Summary
TheMass Effectuniverse has its fair share of strong and capable characters, as they need to rise abovethe threats of each game, or they will be crushed beneath them. The stakes of each game constantly rise, forcing the characters to become physically and mentally stronger to do what they can to help save trillions of lives.
Mass Effectnever pulls its punches in terms of its enemies, but neither will the heroes chosen to defend the galaxy, as they will all risk life and limb to thwart the dangers and save their homes. These characters, human and alien, biotic and soldier, all rise above the rest as the true, strong champions of the galaxy.
8Mordin Solus
His Intelligence is a Mighty Weapon
The salarians are known to bescientists above anything else, creating biological weapons to enact a partial genocide on another race, such as the genophage, for example. Mordin, while not around to create the original genophage, had a hand in distributing an updated version, as the krogan were slowly becoming resistant to its effects.
While reprehensible, it does prove that Mordin is one of the most intelligent salarians and definitely the smartest companion out of all Shepard’s, past, present, and future. While Mordin can handle firearms and defend himself, his strength comes from his brain, which in its own way can be a powerful weapon. If he is intelligent enough to modify a biological weapon centuries after its creation to counteract natural resistance, who knows what else he would be capable of doing?
7Thane Krios
An Accomplished Assassin
Usually, when faced with their own mortality, most people would choose to spend their remaining time with loved ones and doing things they might have missed out on during their life, but this isn’t the case for Thane.His disease, known as Kepral’s Syndrome, is not a pleasant one, as it affects the lungs and renders them unable to absorb oxygen. Still, Thane hardly ever seems to be out of breath as he fights alongside the rest of the crew on their mission to stop the Collectors.
Thane remains brave to the end. He eventually succumbs to both his condition and being run through by Kai Leng, but he ultimately dies a hero, preventing Kai from reaching his true target. Considering how ill Thane was during this assassination attempt, it shows just how accomplished of a fighter he was. If it wasn’t for Kepral’s Syndrome, there is no doubt he would have been the best assassin in the galaxy.
6Aria T’Loak
Powerful and Ruthless
Not every strong and capable fighter Shepard meets wants to join their cause, such as the self-appointed ruler of Omega, Aria T’Loak. A far cry from the asari Shepard has known and dealt with, Aria is blunt, brutal, and without mercy, governing with an iron fist and not brooking disappointment or failure from anyone who works beneath her.
Her reign is interrupted by Cerberus General Oleg Petrovsk, but with a little help from Shepard, Aria once again becomes Queen of Omega. During their brief time together, Shepard truly gets to see what Aria is capable of, and this is where her reputation as one of thestrongestMass Effectcharacterscomes from. Herbiotics are nothing short of devastating, and her calculating attitude always allows her to be one step ahead. She may have lost control of Omega once, but that is a mistake that will never happen again.
5Garrus Vakarian
From Cop to Archangel to Special Advisor
A steadfast companion to Shepard throughout the trilogy, Garrus is one of the fewMass Effectcharacters who is truly ride or die. He joins the team to help Shepard in theMass Effect, believing that he can do more good outside the rules and regulations of C-Sec, becomes the vigilante known as Archangel inMass Effect 2, and is turned to for his knowledge as an expert advisor inMass Effect 3. Still, the only place Garrus truly feels valued is next to Shepard, as no matter what, he always rejoins the fight with them.
His growth throughout the series is undeniable, as he was easily frustrated and disillusioned with his position inMass Effect, wanting to break free of bureaucracy, which became a reality in the second game. By the third, he was sought for his knowledge and wisdom, but no matter what, Garrus is always a wicked shot with a sniper. Though he may only be able to beat Shepard if they let him, he is still a companion they can always rely on.
4Javik
The Sole Surviving Prothean
The Protheans are often discussed in theMass Effecttrilogy, as they were the oldest known intelligent species, and many of their ruins are spread across the galaxy. The previous cycle saw them become extinct, alongside every other race except for humans. But inMass Effect 3,it would seem that there is one survivor left, suspended in cryo-sleep since the previous reaper cycle.
The surviving Prothean, Javik, is immediately recovered and awakened, as his expertise and experience could be the most invaluable asset in the war against the reapers. As the Avatar of Vengeance and possessing great power and knowledge, Javik is just the edge Shepard might need to win.
3Grunt
Genetically Engineered to Be the Perfect Krogan
What with Shepard havingdied at the start ofMass Effect 2and now working with Ceberus, a new team is needed, as the latest threat, insect-like aliens working for the Reapers, have started kidnapping entire human colonies. With these mass disappearances being largely ignored by everyone else, the Illusive Man asks Shepard to assemble a team to look into these disappearances and put a stop to them.
Such a dangerous mission calls for a team to match the threat level, and what would be better than someone specifically designed to be a super-soldier? Enter Grunt, a krogan born in a tank and designed to be the best krogan of all. The krogan are already known for their brute strength and respect for the strongest, so to know Grunt has these qualities and more in spades is surely a comfort to Shepard and co. Always itching for a fight, Grunt is definitely one of thestrongest fighters in all of theMass Effectuniverse.
2Urdnot Wrex
One of the Few Remaining Battlemasters
The krogan are known for their strength and inclination for violence, evidenced in their bloody past with the Krogan Rebellion, the scars of which are still keenly felt years later. This led to the creation of the genophage, a biological weapon that would drastically cut down the survival rate of the krogan’s young, culling their numbers and reducing the threat they posed. As all their numbers dwindled, so did their soldiers, with their battlemasters almost becoming a thing of the past.
One of the few remaining ones is Urdnot Wrex, an unexpected party member to Shepard, as krogan don’t usually play well with others, especially with a turian being part of the crew. Still, Wrex becomes an ally and friend to Shepard, which is lucky for them, as he is quite the combat expert. Equipped with both biotic abilities and powerful weaponry, Wrex is pretty much a one-man army.
1Commander Shepard
The Only One Truly Capable of Saving the Galaxy
The Reapers were the main threat of the original trilogy, once more preparing to cull nearly all civilized species in the galaxy, leaving only one behind to return in another 50,000 years and start this cycle anew. Of course, with trillions of innocent lives on the line, no one person is prepared to step aside and let them commit genocide, so Shepard takes it upon themselves to try and unite the galaxy to fight them as one united force or die trying.
Shepard’s willingness to sacrifice themselvesto give everyone else a chance at life is a true mark of a brave hero, and it’s simply a fact that no one could pull off what they did. Their strength lies in their body and mind, as they had the social skills needed to convince everyone of the reaper threat and the skill to be the one right at the heart of the action, stopping this big threat. This is true of everyMass Effectgame Shepard stars in.
