Gone are the days when women are always the damsel in distress, even Princess Peach from Mario learned to stand up for herself at one point.
In celebration of Women's Day, let's list down some of the most empowered women who #ChooseToChallenge in video games:
Lara Croft - Tomb Raider Series
Ah.. Lara Croft, who doesn't know Tomb Raider? if you didn't know, she was hailed by IGN as the "First Lady of Gaming" and is included in Strong's Museum World Video Game Hall of Fame inducted in 2018 . Debuted as a Female Indiana Jones, she's an archaeologist and an adventurer, tho not the first female video game character, she's the one who proved that women can stand side by side and is as strong as any male lead in any video game.
Aloy - Horizon Zero Dawn
Aloy is no different from Lara Croft, although a newer character, she's adept in kicking some serious robo-dino butt and was an invaluable part of her community and everyone around her. Though she was an outcast at first, she's strong enough to stand on her own and prevent the world from falling into the same plague that killed the old world, what makes us love her more is that she's full of curiosity, ready to lend a helping hand at any time and most importantly doesn't need any man to save the world (sorry, Erend, good try though).
Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross- Uncharted: Lost Legacy
Originally side characters to Nathan Drake's adventures,these two are as capable adventurer and treasure hunter as he is. In the Lost Legacy , he's MIA (hopefully leading a happy life after the events of Uncharted 4) but no one cares as we've got probably one of the best duos in modern video games, Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross . They stole the show and proved that the Uncharted series will be as good without the wise-cracking Nathan Drake around.
Samus Aran - Metroid Franchise
One of Nintendo's first titles, Metroid introduced its players to an Ex-Soldier turned Intergalactic Bounty Hunter, Samus Aran. All of us were lead to believe that the main character is a Man but NO (Read the Title Again). Those who have completed the game fast enough were in for a surprise when at the end, Samus revealed herself to be a woman. Players who completed the game in 3 to 5 hours were able to witness a sequence wherein she removed her helmet and revealed a historic moment. The Main Hero, who kicked ass was not a "he" but a "she". Though not a big deal in today's standards, it was in 1986 wherein we only saw women in video games a minor characters. Samus is still one of the most iconic characters held as a hero by male and female gamers alike until today and was technically one of the first known women in video games that #ChooseToChallenge gender stereotypes.
Ellie - The Last of Us
Ellie is the quick-witted girl we loved since the first installment of The Last of Us, travelling alongside Joel, Ellie offers help as well as some sense of humor in the apocalypse that melted even a stoic man's heart. She eventually matured into one of the most badass women of video games, full of angst, thirst for revenge, and hatred (which is totally UNDERSTANDABLE after ...)
Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy VII / Final Fantasy VII Remake
Cloud Strife only sees her as a Bartender and his forever childhood friend. Tifa Lockheart is more than that, she's a monk class fighter who can kick even the likes of Behemoth's butt at the same time, she has a nice, kind and sweet personality which makes our 7-year-old heart fall in love for the first time, she also has a good character arc and at one point even saved the hero but most importantly she has believable flaws which stop her from falling in the stereotype of women characters in RPGs and makes her one of the most relatable human members of the team.
Princess Peach- Mario Games
Princess Peach was best known as the princess that always needs saving, well not anymore! The ending of Super Mario Odyssey sure is controversial for some reasons, one being the Princess, walking away from Mario even after fighting a literal octopus head and flying to the moon!. But, hear me out here, we can't pressure her on Marrying Mario right? not under those conditions, besides, Peach might've really loved to have an adventure of her own again (crossing fingers for Super Princess Peach 2!)
Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon - The Witcher Series
Ciri, as best known by players is the Sole Princess of Cintra who after some incredible turn of events (ehem.. Law of Surprise) turned into a Witcher. She's as memorable as Geralt, the main character of the series, with her badass sword dancing skills and Godly powers, she's also tough, physically and emotionally and independent from others especially when she was dealing with the Wild Hunt. Will we see Ciri take on the mantle of Geralt? After all she's as capable as he is and her powers could open up to some interesting story arcs. (another Witcher game starring Ciri? YES PLEASE!)
Jesse Faden - Control
The current director of the Federal Bureau of Control, before that, however, she was alone and drifted between jobs and locations, not staying in one place. She has spent a considerable amount of time searching for FBC and her Brother. While reluctant at first (who wouldn't after entering a creepy building with floating office people?) but after some mind-bending encounters and discovering what she can do with her newfound powers, she fully embraced the weird world of the paranatural. It's also worth noting that she's bound more object of powers than any other previous directors, and she alone gave the FBC a fighting chance on defeating the Hiss. If that's not a definition of a badass independent woman, I don't what is.
We've listed some but there are still tons of amazing female characters in Video Games that embodies women empowerment, here are more of the most notable ones:
Jill Valentine - Resident Evil Series Princess Zelda - The Legend of Zelda Series Ada Wong - Resident Evil Series Bayonetta - Bayonetta I and II Claire Redfield - Resident Evil Series Elena Fisher - Uncharted Series Princess Daisy - Mario games 2B - Nier Automata
March 8 is the celebration of International Women's Day for 2021. This year let's #ChooseToChallenge for a Gender-Equal World and take action for equality.
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