Weirdest Gaming Characters of All Time

Video games allow us to explore other worlds and realms that would be impossible to access otherwise. As video game graphics have become more and more advanced, the most creative developers have been providing us with wilder and more unique characters. Some of these characters border on the grotesque, while some give "grotesque" a bad name. Still others aren't malevolent at all, but they are no less unusual. Here are ten of the weirdest gaming characters ever to be released on any console.

The King of All Cosmos

The King of All Cosmos is a recurring character in the Katamari Damacy series of video games. The first entry of the series begins with the King accidentally destroying every star in the universe after getting too drunk. He sends his son, the Prince, to Earth in order to collect materials to create new stars, setting the gameplay in motion. Besides his unusual role as a clumsy ruler of the universe, the King of All Cosmos has a unsurprisingly outrageous appearance and a voice which, to human ears, just sounds like a bunch of quiet squeaks and scratches.

Tingle

The Legend of Zelda series is the source of many iconic video game characters, but not all of these are remembered for their beauty or heroism. Tingle first appeared in the Nintendo 64 game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask as a short, stout, middle-aged man obsessed with fairies. He dresses in tight-fitting forest fairy garb, and serves various purposes, such as selling maps or providing exposition. This odd little fellow garnered such interest that he has become the main character in his own series of Japan-exclusive video games.

Phoenix Wright

Phoenix Wright is a lawyer who is not such an odd character in his original game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. The weirdness really came when he was included in the Marvel vs Capcom fighting game. It's weird because... he's a lawyer. With no fighting skills. And it shows. Wright is exceptionally not powerful, with attacks that include sneezing on his opponents and literally just shouting "Objection!"

Meat

The Mortal Kombat franchise is home to a wide variety of strange and gruesome scenes and characters. Many moves in the game are incredibly violent, and final "Fatality" moves include tearing out spines and peeling off skin. The latter isn't much of a concern for this character, however. Debuting in Mortal Kombat 4, Meat is an inhuman genetic experiment gone wrong. Aside from his grotesque appearance, Meat's gameplay is even weirder, with attacks that include using his own blood to slide along the ground and removing his own head to launch at his enemies.

Birdo

The mushroom kingdom is home to no shortage of strange and unusual creatures and characters. In fact, an Italian plumber inexplicably fighting his way through the vast regions of the kingdom is, in his own way, one of the weirdest gaming characters I can think of. I think the real prize goes to Birdo though, some sort of unholy flightless dinosaur bird with a gaping funnel for a mouth. Though she has become a more friendly competitor in series like Super Mario Kart and Mario Party, Birdo first appeared in the American release of Super Mario World 2 as a recurring boss opponent.

Blanka

Compared to the mutated creatures and odd fetishists on this list, Blanka doesn't appear to be that weird, but you have to consider the context. Blanka first appeared in Street Fighter II, one of the games that kicked off the trend of fighting video games. While there are several playable characters, most of the "street fighters," like Ryu and Chun-Li, are relatively normal in appearance. Blanka has green skin and the power to generate electricity. For me, the thing that makes Blanka so weird is that the game describes him as human despite these otherworldly abilities.

Coco

A far cry from the violent fighting video games on this list, Animal Crossingis really quite an innocent game, allowing the player to live in a community of anthropomorphic animals and carry out daily tasks like fishing and farming. Coco is one of many characters that can live in your town. While Coco's disposition is normal, and in fact friendly, her expressionless appearance is unique and unsettling. With a name like "Coco," it's probable her design is intended to mimic that of a coconut, which would explain the expressionless face. But, you know...why?

Double

In case you haven't yet noticed the trend, fighting games have had a near monopoly on the weirdest gaming characters for the better part of 30 years. The 2012 2D fighting game Skullgirls is no exception, featuring characters like this...thing...named Double. Double is some sort of unidentified shapeshifting creature. While it commonly takes the form of a nun in order to blend in at a cathedral, Double's true form is some sort of grotesque amorphous amalgam of organs and appendages.

Mega Man

Put those pitchforks away: I'm not saying Mega Man himself is a particularly weird character. The iconic, cannon-wielding man in blue is one of the best video game characters of all time. With such a long history together, there's bound to be a few skeletons in his closet. Enter Street Fighter X Tekken. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that appearing in a fighting game would turn Mega Man into something weird and inexplicably un-Mega Man-like. The "Mega Man" who appears as a special unlockable character in Street Fighter X Tekken bears little resemblance to our boy in blue: He appears to be an out-of-shape, beer-bellied, middle-aged man with a handgun instead of is signature cannon.

Voldo

Voldo is a Sicilian contortionist and the weirdest character in the Soulcalibur series of games, which is the source of many of the weirdest gaming characters in history. The fact that Voldo is a contortionist is actually probably the least weird thing about this character. His outfits bridge the precarious gap between traditional Italian Renaissance garb and demented bondage gear. As if this weren't unsettling enough, Voldo doesn't actually speak words. Instead, his vocalizations are weird moans and hisses.