Gamers truly are a lucky bunch. Right from the start, even as graphics and design capability weren’t at the level they are now, game creators were still going above and beyond to fill their creations with colorful characters and backstories. Games also didn’t restrict themselves to one genre or style.
There were adventure games, action games, and horror games, and they all featured great characters that players loved to embody. The ones that were truly successful continued to spawn some of the biggest franchises in all media. Even today, new characters that are resonating with fans are still being created. Here’s a ranking of some of the best of all time.
10 Scorpion
Because it consists of such a wide cast of characters, Mortal Kombat often slips under the radar as having an icon, but the franchise has been in existence for decades. It’s also hard to argue that for its duration Scorpion hasn’t been the face of the title.
There are others who are popular, but Scorpion’s iconic look and “get over here” tagline have entered the public consciousness so strongly that it’s hard to separate him from the often controversial game.
9 Master Chief
Master Chief is a fairly difficult character to rank. Even though he is a fairly new character, having only existed for two decades compared to others, he’s extremely iconic among gamers. Halo represented Microsoft’s flagship game for the Xbox and Master Chief was its star.
With a great storyline and competitive multiplayer, this series made Master Chief completely recognizable. However, he still has a generic look to him that that average non-gamers might mistake for someone else such as Doom Slayer or even Samus.
8 Link
Link suffers a similar problem as the Master Chief. Legend of Zelda has become a very iconic franchise for Nintendo. It’s been around for decades and Link is undoubtedly its main character.
However, the big joke among gamers is that non-gamers constantly refer to him as Zelda and have no idea that they are two separate characters. Still, that shouldn’t discount the fact that Link has been around for a very long time and has many different popular variations.
7 Lara Croft
Lara Croft is an interesting character. More than any other video game icon, she is most known for having her figure improve alongside graphics development. But besides her looks, she is also known for just being the star of an incredibly impressive series of adventure games.
Tomb Raider pioneered the action-adventure combined with puzzle solving. Also, it helped that it tapped into the tone of Indiana Jones, providing a lot of fans with a female alternative for their nostalgia.
6 Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong has had a particularly interesting career as a video game character. He originally starred as the titular villain In his own game, however, the stardom was given more to its protagonist, Mario.
Instead, Donkey Kong got a second life of sorts as he was reinvented in the Super Nintendo game Donkey Kong Country. From there, Donkey Kong’s popularity exploded as he appeared as a staple character in Mario sports games and even had an extended family of Donkey Kong characters.
5 Mega Man
Mega Man is one of those rare video game characters who premiered early on and remains true to his original incarnation. The Mega Man formula was fairly standard and popular. Although things certainly changed over time, the formula of levels and bosses mostly remain the same.
It was only in expanded media such as comic books and cartoon shows that the Mega Man character evolved. But in video games, fans of the franchise have remained loyal because he has stayed true to his roots.
4 Pac-Man
Pac-Man has tried to evolve over time in other media and even in some spin-off games, but what makes Pac-Man so special is that it was such an easily accessible game so early on. Even non-gamers can jump onto a Pac-Man arcade game and understand its rules. Plus, his simple design made him very popular with fans of all ages. Pac-Man may never explode in a new and updated game, but he doesn’t need to. The original will never go out of style.
3 Pikachu
It’s hard to be the face of a franchise with over 1,000 different types of creatures, but somehow Pikachu pulls it off. What’s strange is that he didn’t even reach this status through the Pokemon games themselves. Instead, he gained popularity and notoriety from his place in the anime.
And still, that type of stardom transitioned over to the games to the point where Pikachu has become one of the most recognizable video game characters worldwide.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog
On his own, Sonic the Hedgehog isn’t a particularly notable creation. However, his stardom mainly comes from a case of being in the right place at the right time. The console wars were heating up between Sega and Nintendo. Everyone knows who Nintendo’s mascot was, so by default, that role fell to Sonic.
He then went on to have a very successful career with several notable games that continue to be released today. And with a film franchise just heating up, Sonic has earned his spot near the top.
1 Mario
There’s absolutely no debate as to who the best video game star is. He’s an unlikely candidate as an Italian plumber known for jumping, but Mario is unmatched in popularity and notoriety. This is in large part due to his ever-expanding roster of games that are incredibly fun.
The world and co-stars around him also help to expand his legacy. And with the launch of his own theme park, it doesn’t look as if Mario will be overthrown anytime soon.
