10 HATED Video Game Characters Who Got BETTER With Time

“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017) Resident Evil has a long history of colorful and dramatic characters who have held the helm of ‘protagonist’ in one or more entries. Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, all of these characters brought a certain level of competence and power to their respective games, a certain "je ne sais quoi”, if you will. In Resident Evil 7, we got a new protagonist in the form of Ethan Winters who blasted onto our screens… Sorry, he jumped onto our screens... No, still not right. He tripped onto our screens and sat down because he hurt his ankle... Yep. Although “hate” might be too harsh a word, Ethan Winters had a hell of a hurdle to jump coming into this series, as tonally (and especially when comparing him to previous characters) some found Ethan bland and unremarkable. He was even the target of memes and mocking online, albeit with a light hearted tone. In Resident Evil Village, Ethan is written a little differently, and while still understated, the high stress situations caused him to become significantly more emotive when it made sense. Ethan's reputation improved so vastly that the final moments of Resident Evil Village that revolve around him are considered some of the best in the series.

“The Last of Us Part II” (2020) Hold on… just hear me out, for the love of god don’t run away. Abby Anderson not only began her journey in The Last of Us Part II as the most hated character in the series, but possibly the most hated video game character of ALL time. The reception of The Last of Us Part II is one of the most significant dead splits we’ve ever seen in gaming, with fans either loving or hating this entry, and Abby Anderson does not escape this split. The reason she’s worth mentioning is because at the beginning of The Last of Us Part II, 100% of players hated her, and by the end, a good 50% of players grew to understand her, and dare we say even like her. That’s a pretty solid turn around for a character who was responsible for one of the most upsetting character deaths in gaming history. The pace, the writing, and the structure of The Last of Us Part II was a risk for Naughty Dog as it relied on the player to take control of someone they hated more than words could describe, but this choice has earned their story a place in gaming history, for better or for worse. Me personally? I’d say for better.

“Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” (2001) There aren’t many gaming protagonists as iconic as Metal Gear Solid’s, Solid Snake. The perfect balance of gruff and cool, Snake led the first two Metal Gear entries on the NES, and the first Metal Gear Solid game on the PS1 with passion and ferocity. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty began with one of the most epic game prologues to have ever been created, with Snake superhero landing on a terrorist occupied tanker, and showing players at the time just how cool he could be with the PS2’s power driving his adventure. MGS fans were left speechless following this prologue as they learned the game would be led by a different protagonist, the angsty, pale, and unimpressive Jack: Codename Raiden. Raiden was a rookie operative who behaved like a rookie operative. Obviously he handled himself across the series, and the game was a solid experience on its own, but it wasn’t till he returned in MGS4 and the later Metal Gear Rising games that Kojima let go of his angsty vibe and pumped up his cool points by about 1 million, turning him into a ninja cyborg who could easily take down Snake in a hand to hand fight.

“Devil May Cry Series” The decision to replace the beloved protagonist in a popular video game always stirs up debate, and when it was revealed that Nero, not the iconic Dante, would be the lead character in Devil May Cry 4, fans were quick to express their dissatisfaction. Despite some subsequent marketing efforts that alleviated some of this discontent, a significant number of fans remained resentful throughout the game. Nevertheless, Nero managed to prove himself in the game, gaining more favor with some fans. The highly divisive reboot, DmC: Devil May Cry, prompted many fans to reevaluate Nero's role as the protagonist. By the time Devil May Cry 5 came around, many fans had come to appreciate both Dante and Nero as deserving main characters in their own right.

“Super Mario Bros.” (1985) Toad!? How could anyone possibly hate Toad. The high voiced cutie that strolls the mushroom kingdom, Toad has not only become a staple of the series, but appears in almost every single iteration of Super Mario Bros. to delight fans. But Toad wasn’t always the pleasant little scamp we’ve come to know. In fact, in the first entry, his face and character was attached to one of the most annoying repeated moments across the game, “Thank you Mario, but our Princess is in another castle.” Beating a castle and hoping this is the final objective, only to see this little turd sitting there letting us know AFTER we’d fought tooth and nail to get to him that we were in the wrong location, was a punishment we didn’t deserve. Luckily, it was only in the following entry “Super Mario Bros. 2” that players fell in love with Toad, as he was the fastest and strongest character we had to choose from. Toad, all is forgiven, but I will also never forgive you.

#5: Big Boss

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“Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater” Seems like Kojima knows how to turn a character around. Big Boss was the epic antagonist villain of the first two Metal Gear games released on the NES (technically not the first game, but we didn’t learn this till almost 30 years later so let’s ignore that for now). Big Boss, as our corrupt leader, betrays Solid Snake, revealing he’s stealing military intelligence to fund his own mercenary force. In the second game, he returns with an equally devious base of operations and is eventually and finally killed by Snake. Throughout the events of Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2, Big Boss is spoken about as this godly evil figure, who was the hero and leader of almost every villain we face, Big Boss is the stormy cloud that haunts the world of Solid Snake even years after his death. In the prequel games MGS3, MGS Peace Walker, and MGSV (at least some of MGSV), we take control of Naked Snake, the man who we knew would eventually become Big Boss, and we got a deeper look at the man behind the persona, what his values were, and what his goals were. Not only was Big Boss not a bad person, but he was often fighting against a corrupt world government. This didn’t just make Big Boss seem like a hero, but it almost made Solid Snake seem like a villain.

“Duck Hunt” (1984) When Duck Hunt was released on the NES in 1984, we were introduced to a fun little home console shooter, but there was one character we wished we’d never been introduced to, and that was the Duck Hunt Dog. Laughing to accompany our failings, this dog made us want to readjust our aim, and work on a new game called Dog Hunt. I mean, in the bonus rounds the dog actively tries to distract you, and if you hit him, YOU get punished? F*ck this sh*t, man. In Super Mario Smash Bros. Ultimate, the famed Duck Hunt Duo returns with the duck and dog joining forces as a combo character that gives the dog a much more lovable design, and persona… Fine, I love you, dog. I’m sorry I shot you.

“Final Fantasy VIII” (1999) Final Fantasy VII, was a landmark game. It gave us a roster of awesome characters who we grew to love and respect, and a game protagonist who led the story with a perfect combo of cool and inquisitive. Then came Final Fantasy VIII, which gave us one of the more divisive entries in the series. Not a bad FF game by any stretch of the imagination, but wedged between powerhouses like 7 and 9, with its consistently attacked junction and leveling system, it rarely makes anyone’s top 5. Squall Leonheart led this game as its protagonist, and is often considered lesser than other entries’ main characters. Moody, angsty, lethargic, and a little gothic, Squall reacted and behaved in situations that felt a little ‘highschool’, even for players who were actually in highschool. Luckily for him, his entire character was turned around in Kingdom Hearts, where he was presented as a cool, calm and collected warrior with a deep knowledge of the situation affecting their world, and a voice acting job that matched this new persona. He was still a little goth, but he made it work.

#2: The Arbiter

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“Halo Series” Following the original Halo, which predominantly centered on Master Chief's narrative, Halo 2 took a different approach by dividing its storyline. While a portion of the game continued to depict Master Chief's efforts to fend off the Covenant on Earth and Delta Halo, a significant part delved into the experiences of Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, a member of the antagonistic Covenant, as he discovered more about his own people and grappled with a treacherous betrayal. Initially, the Arbiter faced mixed reactions from the fanbase, primarily because he had previously been on the opposing side and occupied a substantial portion of the game's narrative. However, his genuinely emotional character arc and the evolving relationship with Master Chief throughout both Halo 2 and Halo 3 transformed him into a beloved character among fans, to such an extent that many fans now wish to see him as a co-protagonist in future Halo titles.

#1: Johnny Cage

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“Mortal Kombat Series” Johnny Cage, admittedly, is a bit of a tool, and has garnered his fair share of disdain from players and fans over the years. The reasons for this animosity vary. Some dislike his often boastful and egotistical personality, which can come across as arrogant. Others find his over-the-top antics and one-liners irritating or out of place in the game's intense and brutal combat setting. Some players simply prefer other characters in the franchise and have a natural aversion to Johnny Cage. Despite the hate, Johnny Cage's character has endured and fought on, and even grown some depth as a character, balancing both fervent fans and vocal detractors throughout the series' history, and still remains a series regular. Johnny Cage, you’re alright by me mate.