A/N: Another day, another prompt.
I've been getting many of these lately, even one for a Writing Challenge. Sadly, I didn't know enough about the subject matter to get involved. My editor gave me an idea for a prompt or challenge. We discussed the storyboard for Arc IV of GbNF, and he asked me this.
'Can you name me your Top 10 female video game characters if you can?' Sure I can!
In fact, I'll do it right now! Couple of rules I came up with: Only games I've played, only one per franchise, and no avatars. Villainesses count if you want to make this list too. There's no particular order; I'm just doing it this way to be convenient. That being said, let's get going!
Number 10: Squigly from Skullgirls
Squigly? But in Eyes of a Musician, you chose Ms. Fortune as the romantic partner. I know, it'll be weird/interesting/odd to romance a fucking zombie with a Bone Snake for a Parasite. But of the fact that she's from Skullgirls (The most underrated Fighter in the world), she's always in consideration for these lists.
Squigly was a Contiello, a long-time client of the Medici Family but was killed in a hit done by Black Dahlia, if I recall correctly. Her mother was a Skullgirl before Marie, I believe, who became one after her wish to resurrect the entire Contiello family was corrupted.
As a result of her Skull Heart connection, she's resurrected to be a servant of the Skullgirl whenever one is made. But thanks to Leviathan (her Parasite I mentioned, who's also voiced by Gaara, which is fucking awesome in itself), she wasn't corrupted.
Did I mention that the Contiello Family were also Opera Singers? Now you've caught my attention. As a training musician, you got me hooked when she was confirmed to be a singer even from beyond the grave. Even though she's mute! I mean, she isn't a Jazz Singer; otherwise, she'd be a little higher on the list. To me, Squigly's definitely more interesting a character than the actual Jazz Singer in the game (Sorry, Eliza fans)
Number 9: King from King of Fighters
Salty, are all the women going to originate from Fighting Games? No, but it's my favorite genre, so there's clearly going to be some bias. Don't worry, all ten slots aren't going to be from fighters. Hell, King's origins aren't technically correct. We all know her most likely from KoF, but King actually debuted as a mini-boss in Art of Fighting.
And we didn't know she was a girl unless you beat her with a Super Attack. Then her top tore, and you saw her… bra. My first time seeing King was when I played KoF' 99 while still in Elementary School. And my 10-year-old self didn't know she was a girl until after my older cousin told me. Needless to say, I was baffled. 'But her name is King. Why's a girl named King?' I imagine my younger self asking that question. It's most likely to keep her gender ambiguous. But having her clothes rip off after defeating her with a Desperation Move is a solid Easter Egg in terms of having your mind blown.
Hell, they kept that function all the way to KoF XIII. Looking back on it, I think King was the initial snowball as to why I prefer Tomboys in real life. Plus, she's fun as hell to use in the actual games as a Zoning character. I mained Guile and Old Sagat in Super Turbo, and we mixed well. Due to the one per franchise rule, I guess you're all assuming that King is my favorite KoF girl. You're wrong. Shermie's the best girl, but we only had four games with Shermie in them, so King wins because she's more decorated in terms of appearances. And if you asked me to pick a favorite while I was in Middle/High School, then I'd choose Mai Shiranui. Cause you know. Tits.
Number 8: Darli Dagger from Samurai Showdown
Haha, now we're getting to the real winners! The first PoC on this list (And when I say PoC, I mean a character who isn't white) Darli Dagger is one of the new additions to the SamSho family alongside Ruixiang. She's from African origins (winning me over already.) who fights with a giant saw blade. My first thought was: "That's creative as shit!" I co-main her alongside Ukyo in SamSho 2019.
I know what you're thinking: 'Salty, how are you going to put Darli on the list but omit Shermie when she's had more appearances in her respective franchise?". I love and click with Shermie. Out of everyone I know who plays KoF, I'm the only one who uses her. To me, she wins the KoF Waifu Wars. Darli Dagger is my SamSho Shermie. I fell in love with Darli from the moment I saw her reveal trailer. I love playing as her in SamSho. So I felt similarly to Darli, the same way I felt about Shermie but more so. Her being of African descent and having a unique sword gave her the edge over Shermie. And her theme song is among my favorites in the entire SERIES. I wish SNK would buff her, though.
Number 7: Lyn from Fire Emblem 7: The Blazing Sword
See? I told you not all the ladies on this were going to be from fighting games. Fire Emblem is a turn-based strategy game. While I would love to put Petra, Marianne, Mist, Malice, or Athena on this list, I never played Three Houses, Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn, or Mystery of the Emblem. In that case, Lyn wins by default.
Blazing Sword was the first Fire Emblem game I've ever played, not the first one I've beaten. That honor goes to Sacred Stones. But I will always remember immersing myself as Mark the Tactician (or Skully as that's the name I would give him) and helping Lyn in her tale. The competition for the best girl in Blazing Sword isn't fierce, to be fair. Serra's annoying as hell, Rebecca's meh, Isadora sucks, Vaida's one-track-minded, Nino's a kid, and Louise has enough simps. The Pegasisters also didn't leave that much of an impression either.
Lyn is the first Female Lord in the series, so I guess she has first bias for me personally. And that fact paved the way for the other female lords, Eirika, Micaiah, Lucina, Corrin (I guess), and Edelgard. 'But Salty, what about Celica?' you may be asking. In Shadow of Valentia and Gaiden, there was no Lord class. Celica was a Priestess who was promoted into Princess, meaning she doesn't count.
Lyn, however, falls short in a couple of areas. Out of the three Lords in Blazing Sword, she's without a doubt the worst one behind Eliwood and Hector (The Super Chad of Blazing Sword.). Even though her Growth Rates in total are the highest out of the cast, they're distributed terribly. When you start Eliwood or Hector's story, she becomes pretty secondary. But still, she's arguably the most popular out of the three Lords, making the most appearances outside her main game, I believe. FE Warriors, Heroes, having a special Einrehjar in Awakening, appearing as an Assist Trophy in Smash. Despite having the worst performance than her fellow Lords, I'm glad Lyn still gets love by IS and the fanbase. Even if some of them take the loyalty a little too far.
Now, back to the Fighting Game Women!
Number 6: Jun Kazama from Tekken
Oh, talk about wasting potential. In Tekken, there are a lot of women that I personally like. Nina, Anna, Julia, Lili (a little), Asuka, Josie. But Jun is the one who holds the title of Tekken's best girl with only one canon appearance! I'll never understand why Harada chose to kill her off. Oh, sorry. Deem her 'missing.' Jun is arguably the juiciest plot point Tekken has right now, even more than the Devil Gene and Jin's overbearing edginess. Hell, more so than the Mishima Family itself.
Jun is such an enigma that not even Kazuya understood her, yet still slept with her. We'll never understand more about her because if she makes a playable appearance, it's in the Tag games (fucking bullshit.). I first played Jun in Tekken 2. Tekken 2 wasn't my first Tekken game; Dark Resurrection was, so my first impression was spoiled. When I played Jun in Tekken 2, I clicked with her, like Shermie and Darli. She's a better version of Asuka, who's a bootleg Jun to me. (yeah, I said it)
What keeps her from being higher is her overall mystery. We know next to nothing about Jun, and until she makes another canon appearance, she'll, unfortunately, stay that way. Such a fucking shame. But what can you do?
Number 5: Kitana from Mortal Kombat
*GASP*!
You put Kitana over Jade!? Sacrilege! WE BELIEVED IN YOU! WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!
I know. I know. I know. Put away your Rope Spears, Devastators, Autumn Daos, and let me explain myself.
I know I chose Jade as Benji's romantic partner. Hell, in my first edition of Kombatant Koncepts, I straight up said that Jade was the best girl. But times and people have changed. I have changed as Jade's ascension to Best Girl was relatively recent. She was not the first one to take the crown. In fact, Kitana wasn't either. That honor goes to Sindel. (Before NRS took her out back, bludgeoned her character to death and defecated on it)
Despite not being the best girl, Kitana is my favorite MK Heroine. After all the bad shit that's happened to her, I'm so happy she received a happy ending. (until Aftermath, which we won't talk about) Getting killed by the Deadly Alliance, becoming Onaga's servant, slain by Sindel in the new timeline, becoming a revenant. I felt so bad and started subconsciously rooting for her. Anything is better than what NRS did.
Then MK 11 happened. She was revealed (as being alive), and I was excited. In the story, she became Kahn (Elated beyond words) and, in the good ending, ended up with Liu Kang. (Cue the waterworks) Those three things made me almost forget everything else NRS screwed up. Almost. But the Hat-Trick of good fortune made me breathe a sigh of relief. As short as it was, I enjoyed it.
Plus, I love playing as Kitana in every game she's been featured in. Unfortunately, she wasn't in Deception. (my personal favorite MK game) Eh, my number two (Jade) and number three (Sindel) were, so it gets a pass.
Number 4: Chun Li from Street Fighter
C'mon now. You can't have a top 10 Women in Games without mentioning the First Lady of Fighters! Chun should be in everyone's Top 10 off of that alone!
Making her debut in The World Warrior all the way back in 1991, Chun was the first selectable woman in a Fighting Game. She mothered every female Fighting Game Character! And you never forget the first. I mean, it's hard to forget Chun with legs like those. Her design left a mark - white combat boots, spiked gauntlets, that blue Qipao, her ox horn buns, and those Legs.
Her theme song is fire, her stage is memorable. There's little I can say that hasn't been said already. To me, Chun IS the Female Fighting Game Character, and that's something you can't take away from her.
However, there's another Chinese fighter that I like more personally.
Number 3: Chai Xianghua from Soul Calibur
I mean, what were you expecting? Soul Calibur is arguably my favorite Fighting Game Series of all time. You weren't hoping me to put at least on the women from there on here? You're buggin'. But my choice may confuse a few of you. What about Sophitia? Cass? Taki? Ivy? Amy? (okay, maybe not Amy) Hell, why not Setsuka or Talim?
As much as I love Sophitia, SCIV and V did her fifteen levels of dirty. Four was sad, and then they killed her off-screen in V, which was just tragic. Cass was the same in some regard since Sophi beat her at the climax of IV, and she was trapped in the Astral Chaos until VI. Taki and Ivy are both overrated to me as well as Amy. Setsuka was my favorite until I reevaluated her character and found her generic. Plus, the design choice to make her from England was a terrible call to me. I preferred when she had black hair and gold/hazel eyes. And I never really saw the appeal in Talim. I didn't hate her but wasn't a fan.
Xianghua, however, gets overlooked, in my opinion. She's one of the three main characters in the first two games and gave Inferno his first canon loss. Her costume designs, officially and conceptually, are some of my personal favorites. I love her bubbly personality as it's a much-needed contrast from all the serious, angry, or depressing demeanors of the rest of the cast. To me, Xianghua is impossible to hate, story and character-wise. She undergoes the most subtle but likable character development stage across the series, especially in the original trilogy.
She was confident in her SCI abilities but required SoulCalibur to give her the confidence needed to defeat Inferno. She then couldn't help Kilik when Zasalamel handed him his ass in SCII before the events of SCIII. When she trained in the Lotus Gardens under a Ming General, she regained her confidence and carried her weight with Kilik. And in SCIV, she capped off everything with a nice bow or Lotus Flower in her case. A shame she couldn't be in V, but at least she gave us Leixia (I guess) and Xiba. Now that VI is mostly a retelling of SCI, I can witness her character growth again. I'll happily strap myself in for that ride, considering I never got to play SCI when it first released. Plus, I think she's adorable, which only adds to her character. Definitely one of Namdai's best works in terms of character building. Well done.
Number 2: Karin Koenig from Shadow Hearts: Covenant
*Sniff* *Sniff* You guys smell that? *Sniff* Ah yes. The smell of bias.
Shadow Hearts Covenant is the first JRPG I've ever played, it's my favorite JRPG of all time, and Karin is one of the two characters you start with. Though not the main protagonist, she's definitely the game's poster girl on the Cover art. The first two dungeons introduce her character, a beautiful, strong, loyal swordswoman who somehow in 1916 reached the rank of Lieutenant in the German Army during WWI. But then, you know, the plot happened.
While I'm not a fan of her outfit post defection, her arc more than makes up for it. Karin falls for Yuri from the moment he saved her in Domremy's Church. But because he lost Alice (the woman I would've put on the list over Karin if I played the first Shadow Hearts), the feelings were unrequited. Loyal, she stuck by him during his worst moments, even while on death's door. The pair had many scenes together and were clearly bonding if the ending was any indication.
Beautiful. Karin had Nicolai Conrad, one of the game's main villains, only for her. Many of the cutscene's comedic moments were because of how gorgeous Karin is. She's dangerous with a Rapier in her hands. Using scenes from a play about Siegfried, Karin receives new spells and attacks that increase her swordplay. In gameplay, she functions as a Red Mage, meaning she can do it all.
Even though I never played Covenant in years due to a non-functioning PS2, I will always have positive memories of it. Karin's one of the main reasons why. Until next time, Karin. You will always be my favorite Red Mage.
Before I get to Number 1, I have some Honorable Mentions. Who they are, where they're from, and why they didn't make the list.
Honorable Mentions:
Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII
It hurts my soul to not put my first crush ever and my first crush on an animated persona on the list. Tifa is beautiful, has excellent character, is kickass in-game, and has an awesome design. But I've never played FF 7, the Remake, or any Dissidia game. I've played Kingdom Hearts 2, but her appearance is more like an extended cameo. Sad, she is in contention to end my personal Waifu Wars, but my own rules prevent me from putting her on here. Pity.
Shermie from King of Fighters
One of the villainesses I considered for this list, but... I mean, Shermie doesn't make the cut due to only appearing in two canon entries as a playable character in KoF 97 & 98. She's made more appearances than that, but her significance was high in those two. She's appeared as a Striker in KoF 2000, Team New Faces return in 2002, playable in Neo Geo Coliseum, and returned in SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy. (But we don't talk about that) Hopefully, they bring her back in KoF XV. When Kyo killed Verse, Shermie was one of the many who were resurrected. Honestly, KoF XV might as well pull an Ultimate and bring everyone back. But I'm getting off-topic.
Lisa Hamilton from DOA
Lack of Melanin on this list, but Lisa sadly won't fill the void. Her being black was enough to make me consider. And thanks to DOA Dimensions giving her another dimension (Ha!) of her character, she was gunning for a spot. Then DOA 6 happened, and we don't talk about that game's story. In terms of DOA females, she's in my top 3. In fact, number 2. Hitomi's one and Helena's three. One of the characters I have fun with despite sucking with them. The future of DOA is looking pretty bleak, but I still love you, Ms. Hamilton.
Juri Han from Street Fighter
Another villainess was gunning for a spot. Juri is a massive favorite among fans while bringing unique character as an evil Chun post, Shadow Lady. Her designs are amazing in both SFIV and SFV, along with her SFIV theme while being fun to use. So why is she not on the list? Because Chun Li is from Street Fighter and the First Lady of Fighting Games. The competition is literally unbeatable. Chun Li will always be the best because she was the first. That's why.
Rose of Sharon Cassidy from Fallout New Vegas
I'll keep this one short because this hurts more than Tifa, honestly. Cass didn't make the cut because she's a companion character and doesn't do much after her quest. Yet because New Vegas is one of my favorite games of all time, I had to give her at least an Honorable Mention.
Parvati from Outer Worlds
Another short one. Outer Worlds was on sale for the New Year. Since Obsidian made it (The team who made New Vegas), I bought it, and Parvati is the first Companion you get, my favorite of them all. She's funny, awkward, cute, relatable, and ticks all the boxes. She's not on the list because I've only played Outer Worlds for two weeks. I need time. Give me like a year or two, and Parvati may actually make it on this list if I do it again.
Dark Samus from Metroid Prime 2 & 3
The last villainess to make the Honorable Mentions, Dark Samus doesn't make it with only appearing in two games with minimal screen time. Her boss fights were great, but like Tifa, I've never played Prime 2 and didn't get far enough in 3 to see her. I main her in Smash, so I can loophole it that way if anything.
Fang from Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII is arguably the worst entry in the series. However, Fang was one of the three likable characters that were playable, the others being Snow and Sazh. The rest can go fuck themselves. Fuck Lightning, Vanille, Hope (little brat), fuck Sarah. Fang got shit done, and Bahamut is a badass summon. Sucks that Lightning got Odin, fuckin' bitch.
Zelda from Legend of Zelda
Ah, the Nintendo Princess who typically isn't a damsel in distress. Zelda doesn't need no mans while running Hyrule alone and stays vital to each game's plot. She tries to help Link whenever she can. My personal favorite incarnations of her are OoT and TP. Shame her Skyward Sword incarnation exists, making her a Peach regarding a damsel in distress, plus Skyward Sword is so….. meh. But her BotW incarnation is pretty dope. Speaking of which, I have to finish BotW before the sequel's release. I should get on that soon.
Number 1: Samus Aran from Metroid
Some of you saw this coming; some didn't. I could care less. Samus is my favorite female character of all time in terms of numbers. More than Shermie, Tifa, Karin.
While not the first Heroine in gaming (that honor goes to a Lady Bug and Ms. Pacman), Samus definitely made her mark as the most famous with more staying power. To me, she can do no wrong. Other M is the ONLY blemish on Samus's track record. Metroid brought non-linear gameplay to the forefront, while Metroid II helps kick start handheld gaming. Super Metroid is one of the best games ever made, and the Prime Trilogy successfully brought Metroid to three dimensions. Fusion proved that you can tell the best story out of every entry while mixing bits and pieces of horror.
Or how about the fact that Samus herself is video games' first plot twist. Because NO ONE knew she was a woman unless you beat Metroid in a certain amount of time. And that blew everyone's mind. Samus embodies badassery, arrives at a planet for a bounty, saves the world, and leaves. She has one of the most famous rivalries in gaming against Ridley as they constantly battle each other. The Power Suits' various designs are all kickass. Varia, Gravity, Phazon, PED, Fusion, Zero Suit.
Plus, she puts new meaning to Blonde Bombshell, a pleasant face to look at.
Her being regarded as the first Heroine to leave a sizable mark on the gaming world, she must be on everyone's list like Chun. And to me, Samus is THE best.
Thank you all for your time. Thanks to alwaysdoubted for the prompt.