either Alucard in SoTN or Cecils Dark Knight armor in FFIV.

Sora, and his wide arrangement of outifts throughout all the Kingdom Hearts games! I really enjoy the design in most of the costumes they create for him and can't wait to see whats in KH3. As for his character, Sora is always there for Donald, Goofy and everyone else when they need him most, and he doesn't give up.

I'm gonna go with Aloy. She has a great character development as she finds out who she really is. Doesn't let anything get in her way or stop her from what she knows is the right thing to do despite receiving animosity and being shunned by the very people she's trying to save. Aloy had a massive role in why hzd was a fantastic game.

Aloy. Only redhead in the game for a reason
Backstory is awesome.

I'm gonna go with Ryuji from Persona 5. All of the characters in that game were fantastic and memorable (except akeshi, I hated him, which may have been the point, lol). But, Ryuji felt like someone I would be friends with in real life. A bit of a loose cannon, but always dependable. Another great pick would have been The Bloody Baron from Witcher 3

To be honest, it was Noctis from Versus XIII. I still remember seeing that all the way back in 06 and thought that entire aesthetic was straight badass. The coolest thing I ever saw. I always said that if I were to make a game that was how it was going to look. So seeing that was like a dream.

The beautiful Somnus playing in the background, then this cool dude dressed in all black with red eyes was summoning all these different swords zipping and and teleporting through waves of soldiers...using leg techniques to snap necks, stabbing, breaking and bending the other soldiers’ arms to shoot thier fellow soldiers etc. He also looked so apathetic, but it felt so sad/beautiful. Man. That hit every cool point in my young soul lol.

It makes me severely depressed to know that I’ll probably never get to see a game exactly like that. With that music, color, aesthetic, tone. With that kind of character. Like, I get legit sad lol.

I still liked XV though and VsXIII was already said to not be going too well. But I pray to god somebody realizes that vision properly. It would make my gaming life.

Batman (from games like Arkham Knight). I like how the suite of Batman is well-thought and all the parts of it seems to be useful and not there only visually.

Lara Croft. An iconic character that has seen various interpretations. I probably liked her Underworld design best, straddling the line between the more classic cartoony look and realism nicely.

I dig the Indiana Jones vibes and though not as well written as some other characters in her genre (I'm looking at you Mr Drake), she is certainly easy on the eyes.

I always liked Links many incarnations and thought Aloy had a striking design but I gotta go with Kratos! The design always was a favorite of mine and how they originally came up with the look is interesting and is just how the creative process goes most times. I thought his redesign in this years acclaimed game was phenomenal and just loved the grizzled, aged look he had! Loved the beard and thought his new Norse duds were spot on!

Dante from the DmC reboot because so many got upset.

Gehrman from Bloodborne would be one i'll choose even though he's not the main character. The game has (in my opinion) the most diverse, horrific and incredible character and boss design i've ever seen in a game. I literally would just say wow when i see some of the bosses(like Ludvig or orphan of kos). It also has some of my favorite armor designs which makes every character feel unique and victorian-esque which is truly beautiful to look at. Not to mention the whole theme helping and environment helping the whole asthetic.

Link!!! I prefer the adult from Ocarina of Time.

The secret boss Culex from Super Mario RPG because he just looks like a badass.

I might cheat this one a little and pick a title instead. Mass Effect.
That game had so many absolutely incredible characters with Garrus, Wrex, Tali and Liara among a roster of great species and races that stuck with me for years. Each fully fleshed out and lovable.

(If I picked one normally I'd be boring and say Snake from Metal Gear, The flowy bandana and grizzly voice are too good!)

Clouds kingdom hearts 1 design. It just looked so damn cool when I first saw it, shame he just went with his advent children look in kh2.

Im gonna go with Commander Shephard, the default male look

Pyramid Head from Silent Hills. That horrific figure dragging that humangous meat cleaver was edged in my brain for ever.

speaking of pure design, i love dante from DMC, he's just too cool and perfect

Crono from Chrono Trigger - the spiky red hair, the smirk, just an ideal lead in a JRPG.

Ganondorf. There's so much detail in his character.

I think Clementine from Telltale’s TWD. Her genuity and her way of channeling different emotions in the extremes was really something that hit me.

I think I would have to say the default male commander Shepard just because I spent so much time playing and replaying that character.

GLaDOS

To whatever degree GLaDOS may actually be evil, this fact is remedied by the fact that GLaDOS actually sacrifices herself in the original game. Don't believe it? Just think about it for a moment. All of the mechanics that are taught to you through out the game, the ones that eventually lead to GLaDos’s death, are taught to you by her. GLaDOS built all the test chambers that gave you your skills, then forced you to progress through them. We know this. Did the super intelligent AI not know what she was doing? Of course she did.

Easy, Tint Tina the bada$$ in Borderlands 2.

Oh, wow. This is a tough one. At least it’s only aesthetics, and not just *your favorite character.
The one that pops in my mind is Monokuma from Danganronpa. He’s cute, and a murderous sadist. Did I mention that he is a teddy bear?

Abe from the original Oddworld games. His strange figure and stitched lips, he just displays the look of a guy that never amounted to much until he was chosen to be a savior.

Mattias Nilsson, the wise-cracking Swede from the Mercenaries games. His dead-pan humor in the face of massive explosions and overwhelming odds is as much his trademark as his vest, mohawk and tattoos. If Vikings existed today, they would probably look like Mattias Nilsson.

R.I.P. Pandemic Studios

Burn in Hell EA.

Link. Easily recognizable. Seems young but still brave and adventurous.

My favourite two characters of all time in a video game would be Pikachu and Mewtwo, the reason is pokemon I grew up with now they have re released smash bros ultimate but before then there was a game called Pokemon Tekken Tournament it brings back memories from owning and watching the show they produced in the early 90's. I mean you wouldn't want to mess with either Pikachu or Mewtwo because they both a very powerful characters in their entirety.

Mewtwo was an experiment and is very powerful while Pikachu has that personality of i don't want to be like the others being put in a pokeball and left there until battle he wants to experiance the world for what it is and when he realises that he's very happy. I think over the course of playing video games I have never seen two characters like these two ever.

Yes there is many characters throughout history that capcom, nintendo, playstation, xbox, sega etc have made but these two to me are special they are telling their story in such a way you understand they are the way they are and if you don't like them then find your own characters to enjoy and bond with.

That's another thing I love about video games not everyone has the same character bond we are all different and we all experience characters and games differently than the other person.

Snake in MGS3 era...Yoji Shinkawa is a Master in characters' design..Snake was badass with the camo suit,eyepatch and the bandana..Very fitting appearance to the character.

Basically all the characters from Persona 5 (absolutely cool and stylish), Link from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Vivi from Final Fantasy 9, Emily from Dishonored 2, Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn, etc. There are a lot of game character designs I love. They all look so cool.

John 117. Barely talks. Has the nicest GF. Kills aliens and doesn't afraid of anything.

Hawke in the cinematic trailer for Dragon Age 2. A mage with some armor, and who uses the staff for melee combat, and then some cool magic that summoned hands from some other plane of existence to obliterate his enemy. Sadly he wasn't quite as cool in the actual game, but the Hawke in the trailer <3

Based on what comes to mind, I really like Joker's design (Persona 5). Since everyone's costumes are based on their personal thoughts of what a rebel looks like, his was the most thief-like, but also the best manifestation of a commanding officer. It wasn't overt. It felt subtle and the most practical for a thief. It's interesting that, as a rebel, it's like he was making a statement that being rebellious isn't about making it known. It's about getting it done without arousing suspicion.

I really like the design of Ratchet. Instantly recognizable and clank fits right on his back.

The necromancer from diablo 3 was always really cool. He looks like a truly evil sorcerer but it's that voice that puts him over the top.

Geralt - I feel like it's kinda cheating as it's based on a well thought out character from a book, but I'm sure there are plenty of ways they could have messed it up. He has it all, from the looks, to the sounds and to his actions the puzzle pieces all fit together so nicely and really make you believe it.

It has to be Link. I was a Nintendo kid in the 80s and early 90s, skipping to Playstation, but always having a Nintendo console as well, just to play Mario and LoZ games.

Ever since playing the first game, I was hooked, both to the world, and to RPGs. It was A Link to the Past that really drew me in though.

Since Gamecube, most of the Nintendo consoles I've bought, have been bought when a new Zelda game releases.

One of the timeless, always remembered, instantly recognisable characters in gaming, and it's rare to see a bad game in the series, if any at all.

Raziel, so ugly and bad ass at the same time..

I really enjoy character designs that incorporate some sort of exo suit. Runner up: Halo's Master Chief has a great set of power armor and the characterization is excellent...the stoic savior. Runner up: Shepard from Mass Effect has a large selection of suits and the option to choose your personality.

Winner: Isaac from Dead Space has a great set of suits but his characterization is the most compelling. He is a non combat engineer who is thrust into a very dangerous situation and has to use his whits and capabilities to re-purpose maintenance equipment to defend himself.

Booker DeWitt from Bioshock Infinite. You can see he's a fighter, but subtle details by the designers allude to his imperfections and the fact that he's sort of a broken man.

Kratos 2018

The sorceress from Dragon's Crown because she is made up so over the top (no pun intended, or maybe...), It's ridiculous. In today's age with censorship, I'm surprised she snuck by as she was. How about instead of censoring anything, hold true to the ratings that are placed there by a board and let gamers game on?!

Samus Aran, mainly because of the kickass space suite ..

Conker from Conker's Bad Fur Day. He looks like every kid-friendly platforming protagonist ever made, but acts like every mature character that ever graced the screen, except with more flair. Looking back one could argue that Conker feels like a walking mirror turned on a maturing industry, or gaming's best pixelated irony.

Any of the four Treyarch zombie killers. Their interaction is always entertaining. Plus, zombies.

Naked Snake. You heard so much about Big Boss and what a legend he was. Then you play MGS3 and he is kinda goofy and naive, while also being a bad ass. I like home more than Solid Snake.

Dante from devil may cry. There's a reason his character from the original games was so popular. His hair style and clothing perfectly matched his slick and cool attitude.

I'm going to have to say Kratos, especially from GoW (2018). He's imposing and his character lives up to his looks. His color scheme is different, but there's a reason for it. He isn't just cool for the sake of looking cool. And honestly, this new God of War is probably the best looking game I've seen, so the detail on his character model was incredible.

Nariko from Heavenly Blade. She was such a strong character and looked awesome with that badass sword.

Character designs? Hmmm. Probably have to go with GLaDOS with how she's constructed hanging off the ceiling...not to mention people always link her look to a woman suspended upside down in a straight jacket which is cool.

Illidan Stormrage. Deep, meaningful story arc.

Master Chief for always having good looking not over the top armor and Mario the goofy plumbers designs always put a smile on my face

Bruce Wayne in Arkham Knight. There's something about getting your upgraded (or the new suit for each installment) suit, and taking it out for a spin. The new Arkham Batsuit had components that made the suit feel badass. I loved it.

I'll go with...

Sweet Tooth

Iconic evil clown. How can you go wrong.

Honorable mention to Barrett from FFVII if we're talking design (Red was a good one, too)

This was a difficult question, until I thought of my answer, at which point it was blatantly obvious;

ilomilo (XBLA). Or, ilo and/or milo. Whichever one you want.

It was absolutely instant love ever since the first footage of the game came out, and to this day it's one of those games which just completely nails all aspects of the design, where the world design, the colour-design, and music and sounds enhances the main characters. It all fits perfectly together, and makes sense.

ilo (or milo) has been my phone's lock-screen image for years now, and I don't see it changing any time soon.

Although the cute little fox from the upcoming Tunic seems very cool as well...

Congrats to BioDead.

I am going to go with the design of the Colossi in shadow of the colossus.
Especially the water dragon and the flying Sand Serpent, although all of their designs are next to godliness.
The bird in the water temple is probably the most frustrating but the most satisfying battle when it soars to incredible heights and the wind mechanics kick in.
Whether you fight them for the first time or the 30th time, the sense of awe is still rather impressive and their movements always surprise me.
Big, tall, fast, slow, every one of them is unique , some less combative than the others.

In second place, Azel from Panzer Dragoon Saga. Ethereal being with a mysterious past.
In third place, Kat (Alua) from Gravity Rush 1 and 2.

Dante from DMC, he's just too much of a badass

Aya the scantily-clad cowgirl from OneeChanbara...why??? Because I'm a perv.

Mephisto from Diablo II, because it delivers a true horror to the player the first time you enter his room with that demonic laugh and then appears as a ghost.

I would say Dante and Kazuya Mishima (Tekken)

Between Classic Sonic and Leynos artwork from Assault Suit Leynos (Target Earth on Genesis). Classic Sonic has perfect character design. Simple and memorable. Tells you he is cool but not the modern edgy crap like a Kratos. Leynos just has one of the best mecha designs for me. Esp with that single red eye and triangle head. It's not over-designed. Rather classic 80s anime mecha design but just detailed enough to see this thing means business. Very industrial.

Cid from the Final Fantasy series. Such a great character and dressed to match his skills.

Trevor from gta for sure. Comedic crazy and so much more. His character was so crazy but sometimes made sense that you almost start feeling like you would side with him.

I love Leon S Kennedy. Super cool. Super smooth. And one liners that kill.

Best design? I'm gonna have to go with Pikachu. Simple, straightforwards, easy to like. His design is like Kirby but with a little more personality.

As for my favorites, I'm really partially to a lot of JRPG character designs, like Dragon Quest and Ni No Kuni. My favorite right now though would have to be the Knight from Hollow Knight. His design is incredibly simple and yet instantly iconic. The entire game's art direction is brilliant, but it's all summed up in the design of that little unnamed knight.

ZIdane from FFIX, I always thought he had a fun design.

I was always fond of the Silencer from the Crusader games by Origin. Sure he had a Boba Fett look to him but I loved the mystery behind the faceless Silencer who turned his back on everything to fight for the cause. When I completed both games; I found myself wanting more and wanting to know more about him.

Kratos. Wears a toga and he's a badass character. The different armors he can wear are sick.

Samus from the Prime series...that suit just accentuated all her curves while giving her plenty of mobility and protection. not to mention it increased her overall sex appeal and made her look like a total badass.

Kain from ff4, always love dragons and making purple badass

Big boss because he was the most misunderstood character in gaming. He is set up by the government to kill his mentor, who wasn't really defecting but gave up her life for her country. His clones are made without his knowledge. He only wanted a nuclear METAL GEAR free world and peace

In peace walker he accepts the job just because he heard the voice of boss. I think he loved her and no matter what he could really never forgive himself or people responsible because they took what was most important to him

One of the best developed character with actual story arch

You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain

I'm going to go with Kirby. His base form is obviously simple, but it's adorable. Then, factor in the tremendous amount of transformations he has from inhaling enemies, and it's impressive how extensive his design is while never losing the essence of being Kirby.

Badass Gerald!

While the Borderlands series is not necessarily my favorite, I love the artistic flair the characters have. The designs are such that each can tell their own story without much having to be said.
The Darkest Dungeon has some fantastic artwork too. Would love to see those character models in a 3D world.

Dante. He's a badass demon hunter that also looks like he's the lead singer for a Rock band.

Geralt from Witcher 1-3. Very well done character.

Solid snake is the best character ever

I actually really liked Twilight Princess Link's design. I like the chain mail hidden under his tunic, the straps and gauntlets are great, his colors were on point. He himself was the coolest looking I've seen him (right next to BOTW) Didn't even play the game much, but I really liked the whole get up.

Had to edit because I also thought of Handsome Jack, super bad ass design, and it matched his dickhead persona.

Ratchet is mines, because I enjoy the humorous side, and the serious side of him. He's like a sporty/gamer, cat/lion/tiger humanoid which is called a lombax. And I love the fact that he can wield any weapon, and gadget at his disposal, and style any suit/armour. Also he can fix pretty much anything, no enemy is too big to take down. And if the universe is in trouble, he's there to save it. And over the course of the series, you can see how far he came from the bottom.

female Commander Shep.
It felt more mine than any other game because my character spanned 3 games and look (almost) the same in each game. I watched other let's plays but everyone had their own Shep. Mine was mine.

I think I have to go with John-117. I've always found him and his story (and his deep bond with Cortana) to be really appealing; not just because of his cool looking armor but also because of him as a person.

Most people would probably see him and just think of him as being some bland generic badass type, but the Master Chief, despite being a man of few words, actually has a personality under all of that armor.

Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes. I just love his carefree life and how he isn’t really a convential hero. Plus his relationship with his brother which he never knew existed and the whole Jeane dynamic.

This might be cheating, but Spidey comes to mind off the top of my head because some of his suits are amazing.

My favorite would be cloud with that big sword he shouldnt be able to weild with those thin arms. I liked the soldier look on him.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze. For me that was peak AC, the time period, location, characters and clothes were all perfect.

Isaac Clarke’s suit from dead space. I remember seeing the design as so futuristic when it originally came out. I’m a huge space nerd, so I was interested in the game from the start. I remember playing through and feeling badass yet safe in the suit. The game and suit were designed so well that I actually felt immersed enough to feel a little more secure in my play style once the suit was on. The exosuit like vibe is probably why I think the character design of Isaac looks so awesome.

If any creature counts as a character too, than definitely the colossi from Shadow of the Colossus.

Holy shit when you first encounter them, man are they majestic. Black, with a faint glow and the sheer scale all just match up so perfectly with the atmosphere the game has led up to thus far.

They all also had unique designs that matched their environments and behaviour. Ranging from titans, giraffe, bird and a huge aligator creature, etc. They also really felt like natural animals holding no animosity and it felt pretty bad killing them.

But yeah regardless, the colossi is what made Shadow of the Colossus such a great game and is definitely some of the best design "characters" I've seen in a game.

Samus Aran. Her suit design has stood the test of time.

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (Assassin's Creed)

The OG Assassin. Back when Ubisoft understood the meaning of an "iconic" character. From the first trailer, they really hit it out of the park for me. There's so many fine details about his garb that works so well:

-the setting compliments it perfectly (from the first trailer too)
-the "warrior priest" combo worked well is riding the line between being combat ready to also blending in with other robed patrons
-the white & red color scheming for robes (symbolism)
-the hidden blade (w/ cut wedding ring finger as an interesting visual cue: cult-like dedication)

It's one of the most...succinct visual communications with the player to understand everything about Altaïr, up to and including how he's meant to cipher for the player. There's...the right amount there, I should say.