10 Video Game Characters I’d Like to Be Friends With

Updated:

22 Aug 2024

Real life is hard. But games can help!

Many people who played video games growing up didn’t have a lot of friends. But playing games brought us a fictional world where we were special when we felt ostracized, where characters relied on us to be the hero when we couldn’t do anything right.

Video games are a form of escapism, but who can blame us? We found our power among pixels—it’s no worse than watching television or reading a book.

I don’t know about you, but I grew quite attached to the characters I grew up playing with. Looking at my modern life, I’ve compiled a list of characters that I’d like to be friends with.

Let’s take a look at who they are and why…

1. Sora (Kingdom Hearts series)

He... he knows how to use that, right??

Sora has long been one of my top picks for fictional characters I’d like to know in real life. Sora is endlessly cheerful and relentlessly loyal.

He never gives up and will do anything to make his friends happy. The most important thing in his life is making people’s lives better. He loves to see people smile and is willing to do the work to get someone to do so, whether it means crossing the universe or simply making a silly face.

I’m just really excited for Kingdom Hearts III right now.

2. Yuna (Final Fantasy X/X-2)

Does she always have to look so sad?

Yuna is soft-spoken but has one of the same major character traits that Sora has: she loves to make people happy. She’s absurdly selfless! She knows that she’s merely considered a beacon of hope and that her continued existence is much less relevant than what she does with it.

Because of this, she allows herself to be taken advantage of in her pursuits to make others happy. I’ve definitely spent a lot of time being like this, so I’d like to teach her the importance of self-care. It’s okay to live a life that revolves around making other people happy, but if you don’t spend any time taking care of yourself, then it wears you down.

The recent remaster of FFX/X-2 is gorgeous.

3. Navi (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)

At least she’s cute and little.

I know Navi gets a lot of crap from gamers because most people see her as really annoying. But think about the practicality of Navi in real life.

On your way to a test but forgot to grab your pencil? Navi would tell you that you probably need that before you leave.

Wanna teach Navi who’s the boss? Try eating her.

What is an annoyance in a game would be a blessing in real life if you’re a forgetful person or if you’re in a rush. Plus, she gives you a targeting mechanism, so you could use that to throw things exactly where you want them—even darts or spitballs!

4. Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog series)

GOTTA GO FAST

Sonic taught me that it’s important to stand up for the little guys. The armies of evil may be scary and tough, but you can’t afford to be afraid. The entire planet depends on Sonic and the Freedom Fighters.

It’s daunting to fight against robot forces, but if Sonic didn’t do it, then who would? It doesn’t matter how small you are—every little bit helps, especially when you allow courage to carry you past even the most frightening of challenges.

Having that much bravery alone makes him a worthy friend. But he’s also a hyperactive speedster, and I can’t help but want him around so he could help me do things more quickly.

Sonic has sped over to mobile devices, too.

5. Carmen Sandiego (Carmen Sandiego series)

You haven’t seen the last of Carmen.

Carmen Sandiego may be considered a villain, but could you imagine having her as a friend?

She’s a woman of the world—she knows a lot about different places and time periods, and she loves to travel. What more could you want from a friend?

Wouldn’t it be amazing to go with her to Italy so she can steal the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Personally, I’d just love to know where she keeps all of her famous landmarks. That’s gotta be one big warehouse!

Carmen will always be relevant to me, no matter how old I get..

6. Pyramid Head/Red Pyramid Thing (Silent Hill series)

Just another day in the life.

Pyramid Head/Red Pyramid Thing might seem like a strange choice to you, but if you’ve seen the second Silent Hill movie, you won’t have a hard time understanding why I’d like to have him as my friend.

He’s already an intimidating character in the series, so he’s certainly someone you should hope to get along with. In the second Silent Hill movie (Silent Hill: Revelation), Pyramid Head [SPOILER] acts as a bodyguard of sorts for the main character. When she calls for help, Pyramid Head is there to save the day [/SPOILER].

Even if you don’t like the Silent Hill movies and/or don’t consider them canon, wouldn’t you still rather be on good terms with the scary creature that has a giant, sharp weapon and a propensity for violence? Seriously.

https://www.facebook.com/SilentHillRevelation/videos/772373686133366/

Pyramid Head IRL

7. Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite)

Most NPCs don’t waste their time judging you. Elizabeth, however, makes time for it.

Elizabeth is the kind of character that you can’t help but remember. She’s intelligent, and not only can she pick locks like a pro, but she can also rip holes in the fabric of the space-time continuum.

Her power to unzip the universe is like a better, more efficient Portal gun. Yes, she has some troubles learning to control her ability, but she’s clearly intelligent enough to improve at it.

Watch this video to learn about the process of creating Elizabeth!

While I don’t promote using lock-picking for illegal purposes, I can’t help but think it would be nice to have her around if you get locked out of your car or something.

8. Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda series)

Fashionable and functional clothing!

Princess Zelda serves as a reminder that a princess can be pretty and feminine while also being a strong, effective leader. Okay, yes, she gets kidnapped. But she is clever and has her own sneaky methods that help her be a self-rescuing princess.

This is a princess who is well-versed in a variety of subjects, making her well-rounded and pretty awesome. She can fight with several different weapons, use amazingly powerful magic, plan military strategy, use diplomacy, and think her way out of just about any situation.

Plus, she’s got a talent for music and destruction!

Zelda has moved from being a two-dimensional bunch of pixels to a brilliant woman with many useful skills. This is seen the most clearly in Hyrule Warriors, but for those of you who don’t consider it canon, you can see these aspects of her shining through in other games in the universe. After all, it’s the legend of Zelda, not Link.

9. Unnamed Prince/Dastan (Prince of Persia series)

He looks a little bit like Yuna from the back.

The unnamed protagonist of the Prince of Persia series (known as Dastan in the movie, Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time) is someone else who I think could be handy to have around.

The main reason is that he’s an amazing climber! Got locked out of your house? He could climb up your house and down through the chimney and just unlock the door for you.

The iconic rooftop escape from the Prince of Persia movie

I’d love to be able to use his Dagger of Time, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t work in our world since the Sands don’t exist here.

In any case, he has stellar acrobatic skills and a fierce determination. I’d love to spend time with him just because he seems so cool.

10. Luigi (Super Mario Bros. franchise)

That is not the face of a merciful man.

Luigi is one of the more respectable members of the Super Mario Bros. universe. He’s not a flashy attention-seeker—he just does what he knows how to do.

He wants to help, but he doesn’t have the massive hero complex that his brother does. Luigi understands how the world works and doesn’t try to affect the status quo.

Despite being shoved to the side all the time, Luigi remains optimistic, even when he’s scared. He admits to his fears and tries to conquer them. Isn’t that more admirable than being someone who will jump into any pipe he comes across and doesn’t have to work toward being brave at all?

Luigi has his own version of adventure.

Honorable Mention: Juliet Starling

Zombies suck!

Since finishing this article, I played Lollipop Chainsaw. Let me tell you this: it is now my favorite console game!

So why Juliet as a friend?

Well, she's got a strong sense of all the qualities I find important in a friend: loyalty, justice, and determination.

Juliet saves her random classmates from hordes of zombies (despite the classmates routinely saying really crude stuff to her when she saves them), saves her boyfriend from becoming a zombie, and goes on to defeat the zombies that are controlling the hordes and taking over her town.

Her sense of loyalty to her school, her friends, and her (now decapitated) boyfriend truly makes her stand out among all of the generic heroes we're given on a regular basis.

When the zombies are being rude and harrassing people, she makes sure that they know it's not okay to be mean, even if you're the undead! She doesn't tolerate any form of bullying at all.

Juliet also knows that it's going to be a serious uphill battle to save seven different areas of her town from powerful zombies, but she knows it's up to her and her family to take care of it. Despite the world crashing down around her, she doesn't stop, even when it gets really scary and disturbing.

She loves her boyfriend, her family, her friends, her classmates, and her hometown. She's not afraid to stand up for herself or anyone else.

And that's exactly the kind of friend I look for.