DBLTAP's Best Female Characters in Video Games
We never need an excuse to gush over gaming's greatest female characters. But with International Women's Day having occurred earlier this month, we saw it fit to celebrate some of our favorites. Over the years we've grown to know and love some of gaming's most iconic mascots, from Lara Croft to Samus Aran to Bayonetta. Thankfully there's been no shortage of amazing characters in games both new and old, which made this list particularly difficult to craft.
Below, we've picked out just a select few of the female characters that will always hold a special place in our hearts.
DBLTAP's Best Female Characters in Video Games
Mae Borowski - Night in the Woods
Noam: Mae Borowski doesn't want to talk about why she's home from college (it's because she has brain problems). She'd rather go to band practice with her hometown friends, stargaze with her high school astronomy teacher, watch late night TV with her dad, search for a friend who's gone missing, do some crimes, investigate a mysterious ghost plaguing her hometown, discover a deep and evil secret in the mines, and oh boy here come those brain problems again!
Mae is a punk and a sweetheart. She wears off-brand Doc Martens and plays the bass. She's funny, and big-hearted, and worried that her clothes "accentuate her roundness." And she's got a whole lot of problems. But as she learns to face those problems — from the minute to the massive — it becomes impossible not to love her.
Clementine - The Walking Dead
Ralston: Not just the heart and soul of Telltale Games' episodic The Walking Dead series, Clementine is one of the most badass characters in all of gaming. Introduced as Lee Everett's pupil before running the show altogether, Clem is an incredibly strong-minded person who displays remarkable intelligence and maturity no matter the moment players step in her shoes as.
Capable as both a strong leader and a lone wolf, Clementine experiences various forms of marginalization among the different groups she comes across along the way, yet is able to routinely handle these logically, all while doing whatever is necessary to keep Alvin Jr. safe amid a zombie apocalypse.
Jaina Proudmoore - Warcraft Series
Nathan: One of the best characters of the Warcraft universe, was completely under utilized until the Battle for Azeroth expansion. In the defense of most characters, the story-telling isn't always the best in MMORPGs. There are too many characters and plotlines to follow, leaving some to fall to the wayside.
Jaina's story starts in Warcraft III, where she led the human survivors of Lordaeron to Kalimdor to survive the Undead and Burning Legion. She was shelved until the Mists of Pandaria expansion where she had a sizeable arc after the bombing of Theramore. She had small scenes in Warlords of Draenor and Legion, mostly about her hatred of the Horde.
Then she became a main character in the BFA expansion. She would eventually save Kul Tiras, reunite with her mother and forgive herself and the Horde. Sadly, her storyline was again put to the side for Shadowlands, but she will always remain one of the best and most iconic characters in Warcraft.
Yuna - Final Fantasy X|X-2
Alex: Yuna. Sweet Yuna. Never has a character been weighted with such devastating responsibilty, yet still manage to approach everything with so much kindness. While at first she comes across as quiet and somewhat naive, it soon becomes blindingly apparent that her resolve is insurmountable. Burdened by her father's reputation as High Summoner, Yuna commits herself to the same sacrificial path for the good of Spira. But her faith in Yevon's teachings is soon shaken, forcing her to find her own path in life.
All of the character designs in Final Fantasy X are ridiculous and brilliant, but Yuna's is so memorable and fitting of her character. And then her abilities; while the game defaults her as your White Mage, towards endgame you can turn her into one beast of a tank who can deal some incredible damage. As soon as she gets that Break Damage Limit auto-ability, she's unstoppable.
Jill Valentine - Resident Evil Series
Max: No surprise that I've chosen a Resident Evil character considering my affection for the franchise. Jill stands out to me as one of the most badass characters tied to some of the best moments and settings in the franchise. From the Arklay Mountains to the streets of Raccoon City and encounters with Nemesis, Jill is by and large my favorite female video game character of all time. And yes, despite the price point, I thought the RE3make was good.
Be sure to check out some of our other gaming lists, including our top Pokémon games of all time, and our most-loved Xbox 360 games.