WAsuka Kazama is a video game character in the Tekken video game series by Namco Bandai Games. Introduced in Tekken 5 in 2004, Asuka is a brash and hot-headed Japanese teenager who is best known for her archrivalry with fellow teenager Lili. Through her father, she is also related to both Jun Kazama and her son, Jin Kazama, although these relationships are rarely touched upon in the series. Appearing in every instalment of the series since Tekken 5, Asuka has received a positive reception from critics and fans, and is often seen as one of the most popular characters in the series.
WAyame is a player character in the Tenchu series of stealth games. Introduced in Acquire's Tenchu: Stealth Assassins in 1998, Ayame is a young prodigy assassin in a historical fantasy version of the 16th century Japan, who has been adopted by a ninja master and raised along with her partner Rikimaru to serve a local clan's lord. She is one of the lead characters in all subsequent installments of Tenchu except of Tenchu Z and has been well received by gaming mass media, often perceived as one of the top assassins and best female ninja characters in video games.
WThe Marvel Comics character Betsy Braddock has made many appearances in media other than comic books, including television, films, and action, fighting and role-playing video games. Her usual power-set includes telekinesis as well as mastery of martial arts and swordplay. Psylocke has been voiced by Grey DeLisle, Heather Doerksen, and Tasha Simm in animations, and by Laura Bailey, Kimberly Brooks, Catherine Disher, Melissa Disney, Kim Mai Guest, Erica Lindbeck, Junk Luk, Masasa Moyo, and April Stewart in video games. In the film series, she was portrayed by Meiling Melançon and Olivia Munn.
WBorderlands 2 is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. Taking place five years following the events of Borderlands (2009), the game is once again set on the planet of Pandora. The story follows a new group of Vault Hunters who must ally with the Crimson Raiders, a resistance group made up of civilian survivors and guerrilla fighters, to defeat the tyrannical Handsome Jack before he can unlock the power of a new Vault. The game features the ability to explore the in-game world and complete both main missions and optional side quests, either in single-player or online cooperative gameplay. Like its predecessor, the game features a procedurally generated loot system which is capable of generating numerous combinations of weapons and other gear.
WBorderlands 3 is an action role-playing first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. It is a sequel to 2012's Borderlands 2, and the fourth entry in the main Borderlands series. Borderlands 3 was released on 13 September 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and on 30 October 2019 for Apple macOS. A Stadia port was released on 17 December 2019. Versions for and the Xbox Series X and Series S and PlayStation 5 including free upgrades for users on the prior console versions were released on November 10 and November 12, respectively.
WCyrax is a player character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise created for Midway Games by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Making his debut in Mortal Kombat 3 in 1995, he is a member of the Lin Kuei clan of assassins who underwent transformation into cyborgs. Along with counterparts Sektor and Smoke, Cyrax was assigned to hunt down the rogue former clansman Sub-Zero. Unlike Sektor, he and Smoke were able to rediscover their human sides, with Cyrax in particular joining Sonya Blade and Jax Briggs as a member of the Outer World Investigation Agency after having his soul restored. His backstory prior to his transformation is expanded upon in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot.
WFinal Fantasy IV, a role-playing video game released by Square in 1991, revolves around Cecil Harvey, a knight of Baron who embarks on a quest to defeat Golbez, a man that is controlling the king of Baron. During Cecil's quest, he is joined by his childhood friends Kain Highwind and Rosa Farrell, as well as other warriors from around the world who also seek to stop Golbez. The visuals of the characters were designed by Yoshitaka Amano. After its initial release, Final Fantasy IV was later ported to multiple consoles. In 2007, Square Enix released an enhanced remake for the Nintendo DS that added voice acting to both the Japanese and English versions.
WErmac is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. The character originated due to rumors over a diagnostics menu listing that displayed the text ERMACS and were followed by claims of an alleged glitch in the first game, which were perpetuated by video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM). Due to the growing interest, he was added by the series developers to the roster of playable characters in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, as a red palette swap of Scorpion. Ermac has become a recurring character in the Mortal Kombat games after playing a central role in Mortal Kombat: Deception, in which he had a distinctive redesign and joined forces with series protagonist Liu Kang, but he has had smaller roles in subsequent series releases.
WThe Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise began in 1991 with the game Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman. The sequel, Sonic 2, gave Sonic a fox friend named Tails. Sonic CD introduced Amy Rose, a female hedgehog with a persistent crush on Sonic. Sonic 3 introduced Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's rival and, later, friend. All five of these have remained major characters and appeared in dozens of games.
WGenji Shimada appears as a playable character in the first-person shooter video game Overwatch, developed in 2016 by Blizzard Entertainment. Genji also appears in Overwatch-related media, including animated shorts, as well as a playable character in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena game Heroes of the Storm.
WFrank Jaeger, better known by his codename Gray Fox, is a fictional character and protagonist from Konami's Metal Gear series. Created by Hideo Kojima and designed by Yoji Shinkawa, he first appears in the series' original 1987 game Metal Gear, and is one of the few characters to appear in both the original 2D games and the later 3D games. First introduced in the original game as a high-ranking agent of FOXHOUND who goes missing during a mission to Outer Heaven, he is saved by fellow FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake but goes missing during the original game and its sequel Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake during which he is revealed to have sided with Big Boss; he is eventually defeated and left for dead. The character is reintroduced in Metal Gear Solid as the Cyborg Ninja, a mysterious being wearing a powered armor exoskeleton and armed with a high-frequency blade. During Liquid Snake's FOXHOUND revolt at Shadow Moses, he confronts Solid Snake on several occasions, while also providing advice via CODEC as a faceless contact named Deepthroat. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, set twenty-five years before the original Metal Gear, also features his teenage iteration using the codename Null.
WGreninja is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise, introduced in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, that has since appeared across a wide variety of Pokemon media. It is the final evolution of Froakie, the Water-type starter Pokemon of X and Y, with either the ability 'Torrent' or 'Protean', with 'Battle Bond' as an event ability, enabling it to become Ash-Greninja, and the immediate evolution of Frogadier. Categorized as the "Ninja Pokémon", Greninja is a Water- and Dark-type Pokemon who is a frog-like master of swiftness and stealth.
WGuy is a video game character who first appeared in the 1989 arcade beat-em-up Final Fight by Capcom. Guy, along with other Final Fight series characters, has also been a recurring player character in the Street Fighter fighting game series since Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams in 1995. Guy is a crimson-clad ninpō master of Japanese descent who has been taught the Bushin form of ninjutsu. The kanji, 武神, written on Guy's top literally translates to "God of War".
WHitomi is a player character in the Dead or Alive series of fighting games by Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. She was introduced in Dead or Alive 3 in 2001, replacing Ein/Hayate as the regular karate martial artist in the character roster. Hitomi is of Japanese and German descent, and she regularly enters the Dead or Alive fighting tournaments either to test her skills against other martial artists, or out of personal reasons. The character has been well received by game critics for her sex appeal and personality.
WIbuki is a character in Capcom's Street Fighter series. First appearing in Street Fighter III: New Generation in 1997, she is a young prodigy ninja-in-training from an ancient clan, but who nevertheless would prefer to live the normal life of a modern Japanese teenager. Ibuki has a pet raccoon dog named Don, a close friend in Sakura, and her friendly rivals include R. Mika. She has also appeared in other games and her own comic book miniseries.
WJade is a fictional character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series by Midway Games. Debuting in 1993's Mortal Kombat II as an unplayable secret character who was a green palette swap of Kitana and Mileena, Jade made her first playable appearance in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. She has since become a regular supporting character in the franchise, appearing on series merchandise in addition to alternate Mortal Kombat media, such as comic books and the feature film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
WJago is a player character in the Killer Instinct fighting game series created by Rare. Introduced in the original Killer Instinct in 1994, he has appeared in every entry in the series to date. A monk who fights with the aid of a mysterious tiger spirit, Jago is the male protagonist of the series, along with his older sister Orchid.
WKasumi is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Dead or Alive fighting game series by Team Ninja and Tecmo. Kasumi has served as the lead character of the Dead or Alive franchise since its premiere in 1996. She was a main character in the first and fifth games of the series and in the film DOA: Dead or Alive.
WKitana is a fictional character from the Mortal Kombat media franchise. She was introduced as one of the new player characters in the fighting game Mortal Kombat II in 1993. Since then, Kitana appeared in a majority of Mortal Kombat series' video games and its other media, including the films Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and the series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Mortal Kombat: Konquest, and Mortal Kombat: Legacy, becoming one of the most popular and recognizable characters of the franchise.
WMai Shiranui is a player character in the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK. She has also appeared in other media of these franchises and in a number of other games since her debut in 1992's Fatal Fury 2 as the first female character in an SNK fighting game. She also appears in the games' various manga and anime adaptations and plays a leading role in the live-action film.
WMaki Genryusai , more commonly known simply as Maki , is a fictional character in the Final Fight and Street Fighter video game series by Capcom. She has originally appeared in the 1993 beat 'em up game Final Fight 2 as a younger sister of Guy's fiancée and one of the game's protagonist characters. Like Guy, Maki is trained in the Bushin style of ninjutsu and uses many of the same abilities and techniques.
WMileena is a player and occasional boss character from the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games. A dual sai-wielding assassin, she acts as the evil twin and magenta palette swap of Princess Kitana in Mortal Kombat II in 1993. She has been promoted throughout the Mortal Kombat games as its semi-ironic sex symbol, especially since Mortal Kombat: Deception when she began a pattern of wearing more revealing outfits.
WMomiji (紅葉) is a fictional character from the Ninja Gaiden series of video games by Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. She is a ninja shrine maiden and an apprentice and team mate of the series' protagonist Ryu Hayabusa, who was introduced as a supporting playable character in 2008's action game Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Momiji later returned in this role in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, and is also available in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate/Last Round, Dead or Alive 6, Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper/Ultimate, and Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. She becomes the one of the two main protagonists of the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 4. In most of her appearances, Momiji is voiced by Yūko Minaguchi in Japanese and by Kate Higgins in English. Her character has been generally well received by the series' fans and game critics.
WJoe Musashi is a player character and main hero in Sega's Shinobi series of video games, first introduced in 1987. The character has achieved great popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when it was used as one of Sega' mascot characters. During this time he was cast as the protagonist of the original arcade game as well the Mega Drive/Genesis sequels The Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, also starring in two Game Gear titles. The Mega Drive/Genesis game Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi also starred Joe Musashi in its overseas release, although the character was originally written to be his estranged son in the Japanese version. In more recent Shinobi titles, he appears as an unlockable character in the 2002's Shinobi and its follow-up Nightshade and in Shinobi 3D, which stars his father Jiro.
WNoob Saibot is a fictional character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by NetherRealm Studios and Midway Games. Initially introduced as a black silhouette of 1993's Mortal Kombat II's other male ninja characters sharing their special moves, he would be given his own unique move-set and appearance in later games, while his backstory would be greatly extended upon. His name consists of the surnames of Mortal Kombat creators Ed Boon and John Tobias spelled backward.
WRaiden , real name Jack , is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Konami's Metal Gear series of video games. The character was created by Hideo Kojima and designed by Yoji Shinkawa, and was introduced in the series as the main player character of the 2001 stealth game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. In Metal Gear Solid 2, Raiden appears to be a member of the U.S. special operations unit FOXHOUND and is participating in his first mission against terrorists. Despite coming across as a rookie, he is a young soldier who is later revealed to have been a Liberian child soldier. Raiden also appears as a supporting character in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, in which he is assisting the series' protagonist Solid Snake in his fight against Revolver Ocelot's forces. He is also the main character of the hack and slash game Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, in which he is dealing with his past and his present life as a combatant who faces enemies from private military companies.
WRain is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by NetherRealm Studios/Midway Games. He was created by series programmer Ed Boon as a palette-swapped joke red herring inserted into Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. In order to stir up fan interest in the game, he became a playable character in the follow-up title Mortal Kombat Trilogy. In the games, Rain is from the fictional realm of Edenia like Kitana and Jade, but he does not share his compatriots' allegiance to their homeland and instead opts to serve evil Outworld emperor Shao Kahn. He plays his most prominent role in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, where he is revealed to be a demigod and related to the protagonist of the game's storyline.
WReptile is a video game character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise created for Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. He debuted in Mortal Kombat as a hidden opponent; it was the first fighting game to introduce a secret fighter, reached if the player fulfilled a set of requirements. He appeared in subsequent titles as a playable character, also appearing in the merchandise and other media related to the series.
WRikimaru (力丸) is a fictional character in the Tenchu video game series. He is featured in every game in the series, including as a player character in most of them. The character's critical reception was mostly positive as one of the more realistic ninja characters in video gaming and one of the earliest stealth game heroes.
WRyu Hayabusa is a fictional character who serves as the main protagonist of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden action-adventure video game series, in addition to featuring as a player character in the Dead or Alive fighting game franchise by Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja where he serves as the protagonist in Dead or Alive 2. He is a dragon-human hybrid who wields an ancestral weapon called the Dragon Sword, and is the leader of the Hayabusa ninja clan. One of Tecmo's most enduring characters, Ryu has appeared on official series merchandise as well as the feature film DOA: Dead or Alive, and has made many crossover appearances in other games. He has received public and critical reception as one of the most iconic ninjas in video games.
WScorpion is a playable character and the mascot in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. Making his debut as one of the original seven playable characters in Mortal Kombat in 1992, he is an undead ninja specter seeking revenge for his death at the hands of Quan Chi.
WSektor is a player character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise created for Midway Games by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Making his debut in Mortal Kombat 3 in 1995, he is a member of the Lin Kuei clan of assassins who underwent transformation into cyborgs. Along with counterparts Cyrax and Smoke, Sektor was assigned to hunt down the rogue former clansman Sub-Zero. Unlike Cyrax and Smoke, Sektor never rediscovered his human side and pledged his complete loyalty to the Lin Kuei. He battled with Sub-Zero over leadership of the clan before forming his own faction, the Tekunin; composed entirely of other cybernetic warriors. His backstory prior to his transformation is expanded upon in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, in which he is officially seen as a human prior to automation for the first time.
WSkarlet is a fictional character featured in the fighting game series Mortal Kombat. She debuted in the 2011 Mortal Kombat game, where she was the only full-fledged newcomer to the game. Originally a rumored glitch character similar to Ermac, Skarlet was the first ever DLC character in a Mortal Kombat game. Skarlet was created by Shao Kahn using the blood of many warriors. As such, many of her attacks use blood. Since her debut, she has become known for having some of the most gruesome Fatalities.
WSmoke is a player character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise. He first appeared in Mortal Kombat II (1993) as a hidden unplayable opponent and grey ninja palette swap of Scorpion who would make random onscreen appearances during gameplay. He made his official playable debut in 1995's Mortal Kombat 3 as an unlockable character, this time as an indigo-colored swap of the game's cybernetic ninjas, Sektor and Cyrax.
WStrider Hiryu is a fictional character jointly owned by Capcom and Moto Kikaku. Although primarily known as a game character, Hiryu debuted in 1988 as the protagonist of a Japan-exclusive manga titled Strider Hiryu, published by Kadokawa Shoten.
WSub-Zero is the name of a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios.
WTaki , known as the Hunter of Darkness , is a fictional character in the Soulcalibur series of historical fantasy fighting games by Namco. Taki is a Japanese demon-hunting kunoichi and the greatest warrior of the Fu-Ma ninja clan, who is traveling the world on a quest to destroy the powerful swords known as Soul Edge and Soul Calibur.
WVega is a fictional character from the Street Fighter fighting game series by Capcom. Vega is a mask-wearing, claw-wielding fighter from Spain who uses a personal fighting style combining Japanese ninjutsu and Spanish bullfighting, earning him the nickname of "Spanish Ninja".
WYoshimitsu (吉光) is a name used by several player characters in the Tekken and Soulcalibur series of fighting games by Namco. Although details of the character's biographies have varied in different games and other media, each Yoshimitsu is consistently portrayed as the leader of the honorable Manji clan, a practitioner of ninjutsu, and a master swordsman with a mechanical prosthetic arm. The characters have been well-received by critics.
WYuffie Kisaragi is a video game character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. Designed by Tetsuya Nomura, she was first introduced in the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII as a young female ninja princess and thief. She can become one of the game's player characters after finishing a special sidequest. Yuffie reappears in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, expanding her background and showing her after the events of the original game.
WPrincess Zelda is the titular character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. She appears in several incarnations throughout the series, generally as a member of Hyrule's royal family, an associate of the protagonist Link and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.