referenced in Star Wars, Sea of Thieves, and Indiana Jones games.

This Dog is special because he reacts to what the protagonist does. A devil puppy will appear if you play like a complete jerk. However, if the Hero is kind, the Dog will be a very content boy who kids race to pet. Despite your moral stance, Dog establishes its iconic status.

Known more for his often spammed quote “it’s high noon,” McCree is quite a cool character. Through his outfit, weapons, and mannerisms, McCree captures the image of a western cowboy in the game Overwatch. Thanks to his charm and wits, he became a subject of a lot of memes.

Ryu is the perfect example of a modern ninja; his sleek Legendary Black Falcon suit is identical to that of a contemporary special ops operative. He has a strong frame and is in excellent physical shape. His eyes, one of his most defining traits, are mostly hidden by his ninja garb and outfits.

Mae is complicated, sincere, and struggling with an elusive problem. Besides the fact that this is very realistic, many people can relate to the place where she resides. People who the player may know in real life are her pals. Additionally, Mae occasionally makes poor decisions and now she must face the repercussions of her deeds.

Nobody likes to walk as much as Sam Porter Bridges from Death Stranding. He is a renowned porter and a Bridges member who plays a crucial part in growing the Chiral Network and uniting the United Cities of America. Carrying the weight of the world on his back, he walks to save the world.

A Spartan soldier and a member of United Nations Space Command, Master Chief is the hero in the Halo series, but also the mascot of the Xbox gaming console. Master Chief has spent the last 20 years battling an extraterrestrial group known as the Covenant with the assistance of his AI partner Cortana.

The upbeat magical hero from Ubisoft has an enduring allure. Rayman debuted in 1995 and has since starred in four more major installments. His distinctive look, which consists mostly of a skull with floating arms and legs, was inspired by sketches the inventor Michel Ancel drew as a young adult.

Would you kindly remember the first time you saw a Big Daddy character? Scary and menacing, they acted like the guards of the underground Rapture City. Wearing heavy diving suits, they are accompanied by one or several Little Sisters — children who help the Daddies collect plasma from bodies.

Eminem has nothing on PaRappa Rappa. This cartoon dog is fascinated with rap and donning an eye-popping vivid beanie. The cute dog is also one of the PS1's characters who never ceases to be cheerful. PaRappa became a breakout celebrity because of the initial game's distinctive design and plot, which led to multiple installments and an anime series.

When the game focuses on cutting off limbs, your protagonist has to be unique to be interesting. Known more for the armor that he wears, Clarke was an engineer for the CEC before he got thrown into a “marker” created incident. Since then, he became a Plasma Cutter-carrying Terminator.

John Price, a captain, is one of the most memorable characters in the Call of Duty series. His military history is full of epic missions where his decisions wrote the future of other games. His most memorable mission took place in the radioactive setting of Pripyat, where he had to gun down a terrorist.

Garrus is a compulsive rule-breaker despite his duties to his job, which explains why he and Shepard got along so well. Keep Vakarian alive until the end of Mass Effect 3, and one of the finest representations of wordless, in-game friendships emerges in the best sequence of the whole series.

Cayde-6, an Exo, is one of the most recognizable figures in Destiny. Cayde was the holder of the Ace of Spades, and despite his dedication to his profession, Cayde yearned for a chance to return to battle. His casual attitude gets replaced with one that is more serious and even vindictive when he is upset.

The most iconic character in the first-person shooting genre, Doomguy was a talented marine on Mars and then a slayer of demons with only two goals in his mind — rip and tear. Carrying an arsenal of weapons and limitless rage inside, Doomguy is like a grandpa for other brilliant FPS characters, like Master Chief and Serious Sam.

Earthworm Jim is just a worm with a space suit, but this didn’t stop him from becoming an iconic character with his own game. Though he frequently rushes into battle without thinking, Jim can occasionally be rather smart and naive. Jim is extremely trustworthy and has even believed villains wearing questionable disguises.

Pit leads Palutena's royal bodyguards and is her most devoted servant. Medusa converts all of Palutena's angels to stone before the events in the first game, sparing only Pit since he couldn't fly. Due to the conflation of his name with the English series title, he sometimes gets referred to as "Kid Icarus."

Dating his origins to the roots of Resident Evil 4, he appears to be a type of jester who is cocky about his skills. Dante has evolved from an ego-filled demon hunter to a wise middle-aged man. Even while his attitude still comes through, he goes above and beyond to defend the squad he has developed.

Jailer of the Damned, Lord of the Scourge, officially known as the Lich King — this character is as legendary as the Warcraft series itself. Ruling the Scourge through the Helm of Damnation, this title suited several other characters, most notably Arthas Menethil and Bolvar Fordragon. The Lich king rules from his frozen thrones on the Icecrown Citadel.

If you encounter a bald man wearing a black suit today, there's a good chance you'll picture a barcode across the rear of his head. A clone created with assassinations in mind, Agent 47 is an emotionless killer who can tell the difference between good and bad decisions. He always seems to sport the classic black suit.

Sam Fisher, just like Solid Snake, laid the foundation for the stealth genre of games. Although, Fisher is more grounded in reality. He served in the SEALs, getting quite a lot of rewards during his service, became a CIA operative, and, finally, an agent of an NSA secret program — Third Echelon.

Since the early 2000s, the mechanically skilled Lombax has dazzled players with his extraordinarily fluffy spaced ears. Ratchet and the small, flawlessly polite robot Clank have formed an all-time great team that has miraculously rescued the universe several times. The pleasant Lombax remains a tad downbeat despite appearing humble and heroic.

In the initial and subsequent games in the Onimusha series, Samanosuke plays the lead character and is referred to as Tenkai Nankobo by those he doesn't mercilessly kill. Akechi transforms into an awesome co-lead in Onimusha 3: Demon Siege after starting as a somewhat basic hero in Capcom's first samurai slasher.

Since she can be taken control of at any point, her path has been quite an emotional roller coaster. She is capable of being coerced into doing terrible things. She must ultimately confront the devil holding millions of souls, including her own, as prisoners. It becomes the stuff of tales to overcome such an enormous struggle and even rise to Divinity.