The Best Heroes And Villains Of 2021

New year brings new video games heroes and bad guys. This year had a lot of great stand-outs – from characters we met for the first time to old favorites. It was difficult to narrow down the top choices, but we have compiled our list of our favorite heroes and villains for 2021. 

It is important to note that neither the list nor its contents are ordered. This means that just because one character appears prior or following another, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are better or worse.

HEROES

Ethan Winters – Resident Evil Village

Horror protagonists who are relatable find it easier to believe in their situations than they would. This is what makes Ethan Winters such a good lead in the two Resident Evil games he’s starred in – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and this year’s excellent Resident Evil Village. 

Ethan is completely beside himself with his surroundings compared to other Resident Evil protagonists – who often have more in common with the Terminator than Laurie Strode*. He is disgusted and horrified by the awful things happening to him, his family, and friends all throughout Village. Ethan’s first encounter with a pack werewolf in the opening of the game leaves him scared beyond belief. He runs from his castle and hides after being pursued by Lady Dimitrescu (see the below). Ethan is annoyed and exasperated by the constant terror he seems to be facing at the end. 

Village’s horrors are rooted in Ethan’s humanity. Through his responses, we can see how similar situations would affect us. Although he may not be the most engaging or charismatic of characters on this list, we are able to see through his reactions. 

Alex Chen – Life Is Strange: True Colors

Alex Chen is the epitome of empathy. This may sound a little strange, but Life is Strange: True Colors does it. 

Erika Mori, an actress who played Alex in Life is Strange was a stunning performance. Mori’s believable and human portrayal allowed us to fit into Alex’s world – easily allowing us to relate to her, care about her wellbeing, and want to make decisions that worked best for her future. She was a joy to be around and her charm added the cherry on top. 

Alex is one of the best heroes of the year because her power of empathy helps us to care about others in this game world – helping us as the player to relate, sympathize, and work for a better future in this universe. 

Razputin “Raz” Acquatto – Psychonauts 2

Razputin Acquatto “Raz”, out of all the characters, might be the most genuine. At his core, Raz is a kid that just wants to help people – even if he often fumbles along the way.

Raz is a welcome change of pace compared to most characters in big-budget, first-party-developed video games. Especially up against one of Microsoft’s other main characters from this year, Master Chief – who while acting nobly as determined by the fiction, is still killing scores of people – Raz’s playful innocence and tendency to question the world around him in a way that doesn’t require loss of life and limb is a wonderful breath of fresh air. 

Raz writes by Tim SchaferDouble Fine Productions’ founder and CEO, is a humanist who brings an element of humanity into the role. As a 10-year-old, Raz is both passionate and naive. Schafer is the sole author on Psycnoanuts 2. This can make it feel somewhat one-note, but the thought and care that went into Raz should not be underestimated. Schafer masterfully balances making Raz the same character from 2005’s Psychonauts films with updating him to 2021. 

In a year full of new games for legacy characters – Ratchet and Clank and the aforementioned Master Chief, to name a few – Raz stands out as one of the freshest video game characters of the year.

Kit – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Kit, at the minimum, is one of the best characters in the entire year. However, this robot’s sales pitch is a bit too weak. In a game full of great characters – including but not limited to long-time fan-favorites Ratchet Clank – Kit stands out for her unique approach to the game’s world, selflessness in the face of danger, and ability to bring people back together from the brink of collapse. 

Though Kit’s past is marred by tragedy, and her present colored by depression, by the time credits roll on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, she’s gone through a whole hero’s journey, coming out the other end a new, self-confident, and sure-of-herself robot. We hope to see more of her in future Ratchet & Clank games, because not only is she one of the best characters of 2021, she’s the best character the series has had in years. 

Colt Vahn – Deathloop

It hasn’t been Colt Vahn’s day – for a couple years. Is there more? Trapped in a timeloop, asked to complete a near-impossible task – kill eight targets within 24 hours or repeat the same day – this poor man just wants to go home. He’ll never be able to do it again, no matter how hard he tries. 

Not too unlike Ethan Winters above, Colt** works as a character mainly because he’s relatable given his in-game circumstances. Deathloop is not shy about telling you that being in a timeloop trap would be a terrible thing. It’s a pity., and Colt perfectly captures how we all might react to repeating the same day ad infinitum – with anger, annoyance, and confusion. 

Jason E. Kelley is the voice actor who gives Colt one of his best performances. Kelley is funny, charming, charming and sometimes mean. He seamlessly switches between Colt’s different emotions as Deathloop continues, which gives him personality and depth. The game’s superb writing makes Kelley a clear choice for the character that year.

VILLAINS 

Lady Dimitrescu – Resident Evil Village

Two major reasons Resident Evil Village’s Lady Dimitrescu was embraced by the internet earlier in this year are: The first was her looks. She’s hot. Another was her way of using her sexuality in both a seductive and frightening way. She’s the type of character you can’t help but find yourself drawn to despite your fear – but by then, it’s much too late. 

Although she has only been in Village for a short time, Lady D is Village’s standout antagonist. As a close-inimical to Mr. X, Lady D stalks Ethan Winters and, by extension, the players, trying to help him find his way out of her castle. She plays with our fears, inflicts our intelligence and, most importantly, is able to mutilate our bodies. This proves that she has complete control. 

Lady D has been adored by the Internet despite all this. The internet was abuzz with fanart before Village ever came out. There were a lot of people who wanted Lady D’s horrific, terrifying acts of cruelty to be enacted on their own. By the time the game came out, Lady D – excellently portrayed by actress Maggie Robertson – seemed to acknowledge the internet’s thirst for her; playing her character menacingly, sure, but also flirtatiously and seductively. A character design that is simple and easy to imagine will make Lady D a great way to attract the Internet’s attention.  

It’s hard to think of any other character in 2021 that so captured the video game zeitgeist – especially one so unimaginably cruel. We couldn’t find anyone more worthy to receive our highest acknowledgments for this.

Jean Baptiste – No More Heroes III

After returning to Earth and reuniting with his human companion, the fluffy, adorable alien we met in No More Heroes III’s opening moments called FU reveals himself to be a smarmy a—— galactic prince known as Jess Baptiste VI. Now that he’s all grown up, Jess isn’t just back to visit his now mega-rich CEO friend Damon but to conquer the planet with his gang of space cronies in vile and violent ways.

Jess Baptiste VI, an immature and vindictive surly man, will make his friends die under Travis Touchdown’s whim before getting to work. Despite his obnoxious nature, FU is a kind and caring person. He often treats his comrades as a last meal before delivering them on to their grizzly ends. The quiet moments add a lot of depth and humanity to the wicked prince and his subordinates. No More Heroes III has many issues, but the game’s colorful villain is enough to keep players moving through the ranks of galactic assassins to witness his final bitter end.

Leshy – Inscryption 

There are many great villains in Inscryption, but it’s impossible to talk about all of them. One villain, however, is met almost immediately upon starting the part-deck-builder, part-escape room-thriller, and that’s Leshy. 

Leshy is initially a rival wanting to play card with you. Lose a couple of matches, and you’ll discover he’s much more than that. He wants to play cards but also to see you create your own eyes out to beat him. 

You will also be expected to continue playing his roguelike game of cards over and over again until you are able to overcome all its unjust rules and defeat the evil Leshy. Not only does he feature some great villain highlights – he’s a scary elderly man, absolutely out of his mind, intent on watching you endure pain, and unwilling to let you leave his forest cabin – he’s also someone with more depth than one might perceive at first. Inscryption will have Leshy appear in unexpected ways. His ability to keep us on our toes through the game’s 12-hour journey, while also maintaining a sickly grin through it all, is what makes him one of this year’s best and most memorable villains. 

Kaiju Bowser – Bowser’s Fury

One of the most surprising games of 2021 might have been Bowser’s Fury – a new pack-in game with the Switch re-release of Super Mario 3D World. One of the greatest things about Bowser’s Fury is that it features one of our favorite villains. 

Bowser of Bowser Fury, the Bowser of Bowser’s Fury is a Koopa like we have known for decades. But this time he is really large. This is really, really large. Kaiju-level big. 

Bowser can seem like an ordinary villain compared with other ones on the list. But in terms of Bowser’s Fury, the monster’s constant threat, ability to impede progress, and uncanny ability to start a fight created a Mario experience we hadn’t seen before – one where danger was unexpected and menacing. 

Let’s not forget the elephant in this room. Big Bowser gave us an opportunity to play Kaiju Mario with a adorable little cat costume. 

Julianna Blake – Deathloop

Deathloop’s Julianna is an excellent example of a villain who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Sure, she takes her cause seriously – stop Colt from breaking the loop – but she’s not constantly monologuing about her mission. Colt gets a lot of laughs from her, as she’s enjoying the bizarre rules of the game. In that sense, it may be more accurate to call her Deathloop’s greatest foil, rather than antagonist***. 

Deathloop may not be a dark game but Julianna is known for her funny writing. Portrayed by actress Ozioma Akagha, coupled with the aforementioned performance by Jason E. Kelley, Julianna’s constant banter with Colt brings life to both characters – highlighting their personalities, oppositions, beliefs, and even senses of humor. The revelation that the game has finally revealed the truth about the relationship between the two adds an extra dimension to many of the Deathloop conversations. 

Julianna is charismatic and charming. She’s also funny and easy to like. However, she’s not necessarily evil. While that might make her an odd choice in the “Best Villains” list of videogame characters, we still love her as one of our favorite people to fight. 

*While writing this, I realized that Laurie Strode has more in common these days with the Terminator than she does her humble beginnings as a scared teenager in the original Halloween. This is the main reason why 2018, Halloween reboot is a terrible movie – though by no means is it the only reason. 

Laurie, who is the iconic character of the film’s 1978 version, has lost control. Faced by Michael Myers (always-present, always stalking), she cannot help but hide, scream and cry. When she finally fights back against Myers, it feels like more of a fortunate break than a heroic deed. 

Laurie is a 2018 remake of the movie. Laurie has, however, undergone firearm training similar to military members and fortified her small house with sufficient protection to make Fort Knox blush. None of this makes sense considering the movie paints her as an alcoholic that can’t hold a job or her life together – which, it’s worth pointing out, is handled with as much taste and class as a wrecking ball, perpetuating harmful stereotypes about addiction. 

Let this annotation remind you that Laurie is the only character I am referring to in the original Halloween movie.  

**Depending on how you look at Deathloop, there’s a fair read that Colt is actually the villain and Julianna is the hero. It might still be better to see them as morally confused. They both act selfishly and for noble causes, which directly conflict with one another. So in Julianna’s world she is the hero and Colt the villain. Colt’s world is vice-versa. 

*** See note above.