31-Day Mage Challenge: Day Twenty – “Favorite Video Game Protagonist”
5 min read
They’re the main characters, the heroes of our favorite video games and stories. But who are they?
“Who is your Favorite Video Game Protagonist?“
The Timely Mage
When it comes to protagonists I generally like two types: 1) the stoic unimpressed character who just IS awesome without having to go out of the way to constantly prove it to others or try to sound all cool and mysterious (e.g. Auron from FFX, Geddoe from Suikoden III, Vincent from FFVII) and 2) the pure-hearted, almost naïve character who simply wants to do good and refuses to (or simply is incapable of) getting wrapped in all the grayness of the world despite having a hard past (e.g. Solid Snake from MGS, Asbel from Tales of Graces). With that said, my favorite protagonist would have to be Squall Leonhart mainly because of how I can relate to him (see my answer for question 1) and that had quite an impact on me. He definitely fits more into the first category I listed and even though I know he’s not perfect, what I find most interesting in a story is character development and you can see him slowly change from an antisocial cynic to a loyal friend who is trying to be more vulnerable in order to be there for others in more ways than just a soldier.
The Black Humor Mage
I can’t think of any other video game protagonist that I love more than Solid Snake. The guy is the ultimate man. The first time I played Metal Gear Solid I was nothing short of impressed with each feat he accomplished. I always admired Snake, loved his words of wisdom, and sympathized with what haunted him and how much he had to suffer. I love that he always gets the job done, no matter how hard it is. He’s saved the world on multiple occasions, and you are all so ungrateful. Don’t ever forget what Snake did for all of you!
The Rage Mage
I like any of the angry white man protagonists that swarm all over video games like packs of filthy albino rats. They’re reminders that “creative” game developers are lazier than I am with their “Tom, Dick, and Harry’s”. Which boosts my galactic ego.
The Green Screen Mage
Talk about one of the most difficult questions you can ask. There’s just so many awesome protagonists out there that we love to play or see how their stories play out. Why must you do this to me Well-Red Mage!?
Okay, so Link from Wind Waker almost got this. Those facial expressions are just the best and I will forever love that they choose to keep Link silent.
Master Chief and Arbiter got my top spot in my heart. Don’t you dare make me choose between the two. The stone faced warrior trained since childhood to defend the human race and the disgraced alien commander turned rebel leader of his people. Master Chief is willing to go into any situation alone, no matter how dangerous, as long as he’s protecting others or completing his mission. He knows what he has to do and nothing will stop him from getting it done. He’s almost as determined as Frisk! (Ha. Ha. Undertale joke.)
Now I will forever be heartbroken over the decrease in and lack of Arbiter after Halo 2, because his character is so amazing and had so much more potential. Come on people! He was an alien commander who was to be executed, gets another chance to fight for his people, discovers a conspiracy, turns against the leaders of the Covenant and convinces his men to go with him, and then becomes the leader of his planet during the time of a civil war. He’s a genuinely good and caring person, well alien, who, when it came down to it, put his beliefs to the side and helped the humans to save his race and the universe.
Thel and John are just so precious to me and so near and dear to my heart. MC has been with me since I was 9 and Arby since I was 12 and I have never stopped loving them both.
The White Out Mage
This is an easy one for me: Kirby! Kirby! Kirby! I just love that adorable, cutesy little pink puffball! I even love his “Hiyiyi!” taunt.
The Well-Red Mage
“Super Fighting Robot…! Mega Man!”
I’ve loved Mega Man since the early days when he wore his blue undies on the outside (like Superman) until they made him Mega Man X and he became like four times cooler. The armored android boy, the Blue Bomber, he’s just too awesome with his arm mounted buster cannon. Let me put my infatuation this way: his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Wii U single-handedly made me want to drop hundreds of dollars on a console I was going to pass on without a second thought. He may have become something of an anachronism in 2016, since Capcom seems like they want nothing to do with him anymore, but that’s part of his charm for me. He’s primordial, essential, fundamental, iconic. Growing up, I wanted nothing more than to be Mega Man. Plus, I think he could just about beat anyone… Squall, Master Chief, Snake… But what would happen if Kirby and Mega Man copied each other?
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Well Red, you stole my ‘Multiverse Implosion’ Joke, but it’s funny, so we cool!
As to protagonists… Solid Snake, Vivi & *Thinks* I’ll say Abe, cos while he’s not super strong, intelligent or fast or what-have-you, he’ gets the job(s) done (destroying Rupture Farms & later, Soulstorm Brewery) while jus being himself.
On a side note: kudos to the ladies who pointed out social anxiety is a thing.
I only recently became aware (at nearly 32!) that other people can be afraid/worried/dislike social situations too, it wasn’t just me, so shouts to them for jus gettin on with it, whilst I stay here, at 2:30am GMT, in the cold & dark, scared & lonely & hatin it!!! Hooray!
I actually nominate Naked Snake from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. While I like Solid Snake and playing as him in his games, there is something about the third Metal Gear Solid game and it’s hero that is more involving than the other games. Some of the characters that feature in this game have a much deeper connection with Naked Snake, such as his close friend Boss and his lover Eva. The story of the game also creates a sense that the character is against overwhelming odds and extreme violence, while being manipulated by his allies, making it almost unbelievable that he succeeds. The use of the R1 feature during animated sequences makes it seem that, while the player controls the character during the game, the character can also control the player’s viewpoint. This adds character to the hero independent of the player’s actions.
Snake will always be my favorite, with or with David Hayter.
Hawkeye from Seiken Densetsu 3, or Secrets of Mana 2 in the US. The guy duel wields and becomes a Ninja in one of his job changes. What more do you want?!
Trevor Phillips from Grand Theft Auto V in that he’s basically a personification of what Grand Theft Auto players are like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo2JQ1v1zEU
Ha! What a description. I’d make a more detailed comment, but I’ve never played any GTA.
Mine is Lightning from FFXIII…. *runs for cover*
AW HECK NAWW!!! Jk, everyone is entitled to their own opinion here and we should all try to create a free zone for discussion. Care to elaborate on why? Lightning may not have resonated with me, but I’m curious to have some reasoning behind an opposing view.
Well here it goes:
In real life, I’m an introvert, meaning I like being alone with my thoughts and frequent social situations drain my battery. I probably appear to be quiet and arrogant to most people, but I actually like helping people and such. To me, it seems like Lightning is also this way. From experience, male introverts tend to get labelled the strong silent types, while female introverts tend to get labelled as “stuck up”. That’s just how it goes.
Lightning is the only video game character I felt was just like me. Her attitude in the beginning of the game was a bit annoying, though I was entertained watching her punch poor Snow, but she grew into a protector over the course of the three games I played. She was motivated to save her sister, and she turned into someone who would do anything to protect her friends, and eventually her entire world. I was also entertained by her frequent sarcastic comments, and admire her badass combat skills.
You know what? That was a very heartfelt and reasonable explanation. I’m glad it’s laid out here. I never really thought about the difference between the male and female introvert. Thanks for sharing! I may still bag on her for comedic purposes, though 😀
I’m a female introvert, too, though people think I’m outgoing because I know how to put on the act. I think I did this to avoid the “stuck up” label, though quite a few people probably think I’m an elitist. :\ Also silence is super awkward so I learned how to fill it with small talk.
I haven’t played FFXIII, but I’m trying to ignore all the critiques I’ve heard so when I do I can form my own opinion! I like the FF does a good job of making complex characters.
I’d have to agree with Timely Mage’s first category – characters like Auron are normally my favorite
Auron was my favorite character from FFX!
Auron was my favorite character in FFX hands down! Lulu was second, because I loved her sarcastic personality, but Auron’s whole story…heartbreaking and awesome.
Cloud 🙂 He’s a man consumed by his own inner thoughts. His own inner doubt. Never made it as a 1st class Soldier. Ashamed to face his hometown. Giving up on his own life in Advent Children when he gets sick. Afraid to rescue children because he’s mentally paralysed by a fear of failure. This is a man who believes he can’t achieve anything. And yet… when he does believe it… my god… he comes out of his shell and kicks ass. Serious epicness ensues 🙂
I have a love/hate relationship with Cloud. Sometimes I’m like: “He’s so awesome!” and then other times I’m like: “Dude. Just get over it.”
True but for introverts and people with anxiety or identity issues, “get over it” is one of the hardest things to do. “Getting over it” it is arguably Cloud’s greatest challenge in Advent Children, and his own self-doubt is his greatest enemy. Sephiroth in that film is a metaphor for that. He and Kadaj are the ones trying to tell Cloud that he’s nothing more than a puppet. But when Cloud stops listening to his doubts and believes in himself and his friends… and he allows them to give him a helping hand (literally) he’s able to defeat the biggest baddest enemies. It’s a wonderful message. Cloud at the beginning of Advent Children is who I used to be. Cloud at the end is who I am now… or at least I like to think so 🙂
There are plenty of good choices here, especially Mega Man! I’ll go with Link as my favorite protagonist. He admittedly lacks characterization and has only recently been more emotional in cutscenes. Link is supposed to link the avatar on screen to you, and it achieves that for me. There’s something about playing as Link that makes me feel comfortable. I feel a sense of growth and power as I travel the world and gain items to conquer huge bosses. I enjoy the games he’s in, and thus, I enjoy Link. Link may be a silent protagonist, but he’s the one that gets to live out the Zelda games.
I’m glad I had an opportunity to write just about how much I love Mega Man! Link is another good choice! The silent protagonist is a perfect artifact that allows you to put yourself into the place of protagonist.
I was just talking about Squall with a fellow fanfic writer friend, because he’s her favorite FF protagonist, and while he’s not my number one, I can relate to him. When you’ve been abandoned and hurt your entire life, you learn to build the wall. The flashback scenes with him in the rain were heartbreaking ;_;
It’s a toss up between Cecil from FFIV and Celes from FFVI. I know many consider Terra the MC, but I saw Celes as the driving force in the second half of the game.
Cecil conquers his darkness and does the right thing even against orders. He doesn’t go mad from revelation upon finding out he’s part alien unlike other silver haired pretty boys hehe. Cecil doesn’t care who he has to defy in order to be a decent person e.g. his best friend, his king or his brother.
As for Celes she was also very young to be so martially involved (FF loves its child soldiers…), and she, too, had to make hard choices. She was haunted by the atrocities performered under Imperial service and did everything she could to make things right. Ultimately, she failed through no fault of her own. After waking up in a ruined world, she battled more loss (if Cid dies) and a suicide attempt that leaves her more broken and alone.
I don’t know how I’d choose between the two!
One of the reasons why FFVI is so great was because it treated a huge chunk of its cast like main characters. Gotta love Celes.
Yup! Everyone had a back story, but even with 12 (or 14) characters, the narrative wasn’t bogged down. I think this may be why I was so hypercritical of Chrono Cross because it seemed to have too many characters, but not enough focus on their stories.
I tend to think of Terra as the MC of the World of Balance and Celes as the MC of the World of Ruin, which is funny because Terra’s magic is far more chaotic than Celes’s which was more controlled. Also fire and ice!
Chrono Cross suffered because it failed to make its plethora of characters individually unique beyond their names and a few generic moves. FFVI has got every character doing something, having personality, and different functions and abilities in combat, and they all contribute and have their arcs. In Chrono Cross, once I gained Korcha and Macha, I was like “that’s dumb…”
Exactly. FFVI actually made their characters…well characters instead of just a name and a face. I could name all of the characters from VI to this day and (if pressed) remember their special skill. I couldn’t even tell you ten characters from Chrono Cross. Like I have no idea who Korcha or Macha are! I remember the guy in the mask Greco I think and Guile the wizard, and I think there was this green lady named Spriggan. My one friend tried to win me over by saying she was collecting characters in Cross like Pokemon. I was not amused.
Very interesting choices! I would say mine would be Squall. Even though I was a kid when I first played Final Fantasy VIII, that was a character that had some impact on me. In fact, me and my girlfriend will be cosplaying Squall and Rinoa soon (first time cosplayers here, wish us luck!)
Lots of love for Squall here, and it’s not like I’m surprised, but I kind of am. I’ve played through FFVIII a few times but maybe it’s time to do it again.
Oh and make sure to share those cosplay pics!
Duke from Duke Nukem 3D!!!
I think if Kirby and Mega Man copied each other they just might make a… Superman. 😉
It’d be like dividing by zero…. an infinite looping paradox of copying-copies being copied while they copy copies that are copied when copied to copy a copy with copied copying copy-cop AAAUGH!!!