Video games are filled with memorable characters, whose names recall their many feats of bravery and courage. Maria. master chief. Pac-Man. Tetris block. These icons, along with many others, are known to gamers around the world as heroes.

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But sometimes a name is memorable not because of who it’s attached to, but because the name itself is so unusual that you can’t help but keep it in the memory banks of your mind. And while many of these characters are icons in their own right, their names might be the most memorable thing about them.

ten Relentless Discharge, Dark Souls

Dark Souls has no shortage of bad bosses, but generally when we say “bad” in reference to this game, we just mean they’re hard. Not so with Ceaseless Discharge, which is nasty…that is, disgusting.

He’s in the Demonic Ruins, towering over you over a lava field. Its name comes from the open wounds on its body, which spit out lava – hence it constantly discharges molten rock. But there had to be a better way to communicate that than that.

9 Pizza Pasta, Punch-Out!!

Nintendo’s Punch!! The series has gifted us with several iconic characters, from the surprisingly powerful little Mac to the iconic bald bull, but Italian boxer Pizza Pasta hasn’t quite joined their ranks. With a name like “Pizza Pasta”, you have to wonder why.

Surely it’s not because Nintendo, in its lazy genius, chose to name it after two foods, is it? Surely he wouldn’t be so embarrassed by that goofy name that he’d choose never to bring it back, would he? Law? All we’re saying is it’s time to bring Pizza Pasta out of retirement for one last salty, salty fight.

8 Poo, earthbound

Earthbound was notoriously marketed by a campaign that said, “This game stinks!” And it’s actually a classic that still holds today, but between that marketing campaign and the Poo name, one would be forgiven for associating the game with smelly garbage.

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Poo himself is one of the four main members of your party, the brave and responsible crown prince of the distant kingdom of Dalaam. He even has access to some of the most powerful psychic abilities in the game, but if you were a kid when you played Earthbound, his name probably reminds you the most.

7 Noob Saibot, Mortal Kombat 2

Mortal Kombat has no shortage of memorable characters, with icons like Scorpion, Kitana, and Sub-Zero. In fact, according to games lore, secret character Noob Saibot was actually the original Sub-Zero before his death and resurrection under… a much dumber name.

To be fair, it’s named after Mortal Kombat creators Ed Boon John Tobias; flip their last names and you get Noob Saibot. But these days, it’s like playing with fire to name a character in a fighting game “Noob.”

6 Butz, Final Fantasy 5

Now, outside of Japan, Final Fantasy 5’s good-natured protagonist is known as Bartz…but if you translate his name directly from the original Japanese, you’ll get “Butz.” This translation of his name was even featured in some game guides and merchandise around the game, lending credence to the idea that the dude’s intended nickname was, indeed, Butz.

It’s probably a good thing that this game wasn’t localized when it was originally released. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if you tried to talk about the cool new Final Fantasy hero Butz with your playground friends?

5 Linkle, Warriors of Hyrule

When the original trailer for The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild dropped in 2014, the internet was abuzz with speculation that the game featured a daughter version of Link. After all, the trailer showed him with long hair and a leaner, more feminine figure, and Nintendo said the game was about rethinking series conventions.

But Link was still a boy. Instead, we got a girl Link in the spin-off Hyrule Warriors, but to differentiate her from the “real” Link, her name was changed to…Linkle. The Wii U era was full of bad decisions, but this was by far the worst.

4 Guybrush Threepwood, The Secret of Monkey Island

In their heyday, the point-and-click gurus at LucasArts were known for the generous personalities and humor they could inject into their games. Exhibit A: Guybrush Threepwood.

The hero of the Monkey Island games (starting with the original, The Secret Of Monkey Island) has the kind of name you only give a character with enough humor to handle it. Luckily, the games are full of in-jokes and references; his name isn’t even the craziest thing about them.

3 Fayt Leingod, Star Ocean: Until the End of Time

Pretty much every RPG has a lot of talk about fate and divinity and whatnot, so you have to give Tri-Ace credit: they’re just blunt in naming Star Ocean’s third protagonist, uh, “fate”.

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To be fair, there are a few twists that recontextualize its name, making it a little less clunky. But only a little. This guy’s name is like a Grand Theft Auto protagonist called “Gunne Leincar”.

2 Sol Badguy, Guilty Gear

Guilty Gear games are known for their depth, gorgeous graphics, and absurdly deep story. What they’re not known for is subtlety. For proof, look at Sol Badguy. This guy’s backstory is complex, but suffice to say he finds himself on the wrong side of the law more than once throughout the series.

One could also say, given his long-running rivalry with high-ranking police officer Ky Kiske, that from Ky’s perspective, he’s… the only villain in the series.

1 Esty Dee, Workshop

The long-running Atelier series has slowly gained popularity through word of mouth in the West, but it remains mostly a niche concern. While they’re solid games with a lot to offer, they’re very out of step with Western tastes…and sometimes that extends to the English language.

Take Esty Dee, a supporting actor in the Arland sub-trilogy. Say his name out loud. Does that sound like something… negative, in particular? Something you might not want to experience? Yeah. Gust did him no favors.

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When most people think of fighting game characters, they probably think of characters like Ryu – good old, reliable, boring Ryu. These base characters have plenty of options, are well balanced, and are ideal for new players. However, once these characters are out of the way, the real fun can begin.

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A great fighting game character will have a unique style, but the best ones have some interesting quirks too. Some of these characters may end up playing a completely different game than their opponents. While the Kens and Ryus of the world bring stability, these oddballs bring chaos, and fighting games wouldn’t be the same without them.

ten Q – Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

Q is a slower and heavier version of Balrog. He has those classic punches, but his normal attacks are slow. Which is a serious problem in a game like Third Strike where everyone has a parry. So what makes this slow, janky dude interesting? Well, Q has a taunt that significantly increases his defense. Additionally, his taunts can stack up to three times. This means Q can essentially double the amount of health he has.

Suddenly Q isn’t looking to close the distance after landing a big jab that sends the opponent flying, he’s looking to get another taunt. It also forces your opponent to come towards you, since no one wants to face Q after he’s been fully buffed. Q isn’t a particularly strong character (you know, besides his huge health pool), but he East a very interesting one.

9 Ginyu – Dragonball FighterZ

Ginyu from Dragon Ball FighterZ has style, but he also has all the Ginyu strength. Every member of the Ginyu force appears in Ginyu’s attack, but here’s the catch: you don’t choose which member of the Ginyu force you get. Instead, they’re on a fixed rotation, which means you have to keep track of who has spawned.

If that’s not enough for you, Ginyu has one more trick up his sleeve: he can change his body! This means that you will have the option to exchange your defeated Ginyu for one of your opponent’s healthy characters.

8 Heroes – Smash Brothers: Ultimate

The Smash Brothers series is already a very unconventional fighting game that is home to many unconventional characters. However, Hero from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate really stands out. What makes Hero so interesting is his access to a whole host of Dragon Quest spells.

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These spells work the same as in the Dragon Quest series, which means you have to manage your MP gauge. Accessing it will require sifting through your menu (which is difficult when you’re playing a frenetic platformer). It’s a nifty way to introduce RPG-like mechanics into a platform fighter.

7 Rogue – X-Men Vs. Street Fighter

X-Men Vs. Street Fighter made sure Rogue got his entire moveset from the comics. She can fly and she hits hard, but she also has her signature ability to steal powers. Yes, that is correct; Snape can take a power from an opponent and use it for the rest of the turn.

Each character has a different power that Rogue can take. The amount of work required to include this capability must have been immense. Which explains why she unfortunately didn’t have this ability in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. You can’t earn them all.

6 Aria – Killer Instinct

Aria is the boss of the 2013 reboot of Killer Instinct. She has three forms (called “drones”) that have different moves associated with them. Of course, fighting game characters with multiple stances aren’t new, but the implementation with Aria is quite unique.

Each form has its own health bar. This means that if one of her forms is mishandled, she will have to change it or risk losing it. Each form also has its own movement speed. Aria has assist attacks for each drone that can be used when unequipped (or destroyed). Aria feels like playing an entire Marvel vs. Capcom team, but in a one-on-one fighting game.

5 Lowain – Granblue Versus

The goofiest character on the Granblue Versus roster is also the most interesting. Lowain can consume food mid-battle to restore health, and many of his moves are quasi-assists that use his “brothers”, or his robot double Katarina (don’t ask), to hit high, down or rain down a barrage of different projectiles on his opponent. However, its great is where things really get interesting.

Lowain has an honest invocation to kindness. Yggdrasil is not just an attack, no, for a time Lowain brings this god into battle to fight on his behalf. This giant has a variety of powerful attacks. While experienced players will likely be able to navigate these moves effectively, less experienced players will suffer. This super explains why Lowain’s dishes are unseasoned: you provide the salt.

4 Dan – Street Fighter 5

Wait, Dan? What’s so interesting about Dan? Sure, he’s funny, but he’s just a bad Ryu, right? These comments would have been valid (hurtful, but valid) a few Street Fighters ago, but Dan became a whole new character in Street Fighter 5. Capcom began to evolve his taunts in Street Fighter 4 by allowing them to build his counter .

Street Fighter 5 took this concept and used it. Now Dan can also cancel his taunt attacks and then cancel his taunt attacks (only one taunt cancel per combo, of course), meaning he can link two attacks that would otherwise be impossible to link together. But mess up and you’ll find yourself taunting like a jester (very characterful) and just begging to be tricked.

3 Jack-O – Guilty Equipment Revealer 2

If you’re a fan of the RTS genre, we’ve got the fighting game character for you. Jack-O builds bases for minions. She has three types of bases which are associated with three types of minions. These troops attack your enemies and after some downtime the bases level up (as do the associated minions).

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On top of all that, Jack-O has a number of abilities to help protect bases, allowing his small army to pump out soldiers. Fighting Jack-O in Revelator 2 is like fighting a swarm of bees.

In Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Phoenix Wright gameplay begins with him finding evidence, then presenting the evidence, and finally making an accusation. At this point, Phoenix’s regular attacks become massive, his best attack becoming a giant fleeting accusing finger that he can use at will.

Phoenix Wright can use the evidence to activate a super and pursue his opponent. This super can strike from anywhere and does massive amounts of damage. Playing Phoenix well requires using helpers (and Maya) to defend him while he searches for that precious, valuable evidence. It can be an uphill battle, but he’s a force to be reckoned with when he gets all three pieces. Any objection to Phoenix’s inclusion here will be dismissed.

1 Junpei – Persona 4: Arena Ultimax

Junpei is the only fighting game character that lets you play baseball. At the bottom of the screen is a baseball field and a tally that records balls, hits, and outs. When you hit someone with your bat, it’s a base hit (which will light up a base), a blocked attack is a ball, and getting four hits will get you a run. Swing and miss with your bat and you get a hit, three hits and you get an out while being hit is also an out. Three outs and the bases will be erased.

Junpei also has a super home attack that will clear the bases. Get 10 runs and Junpei receives a huge bonus that grants him access to “clean hit”, which makes bat attacks stronger and improves a number of his special moves. Is all this ridiculous? Yes. But that’s the right kind of ridiculous. The kind of ridiculousness that makes Junpei the most interesting fighting game character ever.

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Have you ever played a game when you hear a new character speak and they click. “I know that voice! You say. Claudia Black is the epitome of instantly recognizable voice acting talent in the gaming world.

Playing multiple characters in a huge array of TV shows and movies, Claudia has shifted her talent as a deep, resonant voice actor to video games. Her first voiceover appearance came in Farscape: The Game in 2002 (reprising her role as an actress from Aeryn Sun on the original TV show).

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Over the next two decades, Claudia Black appeared in several hit AAA titles. From the voices of characters alongside John Goodman and Nolan North in Rage, to the role of a certain well-known mage in the Dragon Age series…

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Tess Everis – Destiny Series

In Destiny and Destiny 2, you will find the voice of Claudia Black through the character of Tess Everis, an Awoken merchant who runs the Eververse Trading Company. Added as an update to the online-only Destiny game on October 13, 2015, Tess is an NPC who sells emotes in exchange for Silver in-game currency.

Although this is another relatively small part, Claudia Black plays Tess alongside other notable voice actors, including John DiMaggio (who plays Banshee-44) and Peter Dinklage (who originally voiced the NPC Ghost before being replaced by Nolan North).

9
Hélène – Crisis

In Crysis, a 2007 FPS game based in the fictional Lingshan Islands off the coast of the Philippines, players don nanosuits built by the US military to take down a race of evil organisms known as Ceph. Helena Rosenthal, voiced by Claudia Black, is the daughter of the doctor who is sounding the alarm that the islands are apparently being overrun by North Koreans.

The rest of the game follows Helena and your characters’ attempts to thwart the Ceph and endure the alien assault. They eventually escape the islands after launching a nuclear missile attack to bring down the Ceph.

8
Marwen – Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Queen Marwen was a relatively minor role in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, released in 2014, but Claudia Black’s voice-over skills made the role even more impactful. Chief of the tribes of Núrn, a kingdom of sea raiders south of Mordor, players encounter the queen who looks deteriorated in a very weakened state.

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It turns out later that Marwen was possessed by Saruman and forced to comply. It is implied that Marwen and her daughter Lithariel met a grisly end after an attack from the Black Hand of Sauron later in the game.

7
Cydaea – Diablo 3

In this 2012 hack-and-slash action RPG, Claudia Black lends her alluring voice to Cydaea, taking the form of a giant mutant spider. Cydaea is best known for her boss fight in the Tower of the Cursed during the third act of Diablo 3, taunting players while swinging a spider’s web above them..

Originally referred to as the “Mistress of Pain,” the character was actually removed during game development, but was added back to the game after positive reviews from fans. And to think that we almost missed out on this incredible performance!

6
Whitney Chang – The Amazing Spider-Man

Claudia Black entered the Marvel Universe in 2012 with her role as Whitney Chang, a New York investigative journalist who enlists Spiderman’s help in taking down Oscorp.. Together, they work to investigate Oscorp’s unusual and suspicious activity in the city and save the day in true Marvel form.

From uncovering the controversial science experiments undertaken inside Oscorp to flirting with Spiderman every step of the way, we love Claudia Black’s personal touch on the usual ‘journalist’ trope found in many other stories of the genre.

5
Audrey “Mac” MaCallum – Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Anyone who has played Infinite Warfare will be able to recognize Claudia Black’s voice in the blink of an eye. She voices the role of Mac in this Activision FPS 2016 game, an ally and chief engineer of the central spacecraft Retribution.

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Set in space with weightless gameplay mechanics, players join the Retribution team to survive through thick and thin against the story’s main antagonist, Rear Admiral Salen Kotch (voiced by the Game of Thrones Kit Harington). Mac sacrifices herself in a robotic ambush to save the rest of the surviving crew members.

4
Admiral Daro’Xen Vas Moreh – Mass Effect Series

Having originally voiced Morrigan for Dragon Age: Origins a year earlier, Claudia Black was no stranger to Bioware when she lent her voice to Admiral Daro’Xen for Mass Effect 2 in 2010. As a cold member, calculating and seemingly unemotional of the Quarian admiralty. Board, players will encounter her in Mass Effect 2 and 3.

As if one character wasn’t enough, Claudia Black also voices two other characters from the Mass Effect franchise.: Matriarch Aethyta, the bartender of the Eternity lounge on Illium, as well as an anonymous envoy of Queen Rachni.

3
Samantha Byrne – Gears Of War Series

Appearing as Samantha “Sam” Bryne, Claudia Black appears in both Gears of War 3 in 2011 and Gears of War 4 in 2016. During her brash and powerful vocal performance, Claudia transforms Sam’s Aussie accent to the max and packs a punch with general curses and chatter fans love to this day.

Sam Byrne forms one of the Delta Squads in Gears of War 3, which typically joins players in 4-player co-op missions to fight the Lambents to save humanity. She returns in the fourth installment of the series (in a full-fledged relationship with comrade Damon Baird) to witness a raid on the Swarm.

2
Chloe Frazer – Uncharted Series

Chloe Frazer plays a badass romantic interest in Nathan Drake, the main protagonist of Uncharted voiced by Nolan North, and in Uncharted 2 and 3 (and briefly touched on in Uncharted 4 from events leading up to the game’s main story) . She is also the main protagonist of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

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Hailed by fans for her wit, independence, and sneaky nature, Chloe Frazer serves as a foil to Nathan and his romantic rival Elena Fisher. She is also praised by fans for her flirtatious demeanor and impulsive sexuality.

1
Morrigan – Dragon Age Series

As big Dragon Age fans, we had to keep our favorite until the end. Morrigan is a staple and highly regarded character in the Dragon Age series, first appearing in Dragon Age Origins in 2009 as a mysterious mage in the Wildlands of Korcari and daughter of Flemeth, the “Witch of the Wildlands”, and returning in Dragon Age Inquisition in 2014.

According to Activision lead writer David Gaider, during the development of Dragon Age Origins Morrigan was originally supposed to have a Persian accent, but after a few disastrous auditions the idea was dropped. Players and fans alike are quietly relieved that this wasn’t the case (with plenty of memes to prove it), or we would have missed a fantastic character in Morrigan and Claudia Black’s vocal performance.

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