ToP is easily my favorite entry in the series, having the combat system, characters, story, and world I appreciate the most, and, in line with that, Dhaos is my favorite villain in the series as well. Someone on this forum once said they appreciate shades of grey in their villains and this character absolutely embodies that concept. His actions appear to live up to his title of 'Demon King' until his motives are understood much later in the game, as he is (SPOILER)revealed to be on a mission to save his dying planet, only to find YOUR planet on the verge of repeating the same mistake that doomed his and desperately trying to save both worlds from the dangers of magitech weaponry. When you beat the final boss in a game and HE pulls that 'hopes and prayers of the people on my world' card on YOU, you know you done smurfed up.
Annnnd up next, representing The Last Blade Kojiroh (Kaori) Sanada (The Last Blade 2)
So, you know how I mentioned Vanessa being an adaptation of a Rick, inheriting most of his moveset while effectively being a lesser copy of the original? Yeah, SNK tried that 'reinvent a character' thing again with The Last Blade 2, only this time they did it right. Where her brother, the REAL Kojiroh Sanada, in the first game was a boring bonus headswap of another character, Washizuka, Kaori bust onto the scene in The Last Blade 2 with a variation of his moveset and appearance, but with a style all her own. She's faster, uses standard skill motions, has different normals, and her new specials have a flowing elegance to them Washi's shoulder charges and running stabs lack. She is the evolution and divergence of a great character done perfectly, surpassing Washi (for me) in every way, and, with her design and moveset, is easily my favorite character in the franchise.
Some good Washi vs. Kojiroh:
Moving along to another fighting series . . . Shao Kahn (Mortal Kombat series)
I . . . cannot EVER be sick of this guy, I just lack that capacity. Mortal Kombat, like many fighting games, may get passed over for story recognition in most circles, but that doesn't change how impressive the lore can really be. This guy? Usurper of crowns, destroyer of realms, stealer and consumer of souls, all while donning stylish skull themed attire and a voice that melts butter. What's not to love in this villain? Well, maybe his balance in most appearances is something, as he is almost always a boss character, but it doesn't do anything but improve the situation for me, as it just means he's usually as badass as he supposed to be. When controlled by the player he certainly lacks the finesse I appreciate in most fighting game characters, often relying on brute force and single-strike energy attacks more than flowing combos and constant motion, but sometimes that's okay, especially against friends. Oh, and Dan Hibiki could take taunting lessons from this guy -- not even company logos are safe from him! D:
So, I'm going to be frank here, I don't like harems in anime, I don't like them in games, I don't like ecchi crap, and I don't appreciate dating sims either. Because of all of that it took me YEARS (no joke) to get into Ar Tonelico after I got it, but once I finally did, two things kept me with it for three complete playthroughs and unlocking every conversation tick thingy. The first was the soundtrack, which is amazing, and the second was Aurica. She starts out all but crushed and shy with no self estreem, afraid to open up to people for fear that they will see her for what she is and abandon her or that she'll fail them, believing herself to be a useless, nigh defective Reyvateil; throughout the game some pretty unpleasent things happen to her that almost reinforce some of those beliefs. But, you know what? You stick with her through it all and she becomes more aware of her abilities, what she can do, and that's she's not as useless as she always told herself she was. While it may be a sterotypical character growth, I loved it, and she was always in my team backing me up with awesome buffs, dealing awesome damage, summoning some . . . pretty strange stuff. She is one of the few game characters I felt a connection to and had any investment in and she's not only my favorite from the franchise, but also one of my favorites in gaming overall.
Oh, and Dan Hibiki could take taunting lessons from this guy -- not even company logos are safe from him! D:
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