Image via Complex Original
Mascots are a crucial part of video gaming lore.
This is because, as their legacies begin to develop, and the years pile on, they begin to represent not only their respective companies, but also the gaming industry as a whole. Think: where would we be today if not for a certain plumber, one blue hedgehog, and our favorite yellow hero swallowing up Power Pellets and ghosts? Well, somewhere, but not in the place we are now, where video games are a billion—yes, that's billion with a "B"—dollar industry.
It's all thanks to guys like Mario, Sonic, and Pac-Man; no one can argue that. Some of the picks on this list are obvious, some perhaps less so, but at the end of the day, these are The 25 Greatest Video Game Mascots of All Time. Scroll through, and give them a look. Getting a little nostalgic thinking about all the good times you spent with Pikachu or Link? That's why they're here.
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25. Crash Bandicoot
Company: Naughty Dog
First Game Appearance: Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot is more of a legacy mascot. At one time, he represented Sony as a whole, but now, he's kind of a relic. Just because he's fallen by the wayside, though, doesn't mean that we couldn't include him on this list. Crash was the introductory character for many young gamers getting their first PlayStation, as he starred in a number of different genres like platformers, racing, and party games. Now, he's been overshadowed over at Naughty Dog but, back in the day, the idea of any human being stealing the spotlight from this hopping, bopping bandicoot would've seemed crazy.
24. Miis
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Wii Sports
It's strange to think, but the Mii is pretty much the Wii generation's mascot. Be honest: who here didn't spend the better part of an hour or ten making a whole city of Miis to live in and inhabit? Miis represent an important shift in the industry, underscoring how much gamers desire to see themselves inside the game as opposed to one, uniform avatar. It's the next step in interactive gaming's on-going evolution.
23. Yoshi
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Super Mario World
Did you know that when you beat Super Mario World, the Princess takes the time to not only thank Mario, but also Yoshi and his eggs? Notice anybody missing in that congratulatory speech? Yep, Luigi. Apparently, even Nintendo knew that Yoshi made a better mascot than Luigi at the time. Dude can never catch a break, can he?
22. Fox McCloud
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Star Fox
Nintendo sure does have a lot of mascots. The leader of a frog, a rabbit, and a bird, Fox McCloud may not be one of the company's biggest names, but gamers still know and love him all the same. Most people came to know him when Star Fox 64 was one of the N64's top-selling titles of 1997, and was hailed as an instant classic by gamers and critics alike. Oh, and Fox was easily the best character in both the original Super Smash Bros. and Melee. Anyone who wants to try and test that can meet us in Sector Z.
21. Sweet Tooth
Company: Sony
First Game Appearance: Twisted Metal
Sweet Tooth is the demented, smiling clown that adorns the cover of every Twisted Metal title and, because of the franchise's immense popularity, he ended up becoming a face for Sony's early video game efforts as well. Consider this: when people think vehicular combat, they think of an ice cream truck piloted by a clown. How messed up is that? It really gives us chills just thinking about it. Inhabiting our nightmares is certainly one way to become an effective mascot.
20. Rayman
Company: Ubisoft
First Game Appearance: Rayman
The teenaged and limbless Rayman—your guess is as good as our on his species—is an undeniably strange mascot and, because of that, sort've an underdog to make this list. Rayman always seemed to occupy that second-tier of platform gaming, constantly looking up to bigger stars like Mario but, believe it or not, he's established himself pretty heavily in the industry, and has always been loved by his parent company, Ubisoft. Despite the fact that they have bigger franchises like Assassin's Creed to tend to, the company still makes time for Rayman and, in fact, recently partnered up with Nintendo to produce the upcomng Rayman Legends for the Wii U. Oddly enough, it appears that Rayman is here to stay.
19. Jill Valentine
Company: Capcom
First Game Appearance: Resident Evil
Jill Valentine (AKA, Jibil Sandwich), is the face of Resident Evil, even though many other characters have since come and gone in the franchise—most notably, her original partner, Chris Redfield. But Capcom proved that they knew what they were doing when they put her front and center in the series. It's always better to have a tough-as-nails, attractive female as a mascot, rather than a guy. You reach both men and women that way. Sounds like a win-win to us.
18. Nathan Drake
Company: Naughty Dog
First Game Appearance: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Nathan Drake represents Naughty Dog just as much as he represents Sony. But most importantly, he represents a thrilling, adventurous seventh-generation franchise, and that can mean a lot to an Xbox 360 owner who might be suffering through some dry months. If you've got Microsoft fans wondering whether the grass might be greener on the other side, then you've clearly made a name for yourself in the gaming world.
17. Kirby
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Kirby's Dream Land
Kirby is from Nintendo, plain and simple. He may be one of the side mascots, very much like Yoshi, but people have loved Kirby and his vaccuum-like abilities from the very start. Well, besides when they were getting sucked up and spit out into oblivion by him in Super Smash Bros. But, otherwise, he's just so cute and puffy! How can you say no to that face?
16. Simon Belmont
Company: Konami
First Game Appearance: Castlevania
Gamers love Castlevania, and Simon Belmont is a name that they can trust. That's mostly because most people's fondest memories of Castlevania were on the NES, where Belmont reigned supreme. That's called "planting the seed early," folks. Even today, when you think of whip-cracking, vampire-slaying adventures, who else comes to mind but good ol' Simon?
15. Scorpion
Company: Midway
First Game Appearance: Mortal Kombat
The face (and the voice—"Get over here!") of Mortal Kombat, some might say that Sub-Zero is MK's true mascot, but we disagree. Nothing, besides fatalities, is more iconic to the franchise than Scorpion's spear—or his terrifying skull when he removes his mask. There's a reason that he infiltrated the cast of Injustice: Gods Among Us, even though he has nothing to do with DC. He's just that famous.
14. Pikachu
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Pokemon Red and Blue
Pika Pika. Pikachu is the face of Pokemon, and, for a time, was also the face of Nintendo when Pokemon was the biggest game in the world. What makes a great mascot is the fact that people can immediately identify them, and who doesn't know Pikachu? Even though the franchise has lost steam, people still continue to recognize this lovable, yellow electric rodent. Pikachu's got longevity for years to come.
13. Lara Croft
Company: Eidos
First Game Appearance: Tomb Raider
Now Square Enix's pin-up girl, Lara Croft represented girl power back when the gaming world didn't have a ton of feminine heroines to look up to. In a male-dominated industry, Croft wasn't hurt (well, besides possibly her back) by the fact that her boobs were enormous either. She stood for independence and strength to the girl gamers, and raging hormones to the boys. That's a winning combination if there ever was one.
12. Samus
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Metroid
Samus is an interesting mascot because she actually represents something bigger than a video game company or a console: women. Princess Peach and Zelda are great, but Samus came out to prove that women weren't always the ones who needed saving. At the time of the first Metroid, she blew gamers away when they finally found out that their hero was actually a heroine. Nowadays, she's been made into a bit of a sex symbol—like, Zero Suit Samus, really??—but, unlike Lara Croft, she wasn't always that way. First and foremost, Samus was a bounty hunter, and, trust us, there's nothing girly or sexy about a power suit with Metroid brains splattered across the visor.
11. Sonic
Company: Sega
First Game Appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog
There was a time when Sonic would've been considered the second greatest mascot of all time, but his stock has fallen tremendously over the years. It's really sad. Still, when people think of Sega, and, more importantly, when people think of Sega as a big player in the industry, Sonic was seen as the company's answer to Mario, no question about it. Will Sonic ever be able to Sonic boom his way back to the top? Doubtful, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for him.
10. Mega Man
Company: Capcom
First Game Appearance: Mega Man
It's unfortunate that Mega Man usually represents the glory days of Capcom rather than the future, but it's also somewhat true. Be that as it may, outside of a certain Street Fighter, it's hard to think of a mascot that better represents Capcom. People love their cannon-armed, blue boy-robot from his days on handhelds and the NES, all the way up to the Battle Network and DS games. Now if only we could get him slated for some more upcoming releases...
9. Solid Snake
Company: Konami
First Game Appearance: Metal Gear
It's strange how Solid Snake has become such a huge mascot for Konami, but his game catalogue has most definitely earned him that status. When people think of stealth games, they immediately think of Solid Snake, usually hiding in a cardboard box or something. And when they want to think about some of the PlayStation's all time great titles, the Metal Gear Solid series immediately comes to mind. Snake represents a completely unique brand of political intrigue, espionage, and deep, human emotion that other characters fail to match.
8. Donkey Kong
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Donkey Kong
It's on like Donkey Kong. Everybody knows that. He's so popular a character that very few even question his silly, improbable name. Well, besides Dr. Farnsworth from Futurama, of course. ("Monkeys aren't donkeys, Fry!"). While not a system seller like Mario or Link, he's definitely from Nintendo's loins. In most people's minds, it usually goes: Mario, then Link, then Donkey Kong. Hard to feel bad about third place when you're in company like that.
7. Kratos
Company: Sony
First Game Appearance: God of War
Kratos is Sony's baby. Yes, there are other Sony mascots that the kids can enjoy more, but no other character (besides Nathan Drake) truly shows what's exclusively available to you on a Sony platform. There was a time when God of War was the biggest franchise on the system, and there's a reason for that. Kratos' pasty skin, brilliant, red tattoo, and bloodthirsty blades represent quality in the eyes of many gamers.
6. Ryu
Company: Capcom
First Game Appearance: Street Fighter
Ryu is the face of the most revered fighting game in the world, best known for his trademark, "HADOUKEN!" And out of all the blue, energy ball attacks that we can think of, that may have been even more popular than Goku's Kame-ha-me-ha! Capcom has some great mascots, but no one else represents their premiere fighting franchise as strongly as the World Warrior himself. You must defeat Sheng Long in order to find a better mascot than him.
5. Segata Sanshiro
Company: Sega
First Game Appearance: Segata Sanshiro Shinken Yuugi
Okay, we realize that not everybody may know who Segata Sanshiro is, but that doesn't keep him from being one of the greatest (and most fascinating) mascots of all time. He's also the only real person on this list (sorry, Kevin Butler). Segata Sanshiro was the Sega Saturn's mascot, and he was featured in commercials doing the most ludicrous things, our favorite being a Bomberman commercial where causes a man to explode simply by throwing him around. Now that's power! The best thing about Segata Sanshiro is that a whole narrative was constructed around him in the commercials for other games. It all leads to a point where he saves the world from a rocket. We're not joking. That is the power of SEGATA SANSHIRO!!
4. Link
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: The Legend of Zelda
Everybody knows Link, and most people remember their first encounter with him fondly. Just like Nintendo's other most-prized commodity, Mario, Link stirs a certain sense of nostalgia within the gaming community. People found games like Wind Waker or Skyward Sword reason enough to pick up a Gamecube or a Wii, simply because they wanted to go back to those deep forests and dark dungeons, Master Sword in hand, ready to take on the next challenge as our favorite crusader in green. The coming-of-age theme tied into nearly every Zelda game made us all feel as if we were the ones becoming the next Hero of Time.
3. Master Chief
Company: Microsoft
First Game Appearance: Halo: Combat Evolved
A fairly recent mascot, Master Chief isn't known simply just for Bungie or the Halo franchise. Master Chief represents the original Xbox console. You can only get him from Microsoft, but people were just fine with that, and the fact that Halo alone was responsible for much of the Xbox's initial success is the true indicator of Chief's influence as a mascot. People didn't just want to play as Master Chief, they wanted to be Master Chief.
2. Pac-Man
Company: Namco
First Game Appearance: Pac-Man
Seriously, who doesn't know Pac-Man? While he may not be the best representative for Namco (some people we asked didn't even know what company created the pellet-hungry guy), he's one of the industry stalwarts, and definitely its most known face. Pac-Man probably led more people to video games than our no. 1 pick and Pong combined. We've always had Pac-Man Fever. Who hasn't?
1. Mario
Company: Nintendo
First Game Appearance: Donkey Kong
The O.G. of all mascots, you just knew Mario had to be No. 1. There isn't any other mascot that even comes close. For many, Mario doesn't just represent Nintendo as a whole. He also represents the entire video game industry. He's our Mickey Mouse. You'd be hard-pressed to find a parent in America (or around many places of the world, for that matter), who've never seen or heard of Mario before. He is the gold-standard of Nintendo marketing and their go-to guy when it comes to selling consoles. In every single way, Mario is the king. Not bad for a plumber who was once only known as Jumpman and spent all his time smashing barrels with a hammer.