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[GhostOfSparta305]

Always thought Emmett Graves from Starhawk had a really cool design (and voice).

Still don't really know what the deal is to be honest, is [Kratos] just insanely tanned?

Yes.

Spartans were warriors from birth & spent all their time outside training in the hot sun. Shouldn't be surprising how tan Kratos was.

 

[Warbear]

That dude is black? I would have thought hispanic or something.

Lol, he could be as Hispanic isn't a race and holds many different kinds of look. Lincoln how is mixed race.

 

[batfax]

Some good ones already mentioned. Definitely a big fan of Lee, Skate, and Sazh in particular. Do Redguards count?

Cyrus has some solid moments and pretty amazing voice acting for 1997. Memorable character.

 

[EDarkness]

Nice pick. I really like Ozma from Ys Memory of Celceta

No offense, but that's a white dude. Heh, heh.

Man, looking through this thread is sad. There's definitely a lack of good black protagonists in games. The fact that people are listing Cole and Barret? Really? Damn, sad. As a black man, those characters really make me wince, as they're so damn stereotypical it hurts to even look at them. I couldn't carry on with Gears of War because of how terrible Cole was and Barret...never used him in my group and would have killed him off if it was possible.

Lol, he could be as Hispanic isn't a race and holds many different kinds of look. Lincoln how is mixed race.

Well, I wouldn't consider that guy a black dude. Definitely looks like a hispanic guy. I know a few mixed hispanic dudes and they never identify as black. Always Mexican or hispanic. Not saying that can't happen, but from my experience growing up that wasn't the case. Still, I never would have considered that character in Mafia 3 as a black guy.

 

[DrFunk]

I'm late, but I'm gonna go with Franklin from GTA V. He was the main character, the only one with common sense, and the only character who was able to see things rationally. Surprising, coming from black characters in GTA.

 

[Messofanego]

Lincoln Clay in Mafia 3. He's a very conflicted character. His progression is very much like Tony Montana in Scarface where there is understandable anger at oppression, white supremacy and revenge, while also being ruthless. Father James tries to dissuade him from his destructive path, but that kind of peaceful life isn't "realistic" for Lincoln. It's interesting that the most jovial he is when he's with Donovan, the sadist who wants to burn it all down.

One of the most interesting character progressions for a protagonist in an open world crime game.

 

[bomblord1]

The only reasonable and grounded character in ffxiii I empathized with him more than the entire rest of the cast combined

 

[harriet the spy]

Carla the sword master!

 

[GonzoCR]

This thread has shown me I need to get my hands on a copy of Killer7 somehow.

 

[cj_iwakura]

This thread has shown me I need to get my hands on a copy of Killer7 somehow.

Garcian is the icing on the cake. I brought evidence.

 

[Warbear]

Well, I wouldn't consider that guy a black dude. Definitely looks like a hispanic guy. I know a few mixed hispanic dudes and they never identify as black. Always Mexican or hispanic. Not saying that can't happen, but from my experience growing up that wasn't the case. Still, I never would have considered that character in Mafia 3 as a black guy.

I ain't seen no Dominican person say they were Mexican and at least 60% of them are tri-racial.

 

[Nakazato]

Kratos is white!

The way people are stretching to find black characters in this thread only highlights that there could be more.
My favorite is Anderson in mass effect, because he has an important role and is not playing up to stereotypes.

Tell that TC Carson.

 

[ScientificPizza]

Lincoln Clay in Mafia 3. He's a very conflicted character. His progression is very much like Tony Montana in Scarface where there is understandable anger at oppression, white supremacy and revenge, while also being ruthless. Father James tries to dissuade him from his destructive path, but that kind of peaceful life isn't "realistic" for Lincoln. It's interesting that the most jovial he is when he's with Donovan, the sadist who wants to burn it all down.

One of the most interesting character progressions for a protagonist in an open world crime game.

Yeah. I know a lot of people bounced off of Mafia III because of the mission structure, but regardless of that Lincoln is still and incredible character

He's up there with John Marsten as my favourite all time video game characters. They just feel like real people

 

[The Greek Freak]

Lincoln Clay in Mafia 3. He's a very conflicted character. His progression is very much like Tony Montana in Scarface where there is understandable anger at oppression, white supremacy and revenge, while also being ruthless. Father James tries to dissuade him from his destructive path, but that kind of peaceful life isn't "realistic" for Lincoln. It's interesting that the most jovial he is when he's with Donovan, the sadist who wants to burn it all down.

One of the most interesting character progressions for a protagonist in an open world crime game.

My favorite part about Lincoln is that he genuinely enjoys violence without being some over the top shitty comedic character like Trevor from GTA5.

If you are good at violence, and have been rewarded/honored/praised for your skill at violence, you don't need to be Charles Manson to continue to enjoy violence.


Edit: This doesn't just apply to murder level violence. This applied to combat sports, and rough sports such as Football as well. Turning off that "violence" switch when you're athletic career is over is HARD even if you know it has to happen. You find yourself in DUMB situations, "that drunk asshole is looking for a fight....let's walk over to that section of the bar and bait him this will be fun." I can't even imagine how hard this would be for a Vietnam vet who saw/participated in horrors and probably has PTSD.

 

[ScientificPizza]

My favorite part about Lincoln is that he genuinely enjoys violence without being some over the top shitty comedic character like Trevor from GTA5.

If you are good at violence, and have been rewarded/honored/praised for your skill at violence, you don't need to be Charles Manson to continue to enjoy violence.

This is a REALLY good point

 

[Hours Left]

Brad from Wild ARMs 2.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Brad from Wild ARMs 2.

This character doesn't even look remotely black

 

[cj_iwakura]

Brad from Wild ARMs 2.

I think there's a common misconception of 'dark skinned anime character' = 'black'. I really don't think he applies.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Killer7 has no stereotypes and it's ten years old.

Yeah, because Suda 51 is awesome like that

 

[GhostOfSparta305]

Tell that TC Carson.

By that silly logic, this is a white woman.

 

[Hours Left]

This character doesn't even look remotely black

I think there's a common misconception of 'dark skinned anime character' = 'black'. I really don't think he applies.

I thought he was considered black by the fanbase. Apologies if that's not the case.

 

[CO_Andy]

t think the tanned girl here is suppose to represent the Black Bomberman, although i could be wrong

 

[RedSwirl]

There needs to be a separate conversation about Kratos' blackness. He's almost like Piccolo and Knuckles in a way -- characters we just "claimed" as black.

Look, I get it. Historically speaking, and as far as the plot is concerned, he wouldn't be black or whatever "African" would have been in probably the fifth century BC, but the character's look and voice performance are enough for a lot of black people to identify with Kratos. Knowing what I know, I still find it difficult to internally envision Kratos as a white dude. Aside from TC Carson's performance, I also remember hearing somewhere Kratos' model was based on a black dude.

Maybe we can just leave it at "ambiguous" since he's a fictional character anyway. I mean, what's Atlus? He's made of stone but was played by Michael Clarke Duncan.

 

[UnemployedVillain]

There needs to be a separate conversation about Kratos' blackness. He's almost like Piccolo and Knuckles in a way -- characters we just "claimed" as black.
.

Like I said, he's like DCAU Luthor

 

[neurosyphilis]

Isn't Clem mixed race? It's kind of hard to tell she had a black parent (father, I think?) due to the visual style unless you have prior knowledge or see the photo in her house.

If you're mixed with black, you're black. And you're treated black. I thought everyone knew that. Most people mixed with black claim they're black. Well unless they're Tiger Woods or The Rock.

Shit there's mixed people who look completely white, that claim their blackness. Mariah Carey identifies as black, Paris Jackson (Michael Jackson's so called daughter), and Halsey that one terrible singer.

 

[RedSwirl]

Like I said, he's like DCAU Luthor

I never questioned that DCAU Luthor was black.

 

[Shard]

D'arci Stern from Urban Chaos.

 

[Kaizer]

Marcus Holloway for sure, possibly the best written black protagonist ever. His racial identity is handled perfectly and doesn't feel forced or unnatural. In the future, games tackling diversity should look at Watch Dogs 2 for how to handle things right.

 

[ultimota]

i know a lot of people hated him but i really liked Locke from Halo 5

 

[The Spoony Hou]

t think the tanned girl here is suppose to represent the Black Bomberman, although i could be wrong

She's called Oren, for orange I believe.

 

[clemmy]

Axel, Twisted Metal

 

[bobbychalkers]

I think there's a common misconception of 'dark skinned anime character' = 'black'. I really don't think he applies.

This happens a lot in these threads.

 

[ShinMaruku]

I want to give people Sahz but have you seen this man's overdrive? He jumps in a red car and does donuts and drivebys stuff shooting the guns sideways.

As for a awesome black Protagonist:

Zack from Dead or Alive he's the only character where nobody has a issue with in the story and he helps Helena run her business as well as having a huge amount of money.

Then you have Lisa Hamilton

She's a black head scientist who is behind the Alpha project.

 

[GhostOfSparta305]

There needs to be a separate conversation about Kratos' blackness. He's almost like Piccolo and Knuckles in a way -- characters we just "claimed" as black

Look, I get it. Historically speaking, and as far as the plot is concerned, he wouldn't be black or whatever "African" would have been in probably the fifth century BC, but the character's look and voice performance are enough for a lot of black people to identify with Kratos. Knowing what I know, I still find it difficult to internally envision Kratos as a white dude. Aside from TC Carson's performance, I also remember hearing somewhere Kratos' model was based on a black dude.

1) If you think voice plays that big a role in "claiming" people as black, you should know that Piccolo & Knuckles have white voice actors.

2) Nope. Jaffe's original design asked for "Martin Riggs meets Russell Crowe," with a little bit of Ed Norton from American History X. Aka all white dudes.

People thinking Kratos is black is just pure, skin-deep misconception.

 

[Raonak]

CJ from GTA:SA was pretty fucking great.

But yeah, black protags are few and far between....


But as an fiji-indian, I find the lack of Indian main characters more dire. I really can't think of any characters besides Alladin.

 

[wandering]

Well, I wouldn't consider that guy a black dude. Definitely looks like a hispanic guy. I know a few mixed hispanic dudes and they never identify as black. Always Mexican or hispanic. Not saying that can't happen, but from my experience growing up that wasn't the case. Still, I never would have considered that character in Mafia 3 as a black guy.

Well, the fact that Lincoln Clay is black is a pretty central part of Mafia III's story

 

[LordKasual]

The real question I have when it comes to black characters:

Are there any games (save for Half Life 2) that feature "black" characters that don't actually have dark skintones?

 

[Mifune]

Michael from Eternal Darkness.

Canadian firefighter who is one of the major heroes among the playable characters, as well as one of the toughest. Terrifically voice acted by Greg Eagles, who voiced Garcian Smith in Killer7, as well.

 

[Triscuitable]

The real question I have when it comes to black characters:

Are there any games (save for Half Life 2) that feature "black" characters that don't actually have dark skintones?

Clementine in The Walking Dead, Elena in Street Fighter (another unfortunate example of a fetishized black woman), and Isabela in Dragon Age come to mind. Elena and Isabela actually had fairly dark skin tones in their original appearances, but as they appeared in later games, they became noticeably lighter. What the hell, Capcom?

 

[Nimby]

Venom, Potemkin, and Ramlethal from GG

 

[Pinko Marx]

Garcian Smith - Killer 7

Swag, Suave, Cool, Ruthlessly Efficient. No one does it better.

 

[televator]

Jolee Bindo from Knights of the Old Republic. I'm counting him because even though he's not the lead protagonist, he's a controllable protagonist for the player. Jolee was my favorite character in the game:

I think my pick will be Jolee too. It was refreshing having a character who could bring up mundane things to say and give a point of view that was more realistic and to the point without all the fantastical gloss and sheen that characters of fantasy genres tend to lace their speach patterns with. Every time I returned to the Hawk, I thought "Now it's time for real talk with Jolee... or just grumpy old man talk." lol

 

[Mephala]

No offense, but that's a white dude. Heh, heh.

None taken but uhhh... I don't even know what to say. I'd concede if you said he isn't dark enough for your idea of what counts and what doesn't but to call Ozma a white dude is just odd.

For comparison here are another two characters. Just thought it odd that you were so quickly to laugh him off as white. :\

 

[retroman]

Adam Hunter from Streets of Rage.

Uppercutting enemies and kicking them while they were in the air was so satisfying.

Too bad he wasn't playable in the sequels.

 

[EDarkness]

None taken but uhhh... I don't even know what to say. I'd concede if you said he isn't dark enough for your idea of what counts and what doesn't but to call Ozma a white dude is just odd.

For comparison here are another two characters. Just thought it odd that you were so quickly to laugh him off as white. :\

As a black dude who hangs out with black folks and family is black, that guy isn't a black. Maybe he's supposed to be, but, if so, they failed.

Well, the fact that Lincoln Clay is black is a pretty central part of Mafia III's story

Well, I've never played that game so I don't know the back story of the character. But if I was just looking at screens without any back story, my first thought is that guy isn't black, but hispanic or something.

I ain't seen no Dominican person say they were Mexican and at least 60% of them are tri-racial.

Honestly, I've never met someone from there. I grew up in Central Texas and Kentucky where it was/is fairly common to see mixed Mexican/black or Hispanic/black and they never identified with black. I always wondered why that was, but I never asked. I guess it wasn't important (still isn't important) back then.

 

[Heart of Black]

By that silly logic, this is a white woman.

She is a white woman in digital blackface. Naughty Dog was fucking lazy in casting, and gets an L in that regard.

 

[neurosyphilis]

it was/is fairly common to see mixed Mexican/black or Hispanic/black and they never identified with black. I always wondered why that was, but I never asked. I guess it wasn't important (still isn't important) back then.

Becuase Hispanics are anti black as hell.

 

[Socivol]

Best Final Fantasy character since Balthier from XII. Sazh Katzroy

I love Sazh! By far the best character of XIII.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

Garcian Smith - Killer 7


Swag, Suave, Cool, Ruthlessly Efficient. No one does it better.

You forgot:

Spoiler

Batshit insane.

 

[Abelard]

She is a white woman in digital blackface. Naughty Dog was fucking lazy in casting, and gets an L in that regard.

*sigh* I though we already went over this?