We all love a great and well-developed video game character. The character arcs alone enhance the story of the video game overall. And, while a good number of franchises accomplish having significant characters in their games, there’s one franchise that does it the best: Silent Hill.
Within the writing of each game in the Silent Hill series, there are a lot of important characters that enhance the engaging plot. Without them, the whole series wouldn’t have become the beloved video games fans hold dear today. But, among the long list of characters from the franchise, there are some that are unforgettable and iconic. From being relatable to having tragic backstories, here are the greatest Silent Hill characters.
** SPOILERS FOR Silent Hill 1, Silent Hill 2, AND Silent Hill 3 AHEAD **
12 Cybil Bennett (Silent Hill)
While she is the one who prepares us for the terrifying journey ahead, Cybil Bennett is only the second most important character in the first Silent Hill. She doesn’t show up too often after we first part ways with her, leading us to consistently lose contact with her.
This isn’t entirely a bad thing, as the gap has us slowly witness the eerie tragedy of how the town of Silent Hill has impacted her. It’s clear that being there has changed her for the worse, soon making her become possessed and turn against us in the end.
11 Vincent Smith (Silent Hill 3)
Transforming from a minor antagonist to a supporting protagonist, Vincent Smith (also known as Father Smith) is cryptic when we first meet him. He’s a priest that’s part of The Order, and he deeply stands his ground when it comes to his faith.
Vincent can be deceitful at times, making us wonder if he strives to work against all that we’re trying to prevent. However, during the final boss scene with Claudia, we see how Vincent was on our side all along. Going against Claudia’s faith, it’s Vincent’s concrete beliefs that lead to his downfall.
10 Laura (Silent Hill 2)
Laura ending up in Silent Hill believing that she’d find Mary there after misinterpreting her letter only scratches the surface of her innocence. Because of how pure her heart is, Laura is the only person who the hallucinatory terrors don’t corrupt.
Although Laura’s story might not seem as tragic compared to everyone else in the game, her presence alone is sad. Mary and Laura became close one to one another, and Laura viewed Mary as her mother. Laura’s attitude makes her seem like a brat, but this is only from her naive nature.
9 Eddie Dombrowski (Silent Hill 2)
Every single character in Silent Hill 2 has a unique backstory, but Eddie’s is one that sticks out the most from its complexity. Beyond troubled and negatively impacted from the hardships he’s had to face before coming to Silent Hill, Eddie is an antagonist that you wish you could save.
Because of the long-term bullying and insecurities that have broken Eddie, he’s succumbed to violent thoughts and slowly starts to act on them. The more we encounter Eddie throughout the game, the more we see his deadly mental descent. No matter how hard we try, our efforts to help him fall flat.
8 Maria (Silent Hill 2)
This fashionably dressed and beautiful woman first appears to us as a strange figure. We’re unsure what to make of her as James finds that she strikes an eerie resemblance to his wife, Mary. With the same face but different clothes and hair, there are various theories about what Maria could represent.
Some theorize that she is a manifestation of the guilt James feels for killing Mary, while others say that she could be his guardian angel. But, in the end, Maria is ultimately a physical representation of knowledge and guidance for James.
7 Lisa Garland (Silent Hill Series)
Even though we mainly see Lisa Garland in the first game, her impact stays throughout the series. Growing up in Silent Hill, Lisa spent her later years as a nurse at the town’s hospital.
However, after Lisa became responsible for treating Alessa after she was burned during an occult ritual, everything went downhill for her. She turned to narcotics, and her addiction led to a mysterious organization (who wanted to keep Alessa alive) blackmailing her. Towards the end, after she realizes that she’s been dead the entire time, her begging for us to save her is haunting.
6 Claudia Wolf (Silent Hill 3)
Serving as the main antagonist in Silent Hill 3, this priestess is driven by beliefs that have consumed her. Claudia Wolf is one of the most intriguing characters in the series, genuinely believing that her harmful values will lead to a positive future.
Claudia is a figure intertwined in both Heather’s and Harry’s lives. From the moment Heather was born, Claudia sought after her to help with Claudia’s vision of a “paradise.” And, in turn, from the moment Harry was killed, Heather was driven by revenge to confront Claudia. Through all of this, she is an unforgettable character.
5 Angela Orosco (Silent Hill 2)
At only nineteen years old, Angela Orosco was forced to grow up after enduring horrendous trauma. She comes to Silent Hill in search of her mother, and we see her throughout pivotal points in the game. It’s clear from the moment we meet her that she is an introvert who barely lets us into her world.
Angela’s clothes are designed perfectly to reflect her overall personality. They hint at her past, and what formed her into the person we see before us. After facing countless years of abuse that have mentally broken her, we tragically are led to witness her demise.
4 Alessa Gillespie (Silent Hill Series)
Alessa Gillespie is a repeating character throughout the Silent Hill series, but her main debut was in the first Silent Hill game. She is the most influential character in the entire series, and her backstory alone presents Silent Hill’s central ideas and themes overall.
Throughout the series, we’re introduced to small bits of Alessa’s life. It’s slowly revealed that her backstory is utterly dark and tragic, making us feel for her when we first learn about her. Because of an abusive and traumatic childhood, Alessa’s past formed her into a figure that we fear yet desire to save.
3 Harry Mason (Silent Hill)
This is the man who truly started it all. Or, at least, the first person we’re introduced to when starting the series. Harry Mason is a helpless father who crashes into Silent Hill, entering the haunting fog to find his daughter.
Harry is deeply connected to the story. Despite his daughter being called Cheryl, it’s later revealed in later games that it’s the fearless Heather from Silent Hill 3. Having to face the otherworldly, he’s tasked with fighting the homicidal monsters from the moment he wakes up in that terrifying town. It’s easy to grow attached to him, which makes his death all the more devastating.
2 James Sunderland (Silent Hill 2)
When anyone (both fans and newcomers) first thinks about Silent Hill, James is the face that they immediately picture. Since Silent Hill 2 is admittedly the most iconic game in the entire franchise, this doesn’t come as a surprise.
But James himself isn’t the best person. He is complex, and he is an anti-hero of sorts. While we want to root for James since he dares to endure the unknown to find his wife, more lies beneath the surface. As you spend time with him, you realize how human he is. And ultimately, we can’t help but see his perspective.
1 Heather Mason (Silent Hill 3)
Silent Hill is a masterpiece, and each character is unique, yet they all are significant to the story. However, one character completely hits out of the ballpark in terms of story and a well-developed character arc — the quick-witted and brave Heather Mason.
Heather (also known as Cheryl) has gone through so much. Endless amounts of mystery and curiosity surround her life, and her sense of identity can feel clouded. She works hard to find herself, trying to figure out how she is truly the key to everything.
