Ichiban Kasuga - I am a complete and total sucker for positive and good natured characters, and Ichiban is as positive and good natured as it gets. I found his unshakeable faith and loyalty towards the people he considers his friends and allies, even if they use him or they do terrible things, to be very moving. He is constantly warm, kind, and always tries to do right by people regardless of who they are. I could also strongly relate to his childlike nature and desire to be a hero. He's my "literally me" type of character, I feel like I would've turned out more like him if I hadn't succumbed to cynicism and depressive thoughts and experiences that changed me for the worse growing up. He's an ideal that I try to strive towards in my daily life.

Alan Wake - This one is especially personal. Alan Wake's entire character arc is essentially a metaphor for the struggles an artist can go through. Being trapped in a Dark Place, never satisfied with the work that you do, constantly putting yourself under pressure and taking it out on those that are close to you... all of this was so painfully relatable to me. The new game plus ending in Alan Wake 2 also inspires hope as well. Without going to deep into spoilers, the line: "It's not a loop, it's a spiral" is an amazing metaphor for coping with negative emotions and the hardships of life, regardless of whether you're an artist or not. When addressing these issues, it may feel like you're constantly going in circles and stuck in your own hellish loop. Looking at it as a spiral instead of a loop means that there will be an end eventually, and you can make it there if you keep working at it. It's such a powerful message, to me in particular.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man - I grew up in a comic book loving household, introduced to super heroes at a very young age, and Spider-Man had always been my favorite ever since I was a little kid. To this day, he's still one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. His story, a tale as old as time regarding the importance of the responsibility to do what you can to help those in need, has always stuck with me, and the interpretation of his character in Marvel's Spider-Man remains true to the core ideals that make up the character. It's a great adaptation of Peter Parker and his struggles, and pays enormous amounts of respect to the character's message and legacy.

Bruce Wayne/Batman - Batman is on this list for many of the same exact reasons as Spider-Man. He was always my second favorite super hero growing up behind Spidey, but I always felt a special attachment to Batman because he was a character that both me and my Dad adored, whereas Spidey always more so resonated with just me. Even though in a lot of more modern interpretations of Batman, he's pretty much been elevated to the status of "perfect guy who is always prepared", the appeal of Batman to me comes from his complete and utter devotion to doing what he feels is the right thing, and he doesn't have super powers to make his mission easier. Yes he's super rich and smart and he has a ton of gadgets and whatnot, but Batman's at his best when he's struggling to overcome his limits as a human in order to protect the lives of both the innocent and the guilty. Arkham City captures this struggle eloquently. It really puts him through the wringer, but he maintains his devotion to saving lives, even if he does need the help of others to keep him on the right path.

Dante - Dante is sheer joy whenever he shows up on screen. On the surface, there might not seem like much to his character. He's an over the top, unstoppable, fun-loving cool guy who loves to party. That translates to his gameplay as well, in fact, I consider Dante to be my favorite character to play as in any video game. Still, Dante is more than just "whacky woohoo pizza man". He masks his feelings with his jokes and puts up a lackadaisical front to protect himself. He deeply cares for his friends and family, but he really doesn't want to show it. He tries so hard to be cool, and in many ways, he absolutely is, but he's also a complete dork as well. He doesn't really care about that though. He does what he needs to do: protecting the people he cares about as well as their legacy, and he always manages to have fun while doing it.

Link - Wind Waker's Link is without a doubt my favorite Link in the series. He's by far the most expressive Link has ever been, and he embodies the childlike sense of wonder that I love about the Legend of Zelda series. He's kind, cheeky, determined, and most of all, courageous. He's a little kid in a big and scary world enshrouded in darkness being spread by sins of the past, doing his best to fight for what's right and protect those he cares about. Any time I replay Wind Waker and watch Link, I revert back to my 8 year old self. He makes me feel like a kid again, full of optimism and going on a grand adventure where no adults or scary monsters can stop me.

Link - While Wind Waker Link may be my favorite Link, Twilight Princess Link comes in at a close second. He's not quite as upbeat as Wind Waker Link, but I love his passion, kindness, and heroic nature. While Wind Waker Link makes me feel like a kid again, Twilight Princess Link makes me feel like a teenager again. His darker and angrier nature goes hand in hand with his affection for others. I love his relationship with the kids from Ordon Village, and how he inspires Colin to overcome his fearful nature. I love his relationship with Midna and how he plays a huge role in helping her grow as a person. He's just such a great Link, and when I think of a fantasy hero, his image is one of the first that immediately comes to mind.

Kiryu Kazuma - Kiryu, like Ichiban, will go through hell and high water to do what he feels is the right thing. Regardless of the rules, regardless of the cost, regardless of what social or political structures tell him otherwise, he will seek his own personal justice, and nothing can stop him. His strong sense of honor, duty, and righteousness is second to none, and I love him for that. His stoic nature in contrast with the whacky things that he experiences also makes for excellent comedic moments.

Nagoriyuki - Nagoriyuki is one of the coolest characters that has ever graced video games. He's a black vampire samurai... fuck man, it just doesn't get cooler than that. His design kicks ass and mechanically, he's extremely fun to play as once you get over his initial learning curve. He's got a kind and wise personality with just the right amount of edge. After being successful at several tournaments and grinding Strive hard across thousands of hours with him, I feel like I've developed a deep bond with him. Hope Arc System Works puts out more story content featuring him sooner than later.

Slayer - Getting into fighting games is difficult. Being able to get to a point where playing them doesn't feel awkward and you have some semblance of what you're doing takes a lot of commitment. Slayer was, for all intents and purposes, my first fighting game main. He was a character that I thought was so cool, I wanted to learn this genre just so I could play this character to the fullest extent I could. I love his moveset, especially the sways and teleports, and I love his goofy ass attitude he displays during fights. He's happy to be here, just having a dandy time pummeling his opponents into friendly submission. Currently I'm still really into Strive, but I want to come back to +R in the future because he's just so much fun to play as in this game and I'd like to learn him well enough to be able to compete in tournaments some day.

Cloud - It's almost impossible not to get behind Cloud and his story. He's overly self-serious simply because he's afraid of being perceived as a failure. Despite that, he presses on, determined to right his wrongs while learning to gradually open himself up to those around him. It's the kind of story arc that I'm incredibly weak for, and I think that Final Fantasy VII handles it in an extremely well done fashion with Cloud.

Barret - One of the things I like the most about Remake is the expansion of Barret's character and the greater focus on his kind and loving nature as well as his ability to be a leader and the hardships that come with being one. I love hearing him talk about Marlene, and I love seeing him slowly warm up to Cloud as the game progresses. His voice actor is absolutely perfect as well. John Eric Bently nails it with his portrayal of Barret's wide range of emotion. He's a fantastic character that in some ways reminds me of my own father.

S.E.E.S. - Persona 3 has my favorite cast in any JRPG I've ever played. I found each party member to be not only likable, but they each also have a strong arc that they go through, generally involving experiencing grief and emerging from it as better people. The bond that they all share as a group is so heartwarming, especially in Reload, thanks to the additional story scenes and opportunities to spend time with them. By the time I reached the end of Persona 3 FES, I was sobbing, in part because because I knew that my time with these characters was at an end. That's the kind of impact they were able to leave on me.

Niko - A huge part of the appeal of OneShot is how it establishes a personal connection between you, the player, and Niko, the character you control over the course of the game. I can't really explain it in great detail without spoiling the game, but essentially, by the end of OneShot I had come to care for Niko deeply. His sheer innocence and kindheartedness made me want to care for him like he was my own child.

Beatrice - If I had to convince someone to read Umineko, Beatrice would be my go-to reason. Beatrice is one of my favorite antagonists of all time. She consistently charms and entertains whenever she's on screen with her boisterous Saturday morning cartoon villain personality, but at the same time is also capable of extremely heinous and cruel acts of murder and torture. Then, as the story goes on and you learn more about who she is, she gradually becomes more and more sympathetic despite the awful things that she does. She's a character that plays with the reader's emotions in much the same way she plays with the emotions of the characters in the game. She's genuinely one of the most well executed villains in any piece of fiction I've experienced thus far.

Jill - Jill's story is one that I feel like a lot of twenty somethings can relate to. She's someone who works a dead end job, unsure of her place in the world and what she really wants from life. She's also extremely empathetic even if she tries not to show it, which is by far her best trait. She constantly goes out of her way to hear people out and listen to their troubles, even if there's nothing she can directly do to help their situations. That karma comes back in full swing when she eventually experiences her own series of troubles and a bunch of people offer to help her in their own ways as well. She teaches a really strong lesson about kindness and the value of a community where people look out for one another.

The Whole Cast - The Team Fortress 2 cast is perfect. I can't think of another game where I love every single character in it. Each mercenary is hilariously psychotic, and yet, completely lovable in their own way, thanks to their outrageous and well-defined personalities. The "Meet the..." series of shorts put out by Valve played an enormous role in getting me to try this game in the first place, and the cast's hysterical dialogue and animations played an equally large role in keeping me playing the game for several years and for 1000+ hours.

Revolver Ocelot - I think it's almost unanimously agreed upon that Ocelot is one of if not the best characters in the entire series. He's constantly at the forefront of the series' most baffling twists, while also being an extremely charismatic and endearing presence whenever he shows up. MGS3 is one of the best examples of this. It's impossible not to smile whenever he's on screen, thanks to his excessively long gun spinning cutscenes, the catcall he makes when summoning his soldiers, or how he so desperately wants to look cool in front of Big Boss. Can't get enough of Ocelot, I'm glad he's had such a consistent presence throughout the series.

Wario - Most people only know Wario as the funny farting fat guy from Mario, mostly because that's how Nintendo has portrayed him for the better part of two decades. But once upon a time, Wario was portrayed as actually kinda cool, mostly here in Wario Land 4. He was still goofy, don't get me wrong, but in this game he was also portrayed as very macho, and a force to be reckoned with. He's constantly depicted lifting weights, and while he can be hurt, most enemy attacks just cause him to transform into something else, which is where the game's comedy mainly stems from. Playing this game as a kid made me become a lifelong Wario fan. In any game he's in, I'm a Wario main. He might not be as cool or as popular as he used to be, but I still think he's awesome.

Olimar - In Pikmin 1, Olimar will write about the things he encounters as well as his thoughts and feelings in a log at the end of each day. Reading these, you find that he's actually a really kindhearted and curious guy, albeit a tad oblivious, but that's also part of his charm. He truly cares about the Pikmin, but he also loves his family as well and wants nothing more than to return home to them as soon as possible. It's very endearing and memorable, and made me really care about Olimar as a character. He doesn't really have this kind of presence again in any other game in the series, which is a shame.