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100 best heroes in video games

The most memorable, influential, and badass protagonists in games

Words: on November 9, 2012
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285 comments

  • andrew-sinclair - May 10, 2013 2:50 p.m.

    They forgot Wander from Shadow of the colossus. which honestly, although i FREAKING LOVE ZELDA TO THE DEATH... i think should be number one.

  • cesar-eduardo-balderas - May 1, 2013 10:35 p.m.

    Zack Fair!! by godness sake, he was the definition of Hero.

  • Entenei - April 22, 2013 2:32 a.m.

    Francis Zach (York) Morgan - Deadly Premonition

  • potarto72 - March 8, 2013 6:48 p.m.

    EEEEEK! Raz from Psychonauts! I love you GR.

  • carl-knoch - February 15, 2013 6:24 p.m.

    Jake Logan from Tachyon: The Fringe sure would have been a good one to give a nod to here. Voiced by Bruce Campbell, how can you not give him a top 100 rating?

  • g1rldraco7 - February 15, 2013 6:15 p.m.

    I like this final version of this list, great job GamesRadar :D

  • minimur12 - February 5, 2013 10:42 a.m.

    i know its not the most popular choice, but if you've played the game, you'd agree, Nariko: Heavenly Sword

  • shashank-saurav - January 11, 2013 4:51 a.m.

    Only person I can think of missing from this is Alex Mercer. Ignoring Prototype 2, in Prototype 1 Alex was a true hero.

  • rishabh-sc - February 19, 2013 11:32 a.m.

    YES , u r 100% right!!!!......................... if im not rude , MERCER even deserves the first place!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RahEtkVxAPA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvsUkUaJjYs please copy this url ,show others who MERCER is ..................................... Spread this .......please.................

  • Fruitbat - December 20, 2012 11:22 a.m.

    I think we can all agree that, whatever your opinion, the fact there are so many genuinely memorable videogame characters after a relatively short history is nothing short of incredible.

  • Overshrimp - December 19, 2012 9:54 p.m.

    I havent really played most of the games here (esp. the old ones) so I really don't know who really deserves to be no.1

  • letric5 - December 19, 2012 4:55 p.m.

    Honestly Master Chief definitely deserved to be higher up for sure I mean #8 really, he's the flagship Xbox 360 Hero and protagonist for the Xbox 360 Flagship series Halo for crying out loud!!!!! Also Sergeant Johnson deserves to be up there too not as high up but nonethless up there if he's on the list or not even on the list. Obviously everybody has their favorites and a list like this is rather pointless actually because everybody's opinions differ.

  • nintendo365 - December 19, 2012 1:46 p.m.

    I love all the fanboy rage on this page. The only characters I can think of that were missed are, Raziel from the Legacy of Kain series. His story in itself is enough to deem him at least 80 on this list. The Legend in the Skate. series, he did cause a revolution in San Vanelona. And Roland from Borderlands. He lead the original 4 Vault hunters, Destroyed the Destroyer, Stopped the Crimson Lance Army, started and lead his own Army and did take a bullet through the spine. Also, he had one of the sickest Assault Rifles in Borderlands 2, that was the only good part about him dying. If Dizzy made it, anyone can.

  • Grivien - December 17, 2012 9:48 a.m.

    I will also add. I have never hated a none existant character as much as I freaking loathe and despise the mothertrucking dovahkin moron!

  • Grivien - December 17, 2012 9:46 a.m.

    What a load of bull! The characters from make your own character games don't even count sometimes! And that frakking twat Dovahkin?! That is the worst make your own character character in history! The character does'nt even freaking exist! It's a sickeningly overused image used to promote the game. It bears no resemblance to the actual joke you end up with. Skyrim is grotesquley overated, overpromoted, overhyped, garbage! I see why the planescape make your owner character was there. That's a actual and good story. But that dovahkin frakwit could'nt get any more vapid and moronic if it tried! Nier from NIER should be there. He completely unique and awesome. He's completely relentless, he's older, and he's a father. There are not a lot of fathers, or people that start at 39 in games. And few are as totally, brutally, relentless in their quest to save their daughter. He literally goes through everything and everyone in his way. Caim from Drakengard 1 should be there too. He's a rarity. A sociopath, who likes killing, killing, more killing, and his sister. A unusual and neutrel hero done in a fun way, as opposed to grinding and boring. And if we're going to have make your own character games. We may as well have these. The Courier from Fallout New Vegas. And the Fateless One from Kingdoms Of Amalur:Reckoning. Both awesome games. Both properly written backgrounds and quests.

  • nintendo365 - December 19, 2012 1:38 p.m.

    Right, Dovahkiin doesnt deserve to be on this list. Especially since he single handedly saves towns from Dragons, Ancient Dragons, Frost Dragons , Dragon Priests, and various Daedric beings. Also, he doesnt deserve it because he traveled into the next life and back to stop dragons from devouring the strongest human souls. Nope, doesnt deserve it at all. And he defnitely doenst deserve it for defeating another Dovahkiin. You sound like an idiot. "The characters from make your own character games don't even count sometimes!" Who the fuck told you that? So I guess Shepard from Mass Effect doesnt count either? Or does he count because he has a designated "name"? How about the Adventurer and his children in the Fable Series? Or the Leader of the Saints in Saints Row 3? Or the Agent in Crackdown? None of them count as heroes or great leaders right? OH but the nameless hero in Fallout counts right? Do you realize that Skyrim and Fallout are almost the same game? Just one with guns and the other with swords. Theyre both even made by Bethesda... As for your argument for the "The character does'nt even freaking exist! It's a sickeningly overused image used to promote the game. It bears no resemblance to the actual joke you end up with." That applies to Shepard and all the other characters too. They need to have a base model, so people know who they play as in the cutscenes, gameplay previews and promo tools.

  • shahriyar-lk - November 3, 2012 11:44 p.m.

    BS list... where is Cloud ??? and Nathan Drake is 3rd ??? WTF I can't believe that there is no one from FF nor Warcraft series I'll bet ppl creating this list are 14 years old whom started playing video games w Uncharted series.

  • Stormskip - November 3, 2012 2:10 p.m.

    Mobius 1 from Ace Combat 4. Starting to fight when your nation is on the ropes, Mobius 1 single handedly destroys modern armies as he spearheads the effort to reclaim his country. What's more heroic or badass than that?

  • abdelrahman-sedik - November 3, 2012 9:39 a.m.

    Dovakin 71 ..Shepard 99!!!!!!!! just who made this crappy list

  • Stalkarn - November 3, 2012 3:18 a.m.

    Fucking hippie list! Packman what the -.--. that yellow dot is not a hero and Shepard omg what is greater than risking his own life saving the galaxy. Change the title of this list to "My whet hippie dreams" or something.

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