No Right Answer: Strongest Female Video Game Lead Ever

[maconlon439]

Yeah, I have to cast my write in vote to Grace Nakimura. If we do ever get another Gabriel Knight game, do you know the reason why Grace will return to Gabriel? Because she feels that's where she's needed. Gabriel Knight is a very flawed character and Grace's instincts know that if Gabriel fights the evils of the world alone, he will only end up dead, and the bad situation he got himself mixed up in will end up much worse. Therefore, she is willing to deal with all his character flaws, simply because she knows she's needed. She is also incredibly smart.

 

[1337mokro]

I really like what they did to Ellie and she's never powerless or in need of rescue and that is awesome. I would like to mention Elika from Prince of Persia 2008, although you don't play with her, she helps you the whole game, she rescues you when you fall and she saves the whole country in the end (ignoring the horrible plot twist at the very end).

You literally have to rescue her several times in the game. Did you just mentally block out that part? Why would needing help be a bad thing? She's a goddamned teenager.

 

[fangclaw]

I'm glad that ellie won, she had my vote for this episode. however in all honesty my vote would have been for lara from the new tomb raider.

neither of these two are the leads of their game. Bioshock is as much booker's story as it is elizabeth's, possibly even more so because without booker, there is no elizabeth because spoilers. and likewise, the last of us is as much joel's story as it is ellie's, unlike bioshock however, joel and ellie share the game better than booker an elizabeth.

because bioshock was such a failure in my mind i blocked it out, but this episode made me see how similar the two games are, right down to me having a problem with their endings.

elizabeth didn't really have a charater arc as much as a character spontaneous combustion from "i want to go to paris" to "the world is shit and its your fault so die." ellie had a bit more of an arc from not having the tools to survive to gaining them from joel to having to survive without joel for a bit as well as having to care for him. elizabeth had her power, her strength, from the get go; ellie had to gain it. maybe that might have pushed elizabeth ahead if there had been a part where we see if she is able to care for herself.

if only Remember Me hadn't been spread so thin, they could have made nilin so much better.

 

[Drummodino]

For all the people saying that Ellie and Elizabeth weren't the leads of their games. Yea in a traditional sense you are right as they aren't the player character (aside from the Ellie chapters). However these games are their stories, not Joel and Booker's. They are the lead character in that regard, which is why they were chosen. Personally I'm having a hard time choosing who has had the most impact. They're both terrific and definitely better than Lara Croft was in the latest Tomb Raider (as good as that game was).

Some other characters who I feel could have been considered:
Kat from Gravity Rush
Clementine from The Walking Dead
Hell definitely not a lead but Veronica from Fallout:NV was a strong female character (and hell she was even gay!)

 

[beez]

To be honest, a lot of characters are just female leads, why would they be the strongest? I would differentiate the female leads that were created by the player tho (especially in Bioware games), for the simple reason of the roleplay element. Mass Effect is one of my favorite games, I've played FemShep mostly during my numerous replays, but it's your choices, your personality that the character reflects. Okay, the character endures a lot and saves the galaxy, but I would still put them in a different category for interactivity. I would choose FemShep, your protagonist from DA:O and maybe the Boss from Saints Row IV.

My other favorites have been mentioned, and I'm glad: Jade from Beyond Good and Evil and Zoe from the Longest Journey. Both of them are amazing characters who do extraordinary feats. Best of all, most of the time while playing, I didn't even think about how the main characters of these games are women, it never even crossed my mind to make that difference, they were just people facing a huge challenge, people who made me associate with their stories.

Elizabeth and Ellie were rather strong characters too, but I wouldn't consider them leads. Elizabeth is a sidekick, Ellie is a deutargonist and an awesome focal character. I could see how people would want to put her on the list of the best, but unfortunately she's not a lead, so as sad as I am about it, she can't make my top leads list.

 

[burningdragoon]

I'm going to buck some trends here and say I liked the debate even with the semantic greyness of what is meant by "lead". Granted... I like the show in general more for it's charm than it's obviously flawless debating.

And in defense of both characters being super recent, even though it was a little disappointing, they are from better written games than a lot of the standard (and boring) choics like Samus/Lara/Femshep. (And picking Femshep is basically cheating anyway)

Me, I would have picked Terra from FF6 most likely. And for totally solid reasoning, not just because she's the main(ish) character from one of my favorite games or anything silly like that.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

I don't like the term strong female lead. It implies that we have to make an effort to present female characters as physically and emotionally capable people whereas I would just like to see realistic characters. I know women in games have a history of playing the weak damsel in distress and we want to see a little more agency, but I worry we'll go too far and wind up back at the beginning with women so strong they're unrealistic as characters.

That said:

April Ryan
Heather Mason
Alyx Vance

These are my go to gals in this sort of debate. I would hesitate to use the word strong to describe Heather. Feisty, hot tempered, motivated, loyal, etc. She's pretty much a typical teen. Sure she battles through the horrors of Silent Hill but that's because of her love for her father and an overwhelming desire for revenge. I'd prefer the word strong to mean solid, as in a strong female character is well rounded and presented within the story realistically.

So concludes my ***** about a single word that irks me.

 

[Lyvric]

I liked Chell from portal(2). Why? Because it just didn't matter. She's a she. She rocked science. She kicked a super evil she-robot monstrosities butt (also a potato 'lead') that had a lady stashed away in her data banks. You could play her, see her reflection in the portals, and feel powerful. The writing on the walls gave you her story and depth without over-dramatization. Anyone can jump in and have fun.

The character, writing and predominantly female/feminine cast of that game is beautiful.

 

[Scorpid]

Best lead female characters EVAR! What are you serious? Come on guys I think you are just kinda going through a phase here because 1) Those are supporting roles 2) They both came out this year, seems like a rash decision and 3) If we are counting lead and secondary characters there is also Clementine, GLaDOS, Fem Shepard, Alyx Vance, Nanako, The Boss, Jill, Samus (from other M of course), and Morgan.

Yeah these are two weak choices. Not that they're bad I suppose but I never saw either as particular much of a leap forward in terms of strengthening womens image in video games. They both did after all have their manditory damsel moment. Fem Shep vs Jill would of been a better choice since they are both actual lead characters (I consider fem shep canon, male sheps voice actor is shit).

 

[Frozengale]

Neither of these characters are "lead" characters. Jade from BGE is a lead, obviously Lara Croft, Bayonetta, Ecco the dolphin, Samus, etc... Those are leads. Ellie and Elizabeth are both supporting characters.

Dear No Right Answer:

Please learn what a "lead character" is.
Ellie and Elizabeth are both supporting rolls,

A leading character is one who the story centers around. It doesn't matter if you play them or not. They are still focal points of the story and therefore are by all accounts lead roles. In fact for Bioshock the story is more Elizabeth's then Booker's. Player Character =/= Lead Character. Don't get on the No Right Answer guy's backs when you guys don't understand the definitions yourself.

Their participation in the plot is either passive or forced upon them.

Please explain how either Ellie or Elizabeth are "passive" characters. I remember Elizabeth being an instigator for at least 50% of the story. Heck, Booker is more of a passive character then Elizabeth half the time. He just goes somewhere because he is told to, that is not an active agent, that is a passive agent. Being a "support" in the game mechanics does not mean they are a "support" story characters seeing as how these are used in completely different senses. Also how the character comes to action is in no way a determining factor of them being a lead or not. That would mean that Harry Potter is only a lead character half the time, since most of the time things just happen around him. Being forced into a situation doesn't take away being a lead. Being passive in a situation does not mean they are not a lead. Having the story focused around you means you are a lead. Ellie and Elizabeth fit that description.

 

[JonnyHG]

I'd pick Bayonetta to be honest. I think there is a lot of depth and nuance which makes her a great character that's far more than just eyecandy and I appreciate Bayonetta's acceptance and control of her own sexuality. There are lots of other things I like about her character, but that's something we don't see in games very often.

This is what I was thinking, but did not expect to see someone post it. Bayonetta is probably the strongest, most confident, empowered female lead I can think of.

 

[somonels]

Dan is not Dan's real name?
Does that mean Dan isn't the law?

 

[XavierPrice]

Samus Aran. People didn't know she was even a girl until she took the helmet off. She's that strong. And yet still feminine.

Suck it all the rest.

I would have loved to say Freya Crescent, but she's not a lead in FF9, despite being arguably the strongest female character in the game... well, on the good guy side. Beatrix is pretty damned strong, too, but she's a *****.

 

[LetalisK]

I didnt know antagonists count as leads. Cause to me they dont. (Kerrigan and Kreia are antagonists in the end).

Atleast in HotS Kerrigan isn't an antagonist anymore. One way or the other she's more of a lead character then those mentioned.

I'll go with Jade here. Although I also liked Faith and Chell.

Not to mention she's been a protagonist in all but 1 Starcraft game: Wings of Liberty. She was a protagonist in StarCraft and Brood Wars, featuring heavily in both as such. Kerrigan is the centerpiece of the story and has been since the beginning.

 

[Pure_LionHeart]

The Playa/Boss/President from Saints Row IV seems like the obvious choice to me.

Never understood the claim Elizabeth is anything akin to strong, independent, badass, or anything similar either.

 

[Seracen]

Without even watching, my vote goes to Maya from Septerra Core. Well-written, well-voiced character with believable emotions and motivations and a strong personality overall.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septerra_Core:_Legacy_of_the_Creator

Holy crap I forgot about this game until now. It was epic, and the characters were really compelling.

What was even crazier was that the whole thing was fully voice acted. I agree, Maya was pretty awesome. Unfortunately, the game never really got the acclaim it deserved.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

But neither of these are even player characters, they're NPCs in games with male leads. And even then, they're not even that strong as characters - perhaps Ellie has some grounding, but Elizabeth is basically a walking plot device. There's no genuine character here, with Ellie barely qualifying on the basis that she's at least tangentially well-written.

Honestly, the fact there's no Samus, FemShep, Jade, Gianna Sisters, Lara Croft, Faith, Chell... hell, if you're gonna do NPCs, what about Alyx. I would have taken fuckin' Alyx from a ten-year-old game over these selections. Eurgh. EURGH.