Summary
Have you ever felt like thecharacters in an RPG are ridiculous? Well, most RPGs have plenty of colorful characters to meet and greet, but that is a necessary part of the genre.Be it an action RPG or a JRPGwith its own companion anime series, all of them have that one particular character (or several) that makes players think: what the hell is going on here?
From the more than obvious comic relief to that particular character everyone hates and never shuts up, the weirdest of characters that give spice to some of the most popular RPGs are here to stay. This list explores some of the best of these characters, analyzing the roles they play in these wacky tales of action and adventure.
Spoilers Ahead for the games listed
Don’t get us wrong here: We love Gale and Astarion, but they can be totally ridiculous at times. Gale is one of those arrogant guys who always have a plan B and never reveals his true play until it’s either far too late to correct course, or when players finally discover what is going on with him, he openly brags about how he did it all “in the name of love.” So, if players have him as an origin character, they might not feel 100% sure of where his story goes, until they actually discover the truth and say, “Okay, this is definitely wrong on so many levels.” When he is a party member, Gale can be quite obnoxious, with his snarky responses and arrogant know-it-all attitude that gives him that finishing touch everyone enjoys. More so if players keep in mind that the guy is literally a Magically Empowered Nuke waiting for the right moment to detonate, and can give players a “bad ending” scene at every possible minute if they are not careful.
Then we’ve got Astarion, with his whimsical attitude and arrogant demeanor, thinking himself better than everyone. Of course, he can be charming, and tremendously sexy at the same time, but he is also a pain in the rear. He’s got to be the most polarizing character inBaldur’s Gate 3;players either love him or hate him. His origin story is great, with so many dark and dirty little secrets to explore, and a more than compelling character background to uncoverat every step of the main campaign. Since his story is so intertwined with another ridiculous character (Gandrel), it is more than necessary to at least pay some attention to his demands throughout the adventure, and that can be a little bit taxing for players who want to go through the “goody two shoes” route; this is very much not recommended for Paladin players trying an Honour Mode Run.
Divinity: Original Sin 2has a cast of incredible characters, and some of the most ludicrous too. Starting from an exiled Reptilian Prince who thinks of himself as basically God, to a former elf slave who is on a warpath to kill those who marked her with binding magic. Yes, ridiculous characters and their zany humor are the main course in this game, like the talking squirrel Sir Lora, who mounts an undead cat, and according to him “is on a quest to save the world from the Great Acorn.”
Each of these characters is constantly testing the player’s patience anddetermination to complete the main quest, and each interaction in the world where they are given free reign over the conversation can end poorly. Except for Sir Lora, who plays a less-than-secondary role and is only considered comic relief, the rest of the cast have their own agendas, and most of them are selfish bastards who only seek and destroy everything they consider an enemy, especially Sebille. As such, this game is not only fun to play, but tremendously difficult to survive due to the randomness that can happen throughout every negotiation, dialogue cutscene, and most importantly, its merciless battle system that will leave players begging for answers.
Speaking about polarizing series,Kingdom Heartsoccupies a special place among fans of the RPG genre, especially for those who care not for ridiculous and Goofy (pun intended) characters appearing throughout their adventure. It is inKingdom Hearts 3that this takes its ultimate form, especially in terms of ridiculous characters. From the most obvious of the bunch, Jack Sparrow, to the cranky (and often marked as totally game-breaking) Donald Duck, this list could go on and on since the game has a crowded cast of Disney characters in all their sparkly glory, but let’s stick with those two for the moment.
Jack Sparrow is the protagonist of some of the most ridiculous cutscenes in the game, from his overly exaggerated animated movements (even more eccentric than the original played by Johnny Depp) to the part where he literally turns into a giant pile of crabs; and no, there’s no actual joke in this, this does indeed happen and it is ludicrous. Then there’s Donald Duck, a character who has been, in all lights, one of the pillars ofKingdom Heartssince its first iteration. Well, inKH3, Donald appears to be much more broken, since he’s the world’s most powerful Dark Mage. He actually uses a more powerful version of the Megaflare (Bahamut’s signature move) called Zettaflare, and since Megaflare can destroy a whole world, imagine the dangers that Donald’s magic could bring to entire universes. He definitely is the most polarizing character in the franchise.
Chrono Crossis the pinnacle of JRPGs, with an incredible story and a variety of characters that players can recruit throughout the adventure, with a whopping 45 total playable characters (that are known of). Depending on timing, choices, and most importantly, if players know where to look for and who to talk to, they can come across some of the most incredible (and often ridiculous) characters in the game. One of them is a pink and goofy dog named Poshul, who players can find near the starting area of the game, and can be recruited by giving her a bone. Yes, that’s it, players need to find a bone and give it to her. Otherwise, she’s a totally missable character, and she just so happens to be one of the most broken characters as well, with stats that will carry players to the dangerous endgame with ease.
Then, story-wise, Kid is one of the most ridiculous characters, since she is the the clone of Princess Schala (fromChrono Trigger) who was sent through time and space as a baby to be later found by Lucca. After a series of crazy, far-fetched events, she ended up compromising the entire timeline by saving Serge (the MC) from drowning, potentially starting the entire time split crisis and creating two parallel realities. All that is in only a small and seemingly innocent frame, and the worst part is yet to come: all of this was an overarching plan hatched by Belthazar, the Wise of Time and Reason,to ensure the destruction of the Time Devourer. We could also talk about how Harle is the most innocent-looking and most dangerous creature in the entire universe, and how she outsmarts and plays the MC and his merry band of time-crossing friends for fools, but that would be too much of a spoiler.
Speaking about ridiculous JRPG characters,Tales of Zestiriatakes the prize home, with its main character Sorey being one of the biggest weirdos ever createdto play the protagonist role for a fantasy RPG. First and foremost, he is entirely oblivious, sheltered, and lacks common sense. Players who are fans of anime will notice he has the “raised by spirits in a mountain away from civilization” trope as part of his background design, so it makes sense that he is totally oblivious. Add to that, he is the only one who can see spirits, and since spirits are basically most of the party members throughout the adventure, that can totally look like him talking to thin air most of the time, which people barely react to; this is in itself totally ludicrous.
Then we get Lailah, a seraph (spirit) of fire, and another oblivious, cliché, and naive character who plays the lead female role throughout the story. We got Edna, who is supposed to be a natural prankster, though her jokes are awful (like the Normin-carena one, which is the lamest of them all) and so cringey that they’ll make you cry salt. This character is inspired by the gnomes (earth spirits) and lore-wise it is a given that she should be a little bit feisty and act up all the time. Instead, this is translated to a whole new level of annoyance and ridiculous jokes that totally destroy the otherwise great character background she could have had. To top it off, players can also encounter Zaveid, a cliché skirt-chaser character who is always getting in trouble with other female spirits and even encourages the MC to be a voyeurist or commit crude fan-service acts which are totally unnecessary for the development of the plot. In other words: Players have a whole crew of ridiculous characters to recruit.
