25 Video Game Characters That Deserve a Spinoff

Settle down fanboys. We agree with you, these characters should star in their own game.

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Image via Complex Original
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Every story, whether it's in book form, on film, or as a video game, has a main character that we sympathize with. No hero is ever alone thanks to a supporting cast of characters made up of a vast number of personalities as complex as the hero. Usually they serve as a way to flesh out the main protagonist's character, but sometimes it's the supporting characters that ultimately steal the show. 

No matter how cool a hero may be, a sidekick, rival, or villain can easily become our favorites. We clamor to a game series, because we know our favorite characters will be in it. Just imagine if our favorite secondary characters had games all to themselves. We can only wish there were more spinoff games of our favorite guys and gals. So with that said, here is our list of 25 Characters That Deserve a Spinoff. 

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Elena Fisher

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#25: Elena Fisher

Series: Uncharted
Debut: Uncharted
Premise: Uncharted 4

Complex Says: Naughty Dog hit the nail on the head when they made Elena Fisher. Fisher is Nathan Drake’s equal that is ready for the dangers of exploration, never hesitant to go diving into trouble to make a discovery. As the series progresses, Fisher matures as seen in her attitude and attire, but more important than that is her career and her marriage.

We foresee a game based on Fisher saving Nate, or falling into a mess of trouble during a war or rebellion she is covering, but of course not without a cameraman present.

Valuan Army

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#24–21: Valuan Army

Series: Skies of Arcadia
Debut: Skies of Arcadia
Premise: Prequel

Complex Says: If you have never played Skies of Arcadia, play it right now (or watch a playthrough on YouTube, but don’t miss a minute.) The game revolves around the air pirate, Vyse of the Blue Rogues, and his best friend, Aika. Vyse’s dream is to be the most famous air pirate in all of Arcadia while protecting Fina, a girl that has fallen from the heavens and coincidentally is being sought after by the Valuan Army.

The Valuan Army is tied to just about everything in this game since they have conquered most of Arcadia. A fight ensues with an admiral of the Valuan Army over almost every Moon Crystal you collect, side quests like the one involving Piastol is tied to the army, and they have connections to Fina through Ramirez. The army is seen as all evil despite some admirals being against the plans of the supreme commander, Galcian. By the end of the game, Galcian is seen as the only evil member of the army, which makes us wonder what were the original motives of the empire?

Have they wished to rule over all of Arcadia? A prequel to the series about the patriarch of the family would be happily accepted by us here, because we’d like to see the older members of the army and family in their prime, and possibly explore the skies beyond what was explored in the present game.

The Starling Family

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#20-18: The Starling Family

Series: Lollipop Chainsaw
Debut: Lollipop Chainsaw
Premise: Lollipop Chainsaw 2

Complex Says: Juliet Starling, the star of Lollipop Chainsaw, lugged the head of her boyfriend, Nick Carlyle, as she cut zombies down to size, but not without the help of her show-stealing family. Juliet’s father, Gideon, and her sisters, Rosalind and Cordelia, assisted Juliet throughout the game with their sharpshooting and reckless behavior that left us wanting more.

If there is ever a sequel to Lollipop Chainsaw, we would like to see Juliet take a backseat for college while her father and sisters clean up a zombie infestation. Their zany characters and family chemistry would be enough to carry a game where you can pick each character at different points of the game.

Henry

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#17: Henry

Series: No More Heroes
Debut: No More Heroes
Premise: No More Heroes 3

Complex Says: Stylish, Henry Cooldown is a favorite of many No More Heroes fans. Henry is first introduced in the series in the 5th rank assassin, Letz Shake’s, stage called the Senton Splash Tunnel. (Spoiler Alert) Henry stole Travis’ kill and flees before they engage in battle. Henry meets Travis again in the true ending of the game in a fight to the death (though none of the participants died.)

Fans wishes were met in NMH2 when they had a chance to play as Henry for a single segment. It was fun, but it was a tease since trailers and early game footage showed more Henry playtime. Suda went on record to say that Travis’ story is wrapped up entirely by the end of NMH2, which leaves a door open for Henry to play hero. Who better than Henry?

We’re not opposed to Henry starring in a game at all, in fact we’re looking forward to it. A series installment starring Henry can confirm his surname, Cooldown, shed light on his failed marriage with Sylvia Christel, and give us insight on his anger towards Travis.

Eternal Darkness Ancients

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#16-13: Eternal Darkness Ancients

Series: Eternal Darkness
Debut: Eternal Darkness
Premise: Eternal Darkness Prequel

Complex Says: Eternal Darkness is an amazing, award winning game by Silicon Knighs. Thank SK’s original and engrossing plot that kept our hands glued to our controllers, but also raised more questions than answers by the ending.

The game stars Alexandra Roivas, a college student that explores her grandfather’s mansion for clues of his death. She discovers a book entitled The Tome of Eternal Darkness that is made entirely of flesh and bound by bone. Within this book are the stories of the people that are tied to the Eternal Darkness. The Tome itself is written in an indecipherable script that only a select few can read (coincidentally we play as the select few.)

According to the ancient you pick in the game’s intro, we discover that one ancient is weakened, and that we have to bind an ancient to stop the ancient we chose in the beginning of the game. This will prevent the end of the world, but how did this come about?

How did the ancients, who were once ordinary human beings, receive immense power and become what they are in this game? Where did the zombies come from? Who made the tome and how did it come about? What role does Mantorok play as the last ancient, and will he rise now that he is free from his binds? These points can be addressed (granted if Silicon Knights remains as a game developer) in the prequel in order to make way for the actual sequel to this awesome game.

Yun & Yang

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#12-11: Yun & Yang

Series: Street Fighter
Debut: Street Fighter III: New Generation
Premise: Street Fighter V

Complex Says: Alex initially played hero in the SFIII timeline. He won the SF3 tourney that would lead him to the man that defeated his friend, Tom, in battle who is none other than Gill. Alex did his thing in 2nd Impact, and left a hero void for SF3: 3rd Strike. Enter Yun and Yang.

Their relationship is a reverse of Ryu and Ken much like Terry and Andy Bogard in that the older brother is very macho and borderline cocky while the younger is quiet, and a tad envious of his older brother. Street Fighter Eternal confirms that Yun and Yang faced off against Gill in 3rd Strike and impressed him enough to make Yun and Yang protectors of their town. This duo can become the true next generation of the Street Fighter series.

Alastor

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#10: Alastor

Series: Viewtiful Joe/Devil May Cry
Debut: Devil May Cry, design debut in Viewtiful Joe
Premise: Devil May Cry Zero

Complex Says: When Devil May Cry sneaked its way into Viewtiful Joe, we became ecstatic. We love when Capcom creates and/or clarifies plot details in games outside of a particular series. So here we have Blade Master Alastor. Alastor is introduced as a fake Joe with a version of Joe’s vehicle, the Six Machine. After defeating the fake Joe, Alastor appears in his true form and flees to make way for a second meeting in the following chapter. Alastor fights Joe in every Viewtiful Joe game, and loses honorably which has become an ongoing gag of the series (as well as Alastor begging for more camera time.)

Capcom knew they had a gem on their hands when designing the Alastor character with Clover Studios. Alastor went from being a chapter boss to a playable character after completing the first Viewtiful Joe game on the V-Rated difficulty. His moveset in game is tied very closely to Devil May Cry, which helped answer questions about the game for us. So officially, the spirit inside the Alastor sword in DmC is the “Midnight Thunder Boy,” Blade Master Alastor from Viewtiful Joe.

We see Capcom having more fun with the Alastor character in Devil May Cry now that a character design attached to the name exists. The game can serve as a Devil May Cry prequel that explains how he became the spirit in the sword. 

Morrigan

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#9: Morrigan

Series: Darkstalkers
Debut: Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
Premise: Darkstalkers 4

Complex Says: Morrigan Aensland from Darkstalkers has risen in popularity over the other characters in the series. She has been ranked as one of the sexiest video game characters of all time. Morrigan would sneak out of her castle at night in search of excitement.. By Darkstalkers 3, she finds and defeats Lillith, a piece of Morrigan’s soul removed by her adoptive father, Berial, when she was a youth. Since merging with Lillith, Morrigan has regained her full power as an S-class Darkstalker.

Fans of the Darkstalkers series argue that Morrigan is the true star of the series though the honor belongs to the face of the series, Demitri. Unlike Demitri, Morrigan has found a way out of the Darkstalkers series and into Capcom’s crossover games, and at times serving as the sole representative of her series (Marvel vs. Capcom and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.) We can foresee Morrigan starring in the latest installment of the Darkstalkers series (whenever that will be) as the Queen of the Makai, a role she has assumed after the passing of her father, Belial (official of the storyline due to her quote in MvC3.) 

Meta Knight

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#8: Meta Knight

Series: Kirby
Debut: Kirby’s Adventure
Premise: Official Meta Knightmare Game

Complex Says: Meta Knight has developed quickly in a matter of years. When he debuted in Kirby’s Adventure, he was a nameless villain, but that was until Kirby’s Avalanche. He established the role of rival in the Revenge of the Meta Knight subgame in Kirby Super Star, and he has even taken on the hero role in his own subgame Meta Knightmare (where you play as Meta Knight in Kirby’s Nightmare in Dream Land) and Meta Knightmare Ultra (where you play as Meta Knight through the entire Kirby Super Star Ultra game with the exception of The Arena and Gourmet Race.) In popularity, Meta Knight has surpassed King Dedede.

No more subgames for Meta Knight. He’s earned his right to star in a game. His character has developed into Kirby’s rival that fights fights against Kirby honorably by giving Kirby a sword to fight with, but he also fights alongside Kirby when he senses a much greater threat. How many trial games can you give this guy? Meta Knightmare should be its own franchise. 

Scorpion

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#7: Scorpion

Series: Mortal Kombat
Debut: Mortal Kombat
Premise: MK Deadly Alliance

Complex Says: When you think about Mortal Kombat, who do you think of? Scorpion right? I mean, how can you not immediately think of Scorpion? Whether you want to admit it or not, Scorpion runs the series more than Liu Kang ever has. Scorpion may have missed a game or two in the series, (compared to his rival, Sub-Zero, who has been in every game of the series) but that hasn’t stopped him from being the most popular character of the franchise. His moveset, preset combos, and fatalities have a quick learning curve, and his catch phrase, “Get over here!” is one of the most recognizable phrases in gaming.

Scorpion deserves his own spinoff game, because of his deep, yet confusing story. We got lost somewhere between his murder at the hands of Sub-Zero, his feud with Quan Chi, and Johnny Cage taking on the Scorpion mantle. The latest Mortal Kombat game retconned his story and created the new Deadly Alliance with Sub-Zero and himself. Will the next MK game be a new version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance? We’re down with this.

Sakura

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#6: Sakura

Series: Street Fighter
Debut: Street Fighter Alpha 2
Premise: Super Cherry Blossom Fighter Alpha II Turbo

Complex Says: Sakura Kasugano, Ryu’s biggest fan, was first introuduced in the Street Fighter series in Street Fighter Alpha 2. She took up street fighting after watching Ryu in the first World Warrior tournament. Since then, she has practiced the moves she has witnessed, found a rival in Karin Kanzuki, and traveled with Dan Hibiki and Blanka before ditching them to find Ryu to train her. Ryu refuses and says he is not ready to train her.

Super Cherry Blossom Fighter Alpha II Turbo sounds like a chibi version of a Street Fighter game, but it would be better off as a canon game starring Sakura as opposed to a parody game. Sakura’s character went through ample development through a matter of two Street Fighter games, but we want more! She has a rival in Karin, who is the Ken to her Ryu, that Capcom can build on this for another fighter that’ll take Sakura around her home country Japan to face off against past opponents from Rival Schools or younger versions of future Street Fighter characters.

Frog

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#5: Frog

Series: Chrono
Debut: Chrono Trigger
Premise: 600 A.D.

Complex Says: Chrono Trigger, arguably the best RPG ever made, takes place in several time periods as heroes from different time periods join together to fight Lavos in the year 1999 A.D. to prevent the end of the world.

One of the tragic characters in this game, Frog, hails from the year 600 A.D. and is cursed to appear as a frog. In his original form, Frog, formally known as Glenn, witnessed his friend Cyrus murdered at the hands of Magus, and was then cursed to look like a Frog. In one ending of the game, Frog’s original self is restored (depending on if you avenge Cyrus) and in other endings he remains the same (like in one ending after you spare Magus.)

A game about Frog would be greatly appreciated. Like Robo, we hold a deep empathy for Frog especially since his form was changed since witnessing the death of his ally. A spinoff game where Frog embarks on an adventure alongside Magus again would be appreciated, and the game could possibly give some insight as to if Frog is still a frog in the official Chrono Trigger ending. 

Zelda & Sheik

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#4-3: Zelda & Sheik

Series: The Legend of Zelda
Debut: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Premise: The Legend of Sheik

Complex Says: Okay, maybe we just want more Ocarina of Time in some way. What else can Nintendo give us when it comes to The Legend of Zelda though? With the present Zelda timeline given to us by Nintendo, we have scenarios that make Link a child, an adult, and/or deceased. Story arches were created following the Ocarina of Time thanks to Zelda.

Ocarina of Time version Zelda holds immense weight in (literally) the entire series since her decisions result in our favorite Zelda game storylines like A Link to the Past and Wind Waker. Zelda is a much different princess than Peach in that she protects the kingdom as the leader of the sages, and as Sheik in OoT where she gives guidance and direction to Link. Though this may sound blasphemous, we wouldn’t mind giving Link a game off to let Zelda run the show.

The three story paths following OoT each deserve its own game or one game with several endings. We see a story where Zelda, as Sheik, looks for a way to save Hyrule from a new villain but is forced to either go back in time to suffer under Ganon’s rule and wait for a new hero (the path after Link’s death that leads to Link to the Past), or flood Hyrule (the path after Link defeats Ganondorf that leads to Wind Waker,). We wouldn’t expect a good ending. That’s what Link is here for. 

Iori Yagami

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#2: Iori Yagami

Series: The King of Fighters
Debut: The King of Fighters ‘95
Premise: The King of Fighters: Iori

Complex Says: Iori’s debut in the King of Fighters series as Kyo’s rival was met with praise from SNK fans and fans of the series itself. Iori has been ranked as one of the coolest characters ever created by SNK due to his tragic background story making him a very empathetic character. His lineage has been cursed far before he was born, which will result in an untimely death in his youth. Though he hates Kyo immensely (and blames Kyo’s father for his own father’s death,) they have joined forces to seal Orochi. Ironically enough, Iori hates violence despite his violent nature.

Iori took a backseat in the NESTS saga of the King of Fighters series, but in the current Ash saga he plays a prominent role since he had his flames stolen by Ash Crimson. Though Kyo has grown as the face of the series, Iori has developed beyond his antagonist role especially in the current Ash saga.

We foresee Iori in a spinoff game about his tussle with his curse. The game can be like SNK’s RPG, The King of Fighters: Kyo. The game can explore Iori’s background story specifically his breakup with his girlfriend, his band, and his Orochi blood that makes him dangerous to the people close to him. 

Chun-Li

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#1: Chun-Li

Series: Street Fighter
Debut: Street Fighter II
Premise: Street Fighter V

Complex Says: Chun-Li is arguably the most popular female video character ever created. Her debut in Street Fighter II was so influential that she, alongside Samus Aran, is the reason why female characters are included in video games playing the hero role instead of the damsel in distress. Since her inclusion in the Street Fighter series, fighting games have included at least one female character on their roster (Mortal Kombat, Fatal Fury 2, etc.) Chun-Li sits atop many fan polls ranking her as “the best," “the hottest,” and “the most influential”.

Chun-Li started off as young girl looking to avenge her father’s death by the hands of Bison. Her character has since developed into an Interpol operative who worked to take down Shadaloo alongside Charlie and later with Guile in SFA3 (home consoles, official story.) Fast-forward to SF2 where she took down Shadaloo before its reemergence in SSFIV. In the SF3 series, she retires from street fighting to mentor students, but she comes out of retirement to save children from Urien’s clutches.

We see Chun-Li starring in the next SF chapter of the series with a young mentor at her side. It looked as if Capcom wanted to phase out Ryu and Ken in the SF3 series by making Alex the star and Yun & Yang the victors of the tournament in 3rd Strike. If they wanted to take the series forward, they can use the new faces with Chun-Li being the only returning and starring face of the game.

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