From teens to elders, we all have our favorite video game characters. But have you ever thought about which characters would make a top 10 list? Well, now you don’t have to, because The World’s #1 Source of Research-Based Content, The Daily Top 10, just discovered the world of games and brought you the top 10 most popular gaming characters today.
Before you start tallying up who you think would make the list, let us know why people love video game characters so much.
Who is the Best and Most Popular Video Game Character?
According to The Top Tens, a video game character is an entity acting in a game. It may take the form of a player character controlled by the player, or a non-player character controlled by the game program. However, the characters in our list are icons derived from the world of gaming. Ever since the interactive entertainment medium we love so much began dominating the world, fans far and wide have come to adore its most recognizable faces.
So without further ado, join us as we showcase the most popular video game characters:
TOP 10: Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong, also known as DK, is a video game character and icon who was introduced in the arcade classic game Donkey Kong as a villain in 1981. It is a large, powerful, muscular ape in appearance with a red tie that sports his initials. According to Nintendo Fandom, he was created by Shigeru Miyamoto alongside Mario and Pauline.
After his appearance in Donkey Kong, Nintendo created the successors Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong 3. Following these early popular titles, Nintendo let the franchise rest and focused more on games featuring Mario, the original protagonist.
TOP 9: Yoshi
Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi’s sidekick Yoshi is the title character of the Yoshi series and a supporting character in Mario spin-off games such as Mario Party and Mario Kart, as well as many Mario sports games, according to Fandom.
Yoshi is well-received, one of the most recognizable characters, and one of the best sidekicks in video games. Yoshi’s image has also appeared on a range of products, including clothes and collectibles.
TOP 8: Bowser
Bowser is the main antagonist of Mario Bros. Franchise. According to The Top Tens, from kidnapping Princess Peach to simply destroying a fun game between Mario and Friends in the Mario Party spinoff series, this king of the Koopas has set up a certain hatred towards himself among the large cast of Mario Characters. He first appeared in the 1985 popular video game, Super Mario Bros, in which he was responsible for kidnapping Princess Toadstool, which was released in Arcades and on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Video Game System.
According to Mario Fandom, he is the central villain of one of the world’s most popular video game franchises. Bowser is easily one of the most recognizable video game villains ever, though he has comic-relief roles in most of the RPGs.
TOP 7: Master Chief
The Master Chief is a soldier who exists in a complete science-fiction universe that allows him to be the badass he is. According to Bounding into Comics, right from the beginning, fans of Halo were all struck by the way Master Chief took on an entire alien force and was the sole survivor of the original game.
Compound that experience with how much Halo has grown over the years, and it’s no surprise that Master Chief’s simple yet iconic design resonates so much. It also helped that Halo dawned at the birth of online gaming and esports. All of this combined has made a perfect storm that allowed Master Chief to become immensely popular.
TOP 6: Luigi
Luigi is a character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger but taller fraternal twin brother of Nintendo’s mascot Mario and appears in many games throughout the Mario franchise, often as a sidekick to his brother, according to The Top Tens.
According to Mario Wiki, Mario Bros. marks his first appearance in the Mario franchise and his debut in general. As Luigi establishes himself throughout the Mario series, he has later gained his own identity to become one of the most popular video game characters in the world.
TOP 5: John Marston
John Marston is a fictional character in the Red Dead video game series by Rockstar Games. He is the main playable protagonist of the video game Red Dead Redemption, wherein he must deal with the decline of the Wild West while being forced to hunt down the last surviving members of his old gang in exchange for the safe return of his family by the federal government.
John is also the protagonist of Undead Nightmare, a non-canonical, zombie apocalypse-themed expansion pack, and the secondary playable character of the 2018 prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, according to Red Dead Fandom. The latter game depicts John’s life in the gang before its demise, and later his attempts to start an honest life with his family.
TOP 4: Mario
Mario is the main character in Mario Bros. Franchise, which was created by the creative director and video game designer at Nintendo of Japan, Shigeru Miyamoto. According to The Top Tens, Mario has appeared in almost every Mario Game, including spinoff series, as a playable character, with a few exceptions including New Super Luigi U, Luigi’s Mansion Games, Yoshi’s Island Games, and similar counterparts. He is one of the most iconic characters in video game history and is Nintendo’s mascot. His franchise has grown to be the most successful ever.
TOP 3: Solid Snake
Solid Snake, also referred to as Snake, is the protagonist for many of the Metal Gear games. He was first introduced in 1987 with the game Metal Gear. As mentioned in Fandom, he is known for his amazing stealth abilities and his diverse knowledge of weapons and languages. He is a highly popular character, ranking high on several “Top Video Game Characters” lists, and is considered one of PlayStation’s most iconic mascots.
TOP 2: Pikachu
Pikachu is a fictional species in the Pokémon media franchise. A mascot of the Pokemon franchise, it’s considered to be the most iconic character of all Pokemon species, as well as a major character in Japanese pop culture due to its companionship with Ash Ketchum in the anime series.
The Fox Magazine identifies Pikachu as the most recognizable video game character and according to The Giant Bomb, thanks to the extreme popularity of the Pokémon cartoon, Pikachu became the most famous Pocket Monster of them all. Pikachu has also become the unofficial mascot for the franchise.
TOP 1: Sonic
Sitting proudly at the top of the list of top 10 most popular video game characters is Sonic, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog. He is the title character and protagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series released by SEGA, as well as numerous spin-off comics, five animated shows, and an animated OVA.
According to Wikipedia, Sonic’s greatest ability is his running speed, and he is known as the world’s fastest hedgehog. Using the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, he becomes Super Sonic and can achieve even greater speeds.
Who are the Best and Most Popular Video Game Characters?
Video games have evolved tremendously as a medium from their beginnings and they merge gameplay with storytelling in a way that other kinds of mediums can’t even begin to grasp. So, video games are intrinsically prone to creating iconic and memorable characters. Stories like movies and TV shows have to find a way for the audience to connect with their main characters.
So, here is the flashback of the top 10 most popular video game characters:
- Sonic
- Pikachu
- Solid Snake
- Mario
- John Marston
- Luigi
- Master Chief
- Bowser
- Yoshi
- Donkey Kong
Video games, however, can seamlessly blend the incredible characters with the audience itself simply because the audience has to play as them. So, this is The Daily Top 10 Team and we would like to inform every video game fan, you will read more latest articles from the Auto-Gaming-Metaverse category. So, be ready to update daily with The Daily Top 10.
Author: Shaina D.
Shaina D. is an independent and well-driven person who only aims for the best. She has always been an optimistic woman and perceived challenges as motivations. She believes that success comes with one's willingness to change the narrative and bring fresh eyes to inspire new ideas.
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