The 90s gave gaming some of its boldest, weirdest, and most unforgettable protagonists—characters who weren’t just sprites on a screen but the faces of entire franchises. Some have evolved into complex icons, others have remained largely the same, frozen in their original form like pixelated fossils, but they all helped shape the medium in massive ways.
Whether they started in gritty survival horror corridors or sped out of Green Hill Zone at Mach 1, these legends defined the decade and left a permanent mark on gaming culture.
Leon wasn’t supposed to have the worst first day on the job ever, butResident Evil 2made sure of it. Debuting in 1998, Leon S. Kennedy rolled into Raccoon City thinking he’d be writing parking tickets. Instead, he wound up knee-deep in zombies, underground labs, and a conspiracy tied to one of the most importantfictional corporationsin gaming history—Umbrella.
What makes Leon stand out, even after all these years, is how much he’s changed between games. InRE2, he was an optimistic newbie barely holding it together. By the timeResident Evil 4rolled around, he was flipping through flaming villages, suplexing cultists, and cracking one-liners at parasites the size of Volkswagens. His reappearance in theRE4 Remakein 2023 added even more nuance to the character, toning down the cheese while keeping the swagger.
Leon isn’t just memorable because of his haircut or his stylistic coat choice, though both are strong—it’s because he representsResident Evil’sshift from slow-burn horror to full-on action-thriller. And no matter how many Plagas, Tyrants, or G-virus mutants he fights, he still somehow keeps that tragic, stoic charm that fans keep coming back to.
Cloud’s first appearance inFinal Fantasy 7in 1997 pretty much rewired theentire RPG genre. What started as a typical mercenary-for-hire plot slowly unraveled into something far more complicated: fractured memories, lost identity, corporate warfare, ancient magic, and an enemy whose idea of “villain arc” was summoning a meteor to obliterate the planet.
Square leaned hard into making him cool, but the character works best when he isn’t. Beneath the Buster Sword and the cold delivery is a guy trying to piece together who he even is. The originalFFVIIhinted at it with clever plot twists and flashbacks, but theRemakereally dug into his trauma, turning his posturing into something fragile.
He’s become more than just a JRPG protagonist at this point—he’s a symbol of how messy, moody, and unexpectedly emotional gaming narratives could get. Also, he managed to be an iconic fighter inSmash Bros.despite being in a game that wasn’t even on a Nintendo console at the time. That’s range.
In 1998,Spyro the Dragonflew onto the PlayStation with the attitude of a mascotplatformer and the mechanics to back it up. He wasn’t a gruff antihero or a plucky plumber—he was a literal purple dragon with a cocky streak and the ability to roast sheep on demand.
What made Spyro different was how good it felt just to move. The glide mechanic was a central part of level design, encouraging players to explore, experiment, and sometimes throw themselves off cliffs just to see if they could land on something interesting. There was a charm baked into everything, from the jazz-fusion soundtrack by Stewart Copeland to the way Spyro’s horns looked way too big for his head.
He got a little lost in the early 2000s, hopping studios and art styles, before eventually being resurrected in theReignited Trilogyin 2018. Those remakes showed how much heart was packed into those original adventures. Spyro might’ve started as Sony’s dragon-shaped answer to Mario and Sonic, but he quickly became a legend in his own right.
Kirby has always been deceptively simple. On the surface, he’s just a floating pink circle who smiles at everything and turns enemies into lunch. But underneath the sugar-coated aesthetic is a character who’s gone toe-to-toe with eldritch gods, genocidal machines, and nightmarish entities that wouldn’t look out of place in a Junji Ito panel.
First appearing in 1992’sKirby’s Dream Landon the Game Boy, Kirby didn’t even have his copy abilities at the start. That came a year later withKirby’s Adventure, and it completely redefined what he could do. Absorbing powers by inhaling enemies added a level of strategy and creativity that still keeps the franchise fresh decades later.
What’s wild is how many genres Kirby’s been a part of. Traditional platformers, mini-game collections, racing inKirby Air Ride, and even pinball. And through it all, he’s remained a constant—a cheerful chaos engine in a world that often teeters on the brink of cosmic horror.
Kirby may look like he belongs on a cereal box, but he’s one of the toughest, most versatile protagonists Nintendo’s ever created. And somehow, he still doesn’t talk.
Crash wasn’t born in a lab—he wasmadein one. Literally. InCrash Bandicoot(1996), the story kicks off with him escaping from the mad experiments of Dr. Neo Cortex, only to immediately run, jump, and spin his way across levels full of killer plants and bottomless pits. He wasNaughty Dog’s first real hit, long beforeUnchartedandThe Last of Uswere even ideas.
There was something inherently funny about Crash. He didn’t talk, he just made sounds like a rubber chicken stuck in a washing machine. His animations were exaggerated toLooney Tunes-esquelevels, and the camera angles, especially those “run toward the screen” sections, were as iconic as they were frustrating.
But what makes Crash memorable is how he became the unofficial face of the PlayStation during its early years. He was in commercials, trash-talking Nintendo, standing outside their offices with a megaphone. It was brash, weird marketing, but it worked. After some rough years post-PS1, Crash got a full revival with theN. Sane Trilogyin 2017, reminding everyone why his chaotic energy never went out of style. And withCrash 4: It’s About Time, he finally got a sequel worthy of his roots.
Gordon Freeman wasn’t supposed to be a hero. He was just a theoretical physicist with a crowbar and a lab coat, trapped in the worst government experiment since… well, probably most government experiments. ButHalf-Life(1998)flipped the script on first-person shooters. No cutscenes, no hand-holding, just pure immersion—and at the center of it all was Gordon.
He never spoke a word, but players saw the world react to him constantly. Scientists pleaded for help, soldiers tried to kill him on sight, and G-Man, whatever he evenis, watched Gordon like a chess piece he couldn’t quite control. By the timeHalf-Life 2came out, Freeman had become a full-on resistance symbol.
What’s bizarre is that, despite being mute and faceless, Gordon is one of the most influential characters in gaming. He redefined what a protagonist could be in a narrative-driven shooter. He didn’t need dialogue to have presence—he had gravity guns, headcrabs, and an ability to survive literal alien invasions. Even after all these years withoutHalf-Life 3, the legend of Gordon Freeman hasn’t faded. If anything, the silence has only made him more iconic.
Lara Croft didn’t just enter the scene—she exploded onto it, pistols blazing and swan-diving into ancient catacombs in 1996’sTomb Raider. With her dual-wielding confidence and unmatched agility, she became a cultural icon, bridging the gap between games and mainstream media faster than any character before her.
But early Lara was also a product of her time: angular, over-the-top, and often stuck with awkward tank controls. Still, there was something undeniably compelling about her. She was fearless, curious, and smart, navigating collapsing temples and mythical ruins like it was just another Tuesday. And she did it all with a backpack full of artifacts and absolutely zero regard for structural integrity.
The 2013 reboot completely reimagined Lara as a more grounded, vulnerable character, which turned out to be exactly what the series needed. Her evolution from reluctant survivor to hardened explorer felt earned, not forced. She remains one of the few characters who has managed to transcend generations, platforms, and genres, while still feeling rooted in her very first leap into a long-forgotten tomb.
Sonic’s arrival in 1991 wasn’t just the birth of a character—it was a statement. Sega needed a mascot that could go toe-to-toe with Mario, and they didn’t go for something safe. They went with a blue hedgehog with sneakers, attitude, and the kind of speed that made even loading screens on the PS5 feel sluggish.
FromGreen Hill ZonetoChemical Plant, Sonic wasn’t just fast—he was stylish. And for a while, it worked. The Genesis-era titles were massive, blending twitch-based platforming with dynamic level design and one of the most beloved soundtracks of the decade.
ButSonic’s legacy hasn’t always been smooth. The jump to 3D was rocky, withSonic Adventurefinding success despite its weird camera andSonic 2006… well, existing. Yet through all the misfires, Sonic stayed in the conversation. Whether through Saturday morning cartoons, massive meme culture, Hollywood flicks, or surprise bangers likeSonic Mania, he’s managed to remain relevant.
No other 90s character has had such a chaotic, weirdly resilient journey. And yet, even after decades of ups and downs, Sonic still has that spark. That unmistakable feeling that, no matter how many rings get lost along the way, he’ll always bounce back faster than anyone else.
