Video games are full of epic stories and memorable characters. But some characters you end up
remembering for all the wrong reasons. From unfortunate imagery to cringe-inducing writing
and voice acting, here are some of the most offensive video game characters of all time.
Oil Man from Mega Man: Powered Up
When Capcom decided to remake the original Mega Man game in 2006, they made a few changes.
The graphics were updated, and since the original Mega Man was the only game in the franchise
to feature six robot masters instead of the usual eight, they added two new characters
to the mix. One of them was Oil Man, an interesting idea that was saddled with a design that made
him look like he was straight out of a 19th-century minstrel show.
The design was so bad, in fact, that he was left off the box art for the American version,
as though surprising players with an accidental racist caricature would go better. His dialogue
isn't much better, either.
The good news is that this is one of the few stereotypes in gaming that has a relatively
happy ending. When Oil Man appeared in the Mega Man comics, artist Chad Thomas gave him
a redesign that added a superheroic scarf. It's the definition of making the best of
a bad situation, but at least it's something.
Lo Wang from Shadow Warrior
Ever wonder what Duke Nukem 3D would be like if it tossed out the casual misogyny and was
just straight-up racist? Well, even if you didn't, we're sorry to report that 3D Realms
decided to answer that question anyway with 1997's Shadow Warrior.
Our hero this time is Lo Wang, and yes, his name is exactly the joke you think it is.
He’s voiced by actor John William Galt, who delivers the game's one-liners in such
a monumentally offensive fashion that you'd think his enemies were as vulnerable to racism
as they are to bullets.
"Just like Nagasaki…"
Surprisingly, Shadow Warrior was rebooted in 2013 — this time voiced by Jason Liebrecht,
and while the 21st-century version of Lo Wang started off a whole lot better than his 1997
counterpart, his second outing wasn’t so lucky. Polygon referred to even the new Wang
as "a walking Asian stereotype" in an "outdated, unfunny game" full of "horrible dialogue and
racist stereotyping." Harsh, but fair.
"Not to sound like a racist, but all you demons really do look alike.”
Erica Anderson from Catherine
With a focus on complicated relationships and sexuality, it was almost inevitable that
Catherine would make a few mistakes along the way. With Erica, however, the problem
actually isn't in the character herself. It's how everyone else reacts to her.
Erica is a trans woman in her 30s, and throughout the game, she's presented as kind, smart,
desirable, and extremely well-liked … by everyone except the other main characters.
At multiple points, the protagonist and his pals make casually transphobic comments about
her without ever getting any real consequences for it — and Erica is meant to be one of
his oldest friends. It's not just limited to interactions within the game, either; even
the credits and official art book refer to her by the wrong name.
Needless to say, Erica's portrayal has remained controversial in the years since Catherine's
release.
Letitia from Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution was almost universally acclaimed, racking up a 90 percent score on
Metacritic. That said, one aspect of the game left most reviewers and players scratching
their heads: an informant named Letitia whose dialogue comes right out of a ‘70s cop show.
No less than Time magazine called her "the worst thing" in the game, and it's easy to
see why. In an otherwise well-crafted cyberpunk future, her ridiculous, over-the-top dialogue
seems incredibly out of place. It's obvious that Letitia is meant to be a throwback character,
but it's just as obvious that a game made in 2011 should've probably moved past stereotypes
that were seen in media from 40 years ago. Instead, she’s gone down in gaming history
as what Kotaku called "that weirdly racist NPC."
Kung Pow from Clay Fighter 63 ⅓
Shadow Warrior might've set the standard but Clay Fighter 63 ⅓ did its level best to
take Asian stereotypes to a whole new level of cringe-worthiness.
Kung Pow was, as you might expect from the name, is a kung-fu enthusiast and Chinese
chef who shouts the names of foods, like "egg foo yung" and "chop suey" while fighting his
enemies
“Egg foo young!”
"Pu pu platter!"
The only thing that makes it worse is that it's not just astonishingly racist, it's also
a criminal waste of voice acting talent. Clay Fighter boasted a cast that included Frank
Welker, Dan Castellaneta, and Jim Cummings, among others. Kung Pow himself was voiced
by Jess Harnell, who's probably best known for the role of Wakko Warner on Animaniacs,
and who probably ought to leave this one off his resumé.
Ash from Bare Knuckle 3
If you were playing Streets of Rage 3 in America, you probably had no idea that you actually
missed out on fighting one of the game’s bosses. Check out the Japanese version, though,
and you’ll probably agree that Sega made the right call when they ditched Ash, one
of the most infamous characters of the 16-bit era.
To say Ash is an offensive stereotype is honestly doing a disservice to offensive stereotypes
that at least make some attempt at subtlety. When he shows up as the boss of a stage that
takes place on the docks, he's dressed like a stereotypical nightmare. Throw in the running
and the jumps, and it's beyond ridiculously offensive.
Clearly, there's a good reason why Ash never made it out of Japan. He wasn't even replaced
— in other regions, Streets of Rage 3's first level doesn't have a boss at all, and
Ash's boat, minus Ash, just sails off after dropping a few regular enemies for you to
trounce on your way to victory.
Almost every other boxer in Punch-Out!!
Fighting games in general tend to rely pretty heavily on stereotypes, but no major franchise
has ever leaned quite as hard into ethnic shorthand as Nintendo's Punch-Out!! With a
few exceptions, the entire cast is drawn from a roster of ridiculously overblown caricatures.
A Russian character was toned down for the NES, but in the arcade, he was originally
known as Vodka Drunkenski, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Italy brought us a
boxer named Pizza Pasta, India’s Great Tiger draped his namesake animal’s skin over his
corner post, and they even threw in hairy hillbilly called Bear Hugger for good measure.
Even once the franchise moved to the '90s, Nintendo introduced an Irish fighter whose
special attack was called the "Irish jig," and a Jamaican boxer named Bob Charlie whose
special attack is literally referred to in-game as the "shuck and jive."
Little Mac just can't get away from these guys.
"THAT'S RACIST!"
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