Revenge is a popular theme in video games, as seen in The Last of Us Part 2 where Ellie seeks those who murdered Joel and Sifu, where a martial arts student tries to avenge their father’s death. In video games, it’s easy to root for the main characters who are driven by revenge as players empathize with their cause and feel for them.
But while almost all video game characters are able to exact their revenge, some have more satisfying conclusions to their vindictive missions. On Reddit, gamers discuss the best video game characters who successfully exacted their revenge.
Travis Touchdown (No More Heroes)
The main character of No More Heroes, Travis Touchdown has gone through a lot prior to the events of the first game. It was revealed that Travis’ parents were killed when he was younger by his half-sister, Jeane. After entering the United Assassins Association, he aspires to get to the top spot in order to impress a lover.
He soon meets his half-sister, who reveals that she killed Travis’ parents as his father abused her. After a dazzling fight, Redditor arkhe22 notes that “Travis gets his” revenge as he kills Jeane and secures the top spot in the UAA. Travis’ successful revenge plan is all the more satisfying for players, considering that the character was, by all means, a loser at the start of the game, considering that he lives in a bad apartment and is a satire of an otaku.
Miguel Rojo (Tekken 7)
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There are a lot of interesting and great characters in the fighting game series Tekken, all of whom have interesting backstories and reasons why they joined the King of Iron Fist tournament. Miguel Rojo, a character introduced in Tekken 6, is hellbent on finding Jin Kazama, the leader of Mishima Zaibatsu who indirectly killed his sister.
In Tekken 7, Miguel finally meets Jin face-to-face and defeats him in battle. However, Redditor SkewerSTARS highlights how satisfying Miguel’s character arc is, despite not killing Jin, as he only spared him “because it isn’t the right time”. Miguel will wait until Jin finds his happiness, before pouncing again for the kill, as he wants Jin to experience the pain he feels.
Arno Dorian (Assassin’s Creed Unity)
The main protagonist of Assassin’s Creed Unity is Arno Dorian, a Master Assassin who was raised by a Grand Master of the French Rite of the Templar Order. He grew up alongside the Grand Master’s daughter Élise, who later became his lover. Unfortunately, Élise was murdered by François-Thomas Germain, another aspiring Grand Master who sought to make radical changes.
Arno was then driven by revenge to kill Germain, which according to Reddit randomfox was slow and satisfying. They add that Arno had “this look of utter satisfaction and righteousness on his face while doing it”, which at that point gamers would have been deeply engrossed in the story, allowing them to fully feel the gratifying vengeance Arno seeks.
Abby (The Last Of Us Part 2)
The Last of Us Part 2 looks at two main characters who both want to seek revenge. For one, Abby has long been looking for Joel, who apparently killed Abby’s father after he tried operating on Ellie. Unbeknownst to Abby, Ellie was watching her beat Joel to death, who then promises to find Abby to avenge the man she considered her father.
While in some way, both of the playable characters in the game get their revenge, Reddit user GoneRampant1 finds that Abby has a more satisfying revenge arc as she “gets to kill Joel”, beat up Ellie and Dina, and ultimately “leave the game alive”, despite being falsely introduced as the antagonist at the start of the game. Meanwhile, Ellie loses two fingers and her girlfriend in her bid for vengeance.
Jacket (Hotline Miami)
Hotline Miami is one of the most difficult indie games as it only takes one hit to get killed in the game. In the game, a character named Jacket goes on various assassination missions based on the cryptic messages he gets in his answering machine. As he goes on his missions, Jacket’s girlfriend is killed by another masked assassin, who has also been prompted by the same cryptic messages he receives.
Jacket then finds out that the messages have been sent out by the Russian mafia. Redditor solidoutlaw notes that after Jacket fights his way through the mob and kills the Russian mafia bosses, there’s a satisfying scene in the game where he walks out on a balcony to “just smoke a cigarette”. And after all the trouble that he’s been through in the game and getting revenge for his murdered girlfriend, the silent Jacket deserves to have a smoke and more.
Aiden Pearce (Watch Dogs)
A lot of gamers find Aiden Pearce to be a boring and bland game protagonist. Despite that, Aiden does have a reason for pursuing the life of a vigilante. After her niece was killed due to the actions of a crime syndicate, Aiden uses his superb hacking skills to exact revenge on those who harmed his family.
In a Reddit comment, Terthelt says that despite what other gamers might feel towards Aiden, he does have a satisfying revenge story as he kills the villain by hacking into his pacemaker and shuts it off. They also add that they “love his response after killing the old gangster who ruined his life”. In the game, Aiden notes that while some people say he should just let go of revenge, he feels great for avenging his family.
Corvo Attano (Dishonored)
The main character of the game Dishonored is Corvo Attano, a bodyguard to the Empress of the Isles. After he is framed for the murder of the Empress, Corvo is then forced to live the life of an assassin, and he swears that he will avenge himself by hunting those who conspired for his downfall.
According to Reddit user green715, Corvo has a satisfying revenge story, which makes sense especially since the game’s “marketing phrase” was “Revenge Solves Everything”. Gamers satisfyingly exact retribution for Corvo by allowing him to kill the leader of the Loyalists and clear his name. However, the ending of the game depends on the amount of chaos amassed by the players, so their level of satisfaction will vary depending on the choices they make in the game.
Kratos (God Of War)
Kratos is a character that gets revenge and then some. The franchise is built on Kratos’ hatred for the gods, which started when he was deceived by Ares into killing his wife and child after blindly attacking a village.
Kratos then promises to kill Ares and succeeds well, so much so that he’s able to gain the attention of the other gods, who he soon learns is just as vile. Reddit user Hawkbone notes that they enjoyed Kratos’ quest for revenge, especially since it didn’t frame “getting revenge” as a “bad thing” with all the satisfying violence Kratos inflicts on the supposedly immortal gods.
Velvet Crowe (Tales Of Berseria)
The long-running JRPG series Tales has Tales of Berseria as its sixteenth entry. The game follows the story of Velvet Crowe, a family-oriented woman whose pregnant sister was killed due to a natural event that summoned demons into her village. Three years later, she loses her brother and almost dies as they were both planned to be sacrificed by their brother-in-law Artorius.
On Reddit, user 5benfive5 says that Velvet “more or less” avenges her brother, even if she “changes her goal from avenging her brother to avenging herself”, as she herself has been a victim of Artorius. The gamers get to see Because of her dynamic character and personality, many gamers also consider Velvet to be one of the best Tales protagonists.
The Phantom Thieves (Persona 5)
Persona 5 is a beloved JRPG game about high school students who are able to conjure Personas, which essentially are powerful manifestations of their inner selves. The game’s protagonist is a nameless character whose code name is Joker, who forms the Phantom Thieves of Hearts along with other high school students.
The Thieves exact on Masayoshi Shido, a politician who has been working hard to make them look like they are evil villains. Redditor Animegamingnerd highlights that while the Thieves “don’t kill the targets that did them dirty”, they eventually shut them down by causing “the change of hearts”. If the Thieves were to exact revenge by killing their enemies, it simply wouldn’t be as satisfying, as the game’s power system is based on societal influence and self-discovery.
