Who's your favorite female protagonist?

[SmallHatLogan]

Most of the good ones have been mentioned. Samus, Boss from Saints Row (my favourite is Russian accented Boss from SR3), Clementine from The Walking Dead, Femshep.

One that springs to mind is Maya Amano from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. That is kind of a cheat though. I loved her in Persona 2: Innocent Sin where she was not the protagonist, but then in Eternal Punishment she became the (almost) silent protagonist and lost most of her personality.

I also really liked playing as Elizabeth in Bioshock: Infinite - Burial at Sea.

 

[Aesir23]

In terms of established characters, I would have to say Faith Connors from Mirror's Edge and Ellie from the Last of Us. Both of them are more than capable of holding their own and the fact that Ellie is just a young girl as well makes that all the more admirable for me.

With player created characters I'm going to say FemShep gets the top spot and the fact that Jennifer Hale did such an excellent job as FemShep makes it even better.

 

[Mikeybb]

2nd Lieutenant Mira of the 203rd Cadian Regiment.
Had command of her regiment forced into her hands during an overwhelming assault from vicious aliens.
She was an experienced commander and a skilled tactician but what this position of adversity also showed was that she could also inspire her guardsmen in the face of an overwhelming enemy and maintain morale despite almost certain defeat.
She held the line.
Unbowed and Unbroken.

 

[joest01]

Aya Brea is my number one hero, full-stop, the fact she's a badass woman/cop with crazy powers is a bonus

as for the topic i'd also like to submit Kaine from Nier and Zero from Drakengard, but you don't get to see them as more then crazy homicidal lunatics unless you play the 'true endings' of those games... still amazing characters

Good choices all. Though I believe there is a cetain appendage that prevents Kaine from qualifying for the part

I would also second Ada Wong from Resident Evil. She is one classy kick ass ***** who knows how to keep an aura of mystery about her.

Also Faith, Samus, Maya ... Interestingly, as much as I enjoy playing Bayonetta and as much as I enjoy the crazy story, she somehow doesnt appeal to me as a character very much. In the same genre I would take Momiji or Ayane from Ninja Gaiden over her any day. Note the omission of Rachel. Do you see the pattern? I swear, in real life I have nothing against big breasts!

 

[Nazulu]

Samus


All others pale in comparison.

They do pale in comparison. Most people will choose their favourite through writing, but games are far more than just that because I've enjoyed playing as Samus a lot more than any other. She also looks more interesting than any other with her abilities in the suit.

 

[Raggedstar]

Amaterasu from Okami is addressed as a female, but that's the same as calling a a wooden stump 'she' -There's no discernible personality there at all. Plus, she pees with her leg up and only males do that.

Small nitpick, but female dogs can lift their leg to pee (and some males squat), possibly as an action of dominance. It's not common, but it does happen (EDIT: While I'm here, might as well say females sometimes hump. Nature can be weird). But ya, everything else kind of stands. I think Ammy has a bit of a personality, but not a lot of one.

 

[happyninja42]

Are we limiting this to video games only? If so then I don't really have much to provide on that front.

In general though, the princess from Nausicca and the Valley of the Wind.

Strong, capable, independent. Good fighter, but preferred to negotiate whenever possible. Still very feminine and maternal in how she behaved. She didn't have to be a Vasquez to be a strong badass, and she didn't have to be a Wilting Flower to be a feminine character.

She was confident in her abilities, but also wasn't too proud to rely on the help of those around her when it was obviously needed.

She had one flaw, and that was a blinding rage if you hit her berserk button. Though this only happened once or twice, when she saw those she loved being killed by the enemy. She literally had to be snapped out of it, and when she looked around at what she had done, she was quite upset by the pain she'd caused.

All around, she's probably my favorite example of a female protag ever.

 

[Gearran]

Blast to the past time! (if you've been reading any posts I make, this should come as no surprise)

My favorite female protagonist would be Lucca Ashtear from Chrono Trigger. She's a genius who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty (whether by repairing another party member or by kicking ass). She's brave, (which is a nice change from "brainy girl" characters) cute, (glasses, purple hair, and a blaster pistol. Yum) and powerful (all fire spells, all the time) which is an excellent combination.

My one complaint has nothing to do with her, just her ultimate weapon. Cool quest to get it...But did it have to have its damage tied to the game timer? Ugh.

But yeah. Lucca is awesome.

 

[happyninja42]

2nd Lieutenant Mira of the 203rd Cadian Regiment.
Had command of her regiment forced into her hands during an overwhelming assault from vicious aliens.
She was an experienced commander and a skilled tactician but what this position of adversity also showed was that she could also inspire her guardsmen in the face of an overwhelming enemy and maintain morale despite almost certain defeat.
She held the line.
Unbowed and Unbroken.

Is that the female character in Warhammer 40k Space Marines? 'Cause it sounds familiar, but I'm not done with that game, nor am I a fan of Warhammer in general.

 

[Gorrath]

My favorite is Hannah from Fable 2. Good characterization and not done up to be all fanservicy. She dosn't come off as being made up the way she is just to shrug off stereotypes. Warm, caring, powerful and worth looking up to.

 

[Gearran]

2nd Lieutenant Mira of the 203rd Cadian Regiment.
Had command of her regiment forced into her hands during an overwhelming assault from vicious aliens.
She was an experienced commander and a skilled tactician but what this position of adversity also showed was that she could also inspire her guardsmen in the face of an overwhelming enemy and maintain morale despite almost certain defeat.
She held the line.
Unbowed and Unbroken.

Hot damn, some 40K love! I do have to agree; for what she had to deal with, the Lieutenant held it together remarkably well (to be fair, she's a Cadian, but still).

 

[Chester Rabbit]

Either Lara (voiced by Keeley Hawes) when she had a sense of humour and didn't sound like a American teenager pretending to be British and an actual English Lady. And was the stereotypical angsty 'strong' archetype with no discernible personality of her own. At last Kelley had sense of humour. (And in 'serious' stories humour is more important it adds relief and contrast to all the 'mature' stuff)

You do know the actress is actually from the UK right?

 

[Maximum Bert]

My favourite one is easy because she is also my favourite character in video gaming period and one of my favourite characters in all media (prob joint no.1 with Monkey from Journey to the West) and that is Tifa Lockhart. I did not like her at first but damn if she did not grow on me. I just feel she is an extremely strong character in all regards (she better be added to Dissidia arcade or I will be extremely disappointed)

As for others it would be harder to say but I would estimate that I like more female video game characters than male. Notable ones off the top of my head who I really like are:-

Ayane (DOA)
Psylocke (although she is really a comic character....obv)
Makoto Nanaya
April Ryan (especially in The Longest Journey)
Zoe Castillo (never thought they would find a replacement for April who I liked as much)
Amaterasu
Selvaria Bles

There are loads of others I like some that were pretty obscure even in the games they were in so not applicable to this thread. That will do for now anyway.

 

[Estarc]

Aya Brea from Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve 2 on the PlayStation.

 

[EXos]

Sadly don't have that many games that have a female protagonist. (Tomb Raider ofc but...)

So my choice would be Konoko from Oni. She kicks ass literally and there is no forced romantic plot line in the game. Still waiting on Bungie to reboot it or to make a part two. Instead they made Halo and never stopped making that crap.

 

[The Purple Grape]

Either Lara (voiced by Keeley Hawes) when she had a sense of humour and didn't sound like a American teenager pretending to be British and an actual English Lady. And was the stereotypical angsty 'strong' archetype with no discernible personality of her own. At last Kelley had sense of humour. (And in 'serious' stories humour is more important it adds relief and contrast to all the 'mature' stuff)

You do know the actress is actually from the UK right?

I do know that Camilla Luddington is British however Kelley Hawes sounds more like how I imagine a member of the British Aristocracy. Doesn't help that New 52 Lara is written like a Hollywood American hero, like having a Bond film made in Hollywood. Just wouldn't be the same. would sound.

Probably doesn't help as massive Kelley Hawes fanboy.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I don't know if Alyx Vance counts, but I've always liked her.

RPGs from Black Isle or Bioware almost feel like cheating (since their characters are almost always really good), but Viconia Devir, Annah, and Morrigan (from Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape: Torment, and Dragon Age: Origins, respectively).

I really liked Ciri from "Witcher 3".

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Amaterasu from Okami. One of my fav games of all time and one of the most prominent matron goddesses, mixed into one game.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

While I have a few favourite Female characters, I must admit I'm struggling to think of ones that are also protagonists that I've played.

Off the top of my head, the ones I can think of that I've played and who aren't custom made are:
Jade (Beyond Good and Evil)
Jill and Claire (Resident Evil)
Amanda Ripley (Alien Isolation)
Bayonetta
Lara Croft
April Ryan and Zoe Castillo (The Longest Journey/Dreamfall).
Mara Jade (Star Wars: Dark Forces 2: Mysteries of the Sith)

Others suggest Ammy from Okami, but I feel that's stretching it a little.

Spoiler: A breakdown of what I think of each of these characters:

I think Jade from Beyond Good and Evil is a really good protag as is April Ryan and Zoe Castillo from TLJ (though April is a lot less likable in Dreamfall, though it fits her characters arc).

I like Mara Jade (at least as far as that series goes) but she's only in an expansion and doesn't really get the time to shine. I really wish they made a game focused on her entirely

Bayonetta is super fun game, but I didn't find her character interesting beyond style over substance novelty. Amanda is okay, but she isn't particularly well developed... I really don't remember much about her.

Jill and Claire aren't good, but that's not saying much giving Resi standards (I love the games mind you).
Lara Croft is hit and miss, some of her old renditions aren't exactly good, but there was a charm to her that her most recent incarnation, while having more depth, loses. Maybe the next game will get a nice blend of old and new... maybe?

I guess I'll pick Jade from Beyond Good and Evil. A likeable character and a fun, if very dated, game.

 

[ensouls]

Alice from american mcgee's blah blah. A bit cliche, but she kicks ass and they did give at least some justification for the whole grim unflappable act in the 2nd game. Also a female protag where sexiness doesn't really enter into the character design at all which is just my preference. Iji was also interesting.

I guess you can't really count customizable characters or npcs or it definitely wouldn't be those two..