Top 10 Strangest Video Game Heroes

Heroes come in different packages.

Some are the epitomes of heroes (such as superheroes), others are the smaller, less-mutated heroes who are thrust into some kind of ultimate adventure (such as many an RPG hero), and some are...odd, to say the least, but those oddballs are exactly the heroes we'll be looking at today as we count down the Top 10 Strangest Video Game Heroes.


Warning: Spoilers abound! Skim at your own risk!


 

#10: Frog

-Chrono Trigger-

"Who are you calling Slippy Toad!?"

Y'know, had I never played Chrono Trigger before, the above image would have slapped a question mark straight across my face. I mean, as incredibly awesome as Chrono Trigger's Frog is, he just seems like an odd choice for a hero just by looking at him. But things make a lot more sense once you realize he's a cursed "Knight of the Square Table" from the Middle Ages who travels through time to help stop the apocalypse. Of course, some people may be further confused by that explanation...

#9: Ghost Zelda

-The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks-

I get the feeling Link failed to save Zelda at some point...

It's not every Legend of Zelda game that allows you to control Princess Zelda herself. It's also not every Legend of Zelda game that has Zelda as a friggin' ghost. Seriously, I expect to play as a warrior frog more than I ever expected Princess Zelda to just up and die. But she does in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, so I guess anything goes.

Alright, so she had her body stolen and is teaming up with Link to get it back (among other things). But still, it's something I wasn't ever expecting to happen in a Zelda game. The first time I saw Zelda's apparition, all I could say was "Wait...Zelda's dead?" Then it seemed even stranger when I heard you partially play as her. But that part was kinda fun, so I'm glad she died. Wait, that sounded wrong...

#8: Wiki
-Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure-

And no, he is not the founder of Wikipedia...

I've played as a monkey in a video game before, but this little guy is no ordinary monkey. What he is is strange. Wiki, the monkey from Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, is a magical, flying golden monkey. And other than being able to fly by only using the last few inches of his tail, guess what else this monkey can do?

Me with fake mustache: Um...eat bananas?

Me: No! Why, he can transform into a bell, of course!

...

Me with fake mustache: Alright, but what does that do?

Me: It turns enemies into items. Duh!

...

Me with fake mustache: Alright, I'm sold.

#7: Big the Cat
-Sonic the Hedgehog Series-

"Froggy?"

Here's a hero who doesn't look all that strange when compared with the other anthropomorphic characters of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. However, after you've played as him in Sonic Adventure, one can't help but question his existence.  I mean, he's a fat, dumb, hillbilly fisherman cat whose best friend is a small, non-anthropomorphic frog. Not only that, but his only goal in the game is to look for said frog. How fun...

Note: I am not racist against non-anthropomorphic frogs. Please don't sue!

Now, if this cat were best friends with, say, the frog from our #10 slot, that'd be a different story entirely. But he's not, and that's why Big the Cat from the Sonic the Hedgehog series just plain strikes me as a strange choice for a hero.

#6: Slime
-Dragon Quest Series-

I guess not all Slimes are as evil as they look.

If you've ever played a single Dragon Quest game, you know this guy. But not as a hero. Slimes are probably the weakest, most common enemies in the entire series. And that's exactly why it seemed a tad odd when I played one as the hero in Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime for the Nintendo DS.

Seriously, how's a guy supposed to fulfill his grudge when the grudgee suddenly becomes a hero? Now that just makes ME look like the bad guy.

Curse you, Slime! I'll get you if it's the last thing I do! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

#5: The Prince

-Katamari Series-

He looks so badass...

There's no mistaking it; the King of All Cosmos is the coolest guy in all of the cosmos. But his son? Eh, not so much. In fact, he's a bit strange. With his purple pants and his green...upper-clothing, he doesn't exactly have the greatest fashion sense. And his face doesn't look NEAR as manly as his father's. Although, that might have something to do with age or something...

Also, the Prince is, like, a millimeter tall, while his father is about as big as a planet. And while we could use that age excuse again, as well as say that his small stature makes the game more interesting and fun, the word "strange" still comes to mind.

Of course, considering what video game series we're talking about here, the word "strange" is probably nothing new...

#4: Kirby
-Kirby Series-

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

I've been playing Kirby games for over 15 years, and I still have no idea what that pink puffball even is. Is it an animal? Is it an alien? Is it a vegetable after some kind of freak accident? I think I heard once that he was, like, a million-year-old infant marshmallow or something. Who knows...?

One thing's for certain, though - this guy sucks. Wait, no, I mean that literally. It's not every hero that can suck up enemies and abuse their powers as his own. And while that ability makes Kirby unique, it's also a strange ability you wouldn't normally expect a hero to have. No one's complaining, though.

#3: Quina Quen
-Final Fantasy IX-

You can cut the charade, Lickitung, I know it's you!

Alright, where do I start...? Well, first of all...just look at this thing. Quina looks like a grandma Lickitung after joining the circus as a clown chef. And coming from the same series that brought us the likes of Cloud and Squall, it's safe to say this was one of Square's strangest hero designs.

Needless to say, this thing loves food. The only reason it even joins the main party in Final Fantasy IX is so that it can eat different foods. And the only real reason to have Quina fight with you is its ability to eat enemies and gain their abilities. Hold on...that reminds me of the last guy we talked about...

Also, if you're wondering why I keep calling Quina an "it," it's because it doesn't even have a determinate gender. Yeah...

#2: Opa-Opa
-Fantasy Zone Series-

What is this I don't even

This guy looks like he came out of some little girl's LSD trip. And I don't even mean that as a joke. I'm 100% serious when I say that this guy...doesn't make any sense. I think he's supposed to be an alien who is also a spaceship with giant feet and wings that look like they were just glued to his back. Wait, is that thing even a he...?

But I suppose you can't expect anything less than strange from a series called Fantasy Zone. They most likely made it a point to design the strangest-looking character they could think of for a full fantasy effect. That's what the game is supposed to be like, after all.

#1: Pac-Man
-Pac-Man Series-

"Wakka wakka."

It was tough choosing between an otherworldly, living spaceship with legs and wings and Pac-Man, but in the end, I went with the dot-poppin'...erm...thing. Seriously, what is he? In the classic and classic-style Pac-Man games, this guy's a cheese pizza with a slice missing. And even when he's in his more modern form, he isn't that much less strange. I mean, what is that? A smiley face with red boots and orange boxing gloves?

And let's not forget what he does for a living. Mr. Man tends to spend his time running through mazes, being chased by different colored specters while he eats dots. And some of those dots will magically make the ghosts edible, it seems. Is this guy abusing those dots again? I think it's time we gave this guy an intervention...

Do you agree with this list? What strange video game heroes would you have chosen?