10 Best Video Game Character Redesigns, Ranked

There are plenty of iconic video game characters that have iconic characteristics, but not all of them were featured in the original design. These features may change over the course of the franchise’s life cycle for many possible reasons. The company behind the character might want to take the whole franchise in a new direction and heavily edit previous aspects of the character.

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Another reason could be they want to show that the character has undergone growth and is no longer the same person they were in the previous game. Whatever the reason, a massive character redesign is a risky move that fans might unanimously despise or support with open arms.

10
Mega Man X

The Super Fighting Robot Mega Man has been an iconic Capcom character throughout the decades. The franchise has had many spin-offs and many designs. The original design of Mega Man would be used throughout the main series, but alongside it released Mega Man X.

Mega Man X would have a lot sharper details and a more serious and edgy focus to appeal more to an aging demographic. His longer limbs meant more room for accessories to make the design stand out, such as shoulder pads.

9
Dhalsim

Dhalsim is a staple of the Street Fighter games. His ability to stretch his arms and limbs made him a favorite of those believing this would give them an edge in the game by having distance over their opponents.

A lot of fighting game characters receive many redesigns over the years as their games go on, but Dhalsim was the first to really stand out before other Street Fighter characters would get similar drastic changes. His new look made him look more like a wise and sage-like Yogi, with this design lasting into the next iteration of the game.

8
Pikachu

Pikachu’s original design was a lot chubbier with small arms and cone-like ears. This design is arguably a lot cuter and fits the motif of being a rodent that doesn’t need to worry about predators thanks to being able to emit powerful electric volts from its body. However, when it came to animating the Pokémon, things got significantly harder.

By making the model sleeker, it allowed for more flexible body movements which were required to show off the Pokémon’s agility. This redesign would become accepted as more of the norm, even though the original design is still used a lot to this day. To this day, Pikachu remains one of the main Pokémon that fans will attempt to get in each mainline entry.

7
Scorpion

Just like Dhalsim, Scorpion would see a big redesign. Although, the character of Scorpion would need it a lot more. Scorpion and Sub-zero started off as just color swaps of the same outfit, in several games. Scorpion no longer had to share this design with Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat 3, however, several new color swaps would be added, making use of the same outfit Scorpion had.

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Scorpion would continue to see different variations over the years, but none were as impact or uniquely fitting as his 2011 Mortal Kombat outfit. This outfit was based on an actual Scorpion and really gave him a unique identity from every other “Mortal Kombat Ninja”.

6
Pac-Man

On-screen, Pac-Man started off as just a circle with a triangle cut out that moved up and down. There were no eyes or limbs of any kind. However, on the arcade cabinet itself, Pac-Man featured a pair of legs and red eyes.

As sequels came, the original design was deemed a risk that might scare away children. This resulted in a much friendlier design with a long Pinocchio-like nose, boxing glove-like hands, and large red shoes.

5
Raiden

Raiden featured a massive redesign. First appearing in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, the character would quickly become a fan favorite. So much so that a concept game starring the Cyborg Ninja Gray Fox was entirely reworked to make it about Raiden instead.

Raiden’s initial design resembled an ordinary man in a tactical suit, but later in the franchise he would lose his lower jaw and have much sharper features added. His hair would go from being less about hanging physics and more about looking like an anime protagonist.

4
Mario

Mario is the mascot of Nintendo and one of the most popular and profitable video game IPs of all time. This iconic plumber did not start off with anything that we use as established Mario lore. His original design was the owner of Donkey Kong, who would mistreat him to the point he would rebel against Mario.

Mario’s design would change from being a Carpenter to a Plumber, and invert the color of his clothing and overalls. He would also see a change to the design of his hat and have his initials placed in its center.

3
Link

No timeline is as complex and convoluted as that seen in The Legend of Zelda franchise. Link has seen every aspect of himself change over the years. From his hair color, his clothing, his ability to talk or not, and more. The game has a prequel timeline, where the events of all branching timelines start.

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From here, there is a timeline where Link fails to defeat Ganon, one where he succeeds, and one where he succeeds and he stays a child as a reward to enjoy the childhood he was denied. Each is filled with various games and different designs.

2
Kratos

Kratos is the protagonist of the God Of War franchise. Many know him from the most recent games, while others will remember him before he started rocking a mighty beard. Kratos originally only featured a Goatee.

This older design would be used throughout the God Of War franchise relating to Ancient Greece and his journey to slay the Greek Gods. However, when the games moved Kratos over to Norse Mythology, he would be seen again with a full beard.

1
Sonic The Hedgehog

Sonic is the mascot of SEGA and one of the biggest franchises they have. He started off with many mascot staples, such as having a very short and stubby body. As times changed, so did the expectations and interests of demographics.

SEGA tweaked the design to fit the “too cool for school” personality they had envisioned for Sonic. This would also lead to much edgier storytelling and darker elements making their way into the franchise to keep the fan base it had already established interested as they got older.

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