Top Ten Video Game Heroes 

“The mark of hero is not displayed by the strength of one’s body, but the strength of their will and desire to help others. Anyone can be a hero.”

"A hero is someone who is concerned about other people's well being, and will go out of his or her way to help them, even if there is no chance of a reward. That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.” - Stan Lee (1922 - 2018)

Kiryu's line " I've never killed anyone" is actually a bit of a mistranslation. I read somewhere that what he's really saying is more akin to "I've never murdered someone", as in he's never premeditated, or plotted, somebody's death. Which fits better with that scene where he blatantly used a guy as a shield from a hail of gunfire and all those likely casualties from his beatings. He didn't plan any of deaths, it all happened within the heat of battle.

With the Yakuza hurting a dog thing, I like to think he goes by a similar philosophy to late doctor of journalism (and fellow morally nuanced fella) Hunter Thompson: "Only a punk beats his wife and dog."

You didn't mention that Pit does everything despite being insulted by everyone constantly. He's still loyal to Palutena despite her roasting him constantly. I wouldn't be heroic enough to put up with that.

Honestly, I think the big thing about Link is that it IS different people that all decide to be heroes that makes him the perfect Hero. Link didn't need to be the one to save the Great Deku Tree, but he did so anyway. He didn't need to be the one to go off and save Aryl from the Helmaroc King, but he did it anyway. He didn't need to be the one to save ANY of the kids in the village, especially since their parents, especially Rusl, who were far more talented than him, but he did it anyway. Despite all of them being the reincarnation of the same guy, he could've, at any point, just decided he didn't want to do any of these things. And mind you, these are all really BEFORE he gets the Triforce of Courage or before it reveals itself to be in his possession. He EARNS that Triforce piece. He did these difficult, unenviable tasks and got himself in way over his head not because it was his destiny, but because it's what a good person does. Heck, in some cases, he doesn't even have the Triforce, and he STILL decides to go off and do heroic things even though he could've just sat back and said "Eh, that's someone else's problem" Link is an easy pick for number 1, and that's absolutely why he deserves it

People act like Frederick's "pick a god and pray" is the most badass thing ever never got the chance to witness Ike telling a literal god to pray.

Oscar Duarte Quirk: Scorpion Oscar has the abilities of an scorpion, including his stinger that carries a paralyzing venom powerful enough to stun Nomus. Thebtail is super strong and flexible, and the stinger can act as a grappling hook and can hook enemies so he can pull them towards him. The catch is that he doesn't do well in cold temperatures.

“But what does this have to do with Shulk?” Kidding but Shulk is in my personal top 3 along with Snake

"A hero doesn't always have to be someone strong enough lift the world, rather the mark of a real hero can be found in one who would take on the weight of the world to help others with their problems."

I'd argue that Samus' best moment of heroism is in Metroid Prime 2. Samus' mission is to find a Galactic Federation platoon that went missing on the Rogue Planet Aether. When Samus arrives she quickly discovers that the platoon was wiped out, even recovering video evidence. At that point, Samus could have gone back to her ship intended to leave, her job's over. However, after viewing the video, Samus kneels down to close the eye of one of the dead troopers and then continues onward to avenger their deaths. Shortly thereafter Samus meets U-Mos, the last active Luminoth, the native species of Aether. At first Samus keeps her Arm Cannon trained on U-Mos just in case, but once Samus hears of the Luminoth's plight, she immediately lowers her Arm Cannon and agrees to help. Once Samus knew what was going on she immediately decided to help the Luminoth stop the Ing, even though Samus wasn't going to get paid for it afterwards. Samus didn't become a warrior for fame, fortune or power. Her primary motivator was to protect people considering the trauma she suffered as a child. She continually does the right thing solely because it's the right thing to do, despite what she's lost and that she continually loses people close to her. If she doesn't do it, who will?

10. He's been trough many things in life, death, and betrayal. I wish we do have a sequel for that game. I'd join him in any battles. 9. His power comes from bondship from everyone he saves, I'm looking forward to his journey to happen. 8. It glorious to see his big change. 7. This man is the best in his career, he's one of the smartest man in gaming universe. 6. Never mess with this serious man especially dogs. 5. She's knows the right move at all times. I always feel her from her eyes in her helmet. 4. He's been through many things that could drive anyone insane or lead to suicide, but he does ever heroic action, he's the greatest solder in the gaming universe. 3. Why can't we have more heroes like him, we need more swordsman who start low to best. 2. There's an old saying, "everyone deserve a second chance" why can't everyone see it that way. 1. He's definitely my hero and my parents hero, as a kid I pretend to be him with a fake toys. I'm honestly happy to see everyone on the list

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." -Arthur Ashe

Happy to see Phoenix and Kiryu here! I've also just started Path of Radiance, so I'm looking forward to seeing Ike's heroism firsthand. One character I always think about when it comes to the hero archetype is Adol Christin from Ys. He's a pretty Link-like character in that he's a primarily silent protagonist who gets roped into and resolves a bunch of unrelated incidents. The main difference is that he's one guy as opposed to a bunch of reincarnations, which means he has the absolute WORST luck when it comes to getting shipwrecked and being pulled into adventures that determine the fate of the world.

when the world feels so terrible right now, this list feels pretty perfectly timed to remember it feels good to be a good person. Oscar's unabashed wholesomeness and genuine enthusiasm are infectious. It's hard not to have grown bitter, growing up in this world, but optimism like this reminds me why I fight those feelings, and try to stay positive. The world could always use more heroes

I still remember your original video game heroes countdown as one of your first countdowns that you did. Of course they're more options for some iconic heroes now that many years have passed so I'm looking forward to this updated list to see if they're new changes in the entries.

Damn, it's been a while since you've did a full countdown, and no, that movie edition of your top 50 favorite games doesn't count, and it's a remake of your very first countdown, not bad. Reminds of when James A. Janise remade his original Kill Counts of the Friday the 13th franchise, since it was how his channel got started while the new game was fresh in people's minds and wasn't shut down due to an ongoing lawsuit between people who made the films

I like how even after all this time, four of these entries are from the OG list (three of which even stayed in their original spots).

"A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart."

Gonna shout out Estelle Bright from Trails in the Sky. Everyone literally describes her as bright as the sun and it's obvious why. She may be snarky and very eager to whack people with her big stick, but her heart of gold shines so bright that she rehabilitates TWO former assassins, jaded from their respective childhoods and out to kill whoever gets in the way of their goal, and makes them her family.

Nero deserves a spot on the list. Broke a four decade long rivalry between Dante and Vergil through sheer will and positivity.

Tales of the abyss Luke is probably my number 1 hero as he shows no matter how hard you are shot down. You keep trying to get back up and grow to learn even when everyone is against you and you lose others trust. A lot of the tales series protagonist are like this in some way but Luke did it best as we don't know the world same as him. He's basically an insert who has his own story as we follow. Fire emblem emmeryn is pretty cool with how much she tried to do to keep the peace and her public image vs her private one. Inspiration to the enemies too. Pokemon N if he was not part of Peta at first would honestly be a good message to understand your Pokemon and animals more and respect them even if we eat them. God of war kratos pre anything new in seeing his seperation of God and man giving them back the hope in 3 where humanity has to take over next could have been cool to see happen more much like king gilgamesh did. Blanking on more right now

Man this is too nostalgic for me, even though I started watching a while after GS started.

“You know. I guest one man can make a difference. Nuff said.” - Stan lee

That Sly Cooper fake-out was pure evil! Also, next list is about villains, eh? I look forward to it. Be interesting to see what your criteria will be.

10: Pit (Kid Icarus) 9: Liu Kang (Mortal Kombat) 8: Sonic the Hedgehog 7: Ratchet (Ratchet and Clank) 6: Shantae 5: Link (Legend of Zelda) 4: Dante (Devil May Cry) 3: Samus (Metroid) 2: Snake (Metal Gear) 1: Zero (Mega Man X)

Also, my boy Cecil Harvey FINALLY gets his due! He’s my all time favorite FF character.

God, what a blast from the past. Wasn't my first list I saw of yours, but it was one of them, and even if it's uh... not aged the best I still have fond memories of it. This channel's been one my favorites for years, and were it not for those early countdowns I don't know if I would have found it. And damn, what a revival, easily one of my favorite vids in a while. And you know what... when it comes to that number 1, I'm still happy to see him come back. I can't put my finger on exactly why; maybe it's just because of what he represents, on top of how close his series is to my heart, but Link is my favorite fictional character of all time, without a doubt. I can't think of a single character, in any medium, not just video games, who's more deserving of the title of a true hero.

Happy Anniversary, Green Scorpion! I will show a list of my Video Game Protagonists (not ranked, btw); Yuri Lowell (Tales of Vesperia) Asuka (Senran Kagura) Carl Johnson (GTA: San Andreas) Nathan Drake (Uncharted) Dante (Devil May Cry) X & Zero (Mega Man X) Mario & Luigi (Super Mario Bros.) Link (The Legend of Zelda) Kirby (Kirby) Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot) Spyro (Spyro the Dragon) And least but not least, the best Video Game Protagonist in my opinion is… Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)

I think it is pretty apt to call Link the true spirit of heroism, all things considered. Now that makes me think of Kirby's Sword hat being Link's hat. It fits not just as a tribute to the character, but also for Kirby's own heroism.

One I gotta shout out for this list is Joker from Persona 5. The dude puts himself through the worst of it for the sake of no one’s benefit except his own. Being arrested multiple times, putting his own life, both physically & in society on the line for the sake of helping innocent people. And he does it all while explicitly never taking any credit for it. He sacrificed EVERYTHING, for the sake of the people & the future. Even as a silent protag, the dude’s actions are freaking insane in terms of how heroic he ended up becoming among protags.

On the topic of Samus’s soft spot for animals, she has a pet squirrel-rabbit animal named Pyonchi

Oscar Duarte! Quirk: Scorpion! Is he into Mirko or Mount Lady?

I love everything about this list, except for one thing. And that's only that you didn't mention Minish Cap in the Link entry, because I freaking love that game and think it deserves more attention, and also because I think that's one of the best Links, just from how his journey is basically all personal and yet all worldsaving. He's just a kid who wants to save his best friend, but at no point do I get the feeling he would do anything else if the person in stone was a rando he'd never met. And that's not even getting into all the good he does for everyone else around.

I think a lot of these are good examples of video game heroes especially the likes of Shephard, Pit & Snake. I think three great examples of defining a hero are Shulk from Xenoblade, Rex from Xenoblade 2 & Zero from the Mega Man series. Zero was created by Wily to be the ultimate killing machine but throughout the X & Zero series he goes in the opposite direction & becomes what Mega Man & Mega Man X were design for.

Excellent list of heroes! I am very glad I caught it live!

Oh my god, the thumbnail is a Boku No Hero homage, that's so cool!

This list was very long yet very unique to hear about these heroes good job on the video

Fuck man I don't know why the number one pick got me so emotional. Something about the way you emphasized how they embody heroism in gaming, it kinda just made me think of my first Zelda experience with Twilight Princess. Then I started Reminicing on how I think almost EVERY gamer had their own link to hold to their heart. Great list overall. ^^

Not Dojima. Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan. Dojima was his Yakuza family (“Dragon of Dojima”, y’know?), and Tojo was the clan of which Dojima was a major faction. I’m sorry to nitpick-you’re one of the most consistently eloquent and well-researched countdown artists on RU-vid, and I love your lists for it! But I’m also a huge Yakuza fan, and that one kind of rankled. But otherwise, an awesome list, as usual!

I know they can be really taxing and difficult to make but your Top 10s are some the best quality content I've seen on RU-vid. The algorithm tried to keep them from me but I run these back all the time. Good work as always man

Yes! Can't wait to see, I was really looking forward this video.

That was a good 53:00 minutes to spend on a long time favorite RU-vidrs opinions. I'm looking forward to see more remakes to see how your work had evolved. And yea your particular style is very refreshing. Obscure topics with flavor like weapons months really stick out as exceptional content

Starts intro with Nero Me: This is going to be good

I'm always inspired by heroes, especially in video games. There is just something about helping everyone I can that resonates with me. As for this list, I'd have to agree with all of them as much as I'd like to see Zack Fair or Sly Cooper, but you did mention them.

Amazing list!! Can't wait for the next!

Welcome back, GS! We missed you. Hope you're feeling better!

This list was very impressive and each story and character present really deserves to be our top hero. And in a way, I believe it all comes down to not only what kind of hero we like but what kind of hero we really want to be. By the way, I love your representation in the MHA world!

"its not kingdom brain, its kingdom hearts" really touched my heart.

Scorpion my man. Gotta hand it to you. This is probably the only list I have ever seen period that I 100% agree with. There are thousands of honourable mentions but these 10 I would say are the definitive ranking

During Metal Gear Solid 4, Snake looks old enough to play Santa Claus I see what you did there

This is amazing! Always love your videos! Hm… have you done a movie on redeemed characters?

as a long time Zelda fan, heck yeah I agree with your number 1 pick gonna be interesting to see where the opposite force ends up on the next list.

Sweet this is going to be fun and I hope there is going to be a Villain one 😃👍. Respect and keep up the epic work.

6:08 To put this part to make it more of a coincidence, Izuku and Pit's english dub voices are so similar, the voice of Izuku voiced Pit in death battle

Snake and Samus side by side? Best smash bros OTP

The return of the king

Ignis, your thumbnail is so my hero academia I actually went back to work on my fanfiction, it's that good! Also nice first segway using one of the greatest songs from the greatest comedy of all time. 10. Well we have to put the goody-goody somewhere. Also I'm going to check out comicfoil's character study and eeeek! Almight quote! 9. Yeah this was inevitable, he did beat Pit in that death battle 8. The only protagonist to get development in Dissidia, as far as I'm aware 7. What all lawyers should be like! But even they can have off days like Farewell, my turnabout 6. Dang it! I really wanted you to talk about Sly! Aw well a lawful good against chaotic evil works 5. Yeah Dread really did Aran great as did Fusion. Of only Other M was better story wise... 4. Best soldier hands down. Father was a jerk but this guy's great enough to be in Smash 3. YES! The only entry I remember from the old list! And he's awesome! Currently watching your lets play and how brutal it is. 2.This paragon guy (or girl) is great. If only the ending of ME3 didn't suck as QG said! 1. An obvious choice but it's the right one! Looking forward to the other remade countdowns GS!

I love that you included Phoenix Wright on this list. And that is a great moment when he sacrifices having a perfect record to do the right thing. I also like how baffled Franziska is with him afterwards. And also, he inspired Edgeworth in turn to start seeking the truth rather than victory, as seen in case 1-3 and later the Investigations spinoffs. Also, a quick correction: Zak Gramarye, aka Shadi Enigmar and later Shadi Smith, was never jailed; he disappeared from the courthouse, thanks in part to Trucy.

MAN i would've loved to see Chrono make the cut, but boy did i enjoy this remake. Looking forward to more!

Looking forward to these remastered lists.

The thumbnail made me wonder if you ever made a top ten best scorpions

It's an oft-repeated theme with creators that they hate the first videos they've made. And honestly, I think that's a short-sighted approach. Sure, your first creation is not going to be your best. But that's the point. You had the courage to step out anyway and show what you created to the world, even if it was flawed. And you can also do what Oscar has clearly done, and go back to his previous videos, and learn from them, improving on what started him out. Short version, I'm glad you decided to do this.

Wow. A remake of your channel's first countdown. Has it really been 10 years?

I remember first seeing your first video of the Top 10 Video Game Heroes nearly a decade ago. And man, do I feel old saying that. I still remember the time when I requested a countdown of the worst to best bosses in the Banjo-Kazooie franchises, and you replying back by saying that you were gonna put it on your list of Countdown ideas. That countdown still hasn't happened yet, but it's impressive that over a decade has happened, and I still remember that little detail about that video. Do you remember that comment many years ago Green Scorpion, or because you have so many comments in your videos that you don't remember? Either way, I hope that another decade (or more) of content will be added to you channel...... and on a sidenote, I hope that I could one day see that idea of the Worst to Best Bosses in the Banjo-Kazooie Series. I'm not demanding, but I still hope that it can happen one day.

HE’S BACK!!!

Dude, all of these options are incredible. I seriously couldn't disagree with any of them even if I wanted to. _Especially_ #2 and #1! Heroes come in any way, shape or form. And these guys are the very definition of the word.

The answer to the trolley problem is to run over and yell at everyone to move.

Happy 10th anniversary Oscur😊

Great list, Oscar, but you tasked me with an important duty. 💥

Haseo from .hack//G.U. is my number 1 followed with Velvet from Tales of Berseria. The arcs they go and their growth even if most call them edgy. Others I would say Dante from Devil May Cry, Gabriel from Castlevania LoS, Death from Darksiders and Lucina from FE Awakening(can I count her? I feel like she is the main chararcter more than Robin and Chrom) To each of us we have our own set of characters we like. From your list I see everyone as a good choise though I never played some of these games. I never conected with Link and Sora for me is everything you should't have a JRPG protagonist be, he littery killed my enjoyment of those characters.

Happy anniversary.

A hero countdown from green scorpion It's a birthday gift come true. Slightly early tho

I subscribed for the intro music.

I wish was there during the premiere. This felt very heart warming I must saying but for now "I should go".

19:18 Pretty sure that Zach ditched his daughter to live on the run, rather then go to jail. Though to be fair, that arguably just makes Phoenix even more of a stand up guy in contrast.

My boy Pit!?!?! You won me over at the start Scorpion.

49:42 dude I LOVE fluffy

I still think Commander Shepherd is the better hero because of their story ends with Shepherd willingly sacrificing themselves to stop the Reapers (regardless of what way they do it) a hero to the very end

My favorite hero is well yourself the player when you think about it we make the decisions so in a way we are our own heroes & villains

Hey where can I go to make countdown suggestions? I had a really good one and it’s bouncin’ around the ol’ noggin.

Oooh! A classic!

I don’t need a reason to help someone -Kamijou Touma

My personal favorite video game heroes in no particular order Sora from Kingdom Hearts Zidane from Final Fantasy 9 Takayuki Yagami from the Judgment games Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia Crash Bandicoot Jak from Jak and Daxter Rean Schwarzer from The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel Spyro The Dragon Joker from Persona 5

Quite the heroic list indeed.

man the way u explained the top 5 entries could've easily made #1 but i totally agree with Link taking the top spot

The yazukuza guy is like when stab someone in the face in dnd but say non lethaly

Especially like the MHA thumbnail. Respect to it's creator

With the link being chosen hero stuff from what I remember in wind waker link wasn't the chosen the one at all because ya know adult link being sent back in time basically getting rid of the chosen one lineage from the adult timeline. yes in the end toon link became the chosen one but most of journey toon link was just a random boy so brave and courageous he and his bloodline was deemed worthy of taking the reins of legendary hero.

I know Sora is the main hero, but I think Aqua also qualifies here. She gave herself up to the dark realm to save Terra, and she’s clearly the most innocent of the BBS trio

39:17 "And the dude doesn't even need a horse!" I mean, I don't think he'd mind one either, given how Tellius's balance is.

Damn, Time flies since the original...so many great videos... "It's not called Kingdom Brains" cracked me up!

I understand why Kirby is not on this list this is Heroes not the Eldritch gods!

hornbill mention to Lucas from Mother 3 as number 12.

8:16, what is that scene from? It's pretty good.

2 more characters that qualify as true heroes in my book are Aloy from the Horizon series and Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima. The latter may be a bit debatable, but the sole reason Jin chose to violate the samurai code is because of how outdated it is. It makes you super predictable, and it’s especially terrible when there are hostages. That code is one of the main reasons Tsushima suffered so many losses. Jin chose innocent lives over his own reputation, and that makes him a true hero in my book. The fact that the shogun branded him as a traitor for that just shows how biased and egocentric politicians were back then.

A masterpiece! Nuff said. 🙂

I'm surprised you didn't add one of the MC Heroes from Dragon Quest. My vote would go to DQ IX because they don't just become a hero, it's literally in their job description. The hero is a Celestrian guardian who has the job of protecting their section of the mortal realm. During their promotion ceremony, a demonic beam of light hits the celestrian realm and displaces some of the celestrians (including the hero, who ended up losing most of their powers and their wings). The hero has a lot of work to do in order to set the world right again and it is a massive challenge that not even their predecessors could fathom.

Another point on the various Links: the OG Link from the original Legend of Zelda? Dude was so willing to save Hyrule, he forgot to bring a weapon.

Nice list. Some other I think are great heroes are the P3 protagonist, Makoto Naegi, Lloyd, Luke von Fabre and Sorey