Once a subculture for people deemed nerds, video games are as big as your favorite movies and TV shows these days. There is all kinds of hype surrounding the likes of GTA VI as the billion-dollar industry, and it has more titles and accessibility than ever before. From small indie creations to large blockbuster studios, video game characters continue to come into the mainstream and leave an impact. Many of which also have ties to the military.
Suggested read: The 5 Best Military Video Games In 2024
The 10 Best Video Game Characters With Ties to the Military
Best is such a subjective word, but it’s a good one here. While everyone will have their own favorite video game characters with military ties, we’re breaking down our top picks. Keep in mind that the characters in the video games listed below are in no particular order but are rather a celebration of some of the names we’ve come to know, love, and hate over the years:
1. Solid Snake
As a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, it’s impossible to have a list of video game characters without mentioning the man, the myth, the legend, David aka Solid Snake. The iconic Metal Gear lead has been a Green Beret, works with the High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND, and continues to save the world from a nuclear holocaust.
2. Master Chief
You’re more likely to find aliens, hovercrafts, and a 360° no-scope kill circa MLG glory days in Halo than you would set sail, yet Master Chief is helping save the universe as a member of the futuristic embodiment of the U.S. Navy. One of the most iconic video game characters you’ll find here.
3. Sonya Blade
Serving as a Lieutenant of the U.S. Army Special Forces, Sonya Blade is a name synonymous with fighting games, general badassery, and a techno track that’s been in your head since you first read the subheading. Of course, a Mortal Kombat honorable mention goes to Jackson Briggs (Jax). He also served in Special Forces, but female video game characters don’t get much better than Sonya.
4. Sam Fisher
Often opting for stealth above all else, Lieutenant Commander Sam Fisher didn’t just save the world, but he helped take legendary author Tom Clancy from literature and into the world of video games with the Splinter Cell series. Adding a sleek, creepy approach to military video game characters, Sam Fisher’s influence has been one-of-a-kind.
5. Bill Williamson
Featuring a dishonorable discharge from the Army that would include attempted murder, it’s hard to say Bill “Marion” Williamson was a good Soldier. But as a character, he is both a loved and hated figure. Overall, he helps add depth to the Red Dead Redemption series. A role that subtly shows the hardships some face during and after service arguably presented more extremely.
6. General Hershel Shepherd
Did I add this section just to talk about Ghost and Roach? Surprisingly, no. But they deserve mention because they were good men working to make the world a better place in the Modern Warfare franchise. However, it’s a pretty universal feeling among gamers that you don’t get much lower with video game characters than General Shepherd. The first time you see that betrayal…it changes you.
7. Marcus Fenix
Sera may be fictional but the parallels it shares with Earth are undeniable. This is a large part of the appeal of the Gears of War series, in which Marcus Fenix and the rest of the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) army continue to fight with gusto to save mankind across various conflicts.
8. Marco Rossi
Serving in Earth Federation’s Regular Army, Marco Rossi is the iconic protagonist of the side-scrolling shoot’em up Metal Slug. The series is pretty straightforward—shoot the bad guys and save the day. Trust us, with Rossi’s grit and eclectic arsenal of weapons, there isn’t going to be New World Order any time soon.
9. Jill Valentine
A Soldier in the U.S. Army, training with Delta Force…Jill Valentine kicks ass here, there, and everywhere. Stopping the Umbrella Corporation from their evil plots across the Resident Evil franchise helped make her one of the most famous video game characters in history. However, the film franchise where she is portrayed by Sienna Guillory helped solidify her as more of a household name.
10. Commander Shepard
Gamers take the reigns in the Mass Effect series as Commander Shepard, a Veteran of the Systems Alliance Navy. As Spectre Saren Arterius leads an army of machines known as the Geth to take over the galaxy, Shepard proves his worth as a video game character willing to sacrifice for the good of mankind.
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