Throughout the history of video games, there have been a relatively small number of characters with physical disabilities who are not minor NPCs or just terribly written, and almost all of them are loved. Characters like Joker in mass effect, Bentley from the Sly Cooper franchise, or even Huey Emmerich of the metal gear franchise (although he’s not really “beloved”).
It’s always great to turn off any kind of rendering in gaming, especially when the characters are well written and not constantly trying to “fix” their handicap or be completely determined by it. So let’s take a look at some iconic video game characters that are specifically blind to show how well these characters can be designed, written and personified.
7 Kenshi Takahashi: Mortal Kombat Franchise
There is no world where Kenshi Takahashi is not in this list. Kenshi is not only one of the coolest video game characters in history, but also one of the best Mortal Kombat characters too. Deprived of his sight as a result of being deceived by Shang Tsung (it happens to many characters), Kenshi has trained all of his other senses to the limit, including his sixth sense in the form of telekinesis and being able to sense the energy or “souls” of the people around him.
An extremely talented warrior, a well-developed character, Kenshi has some of the most brutal Fatalities in the franchise and is very likely the character that immediately pops into everyone’s head when they think of blind video game representatives.
6 Hawkeye Gough: Dark Souls
This next one is a bit of an odd addition, as it’s never been confirmed whether this character is literally blind or just “blinded” because his helmet crevices are full of tree sap. Hawkeye Gough was one of the four knights of Gwyn who lived in Anor Londo along with Artorias the Abysswalker, Lord’s Blade Ciaran and Dragonslayer Ornstein, and one of the greatest archers of his time.
In addition, Gough was also a giant, and as such the people of Oolacile, who hate giants, filled his helmet with tree sap which is suggested to have eventually blinded him. In any case, Gough is the favorite NPC of the first dark souls not only because he’s such a sweetheart, but also because he manages to shoot one of the toughest bosses in the game, Black Dragon Kalameet, out of the sky in one shot.
5 TK Baha: Borderlands
TK Baha is one of the first NPCs that players encounter in the original border areas game, and he is a real character. By the way, not only is he “only” blind, but the man is also missing a leg, both of which are the result of confronting a particularly nasty Skag named Scar. Plus, not only is TK Baha one of the most beloved NPCs in Borderlands history, apart from Handsome Jack of course, he’s also one of the most tragic.
The man had most of his designs stolen by Hyperion, sent assassins after him and had to escape to Pandora, lost his wife to a Skag, lost his leg and sight to the same Skag, but he is also tragically killed by Psychos. Fortunately, he reappears as a zombie in the Zombie Island from Dr. Ned DLC where he seems to be enjoying his new… non-life, but still, what a trooper.
4 Zato-One: Guilty Gear Franchise
Zato-One is part of the insanely vast Guilty Gear repertoire of characters, and he is one of the most popular among the fans. Zato-One in life was just an orphan brought into the Assassin’s Guild. There he eventually became disgusted by his own powerlessness and turned to dark magic to become stronger, sacrificing his eyesight in exchange for his body to host a powerful “Anti-Gear” Forbidden Beast named Eddie.
With Eddie, Zato-One could now fight and do all sorts of things with his shadow, and he quickly rose to the position of leader of the Assassin’s Guild. Overall, Zato-One not only has one of the more interesting backstories for a Guilty Gear character, but his moveset and combo potential were always great to see in every game too.
3 Voldo: Soul Calibur Franchise
Moving on to a character that is certainly iconic and well-known, but not exactly loved, Voldo from the Soul Calibur fighting games franchise. Voldo is one of, if not the strangest fighting game character of all time. First, he’s covered from head to toe in sadomasochistic fetish-esque clothes.
Second, he fights with his whole body in these horrific ways that always seem to contort his limbs. And three, he is canonically blind and insane after years of guarding an underground tomb that his old boss, an Italian arms dealer called the “Merchant of Death,” instructed him to guard. It’s a shame that such an eccentric character has been included in the cast for blind representation in video games, but he does have a certain “charm” to him and he is certainly a very powerful fighter.
2 Jedi Master Kreia AKA Darth Traya: Knights of the Old Republic 2
Kreia, also known as Darth Traya, is one of the best written Star Wars characters of all time (from one of the best Star Wars games of all time) and is one who cannot be accurately summarized in a short paragraph. Therefore, just know that she was a blind Jedi master who constantly questioned the world around her, including the Jedi ways. Her teachings eventually came into question when her student Revan fell for the dark side and took many of her students with her.
From there, Kreia was exiled, fell to the Dark Side, formed a new Sith Triumvirate, was betrayed by her partners, and ultimately strived to destroy both the Sith and the Jedi. She’s definitely a character with a lot of nuances, and even when she talked about plans to kill entire groups of people, her arguments were somehow convincing and relatively convincing.
1 Godot AKA Diego Armando: Ace Attorney Series
Godot, also known as Diego Armando, is one of the most iconic ace lawyer characters of all time, thanks in part to his bright white hair and futuristic-looking visor. And while it’s unclear whether he’s completely or partially blind, this visor is what allows Godot to see, although it doesn’t seem to return his sight 100%.
Godot is one of the more compelling accusers in this visual novel franchise, as his calm and composed (sometimes smug) way of speaking did a lot for his character. And his connection to Phoenix, the explanation for his blindness, and his reason for being so hostile to Wright are all fantastic too.
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