One of the traditional attributes of heroism is grace, so of course the public expect protagonists to spare their enemies. Of course, this applies to movies and TV, but it also applies to video games. Even in a medium where killing enemies is the point, players anticipate their heroes to spare a life. However, some key players are throwing that policy out the window.
certain characters kill their enemies without hesitation. Sometimes the heroes are pushed too far and tumble over the moral line. Others just enjoy the carnage. Whatever the reason, it’s darkly refreshing to watch these game protagonists break the mold and shatter the sugary cliché.
7 Jak – The Jak & Daxter Series
In the first Jak & Daxter title, the titular hero fights his attackers without hesitation. His brawling and mystical Eco powers allow him to dispatch monsters quickly and efficiently. That said, the story never dwells on the number of corpses.
It’s not until the sequels that Jak begins to enjoy it. Imprisonment and experimentation make him a much more intense hero, in constant search of danger and challenge. He gets a huge arsenal of weapons and vehicles, and he enjoys using them all to deal untold damage. This reflects players’ excitement when they get a deadly new toy. That said, somehow Jak has even more fun with these tools.
6 Dante – The Devil May Cry Series
Here’s a hero who loves carnage even more than Jak. This half-demon earns his living by wiping out the legions of hell. They say if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.
Dante certainly has that covered. By the Devil May Cry series, he dances through hordes of enemies, reducing them to ribbons with his sword and pistols. The few breaks he takes are not hesitation, but to deliver a snarky one-liner. He doesn’t take any of this seriously, least of all death. That’s understandable from his perspective. If he is descended from a demon and regularly takes on the undead, murder would lose any meaning.
5 Trevor Phillips – Grand Theft Auto 5
As great thieves, violence was always in the cards for Trevor and his friends. However, irreverent attitude mixed with a decade of substance abuse make this balding crook completely unpredictable. By the time Grand Theft Auto 5As the story unfolds, Trevor is a drug dealer in the California desert, surrounded by some of the dumbest, most degenerate people imaginable. What’s more, he makes it his mission to be the worst of them.
Just looking at Trevor the wrong way can send him into a wave of murderous madness. Whether he’s smashing into a man’s skull or mowing down a rival gang in a hail of bullets, he’s doing all these heinous deeds only for temporary catharsis. Once the anger disappears, he feels no regrets. Instead, he lightly amuses himself at his handiwork, showing the depths of his moral depravity. He is clearly not going to work on his problems any time soon.
4 Kratos – The God of War Series
This Spartan warrior was already bred for battle. The endless insults and misadventures only fuel his anger. While serving the Greek gods, his bloodlust leads to the death of his family. However, he does not renounce his violent ways.
Instead, Kratos directs his anger at the gods who used him in the first place. About the god of war saga, he proceeds to slaughter the entire pantheon of Olympian gods. Cutting off limbs, crushing bones and beheading with bare hands are just some of the methods he employs. Such brutality is shocking, even by game standards.
In the reboot of 2018, Kratos regrets his vengeful pursuits. That doesn’t stop him from falling back on the same instincts, though, especially on defense. When monsters or other enemies threaten him or his son, he still tears them apart mercilessly. He’s just a little slower while doing it.
3 Everyone – The Assassin’s Creed Series
This one speaks for itself. Killing people is part of the job description in Assassin’s Creed, and every protagonist has done that job effectively. It’s surprising how easy it is for some of them to transition from a gentle life to a clandestine killer.
Yet they all perform their duties without fail. In a typical scenario, they’ll climb a colossal structure or navigate a cluttered crowd before jumping down onto their targets. Then they strike the deadly blow with their signature hidden blade. Circumstances vary with each story or time period, but it always ends with the hooded figures sending their victims to an early grave. They claim it creates a social good. Often, however, this seems like an easy excuse for simple revenge.
2 Styx – The Styx Series
These stealth titles thrive on the same concept as Assassin’s Creed. The eponymous goblin sneaks around and takes out anyone who gets in his way before they know what hit them. The difference is that the methodology is infinitely more twisted.
Sharing Death is a game for Styx. Not only does he devise increasingly painful methods of taking out enemies, but he is determined to outdo himself and brag about it, often chuckling at his handiwork. He even blames the player for dying in the game and making him look bad. It shouldn’t feel right to have the shoe on the other foot.
1 Doomguy – The Doom Series
The king of first-person shooters, the demon-killing hero of demise shoot first and never ask questions. This silent protagonist takes down armies of hellbreed with his guns, grenades, fists and even the occasional chainsaw. This is how his series has always worked, because there is rarely time to think about anything else.
That mantra is more necessary in recent entries such as: Eternal doom. The armored soldier often encounters so many enemies that he cannot hesitate. He has to keep moving constantly and let loose with his weapons. After all, the monsters will show him no mercy; they prove it with their slaughter of the human race. So the crisis calls for a hero who also pulls out all the stops.
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