Summary
Joke charactersare common across a variety of video game genres and take on numerous forms. Sometimes characters are “jokes” because of limited ability or flaws in their skills. These can be seen either through gameplay, or even simply by being told to the player, depending on the genre. Other times, these characters are simply presented in a way where the player can’t take them as seriously.
Whatever the case, this status isn’t inescapable, and many a “joke character” has gone on to elevate themselves beyond that status. This list will look at variouscharacters who ended up being taken more seriously in their series' sequels.
King Of Fighters
The King of Fighters XV
Since its debut in 1994, the KOF fighting game series has been driving the world to new heights of excitement with its appealing characters and unique game system. Six years have passed since the last title in the series, and now KOF XV surpasses all of its predecessors in terms of graphics, systems, and online experience!
Kyo Kusanagi is the main protagonist of theKing of Fightersseries. He is a notably cocky martial artist who inherited pyrokinetic powers from his ancestors. One of his fans was a student who went to his high school by the name ofShingo Yabuki. In his first appearance in the series, inKing of Fighters 97, Shingo had little relevance to the greater story and didn’t even have a team of his own. He was conceptualized as a sort of “everyman” foil to Kyo, being more of an ordinary guy rather than a naturally talented martial artist. This is reflected in the gameplay where, due to not being part of the Kusanagi bloodline, Shingo does not have Kyo’s pyrokinetics when imitating his idol’s moves.
His fortunes changed in his second canon appearance, inKoF99,where he was invited to participate in a team which included Benimaru Nikaido, a frequent teammate of Kyo. Progressively, Shingo has steadily become more involved in Kyo’s circle, even participating as a member of his idol’s team in multipleKing of Fightersgames. He has even gotten to train under Saisyu Kusanagi, Kyo’s father, who also shares his son’s fighting style.
After suffering injuries at the hands of Iori Yagami (undergoing the Riot of Blood, which makes him berserk), Shingo has since had more sporadic appearances in the series, being absent from most games sinceKing of Fighters 11. Nonetheless, he made a proper return to the series as a DLC character inKing of Fighters 15, where he can once again fight alongside Kyo for a special ending.
Pokemon Silver & Gold
Considering how absolutely essentialDittohas become in terms of any mechanicrequiring Pokemon breeding, it is weird to think of the Pokemon as ever being considered a mere joke character. Nonetheless,PokemonRed andBlueexisted before the breeding mechanic, which meant Ditto was judged merely on the merits of its capability in battle. Ditto famously has only one move, Transform, which merely allows it to become its opponent; at least,most of the time. While the utility of this move can vary, it was hampered by the fact that it took a turn to kick in, essentially giving the opposing Pokemon a chance at a free hit.
WhileGold and Silvergave Ditto its niche, the Pokemon was further improved upon inBlack and White, where the ability Imposter was introduced. Imposter is essentially an autonomous version of Transform. This allows Ditto some potential utility as a wildcard, capable of becoming one of an opponent’s Pokemon, often without even wasting a turn. However one feels about Ditto, everyone can admit this Pokemon has improved a lot since its debut in the first generation.
This nervous-looking prosecutor is a fixture of the 2D era ofAce Attorney. His irritating high-pitched “OBJECTION!” soundbite is immediately identifiable to those who’ve played the series. Even in games where he doesn’t appear, his role is often fulfilled by a relative, such as his brother Gaspen, or their ancestor, Taketsuchi Auchi. What all of these characters have in common is their status as the prosecuting attorney of the first chapter of their respective series installments. They are always decidedly inferior to the prosecutors who act against the player in the later chapters. While these chapters are not necessarily the first chronologically, they serve as the least difficult ones, where the player does not even have to investigate a crime scene or listen to more than a couple of testimonies.
Winston Payneonce notably lost a case against Phoenix Wright, while the latter was suffering from amnesia, which made him forget how to be a defense attorney during the trial. InApollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Payne is effectively neglected in his final prosecuting appearance, where Kristoph Gavin, a defense attorney, effectively takes his place as the main lawyer argued against in the first chapter. EvenAce AttorneyInvestigationsconfirms fellow prosecutor Miles Edgeworth has trouble remembering Payne.
Despite his continual joke status and punny name, Payne was once a more serious prosecutor. InTrials and Tribulations,a game which serves as a partial prequel to the greaterAce Attorneyseries, he acts as the prosecutor in Mia Fey’s second-ever trial, when she defended Phoenix Wright in court. Here he proves to be something of a difficult opponent for Mia Fey. While this is compounded by Wright’s initial refusal to cooperate, this game, more than any other, makes one understand how he earned the “Rookie Killer” moniker. However, once Fey asks him to consume a poisoned object to prove his witness’s innocence, the stress causes his hair to fall out, causing him to take on his appearance in the other installments of the initialAce Attorneytrilogy. In a twist, this effort to take the character more seriously serves to ironically showcase his fall from grace, due to its placement in the timeline of the series.
TheSamurai Warriorsseries deeply mythologizes the Sengoku Period of Japan. A number of daimyos from this time period are recounted fondly for their skill, strength, and strategy, among other attributes.Yoshimoto Imagawais one such daimyo remembered in this way, albeit far less fondly than most. Yoshimoto is portrayed as an out-of-shape coward with an addiction to kemari, a popular sport in Japan. A kemari ball is also one of his weapons of choice.
While his power and influence are present enough to make him a noted ally to his fellow daimyo, such as Takeda Shingen and Ujiyasu Hojo (who he did actually form alliances with historically), his own limited aspirations outside kemari cement the impression of him as a joke. Occasionally, this is shown in a positive light, such as inWarriors Orochi 3, where he is shown to have successfully unified demons and humans through kemari. That said, none of it allows Yoshimoto to transcend his joke status.
However, his appearance inSamurai Warriors 5certainly takes the character more seriously. This game notably serves as a reboot of the series, attempting to more directly focus on the history of Nobunaga Oda, and be somewhat more faithful to the events of the Sengoku Period. To this end, Yoshimoto is given a redesign, which gives him gilded armor and a large hammer, rather than the kemari ball/sword combo of prior games. He is also given a much deeper voice, showing a further departure from his affable persona in previous games.
Although he still loses out to Nobunaga, as he did historically, Yoshimoto is shown to be a far more threatening opponent. He forcibly occupies the nearby territory of a young Tokugawa Ieyasu, making him turn on Nobunaga and attempting to cement his alliance with an arranged marriage to his niece, Sena. Nobunaga is ultimately able to convince Ieyasu to rejoin his effort, but continues to have some difficulty against the daimyo before eventually killing him. While the more history-driven narrative of the reboot may limit his appearances in potential futureSamurai Warriorsgames, his revamped design commands a certain respect that the previous version did not.
TheMortal Kombatserieshas a unique sense of humor, which leads to characters being crafted purely out of rumors, such as the infamous Ermac. That said, it is kind of hard to be more of a joke character thanRaininitially was. He first exclusively appeared in the attract mode ofUltimate Mortal Kombat 3when it hit arcades, being unplayable in the proper game. Ed Boon added the character to trick players, with his purple color scheme referencing Prince’s song “Purple Rain” when combined with his name. Players tried to unlock or play as the elusive character, but the joke in this case was on them.
Nonetheless, Rain was added to the game’s home console versions, and has become a recurring character in the series ever since. He has unique water-powered abilities, and was a prince in earlier iterations ofMortal Kombat, further referencing his namesake. Once Rain was properly integrated, he effectively ceased being a joke character. Being given a proper backstory and receiving roughly the same amount of characterization as most other fighters, one can easily forget Rain’s first appearance was essentially as a joke.
