Image via Complex Original
Female video game characters often have a hard time keeping their dignity intact in digital worlds that are, more often than not, ruled and controlled by men. Nevertheless, there are those special heroines who stand out from the pack and really make a mark on the industry—and not just with their breasts, either. It's a true rarity, we know, but it does happen.
Discussions among gamers in 2012 turned to questioning sexism and male privilege in the industry more than ever before. It's a discussion that desperately needs to be had, and to celebrate, we've compiled our list of the 50 greatest heroines in gaming history.
We tried not to leave anyone too important out, but of course we're only human, so please let us know if your favorite heroine isn't on the list. Maybe we'll even give her an honorable mention.
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Ellen
'Folklore' (2007)
After growing up in an orphanage, Ellen visits the remote Irish village of Doolin to discover something about her parents. What she gets instead is a slightly terrifying fantasy world full of a twisted version of Pokémon. Yet she takes it all in stride, and even puts those little monsters to work for her.
Rayne
'Bloodrayne' (2002-2004)
Rayne is the definition of an anti-heroine; she's the protagonist of the Bloodrayne series, but she's not exactly a beacon of morality. She is a murderous vampire, after all. And though she's hyper-sexualized, what do you expect from the ultimate human predator?
Alicia Claus
'Bullet Witch' (2007)
Yeah, she's a witch. But she's a good witch, we swear! She uses her powers over nature to fight demons, and her massive gunrod is sexy and empowering. She's cute, too.
Jennifer Tate
'Primal' (2003)
We always appreciate when gender roles in video games are reversed, considering how ingrained the save-the-princess thing is in our culture. In Primal, Jennifer goes on a terrible journey to rescue her boyfriend. We hope our girlfriend would do the same.
Cate Archer
'No One Lives Forever' (2000-2003)
Catherine Ann Archer is a top-notch British secret agent, easily following in the footsteps of James Bond and the like. Except in the 60s. So like a much, much sexier version of Austin Powers.
April Ryan
'The Longest Journey' (1999-2006)
April's not just an artsy girl—she can also shift between worlds, which makes for a long and exciting journey (hence the title). She's also the fulfillment of like, four different prophesies. So that's awesome.
Coco Bandicoot
'Crash Bandicoot' (1997-2010)
Coco popped up as a cute sidekick to her brother, Crash, in Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and she became a playable character in Crash 3: Warped. OOGA BOOGA!
Carla Valenti
'Indigo Prophecy' (2005)
Carla Valenti can be viewed as a predecessor of sorts to Heavy Rain's Madison Paige, since both games were made by Quantic Dream. As such, she also appears topless in the game. It's awkward, but besides that she's an admirably relatable heroine.
Lilith
'Borderlands' (2009-2012)
Lilith shares the Borderlands stage with tons of other protagonists, especially if you count the sequel, but her phasewalking ability is one of the most useful powers in the series. We love that she even got some lines and a fleshed-out story in Borderlands 2—all praise The Firehawk!
Madison Paige
'Heavy Rain' (2010)
Madison is one of four protagonists in Heavy Rain, but she might be the most compelling. Not least of which for the shower scene, which we obviously appreciated. But her influence on the story is invaluable, particularly in her presence making Ethan less of an apathetic dick.
Alex Roivas
'Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem' (2002)
Alex isn't the most interesting woman on this list, but she does have to put up with a lot in Eternal Darkness. She pretty much goes completely insane throughout this psychological scare-fest, yet she somehow manages to (mostly) keep her cool until the end.
Lightning
'Final Fantasy XIII' (2010-2013)
FFXIII wasn't great, but Lightning is nevertheless one of the strongest female characters in the entire Final Fantasy lineup. And she knows that family is the most important thing in the world, so she's got that going for her at least. Plus the pink hair is a bold choice (unless it's natural—is that natural? Either way).
Zoey
'Left 4 Dead' (2008-2009)
Zoey handles the zombie apocalypse as well as any other character in the Left 4 Dead series, and that's more than you can say for some of the ladies in The Walking Dead (yeah, we're not huge fans of Lori). In fact we're thrilled that Valve's zombie-shooting series isn't a complete bro-fest.
Manon Batiste
'Medal of Honor' (1999-2005)
Batiste stands out as one of the few female characters in a genre typically dominated by males: the war shooter. She's appeared in several games, and was even playable in Medal of Honor: Underground as the main protagonist.
Heather Mason
'Silent Hill 3' (2003)
Despite the massive pile of fail known as Silent Hill Revelation 3D, we still love Heather Mason as the protagonist of Silent Hill 3. And we don't fault Adelaide Clemens' portrayal of her in the film, either. She was adorable—there were, uhh, some other issues, though. To say the least.
Aya Brea
'Parasite Eve' (1998-2010)
Aya is one of the most loved female characters of the PlayStation generation, and even her PSP adventure from 2010—The 3rd Birthday—was well-received. And that's saying a lot for a PSP game.
Konoko
'Oni' (2001)
It's big news that Bungie has moved on from Halo, but it's not like that was the only series they ever worked on—before Halo, there was Oni, where players took control of the purple-haired symbiote Konoko. She'd even give the Master Chief a run for his money.
Zoya
'Trine' (2009-2011)
Zoya's the smartest character in Trine and Trine 2—while the others fight for glory and magic, she's the only one who's just after riches the whole time. We're not sure if that makes the thief a heroine, but it certainly makes her prudent.
Anya Stroud
'Gears of War 3' (2006-2011)
The COG Anya Stroud had a cursory presence in the first two Gears of War games, but she finally emerged as the series' first female playable character in Gears of War 3. To be honest, she scares the shit out of us, but at least she's fighting as a heroine on the right side.
Alyx Vance
'Half-Life 2' (2006-2007)
Alyx Vance is still one of the best female characters in games, more than half a decade after the debut of Half-Life 2. And that's because she bucks basically every stereotype there is: she's no damsel, for one thing, and she's one of the least sexualized females in games. Unless you use one of those mods that makes her boobs huge and gives her a ton of makeup, in which case fuck you.
Jill Valentine
'Resident Evil' (1996-2012)
There are a lot of female characters in the Resident Evil series, but most of them are idiots. That's not a knock against them; most of the male characters in Resident Evil are idiots, too. But Jill stands out as the most likable, maybe because she was the original. Her evolution throughout the series has made the most sense, as well. Except when she went blonde, but that's hardly the worst thing about RE 5 in any case.
Chell
'Portal' (2007-2011)
We'd love to put Chell higher on the list, but let's be honest—what does she actually do? We're boggled when Gordon Freeman gets stuck at the top of "best character" lists, too. She doesn't say anything throughout either Portal game, but hey, at least she's not objectified at all, either.
Hana
'Fear Effect' (1999-2001)
Hana is another badass female mercenary who uses her "assets" to her advantage, and we don't really have a problem with that. The fact that she's an openly gay protagonist makes her even more of a badass, even if that relationship is somewhat sexualized for a male audience.
Sam
'Gray Matter' (2011)
Sam goes down in history as the only video game protagonist we know of who's a bonafide magician. And in the Vegas sense, too, not the Final Fantasy type.
Meryl Silverburgh
'Metal Gear Solid' (1998-2008)
Sure, Meryl needs rescuing once in a while. But she's the real deal, too; a career soldier, like Snake, and she's been with him through various parts of his various journeys. That's about as much sense as we can make of the Metal Gear Solid plot.
Shanoa
'Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia' (2008)
Shanoa is the leader of the DS Castlevania game's eponymous Order of Ecclesia, the group that steps up to defeat Dracula when the Belmonts are nowhere to be seen. And that's no easy task. It probably helps that certain story events have wiped away all her memories and emotions.
Shantae
'Shantae' (2002-2010)
Shantae is the star of her own platforming series, which began on the Game Boy Color of all places. There aren't many existing franchises that began on that particular portable platform, but there's just something about the half-genie girl—she's even got a new game coming out on 3DS soon.
Chris Lightfellow
'Suikoden 3' (2002)
Despite any overexcited village children Chris may or may not semi-accidentally murder over the course of Suikoden 3, we've still got a lot of respect for her tough love approach to leadership. The love part is in the hug!
Peach
'Mario' (1985-2012)
"BUT PEACH IS A DAMSEL! RAAAWWWR!" We can hear you angrily yelling now. But seriously, calm down. The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom has proved to be just as capable a heroine as Mario and (to a much lesser extent) Luigi are heroes. Check out Super Princess Peach on DS if you haven't yet. And sorry for the dig, Luigi, but we call 'em like we seem 'em.
Yuna
'Final Fantasy X' (2001-2003)
Final Fantasy X was, at the time, the only game in the series to receive a direct sequel, in the form of Final Fantasy X-2. Some saw it as overkill, but we were okay with it, since it gave us another excuse to step into the supple boots of the capable summoner Yuna.
Kris
'Pokemon Crystal' (2001)
Kris is pretty special—getting to choose your gender at the beginning of a Pokemon game is standard now, but it wasn't always. Pokemon Crystal was the first game that didn't force you to play as a guy, and Kris paved the way for every female Pokemon protagonist who came after.
Curly Brace
'Cave Story' (2004)
The female robot counterpart to main Cave Story protagonist Quote, Curly Brace wasn't made available as a playable character until later editions of the game—unless you count fan-made patches that switch a few sprites around in the original version. Either way, we loved the mystery surrounding this heroine, who can even die saving Quote if you're not careful throughout the game.
Nariko
'Heavenly Sword' (2007)
We much prefer Nariko to developer Ninja Theory's later female heroine, Trip. Nariko is fighting for her life and her people in Heavenly Sword; Trip, meanwhile, literally slips a slave collar onto Enslaved's other protagonist, Monkey, while he's knocked out. Who does that?
Amaterasu
'Okami' (2006)
Amaterasu is pretty killer as a heroine. She wields the celestial brush to draw enemies in half and make the sun rise. That's the privilege of the sun goddess, after all. And she's an adorable white wolf. There's literally nothing we don't like about her.
Clementine
'The Walking Dead' (2012)
Clementine is the focus of plenty of rescues in Telltale's The Walking Dead game, but we'd argue that she's a heroine in her own right. She saves Lee's life in the very first episode, and she even becomes a right little badass once he teaches her how to wield a gun.
Bonnie MacFarlane
'Red Dead Redemption' (2010)
Bonnie isn't the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption, but she is pretty atypical when it comes to women in the Wild West. She takes on roles that we normally associate with men during that time period, and she even saves Marston's life. If not for his wife, we think he'd have had a thing for her, too. Who could resist that confidence?
Jeanne d'Arc
'Jeanne d'Arc' (2007)
Jeanne is the fictionalized, video game version of Joan of Arc. In the game, she fights at the forefront of the Hundred Years' War between France and England—only with, like, monsters and magic and stuff. To be fair, who knows what really happened back then?
Tifa Lockhart
'Final Fantasy VII' (1997)
Tifa puts up with a lot in Final Fantasy VII, running the bar, hosting Avalanche meetings, helping take care of Marlene, and even taking care of Cloud when he's suffering his massive breakdown partway through. We're still not sure where she falls in terms of the whole Cloud/Zack thing, but suffice to say she's a trooper the whole time. And unlike Aeris, she doesn't get herself killed before the first disc's even over.
Lara Croft
'Tomb Raider' (1996-2013)
Lara Croft may be the most iconic female character in gaming, but let's not forget that she was designed from the get-go to be little more than a male fantasy of a woman. A dual pistol-wielding, tiger-kicking male fantasy, but a jiggly male fantasy nonetheless. Whether Crystal Dynamics' new reboot of the character can alter that remains to be seen.
Bayonetta
'Bayonetta' (2010)
Bayonetta is, like many other female video game characters, rather crudely sexualized, but at least hers is creative: her hair is both her clothing and her weapon, giving guys a reason to pick up the game and girls a reason to wonder whether they're using the wrong shampoo. That said, she kicks more ass than pretty much anyone else in gaming.
Liara T'Soni
'Mass Effect' (2007-2012)
We see Liara as much more than a simple love interest for Commander Shepard—she's also a way for players to connect with the game's alien races on a deeper level. We never thought we'd be able to feel so many feels for a blue squid-head lady, but then Liara came along and stole our hearts. And our guns, and then she shot us for calling her a squid-head.
Terra Branford
'Final Fantasy VI' (1994)
Before Lightning, there was a much better female Final Fantasy protagonist: Terra Branford, the star of FFVI's rather large cast. Her amnesia-riddled storyline seems typical at first, but we were floored when her true identity eventually came to light. She's one of the most compelling and complex heroines in gaming.
Jade
'Beyond Good & Evil' (2003)
Jade is sexy, smart and compassionate to boot. Before defeating the DomZ and becoming the savior of everyone, she's working at an orphanage taking care of the children whose parents were victims of the war that she's about to become very involved in. She even loves nature—is there a more perfect heroine out there?
Chun-Li
'Street Fighter' (1991-2012)
Besides being probably the most iconic fighting game character ever, Chun-Li is also a true heroine: she's an undercover Interpol officer seeking revenge on the criminals responsible for her father's death. She was even the first female character in a fighting game, earning her the prestigious title of First Lady of Fighters.
Aveline de Grandpré
'Assassin's Creed: Liberation' (2012)
Aveline is such an envelope-pusher: a black, female, French-speaking protagonist in this world of stereotypical white males, she represents a major step forward for diversity in games. While Liberation wasn't our favorite, it's certainly through no fault of hers. She was even freeing slaves before it was cool.
Joanna Dark
'Perfect Dark' (2000-2005)
Perfect Dark was the perfect follow-up to Rare's Goldeneye 007, and Jo makes the ideal counterpart to James Bond. She's capable, sexy, and whip-smart, always ready with a witty retort, whether she's talking to the president or to aliens from outer space. It's really too bad what they did to her in Perfect Dark Zero, but we'll always remember the down-to-earth superspy from the original.
Commander Shephard
'Mass Effect' (2007-2012)
Many players choose to go with a male Commander Shepard, whether because they themselves are male or because that's who's been portrayed on the games' covers. But "Femshep," as the female Shepard has become known, has picked up steam over the course of the series to become, arguably, a better choice. Playing as a female changes the lens through which you view the Mass Effect universe, and besides, Jennifer Hale is a much better actor than whoever plays "Maleshep."
Faith
'Mirror's Edge' (2008)
Faith bucks a lot of stereotypes as a female game character: she's athletic and normally proportioned, for one thing. She began her life underground as a thief, but quickly joined the side of good as a Runner, a position that allows her to undermine the dystopian society in Mirror's Edge. Now we're just waiting for the sequel.
Zelda
'The Legend of Zelda' (1986-2011)
Princess Zelda has taken on many roles throughout the series, and sure, Link often has to rescue her. But she rarely falls directly into the role of the damsel—ever since Ocarina of Time, she's either been fighting dark forces in disguise, rescuing Link as a swarthy lady-pirate, or just straight up three steps ahead of him, as in Skyward Sword. Even when she does need rescuing, she usually lends a hand with her archery skills and winds up saving Link in return. When are we going to get a game where we play as her?
Samus Aran
'Metroid' (1986-2010)
Sure, this is predictable. But what else can we do? She's got every trait of a true heroine, and she's one of the least sexualized female characters in games. She was paving the way for female protagonists when character sprites were still made of a few dozen pixels. And she bucked gender stereotypes—of course the space-faring bounty hunter is a guy!—long before Peach and Zelda ever shook off their damsel-in-distress personas. Samus was the original badass heroine of video games, and for that we salute her.