Skip to content
Curated category

Male characters in video games

  • Birdie (Street Fighter)Birdie first appeared in the original Street Fighter game released in 1987 as a non-playable opponent. He stood among multiple enemies that Ryu or Ken…
  • Revolver OcelotHideo Kojima wanted to add Western tones to a character resulting in Ocelot's appearance, which is based on that of veteran Western film actor Lee Van Cleef.
  • Liquid SnakeIn the United Kingdom, a boy named Liquid Snake grew up following his birth as part of Les Enfants Terribles. This top-secret government project aimed to…
  • Alex (Street Fighter)Alex, the primary protagonist of Street Fighter III: New Generation, arrived on the scene looking like nobody who had come before him in the franchise.
  • Solid SnakeHideo Kojima created Solid Snake, a character whose name was chosen to symbolize stealth through the snake and contrast that image with solidity.
  • Captain SawadaCaptain Sawada was not supposed to exist. In 1994, when the Street Fighter film went into production, a Japanese martial artist named Kenya Sawada had…
  • Akuma (Street Fighter)Noritaka Funamizu asked designer Akiman to create a new character for the Street Fighter series in 1994. The request came after journalists had spread an…
  • Gill (Street Fighter)Gill, the final boss of the Street Fighter III series, is a character built around an unusual contradiction. He wants to conquer the world, yet his designers…
  • Oro (Street Fighter)Oro is a fictional fighter in the Street Fighter series by Capcom, and he may be the strangest character ever designed for a competitive fighting game.
  • James Sunderland (Silent Hill)James Sunderland stands in the rain of Silent Hill, Maine. He wears an army jacket over a gray polo shirt and blue jeans.
  • DhalsimIn 1988, Capcom sketched a character named Great Tiger for a potential Street Fighter sequel. This early concept featured a long-faced man wearing a turban…
  • Dante (Devil May Cry)Dante, the silver-haired, red-coated demon hunter at the center of Capcom's Devil May Cry series, was almost something else entirely.
  • ZangiefIn 1991, Capcom released Street Fighter II: The World Warrior with eight playable characters. One of these fighters was named Vodka Golbalsky during early…
  • Big Boss (Metal Gear)Big Boss is a character in Konami's Metal Gear series who manages the rare narrative trick of being both the hero and the villain of the same story.
  • Balrog (Street Fighter)Capcom released Street Fighter II: The World Warrior in 1991. Balrog made his first appearance as a boss character within that game.
  • Ryu (Street Fighter)In 1987, Capcom released Street Fighter with a character named Ryu at its center. Game designer Takashi Nishiyama had initially envisioned a Caucasian man in…
  • Sean MatsudaToshi Sadamoto stood before a deadline that threatened to derail Capcom's Street Fighter III: New Generation. The team had run out of time to finish the…
  • Pyramid HeadMasahiro Ito wanted to create a monster with a hidden face. He rejected his initial sketch which resembled a masked human.
  • Seth (Street Fighter)Seth, the chief executive officer of the Shadaloo Intimidation Network, is one of video gaming's most contradictory villains.
  • Vega (Street Fighter)Akira Nishitani stood before a whiteboard in 1990 and drew a list of countries. He needed fighters from Spain and Thailand to complete the roster for Street…
  • Guile (Street Fighter)Capcom released Street Fighter II in 1991 with eight selectable characters. One of these was Guile, a pilot from the United States Air Force.
  • Ken MastersIn 1987, Capcom released the original Street Fighter arcade game. Takashi Nishiyama served as the director and created Ken Masters during this development…
  • Mega Man (character)Mega Man is a blue robot with an arm cannon who has been battling the same mad scientist, Dr. Wily, since 1987, and somehow the world never gets tired of…
  • Cloud StrifeCloud Strife first appears on screen as a mercenary blowing up a power plant for money. He is cold, aloof, and utterly uninterested in the cause he is…
  • Psycho MantisIn 1998, a young boy named Benjamin stood atop the Hill of Destiny. This is not the scene from Metal Gear Solid. The actual scene involves a character named…
  • Dee JayDee Jay made his first appearance in 1993, bursting onto screens in Super Street Fighter II as one of just four new fighters added to the roster.
  • F.A.N.G. (Street Fighter)Capcom unveiled F.A.N.G in 2016 as one of sixteen playable characters for Street Fighter V. The character emerged from a development debate during the…
  • Sagat (Street Fighter)Hiroshi Matsumoto drew the first version of Sagat in 1987. He stood 226 centimeters tall and wore a black eyepatch over his right eye.
  • Sodom (Final Fight)Sodom is a fictional character from Capcom's Final Fight and Street Fighter series, and he may be the most self-defeating figure in all of fighting game…