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PK Gaming · Apr 3, 2013

So on a whim, I decided to think about all of my favorite female protagonists that were main characters in video games. I could only think of like 6, but there's gotta be more right? A google search didn't help, so I figured i'd post a thread to discover more female protagonists from gaffers.

Important: PLEASE only post characters who are the main playable character of said game. Not a playable character, but the main protagonist, the distinction is important for me.

Maya Amano (New favorite)

Female Protagonist from Persona 3 Portable

Commander Shepard (duh)

Princess Peach

I can think of a couple of more, but I only wanted to post a few to get the ball rolling.

Allons-y!!

Canis lupus · Apr 3, 2013

Nariko

RoboPlato · Apr 3, 2013

Jade from Beyond Good and Evil

Dragon · Apr 3, 2013

Kat from Gravity Rush.

Guevara · Apr 3, 2013

Samus (disregarding Other M)

dab0ne · Apr 3, 2013

Jill Valentine

Data West · Apr 3, 2013

Do the first 2 really count? They're pretty much just an extension of the player. Especially Persona 3's.

Domstercool · Apr 3, 2013

Aya Brea from the original Parasite Eve.

Muchi Muchi Pink · Apr 3, 2013

Bayonetta.

sflufan · Apr 3, 2013

This list begins and ends with Cate Archer.

Prinny · Apr 3, 2013

Terra (FF6)

Tummi Gummi · Apr 3, 2013

(American McGee's) Alice had great VA (I believe it's the only VA work she's actually done outside of theatre) although her lines sometimes seem a little out-of-place. Still a cool protagonist. Not heavily sexualized and not self-consciously AKSHUN GURL either. Just a complex, slightly messed-up human being.

faceless007 · Apr 3, 2013

April Ryan (The Longest Journey)
Zoe Castillo (Dreamfall)
Heather (Silent Hill 3)

GulAtiCa · Apr 3, 2013

Since P3

FP (Laura Bailey) was mentioned, I'll go with

Rayne from Bloodrayne (mainly cause of Laura Bailey)

Diablo Rosso · Apr 3, 2013

Kat from Gravity Rush.

Baleoce · Apr 3, 2013

Alex Vance - Half Life 2

EDIT - apologies, I just read your edit.

anaron · Apr 3, 2013

OG Starcraft 1 Sarah Kerrigan

TEJ · Apr 3, 2013

faith

she's smart, clever, agile, fast, relies on quick wits to get out of situations rather than brute force, and she does not dress like a stripper.

JaseMath · Apr 3, 2013

Samus, pre-Other M.

Garnet's awesome, too.

PK Gaming · Apr 3, 2013

Dragonzord said:
Do the first 2 really count? They're pretty much just an extension of the player. Especially Persona 3's.

I honestly don't see a problem with mentioning them.

Even though you choose what they, they still have distinct personalities and established pasts (and it's not you created the character from the ground up in P3's case).

rakkadakka · Apr 3, 2013

ricen-beans · Apr 3, 2013

Nariko (Heavenly Sword)

Kat (gravity rush)

Chell (portal) although she really doesn't say much...

Fem Shep (mass effect)

King of the Potato People · Apr 3, 2013

Samus (not including Other M)

Many things made me like the character "Actions define a character", her working alone, being able to maneuver through any security, and those few glimpses of tenderness including interacting with the Baby Metroid and her regret at the end of MP3 for having to fight the corrupted bounty hunters.

Domstercool · Apr 3, 2013

PK Gaming said:
I honestly don't see a problem with mentioning them.

Even though you choose what they, they still have distinct personalities and established pasts, and it's not you created the character from the ground up.

OH, if that is the case, then my female character from Saints Row: The Third.

She was so bad ass!

Taruranto · Apr 3, 2013

Maya Amano.

Jennifer

And i'll get a lot of crap for this, but i really like Shion Uzuki. She's a fascinating character study, i always liked how the Takahashi didn't hold back and essentially wrote a character that turned into a "bitch" into the second half of ep. III.

http://odm.xenotensei.com/translations/pg040.txt

However, within relationships to others, it is the case that this kind of
personality goes too far, endlessly searching for new stimulus. Shion is of
this type of condition. The more they act and the more they search, the more
they become unable to be satisfied. In very serious times, they are convinced
that they have been "robbed", and even become as if greedily wanting
everything.

At an unhealthy state such as this, they become self-centered, and in order to
satisfy their own desires, they may even make violent demands from others.

RoboPlato · Apr 3, 2013

JasonMCG said:
Samus, pre-Other M.

I actually didn't even think of Samus, despite Metroid being one of my favorite franchises, because of the way she was characterized in Other M.

LiK · Apr 3, 2013

Forty-Five from SOCOM4 <3

Tenrius · Apr 3, 2013

April from The Longest Journey, I guess.

The Technomancer · Apr 3, 2013

Female Shepard allowed me to play through the Mass Effect games, seriously. I tried with male Shepard at first and got like three hours in and put the game down. Four months later I came back and started a new game as female and realized the reason why I disliked it the first time around is that male Shepard has the personality of a bowl of porridge.

kaioshade · Apr 3, 2013

Jade - Beyons Good and Evil
Faith - Mirrors Edge
Samus - Metroid
Nariko - Heavenly Sword
Lara Croft - Tomb Raider
Ayame - Tenchu Kurenai
Nightshade - Nightshade
Nina Williams - Death By Degrees
Chell - Portal
Jill Valentine - Resident Evil
Lightning - Final Fantasy Xiii
Terra - Final Fantasy VI
Nihil - Remember Me
Eriko - Illbleed
Aveline - Assassins Creed 3 Liberation
Tron Bonne - Misadventures of Tron Bonne
Kate Wilson - Hydrophobia
Ayesha - Atelier Ayesha
Totori - Atelier Totori
Rorona - Atelier Rorona
Pretty much every Atelier game
Kat - Gravity Rush
Juliet - Lollipop Chainsaw
Bloodrayne - Bloodrayne

I will probably think of more eventually

Jawmuncher · Apr 3, 2013

Regina gets my vote.
Nice strong female lead that can handle herself. No damsel in distress BS here.

XaosWolf · Apr 3, 2013

Samus Aran. It doesn't need to even bring up that she's a she, just that Samus is a badass bounty hunter.

Other M was a tragic and nonsensical hiccup.

Also backing up Jade from Beyond Good and Evil and Kat from Gravity Rush as they're both awesome. =D

EagleBurnn · Apr 3, 2013

Manbig · Apr 3, 2013

Domstercool said:
OH, if that is the case, then my female character from Saints Row: The Third. She was so bad ass!

Gotta agree with this. I went with the Russian accented female and was thoroughly entertained.

buddha0991 · Apr 3, 2013

_Keiichi_ said:
Maya Amano.

I would have put her but most people preferred her as the upbeat, cheerful party member than as the silent protagonist.

Midou · Apr 3, 2013

April, Longest Journey

Zoe, Dreamfall

Kate, Syberia

Adventure game female leads are far more developed as strong females than any other genre, but I guess Adventure games have room for stronger narratives.

Sapphire Dreams · Apr 3, 2013

Lightning Farron !

j/k she is boring as hell.

I agree with all the Pre Other M Samus posts, she is one of the best examples of a strong female protagonists.

JWong · Apr 3, 2013

Both of them

Anth0ny · Apr 3, 2013

Ithil · Apr 3, 2013

Katsuragi · Apr 3, 2013

Majine · Apr 3, 2013

Samus Aran, if we can retcon out Other M.

Neko Mimi Mode · Apr 3, 2013

Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile.

AkuMifune · Apr 3, 2013

Playing through Still Life for the first time, great game.

Agent Victoria McPherson. She doesn't take any shit.

Taruranto · Apr 3, 2013

Hix said:
Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile.

Dat freacking boobs armor.

jond76 · Apr 3, 2013

TEJ said:
faith

she's smart, clever, agile, fast, relies on quick wits to get out of situations rather than brute force, and she does not dress like a stripper.

Sad it took til post 18 for this. My vote lies here.

News Bot · Apr 3, 2013

Aya Brea

Screaming Meat · Apr 3, 2013

TEJ said:
faith

she's smart, clever, agile, fast, relies on quick wits to get out of situations rather than brute force, and she does not dress like a stripper.

Yup, she gets my vote for all those reasons. My all-time favourite who has a substantial single player mod dedicated entirely to her...

Does she count...?

Now, if we were talking NPCs though (which we're not), The Boss wins hands down.

kaioshade · Apr 3, 2013

Mint - Dewprism
Aya - Parasite Eve
Hitomi Ayana - Another Mind
Maya - Persona 2
Shantae - Shantae
Shanoa - Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Sonia Belmont - Castlevania Legends
Bayonetta - Bayonetta
Momohime - Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Miku - Fatal Frame
Mayu - Fatal Frame 2
Rei - Fatal Frame 3
Ruka - Fatal Frame 4
Lenneth - Valkyrie Profile
Silmeria - Valkyrie Profile 2
Rena - Star Ocean 2

RustyNails · Apr 3, 2013

Why is Princess Peach best female protagonist? What possible metric did you use to give her that crown?

Silent Hill 3's Heather for me.

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