10 Video Game Characters Who Were DEAD The Whole Time

Harry Mason

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“Silent Hill: Shattered Memories” (2009) In the original “Silent Hill,” the Bad Ending revealed that Harry Mason, the protagonist, had died in the opening car accident. But in the “Shattered Memories” reimagining, Konami decided to roll with it. The game goes back and forth between Harry’s therapy sessions, and his journey through Silent Hill to find his daughter, Cheryl. However, close to the end, it’s revealed that the one in therapy actually is Cheryl, struggling to cope with her father’s death so long ago. The whole game is a restructure of the original’s characters and events, including how it takes the Bad Ending and finds an interesting way to canonize it.

“Final Fantasy X” (2001) Most “Final Fantasy” games bring their own unique mythos and ideology. In this particular entry, those that die enter the Farplane, their afterlife, either through acceptance or through a ceremony known as a Sending. Those who don’t move on are known as the Unsent, who usually turn into fiends out of their hatred for the living. However, those who die with unfinished business, a strong desire to see something through, can remain as they once were. All that to say that Auron, one of your steadfast companions, is revealed to be an Unsent towards the end of your adventure. Due to promises he made to his friends before dying, his spirit stayed behind until his mission was complete.

“Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones” (2005) In “Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones” the five kingdoms of Magvel live together peacefully, each guarding a magical stone that holds a powerful demon in confinement. That is, until one kingdom, led by Emperor Vigarde, starts invading the others in an attempt to free it. It seems like the Emperor is to be the Big Bad, until you defeat him in battle and his body disintegrates. As revealed by his son, Vigarde had actually died from an illness a few months before the story began. The Prince sacrificed their Sacred Stone in order to revive him. But the Emperor returned undead, and the Prince was corrupted by the demon in the process.

“Resident Evil VII: Biohazard” (2017) & “Resident Evil Village” (2021) With so many undead in the “Resident Evil” series, it was only a matter of time before one of the lead characters became one. Introduced in “RE 7,” Ethan’s tale of saving his family from all manner of horrors came to a surprising end in its sequel, 2021’s “Village.” Unbeknownst to him, obviously, he had been killed during the opening moments of his first appearance by Jack Baker. However, Eveline, the head honcho of villains in “Village,” brought his body back through her Mold, a hyper-evolved fungus that gave him regenerative powers…which makes total sense given the brutality he shrugs off in that game. But they run out in the end, and Ethan sacrifices his body for good.

“Prototype” (2009) Awaking in a morgue with no memory of his life, Alex Mercer gets thrown in the deep end with incredible new powers. This includes the ability to consume others, shapeshifting into them and accessing their memories. Using these, he digs into what happened to him and doesn’t like what he finds. His powers are the result of the Blacklight virus, which he helped develop. However, he was gunned down by those in charge of the project, but not before releasing the virus. Blacklight got into his corpse, reanimated it while gaining access to Alex’s memories, and assumed it was him for most of the game.

Ted and Bo

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“Pinstripe” (2017) This indie adventure puzzler follows Ted, a father in search of his daughter, Bo, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious figure known only as Pinstripe. Pursuing Pinstripe through a mysterious village and forest, Ted gathers clues and collects useful items along the way to progress. However, some of these items relate to his life, and you eventually learn that Ted developed a drinking problem after his wife passed. Not only that, but he and Bo died when Ted was drunk behind the wheel. In the end, he defeats Pinstripe, named for the whiskey Ted favored, reunites with Bo, and enters a more peaceful afterlife.

“Persona 5 Royal” (2020) Added in the updated version of “Persona 5,” Kasumi Yoshizawa is a bubbly gymnast that awakens to her powers early on, but doesn’t team up with the Phantom Thieves until much later. For most of the game, you take Kasumi at her word as you’re given no reason to question her. And while the person you’ve been interacting with is most definitely alive, Kasumi isn’t. As you find out, this girl is actually Sumire, her twin sister. Kasumi sacrificed herself to save Sumire, whose immense guilt over her sister’s death caused her to adopt her name and personality. While it’s not quite the same as the ‘dead all along’ twists in other entries on our list, it’s definitely something we didn’t see coming.

John Konrad

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“Spec Ops: The Line” (2012) This delectably dark military FPS follows Captain Martin Walker and his men on a mission in Dubai. Their job is to locate a previous platoon, led by Colonel John Konrad, which had violent run-ins with locals and were disavowed for it. Sadly, in their hunt to find Konrad, Walker commits some pretty vile acts, including the accidental use of white phosphorus on citizens. Throughout the rest of the game, Konrad taunts, tests, and manipulates Walker via radio. When we finally catch up to Konrad, it’s revealed the Colonel ended his own life quite a while ago. All of Walker’s conversations with the man were born from his broken psyche from the shame of what he had done.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops” (2010) First appearing in 2008’s “World at War,” Gary Oldman’s seasoned Sergeant Viktor Reznov returned in another supportive role for the first “Black Ops.” At the beginning of the single player campaign, the player character, Mason, is captured and taken to a Russian Gulag, where he meets Reznov. The duo helps each other escape, forming a bond that comes in handy when you team up with him again several years later on a mission in Vietnam. Or at least, that’s what Mason thinks happens. In actuality, Reznov died in the prison escape. His later appearances are due to a combination of brainwashing Mason endured while imprisoned and his mind simply snapping.

“Dead Space” (2008) The main thing driving protagonist Isaac Clarke in “Dead Space,” other than a severe desire to live, is finding his girlfriend, Dr. Nicole Brennan. And he does, several times in fact. They’re in frequent communication, and work through a few issues halting their progression. However, the more time you spend with Nicole, the more off she seems, speaking way too calmly given the situation and going on about being ‘made whole’ again. You might think she drank the necromorph kool aid and that a betrayal is coming, but it’s actually worse. Nicole took her own life before the game began. Every appearance has been an illusion brought on by the Marker, the artifact that creates Necromorphs, even masking another survivor to make her appear as your lost love in the remake. Know of any other characters who turned out to be dead? Mark them as spoilers in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day.