Psst, wanna know which female characters in recent video-games are just the absolute worst? Whoa! Whoa! To quote Weird Al’s Dare To Be Stoopid’s opening lyric, “Put down the chainsaw and listen to me”. Cause we get today’s list is definitely gonna stir up the noise. Yeah, this one’s been marinating in our heads for a while, so might as well, right?
It goes without saying, there’s gonna be plenty to unpack here, so bear with us. Also, we won’t bash the characters for the sake of it, no. We’re logically gonna make our case, and then prove that Western game devs really need to get it together and not crack under the pressure. Proof’s in the pudding people, our list of unique games with hot and cool female heroines is all Japanese devs. Food for thought.
Which Female Characters In Video-Games Are The Worst In 2024, And Why?
Before y’all roll your eyes and skip this piece, understand that we’re not just blowing hot air here. There’s solid evidence that the majority ain’t pleased with the depiction of female characters in video-games since they’re the worst lately. The underlying cause for even making today’s list of the worst female characters in video games is a big issue. It’s not gonna be easy to hear, but somebody’s gonna have to do it.
Sales of many would-be confirmed gaming hits by Western game companies are tanking. So, then, with our sleeves raised, and our knuckles cracked, let’s get to dissing the horrendously bad ladies that sour the gaming experience.
[5/5]
Frey Holland (Forspoken) – Textbook Example Of The Worst Female Characters In Video-Games
We’re not messing around here; no two sides to this one, folks. Frey Holland from Forspoken is a mess of a protagonist, one of the worst female characters in video-games. But here’s the funny (not!) thing: Frey doesn’t get any better during the course of the game, not even near the end. She’s suffering from anxiety, fair enough, but boy is she unsufferable herself, too. Her dialogue is the very definition of irritable. Whether it’s a coping mechanism on her part or just lazy writing, it is cringe as heck.
Forspoken doesn’t stop the infuriating dialogue at all, it just piles it on, and the NPC’s lines aren’t any better. The plot is the very basic issekai anime ever, getting yeeted to a fantasy world as a chosen one. We’re not kidding, that’s the setup. The gameplay is neat, even if it’s repetitive. But then just when you make the mistake of enjoying yourself, Frey opens her mouth again. The audacity of talking smack to everyone she comes across, then acting like she’s being mistreated.
It’s a classic case of entitlement and it doesn’t make her likable at all. Also, her cursing lost its charm during the first two times she tried it, but wow does she have a potty mouth. Like, we don’t mind cursing if it’s done at the appropriate time, but Frey does it so much the luster is long gone. Frey’s overall not-giving-a-toss vibe makes her one of the worst female characters in video-games. Oh, did we mention the studio behind Forspoken shut down after releasing the game? Wonder why? Well, now you know.
[4/5]
Modern Mortal Kombat Female Kombatans – Redesigns From Hell
Call us superficial, but don’t think for a second we’re gonna stop holding onto our views. Netheream Studios is intentionally making the Mortal Kombat female characters the worst and it’s a travesty to their legacy in previous video-games. The characters are far less appealing; some are borderline grotesque. Sorry, but there’s no easy way to say it. Like, MK9 had a lot of revealing attire, granted, but some of the looks were iconic. Sonia Blade’s design, in particular, has downgraded the most.
She was the poster girl of the Mortal Kombat franchise. This isn’t hyperbole, either; she was up there with Chun Li, and Lara Croft among gaming’s first ladies. Nowadays, her look is a generic monotonous military woman with the personality of a broom up someone’s behind. Though, in fairness, having a legit fighter who’s not a real model or actress’s voice and motion capture Sonia probably didn’t help. Compare that to Tekken or Street Fighter ladies, Sonia is a lost cause.
Oh, but Mileena and Tanya in MK1 are legit nightmare-fuel. Do a side-by-side comparison of Tanya specifically from MK X and MK 1. You’ll be bamboozled by how those two far-apart images of the same character. Was it too much trouble to incorporate the MK X design into MK 1 with minor tweaks? Also, Lie Mei and Sindel look like the same character, seriously, we dare you to tell them apart at first glance. Kitana is the only oddity that’s remained beautiful throughout her time. Other than her, all female characters in the recent MK video-games are the worst.
[3/5]
Mary Jane (Spider-Man 2) – Plot Armor, Girl Boss, And Apparently, Age Acceleration
Don’t get us wrong, Insomniac knocked it out of the park with both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. We’ve even given a glowing review of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The problem, however, starts when you look at Mary Jane Watson in the two games. Like, in the first game, she was a strong contender among the other worst female characters in video-games. But hey, at least she looked pretty cute!
Well, fudge us for that, because holy hell, MJ looks 20 years older than Peter. But we’ll get to the looks in a second, let’s circle back to Mary Jane’s personality again. So, she decides to infiltrate military-esque compounds with mercenaries armed to the teeth patrolling. Somehow she’s Solid Snake, and we’re supposed to believe she can do it? Next, when she does land in hot water, what does she do and say to Peter after he intervenes? She chews him out! Her mood swing enables a tragic event. Does she apologize? Nada~
If you’re hoping that attitude of hers improves in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Well, prepare to be disappointed. Every time MJ was in a situation where she should have been caught or killed, her writing just reeks of plot armor. She’s the girl boss who can do anything, including outsmart supervillains. It feels super forced and unnatural. Oh, and speaking of unfitting looks, the character design for her is terrifying! Seriously, one look and it’s like who is she? But we know, don’t we? She’s one of the worst female characters in video-games.
[2/5]
Aloy From Horizon Forbidden West/Zero Dawn – Obnoxious, Unappealing, And Bland
Uh oh, looks like fanboys are about to come outta the woodwork, now, eh? Anyway, Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel Horizon Forbidden West star the blank slate character that is Aloy. She is without a doubt in a league of her own when it comes to the worst female characters ever in video-games. So, here’s the thing about her. She was raised in isolation, right? Well, how the hell does that justify her to a sense of entitlement and everyone becomes a doormat for her to step on?
Seriously, she’ll say the most cruel, cold, and downright heartless thing, and people are supposed to accept her? Her monotonous expressions are irritating to see in almost every one of her conversations. Oh, and for those who’ll say she’s inexperienced with human interaction and learning to be better around others, we call hogwash on that. The way she dismisses everyone, and then knows how someone is evil before anyone else, and that superiority complex makes her completely unlikable. The writing is the true culprit for that.
Now about how Aloy looks in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. Believe it or not, the prequel has a superior character design. But that’s not saying much, though, since the original design is meh at best. It’s so confounding, cause like what’s the point of your games looking good if the protagonist looks bland by comparison? Aloy’s disconnected from everyone around her, and her unempathetic nature makes her feel so shallow that only the gameplay element is the saving grace. Other than that, she’s more fodder for our list of the worst female characters in video-games.
[Dishonorable Mention 1]
Harley Quinn In Suicide Squad Kills The Justice League Ruined The Arkham Legacy
So, before we get to the final one, let’s just address the big elephant in the room, first, yeah? Suicide Squad Kills The Justice League is a mess. Its sales disappointment also sent the wrong message to WB for moronically adopting live service. Oh, and we’ve even got some great alternative games to help you overcome Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. The cherry on top? Harley Quin is now among the worst female characters ever in video-games, period.
That’s not even going into how bad and utterly blegh her character design is, no. Because her personality’s watered down to reflect the so-called progressive arch-type. All the traumatic history, her continuity build-up from previous gone just poof~ swept under the rug. Oh, and in what world, like seriously, unless she’s the Anti-Monitor or Darkseid merged version, can Harley go up against Justice League and not get eviscerated instantly? Plot armor? More like abysmal writing and cash-grab move, nothing more.
Now, we talk about THAT moment. The one where Harley enraged the entire Arkham-verse fandom. SPOILERS, if you even care for Suicide Squad: Kills The Justice League. So, Harley Quinn, you know the wack no effort needed who gets bested by Batsy with one counter in Arkham City? She is the one to end Arkham Batman. Whoever wrote that scene needs to have their head examined. It’s nonsensical, and quite frankly not canon, but ya know what that makes Harley? One of the worst female characters in video-games.
[Dishonorable Mention 2]
Mass Effect Andormeda’s Fem Ryder Is An Out-Of-Place Anamoly And Horrendous Too
Well, then, this oughta be good, huh? Don’t think that just because EA/Bioware hasn’t released an entry in Dragon Age or Mass Effect it’s getting scot-free. They’re responsible for some of the worst female characters in video-games. But, fantasy titles are kinda covered, so we’re gonna mix it up with the sci-fi abomination that is Sara Ryder from Mass Effect Andromeda. To be fair, the model for Sara is drop-dead gorgeous, and the devs did her dirty big time. Like, Sara Ryder’s face is prime meme material.
Now, as for her character’s personality, Sara Ryder feels like such a fish out of water that it’s hilarious. Sure, she’s not ready for the job, and we’re not comparing her to Fem Shepard, but the writing for her feels disjointed. She comes across as this cartoonish goofy character, never mind what type of character you’ll try to play as. The choices of dialogues actually take away from player agency, gone is the renegade option and you’re basically stuck with Paragon choices. The consequence is that Sara feels one-dimensional at best.
So, here’s what we’re thinking happened. Bioware wanted to bring in a fresh face as the lead and change up the personality, too much from Commander Shepard. Bioware got a little carried away with experimenting and trying different creative things, but we get and don’t mind that. What bothers us, is the execution of the whole thing. Not to mention Ryder’s ridiculously animated, and, let’s not mince words here, ugly face made it tough to take seriously. She’s one of the worst female characters in video-games but our heart goes out to her. Do better Bioware!
[Disonorable Mention 3]
Fable Girl – The Backlash Spoke For Itself With A Whooping Instant 80K Dislikes
Wow, what a sight for… never mind, just no. The purpose of fantasy video-games, in particular, RPGs is to make the player live out their dream adventure, not trauma from looking at the abhorrent lead female characters. The CGI trailer for the upcoming Fable showed off the stuff of nightmares in its lead character. Don’t get us wrong, there’s a slight difference between the still image and seeing the video in motion. Though, even that’s not by much.
What’s even more baffling is that if you see the full trailer from the beginning, you see the giant’s face. He’s the one narrating the video for the viewers. The humor is on point, and yet, when the camera turns to the Fable girl the parity is night and day. Can’t believe we’re even saying this but the giant dude looks more appealing than the female protagonist. Oh, and don’t get us wrong, we’ll reserve judgment until the game comes out. But we’ll for damn sure gonna point out what we don’t like. Wanna know something even more stupefying?
You know the model that did the motion capture for Fable Girl? She’s pretty easy on the eyes. Like no joke, the developers went out of their way to make the appearance of the protagonist look like she got shoveled and then resurrected ala Sir Daniel Fortesque from MediEvil. Seriously, the gameplay concept shown in the trailer is neat, but there needs to be an overhaul of the protagonist’s appearance. The reboot will do wonders if it course corrects the problem of ugly female characters in video games by nipping it in the bud before launch.
[1/5]
Abby From The Last Of Us 2 Sits Atop The Throne Of The Worst Female Characters In Video-Games
Now, we come to the big uh.. Ape? Is that appropriate? Meh, if she didn’t care about indulging in torture and doing the unforgivable deed, why should we be considerate of offending her? So, Abby is the amalgamation of the worst ‘female’ characters in video games that are made for hate. Don’t get us wrong, we’re only referring to the poor writing for her and her fictional depiction in the game, not to the actress who played her. Cause Laura Bailey is bae. Anyway, spoilers ahead.
Now, the staunchest defenders of Abby try to say she’s doing it for revenge, fair enough. Here’s the thing, though, Joel, was not some amateur, he’s a grizzled veteran survivor. To be able to get lured into a trap, telling his name to complete strangers, and then being killed off in a gruesome fashion? It screams that this was just added in for shock value. A gimmick that will get the internet talking. Well, it’s got us flammed alright, but also, to humanize a torturer? Really? Abby’s actions were scummy to the core not just with Joel.
Also, if we’re talking the full picture here, Abby’s dad was gonna kill Ellie while she was drugged up. The Fireflies faction weren’t saints, either, they killed people, too. So, Joel doing the only thing he could think of, took action. Abby was right to kill Joel as payback but the torture was not needed. It also symbolized that legacy means jack. No matter how much mental gymnastics you wanna do Abby takes the cake for the worst female characters in video-games.
The Common Denominator For All The Worst Female Video Game Characters
Now, before signing off, we’re gonna sum up our point briefly. There’s this deliberate attempt by Western devs to pander to loud noises that do not reflect the majority of video game enthusiasts. The fear of being called out and image projection is the focus of Western devs instead of producing quality content.
However, the numbers will show, that those that scream the loudest for inclusion are barely making any dents in the declining sales. So, Western devs need to cater to the majority. And what do the majority want? Good, well-rounded stories, above all else. Throw in both male and attractive female characters that work together. Fun gameplay with innovative ideas, too. Do that and avoid the catastrophic outrage on things like the worst female characters in video games. Simple, right?
Final Thoughts
Well, that was certainly a round of fireworks set off all at once, huh? We’re pretty sure, we’re gonna get a lot of flak here for our hot take on the worst female characters in video-games in recent memory. Sure, most of them have to do with their physical appearance and aesthetic, but the writing’s hardly any better. Look, us, gamers aren’t asking for much, just give us the escapism fantasy in this medium that elates our minds. Not drag the realism and problems of the world into our means of relaxation and fantasy fulfillment.
On that note, let us know your thoughts on the issue. We’re curious to hear from y’all on this one, go on, we can take it. Now, before we leave you, we’ll point you toward something that’ll surely cheer you up. Check out our list of the steamiest dating simulator romance games with great stories. You’re welcome~ and until next time, stay positive everybody!
