Guinness World Records Announces Top 50 Video Game Characters

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The people over at Guinness World Records has produced their list of the top 50 video game characters of all time for this year’s edition of their best selling gaming book the Guinness Book of World Records: Gaming Edition.

With over 13,000 readers (and, I assume, fellow gamers) voting and no doubt contending to put their favorites on top, it should come as no surprise that Mario, Link, and Master Chief himself has made it in the top five. Other notorious characters include Tomb Raider‘s Lara Croft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and good guy Ryu from Street Fighter. Even Ash Ketchum and Eddie Briggs from Brutal Legend managed to creep onto the list. Those notably absent are seem-to-be-no-brainers like BioShock‘s Big Daddies or any character from the Mortal Kombat franchise. How could anybody forget Scorpion and his famous “Get over here!” tag line?

In related news, Guinness World Records has created an application on their Facebook page to celebrate the release of their “Top 50 video game characters of all time” list. Utilizing a multiple choice type quiz, Guinness helps you determine which video game character you most resemble. You can visit their fan page here. You know, if that’s your cup of tea and such.

Personally, I’m a little disheartened with the absence of Commander Shepard. Perhaps it was felt that because he was a customizable character that he didn’t quite qualify. But with the likes of Shadow, Goku, and Augustus Cole making the top 50, I see this as no excuse. I mean, seriously. Shadow? Really??

Take a look below to see if your favorite found a spot in the top 50.
1.     Mario (Donkey Kong, Nintendo, 1981)
2.     Link (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986)
3.     Master Chief (Halo: Combat Evolved, Microsoft, 2001)
4.     Solid Snake (Metal Gear, Konami, 1987)
5.     Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII, Square, 1997)
6.     PAC-Man (PAC-Man, Namco, 1980)
7.     Lara Croft (Tomb Raider, Eidos 1996)
8.     Gordon Freeman (Half-Life, Valve, 1998)
9.     Kratos (God of War, Sony, 2005)
10.  Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega, 1990)
11.  Crash (Crash Bandicoot, Sony, 1996)
12.  “Soap” MacTavish (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision, 2007)
13.  Nico Bellic (Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar, 2008)
14.  Samus Aran (Metroid, Nintendo 1986)
15.  Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank, Sony, 2002)
16.  Nathan Drake (Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Sony, 2007)
17.  Captain Price (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision, 2007)
18.  Kirby (Kirby’s Dream Land, Nintendo, 1992)
19.  Marcus Fenix (Gears of War, Microsoft, 2006)
20.  Pikachu (Pokemon Red/Green, Nintendo 1996)
21.  Yoshi (Super Mario World, Nintendo, 1990)
22.  “CJ” Johnson (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar, 2004)
23.  Mega Man (Mega Man, Capcom, 1987)
24.  Sam Fisher (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Ubisoft, 2002)
25.  Shadow (Sonic Adventure 2, Sega, 2001)
26.  Jak (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Sony, 2001)
27.  Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem, Apogee, 1991)
28.  Dante (Devil May Cry, Bandai, 2003)
29.  Naruto (Naruto: Konoha Ninpoch, Bandai, 2003)
30.  Altair (Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, 2007)
31.  Zelda (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986)
32.  Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII, Square, 1997)
33.  Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong, Nintendo, 1981)
34.  The Prince (Prince of Persia, Broderbund, 1989)
35.  Ezio (Assassin’s Creed II, Ubisoft, 2009)
36.  Leon S (Biohazard/ Resident Evil, Capcom, 1996)
37.  Ash Ketchum (Pokemon Red/Green, Nintendo, 1996)
38.  Guybrush Threepwood (The Secret of Monkey Island, LucasArts, 1990)
39.  Spyro (Spyro the Dragon, Universal, 1998)
40.  “Ghost” Riley (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Activision, 2009)
41.  Goku (Dragon Daihikyoe, Epoch, 1987)
42.  Max Payne (Max Payne, Rockstar, 2001)
43.  Jill Valentine (Biohazard/ Resident Evil, Capcom, 1996)
44.  Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros., Nintendo, 1985)
45.  Larry Laffer (Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, Sierra, 1987)
46.  Augustus Cole (Gears of War, Microsoft, 2006)
47.  Bowser (Super Mario Bros., Nintendo, 1985)
48.  Eddie Riggs (Brutal Legend, EA, 2009)
49.  Ryu (Street Fighter, Capcom, 1987)
50.  Sackboy (LIttleBigPlanet, Sony, 2008)

Tags: world record

Posted in Latest, News

About the Author

Cayci Phillips is a nerd at heart, pure and simple. Growing up I learned to love video games, but only recently has it transformed into a passion. When I'm not gaming, you can find me watching iCarly re-runs, drinking beers with my homies, or relaxing at home with my dog. The simple things in life truely are the best. Don't hesitate to leave a comment or ask a question. I love involving myself in this bad ass gaming community :)

  • shiren

    also what about crono

  • shiren

    umm ash isn’t from red and green, his name is simply red

  • Ian

    Terrible list, where the fuck is Cole McGrath, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Fox McCloud, Sweet Tooth, Captain Falcon, Alex Mercer, and Shao Khan, BUT WE GOT GOKU and NARUTO, WHY DIDN’T THEY PUT JOHN FUCKING MADDEN, THE ROCK, AND JEFF GORDON, WHILE THEY’RE AT IT .

  • Zeldan

    So The Prince of Persia’s main character is simple known as “The Prince” but you give the name “Ash Katchum” to the boy in Pokemon Red/Blue, who Ash Katchum is only loosely based off, for the Anime and Manga. You guys messed up, his name is; Red.

  • TheLastJessica

    Well, I approve of this list. I’m glad Peach is here.

  • GOONRO

    Yay for Spyro! I love Spyro. Grew up with the little Goon, along with Lara. These two are my most rememberable when I first got into games, aww.

  • ronnie

    What a retarded list.. Where’s Tommy Vercetti?? He’s the biggest badass game character of all time ! Niko should’ve been somewhere around 3 .. What a loada crap guinness came up with..

  • Virtualboy

    Fuck this list man ….It appears that this was made in somewhat mid 80′s
    Grow balls guiness and as every body says ..Ezio and Altair should be on the top.
    Plus a new name from me … Vaas from far cry 3.. Exellent villan

    • svckmydick

      …
      Who?
      Ezio and Altair?
      Who dafuq are those?

  • Blizzard

     Tommy, where’s Vercetti? Goddamn…

  • Dori

    ffffffffffffffff

  • Dorilarson6

    fddddd

  • trollbusters

    nooooooooooooooooooooo

  • trollbustters

    what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

  • fanboy

    **** mario go link 

  • fanboy

    and what the …. is sonic doing at 10

    • ffff

      Sonic is awesome.

  • fanboy reviws

    dafuk my list is 
    5 mario
    4sonic
    3 link
    2luigi 
    1 pac man
    how the …. is mario 1 and pac man 6 and link 2 fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

  • Dorilarson6

     i voted link with mario being my 2th favorite

  • Hbkwudi

    Bullshit, shepard has to be in this, WTF

  • tony

    i agree that ash, naruto and goku shouldn’t even be here. haha. i have no idea why but link in the top 5 is a no brainer. i love the legend of zelda franchise.

  • Urlampa

    Dafug? Naruto? Oh please! Where’s John Marston?

  • Wasik

    1. Altair Ibne Lahad.(Assassinscreed)
    2. Goku(dragonballz)
    3.Al Muallim(Assassins creed)
    4.Ryu(Street fighter)

  • SMN

    I think you guys forgot that this is a list of the most POPULAR characters. Sure, some great characters were left out or ordered wrongly but that doesn’t mean they’re bad, it simply means they are just not as popular.

  • SMN

    Get over it guys, people voted for these, they simply chose the ones with the most votes.
    Yes, they did miss out with some good characters but that simply shows that while they are good, they just don’t have as many fans.
    Personally, I’m glad Mario, Yoshi and Princess Peach got there. Nintendo’s characters are my personal favorites.

  • guinnes world record rater

    this is the the person who made the list there has been a change in the top 5 
    5.link
    4shadow
    3.ezio
    2.sonic
    1.niko bellic

    • Dorilarson6

      peice of crap

    • Dorilarson6

      retarded stupid peidce of **** and ****face

  • niko rocks

    glad niko bellic made it better then carl johnson

  • Contra_47

    agent  47???

  • raven assasin

    dont forget spyro

  • raven assasin

    ezio altair joint 1st than ghost cod

  • the boss

    awwwwwww yeah

  • Wongy95

    ash should be out cuz he a anime charter it shuold say red/blue 

  • FanOfGta,AC,COD and BF!

    Niko should have ranked higher than Soap (Soap is badass to though), Ezio should have been number fucken 1!!!! Mario is overrated and I’ll probably get some shit for this but… WHERE IS HAGGARD AND SWEETWATER!!!

  • manish

    ezio auditore & altair shoul have been included in the top 10 .. but they is in 35th and 30th rank respectivly, dont know why everything here is so messed up.. where as nico bellic from gta 4 is somewhere in top 20,somewhere he shouldnt be.. ezio is the best of all !!

  • Woooo

    How does Altair beat Ezio??

    • Manish patil

      exactly .. lolzz .. the list is completely stupid .. ezio should have been in top 5

  • DT

    To everyone who hates this list, have a look at the one by Empire. It’s worse – Ezio and Altair are absent, and two of the top 5 are Shodan and The Nameless One. It does have Agent 47, though.

    • Manish patil

      i just did have a look at that pagge .. its sompletely insane .. ezio he who should be in top 5 is out of list .. shame on who created that list !!

  • Reposiric

    I have lots of comments, but first off…How is Ratchet higher than Jak? lol

  • FloydSMosh

    Ash isn’t in the games, the character in red, blue and green is named Red.

    • http://www.ctrlaltkill.org Andrew Espejo

      very true

  • Omg_lol860

    what about sora..

  • Random

    Ezio and Altair should be higher + where the fuck is driving legend John Tanner?

    • Manish patil

      ezio is the best and should have been in top 5 .. i think they dint consider assassins creed:embers .. if it was considered i think ezio would have been at the top 1 !!

  • guest

    commander sheaperd is to bad ass for lists

    • Patdog

      If only you could spell Shepherd

      • DT

        If only either of you could spell Shepard.

      • Shepherd

        Actually, Shepherd is the original spelling. It has been changed through the years and now there are many different variants, Shepherd, Shepard, Shephard, Sheppard and so on. 

      • Lalopoolaza

        yea but in the Mass Effect series its spelled “SHEPARD”
        so he’s correct.

  • Joanilsonsantos

    Call of Duty characters should be out,and so should Goku and Naruto.

    • FanOfGta,AC,COD, and BF!

      Soap, Price, and Woods are actually pretty cool, but i agree 100% with Naruto and Goku getting kicked out of this list!

    • Yatusabeh Pérez

       What about Mario and Pac-Man? I’m sick of seeing Mario first in every favorite video-game character list. Who is Mario? Any good quote? A memorable moment? Mario games are good but Mario as a character is shit IMO, Link is much better than Mario.

      • Derp

        Well my friend. Quote “Its’a Me! Mario!” Or “Lets’a go!” Mario is the hero of the mushroom kingdom, who has saved over 1000 of peoples lives. A memorable moment is when you beat world 8, or how bout when Mario beats Sonic or others in the Olympics. Bam Bam Bamidy BAM!

  • Pritish Sirkar

    such a list can never be complete without Agent 47, Hitman.

  • Anthony

    This an awful list, Guiness should be a shamed…Who the hell made this list? One Name that TOMMY VERCETTI…how do you have CJ and not Tommy on this list…Fuckin retards

    • Jibberish Guy

      Actually… I’m glad Tommy Vercetti wasn’t on the list. 1 Niko Bellic was enough but he really deserves higher placing like maybe…. 8? 13′s way too low

  • Wyatt Fucking Taylor

    first off, this list is the most untrue load of bullshit that i have ever seen in my life, there is way too many mistakes to even say, i cant beleive how bad it is.  

    • http://www.facebook.com/JordanLeePreston Jordan Lee Preston

      It’s based off votes dude, it’s solidified fact so I’d get over it if I were you.

  • Shay

    …I’m just glad some of my favorite characters got in:
    -Cloud Strife
    -Spyro
    -Leon Scott Kennedy (Mehehe.)
    -Sephiroth
    -Dante
    -Zelda

    0.0 No offense, but how did Princess Peach, Pac Man and PIKACHU get on here?

    • http://www.ctrlaltkill.org Andrew Espejo

      wow how did you find this article?

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