The Strongest Video Game Characters Ever, Ranked (2023)

There are plenty of powerful video game characters out there. Any game you pick up will more likely than not, have characters that can pull off some extraordinary feats — be it jumping a certain distance, mastering a weapon, or using some magic. Although you don't have to look far to find a character’s specialty, this naturally springs debates as to which characters are stronger. We’re going to be looking at it from a different angle, though, as we’re going to look at game characters that are just too strong.

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There are plenty of powerful characters to consider, and you can make a case for so many to be included in this discussion, but we’ve narrowed it down. These characters aren’t all on the same level, but rather, are those that stand out the most in their respective series. We’ve also limited the majority of this list to video game characters only, which means no Goku or Superman. Still, there are some pretty imposing characters on this list. There’s everything from super-soldiers, all-powerful sorcerers, celestial beings, and anything in between.

Updated December 7, 2022, by Michael Llewellyn: Measuring a character's power from a video game is subjective, but it's a lot of fun to imagine who or what would be the most powerful characters in all of gaming. Using only video game characters, many titles on this list are inspired by all forms of fiction and mythologies. This list is updated to include more powerful characters from gaming, including one that many fans consider omnipotent in terms of power measurement.

• First Appearance: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (2011, PS3/Xbox 360)

Directed by Sawaki Takeyasu — who worked on the Devil May Cry series — El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an action title centered on a biblical character known as Enoch. Enoch was taken to heaven to act as a scribe for God without needing to die. He eventually becomes the angel known as Metatron.

Despite its subtitle, El Shaddai takes place long before his ascension to an angel. But Enoch is sent to earth to defeat the fallen angels and their Nephilim. Enoch can create any weapon or shape he chooses by touching it. Moreover, his equipment and weapons are given to him by Lucifel — AKA Lucifer — one of the guardian angels of the planet. As a warrior of God and future angel, Enoch is one of the most powerful characters in gaming.

32 Death - Darksiders 2

• First Appearance: Darksiders 2 (2012, PC/PS3/PS4/Stadia/Switch,Wii U/Xbox 360/Xbox One)

As the leader of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death is the most powerful of the remaining Nephilim in the Darksiders universe, even though War is physically stronger. Death has the power of life. He defeated the likes of Absalom the Avatar or Chaos, Warrior angels, demons, and more.

In the Darksiders story, Death defeated entities with the powers of gods like Samael, an archangel in biblical terms as powerful as Lilith and Lucifer. As a character with the physical traits and ability to defeat the most powerful entities in the universe, Death is a match for anyone.

31 Alex Mercer - Prototype Series

• First Appearance: Prototype (2009, Xbox 360/PS3/PC)

Alex Mercer might not be one of the absolute strongest video game characters on this list, but he certainly is one of the most ferocious you’ll see. After being infected with a strain of the Blacklight virus, which he worked on, Mercer turned into an incredibly resourceful and vicious one-man army.

Mercer’s abilities allow him to take on all foes, efficiently fighting through waves of enemies at once. Mercer has a wide array of incredibly versatile abilities that make him an efficient fighter in close-quarters and ranged combat. His shapeshifting abilities allow any part of him to become a weapon, and he possesses several superhuman traits such as strength, speed, and endurance, which and when combined, make him near impossible to defeat by traditional methods.

30 Master Chief - The Halo Series

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• First Appearance: Halo (2001, Xbox)

One of the most iconic video game characters in the industry, Master Chief isn’t exactly the most souped-up compared to others on this list. But, despite his lack of eye-grabbing abilities and mystical prowess, Master Chief has shown fans time and time again that he’s a force to be reckoned with.

That being said, he isn’t your average soldier. He has some superhuman traits and a mastery of military weaponry and equipment. That would, at the very least, allow him to fight against even some of the strongest video game characters on this list.

29 Samus Aran - The Metroid Series

• First Appearance: Metroid (1986, Famicom)

Samus Aran has one of the most recognizable designs in gaming, even without her famous Power Suit on. Despite being incredibly athletic and physically gifted, Samus’ place on this list is highly dependent on the use of her Power Suit.

The suit serves as Samus’ main line of defense and protection. While allowing her the ability to change forms, apply upgrades, and navigate a myriad of different and potentially dangerous environments. It serves as her greatest means of attack and defense.

28 Kirby - Kirby Series

• First Appearance: Kirby's Dream Land (1992, Game Boy)

As adorable as he is dangerous, Kirby is one of the most intimidating characters on this list. Think about it: Kirby’s abilities are all dependent on his capability to devour his foes. It’s all pretty cute in the games, but this little pink psycho is a serious monster when you give it some thought.

Kirby can pretty much inhale anything, and once he does, he copies that being's ability for his use. This alone makes him a tough challenge for many powerful video game characters on this list. Though he isn’t invincible, he’s not someone who should be judged on their looks alone.

27 Doomguy - Doom Series

• First Appearance: Doom (1993, MS-DOS)

Like the Master Chief, Doomguy is an incredibly gifted soldier, but instead of aliens, he takes on demonic forces. His ability to handle the supernatural singlehandedly is pretty impressive, and he’s proven resilient throughout his adventures.

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Doomguy is incredibly acrobatic and agile, which makes navigating a battlefield pretty easy for him. He’s able to carry a surplus of weapons and equipment without slowing down and has shown to have fairly above-average physical strength. He may not be among the absolute strongest video game characters on this list, but he’s still one tough character.

26 Pyramid Head - Silent Hill Series

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• First Appearance: Silent Hill 2 (2001, PS2)

The Silent Hill series has shown us several vile, unsettling monsters over the years, but none have left the same impression on fans that Pyramid Head has. As violent and strong, as it is unsightly, Pyramid Head is a force to be reckoned with.

Pyramid Head seems to be a monster rather than a singular entity that possesses raw strength that normal humans can’t hope to compete with. The giant Great Knife it carries around only makes it that much more of a challenge in close-range combat. It might not come off as the strongest character on our list, but this isn’t a foe that should be taken lightly.

25 Bayonetta - The Bayonetta Series

• First Appearance: Bayonetta (2009, Xbox 360/PS3)

Next up on our list is Bayonetta, a character that action fans should be familiar with. As an Umbra Witch, Bayo possesses several physical and magical abilities that make her a tough opponent for even the strongest game character.

Bayonetta is a master of the Bullet Arts and is proficient with pretty much any weapon she gets her hands on. Bayo is an agile fighter while also possessing incredible strength. Her magical abilities give her numerous advantages, such as slowing down time, summoning demons, and increasing her power exponentially at any given point.

24 Galen Marek - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Series

• First Appearance: Soulcalibur 4 (2008, Xbox 360/PS3)

Long before Disney made him irrelevant by completely resetting the Extended Universe, Galen Marek seemed to be one of the most dangerous force users in the Star Wars galaxy. It’s something that both his fans and detractors point to whenever he comes up in conversations about the strongest video game characters.

Marek is exceptionally skilled when using a lightsaber – he was, after all, trained by Darth Vader from an early age. However, it’s his mastery of the force and raw power that stick out the most. Marek has used the force to pull off incredible feats, from ripping a Star Destroyer down from the sky, disintegrating enemies, or throwing foes around him like ragdolls.

• First Appearance: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013, Xbox 360/PS3)

Nanomachines, son. An imposing figure, Senator Armstrong is a pretty intimidating guy without the nanomachine infusion. Armstrong is pretty adept at close-range combat, and his massive frame makes him tough to fight one-on-one.

With the nanomachines, he’s a different monster. Hardening his skin, reattaching limbs, materializing flames, and incorporating them into his attacks, are just some of his souped-up abilities. He isn’t someone you’d want to underestimate.

22 Cole MacGrath - The Infamous Series

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• First Appearance: Infamous (2009, PS3)

The Infamous games let you run around while using a wide range of awesome superpowers that just get wilder as you progress through the story. Cole MacGrath already had great athletic ability before he got caught up in the blast. That, coupled with his powers, made him an agile heavy hitter.

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Cole’s abilities revolve around electrokinesis, which allows him to control electricity. It’s a pretty versatile ability that allows him to impact waves of foes while also allowing him the option to heal himself during battle.

21 Sephiroth - Final Fantasy 7

• First Appearance: Final Fantasy 7 (1997, PlayStation)

Probably the most well-known antagonist in the Final Fantasy series, Sephiroth isn’t someone you'd want to mess with. A highly regarded member of the SOLDIER program, Sephiroth’s abilities are unmatched by his peers.

Though he is constantly brought up as one of the series’ most powerful adversaries, we don’t have a full grasp on all of Sephiroth’s abilities. He’s incredibly strong, fast, and gifted in combat. Add that to his mastery of various Materia, and you’ve got one tough customer.

20 Dante: Devil May Cry Series

• First Appearance: Devil May Cry (2001, PS2)

We’re not going to be talking about rebooting Dante for this next entry as the original will suffice. Being a human/demon hybrid certainly has its perks, and Dante makes full use of them. He shines in physical combat and can find his way around nearly any weapon.

Thanks to his demon half, Dante can take on powerful foes on his own and can even turn into a full-on demon, amplifying his powers significantly. You can bet he would be more than enough to handle anyone on this list.

19 Albert Wesker - Resident Evil Series

• First Appearance: Resident Evil (1996, PlayStation)

A cunning madman, Albert Wesker was troubled long before his exposure to the prototype virus. A member of Project W, Wesker was a gifted individual whose abilities were amplified to superhuman levels, making him difficult to handle for most.

A confident leader with genius-level intelligence, Wesker could defeat foes with his mind, as well as with his enhanced physical abilities. He’s one of the more cunning characters on this list who just so happens to be able to dish it out pretty efficiently.

18 Alma Wade - F.E.A.R. Series

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• First Appearance: F.E.A.R. (2005, PC)

Even among the incredibly powerful members of this list, Alma Wade is a little unique. A powerful psychic and vengeful specter, Wade isn’t an enemy you can commit to fighting head-on, and that’s what makes her such a formidable opponent.

Rather than take someone on with the brute force, she can completely break them from within. However, that isn’t to say that she can’t handle herself in a fight. You don’t want to go one-on-one with her as she can deal with most enemies rather easily.

17 Jack Of Blades - The Fable Series

• First Appearance: Fable (2004, Xbox)

Never seen without his mask off, Jack of Blades is without a doubt one of the most well-known and recognized characters in the entire Fable series. Jack is an ancient being who uses the aforementioned mask to attain new hosts, thus, living on forever.

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Aside from his human form, Jack possesses an intimidating dragon one as well. Jack can take opponents on in either form and fair well regardless — though the dragon one does provide a considerable boost in strength.

16 Ciri - The Witcher Series

• First Appearance: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015, Xbox One/PS4/PC)

Ciri might not be the most experienced character on this list, but she still deserves to be in the conversation. She possesses great power that could make her one of the strongest video game characters around. Imagine what she could do if she mastered her powers.

Ciri has shown that she can handle a sword and keep up with most enemies; however, it’s her ability to teleport and travel through worlds that makes her stick out. The latter has much more practical use in battle than the former, but it’s her use of both that makes her so dangerous.

15 The Prince - Katamari Series

• First Appearance: Katamari Damacy (2004, PS2)

A bit of a silly inclusion to our list, sure, but think about what the Prince can do. With the use of Katamari, the Prince can bunch up anything and everything he comes across. It all seems light-hearted enough, but those things can do some real damage.

It always starts small, and then gradually, it gets bigger and bigger. By the end of Katamari Forever!, the Prince had bundled up clumps of various planets. That’s one kid that you want on his best behavior at all times.

14 Ganondorf - The Legend Of Zelda Series

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• First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda (1986, Famicom)

Ganondorf is easily one of the most recognizable characters on this list, and one that many recognize as a powerful enemy. Ganon’s immense power usually stems from his possession of the Triforce of Power, but he’s still one of the most powerful video game characters without it.

A powerful Gerudo, Ganon has shown that he is a skilled and dominant magic user, who possesses massive strength and the ability to transform as well. This makes him something of an unpredictable opponent for anyone facing him.