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Curated playlist

Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability

  • She-RaFor the honor of Grayskull, I am She-Ra. Those words, spoken to a sword, turn a soldier named Adora into the superheroine of the Masters of the Universe franchise. She-Ra began as a toy line and a minicomic. She then became the star of two…
  • GokuSon Goku, the hero of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball, made his debut on the 3rd of December 1984. The first chapter, titled Bulma and Son Goku, ran in Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. On the page stood an eccentric boy with a monkey's…
  • He-ManHe-Man, the muscle-bound hero of the Masters of the Universe franchise, changes from a prince into a champion with one spoken oath. Prince Adam raises his Power Sword and declares, "By the power of Grayskull..." Then comes the second half…
  • Dante (Devil May Cry)Dante of Devil May Cry was almost a Western policeman. His early name was Tony Redgrave.
  • Albert WeskerAlbert Wesker begins the original Resident Evil of 1996 as an ally. As captain of a police special forces unit, he hands the player supplies and useful information. That helpfulness is a disguise. Wesker was created by the Japanese game…
  • Ichigo KurosakiIchigo Kurosaki was not meant to be the hero of Bleach. Creator Tite Kubo first planned Rukia Kuchiki as the lead.
  • Pyramid HeadPyramid Head, the Silent Hill 2 monster, exists to punish one man: James Sunderland. He grows from James's guilt.
  • Guts (Berserk)Guts, the hero of the manga Berserk, was born from his hanged mother's corpse. His adoptive father later sold him.
  • Mega Man (character)Mega Man was almost not called Mega Man. A Capcom USA executive called the Japanese name Rockman "horrible".
  • Kratos (God of War)Kratos, the scarred, ash-white Spartan at the center of Santa Monica Studio's God of War series, began as a set of rough drawings on restaurant napkins. Charlie Wen had forgotten his sketchbook, so he drew on whatever the table offered.…
  • Eric NorthmanAlexander Skarsgård first auditioned for True Blood as Bill Compton, not Eric Northman. The showrunner saw Eric.
  • Monkey D. LuffyMonkey D. Luffy is the rubber-bodied hero of the manga One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda, and his story starts with a promise made by a small boy. In Windmill Village, in the Goa kingdom, young Luffy befriends a pirate called Red-Haired…

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