Five female characters in gaming we can all look up to

Image: Nintendo

There’s no shortage of women to look up to in the world of gaming. 

When it comes to looking for female role models in gaming, there’s no shortage of diversity. From Tomb Raider to Metroid, some of the most iconic franchises in gaming history have women at the front and center of their stories – and this extends to multiplayer titles too. Games like Overwatch and League of Legends offer plentiful female representation, made heterogeneous by portraying women of different skin colours, ethnicities, and sexual orientations to paint a wider tapestry of characters for players to latch onto. 

Here are our favourite female characters in gaming whom we can all look up to:

Ada Wong (Resident Evil series)

Image: Capcom

By Timothy Raj Augustin

Having first appeared in Resident Evil 2 (1998), Ada Wong is a mercenary for hire who makes multiple appearances in the Resident Evil franchise. Thanks to her rapidly rising popularity following an expanded appearance in Resident Evil 4 (2005), she’s only become more prominent in recent installments of the franchise, often stealing various biological weapons at the behest of her shadowy employers.

Is Ada Wong a person to look up to? Not so much in the traditional sense, no, but there is an argument to be made here nonetheless. Ada frequently acts in her own interests in these games, which sometimes align with those of an evil corporation (Umbrella), but she herself can hardly be called evil. In fact, she consistently chooses to go behind the back of her employers to save her friends, like her love interest Leon S. Kennedy, from a terrible fate.

All that, and she still gets paid for the job. We love that for her.

Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda series)

Image: Nintendo

By Arianne Blanco

Although the swordsman Link stars as the main character of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series, the titular Princess Zelda is a figure in the franchise that has become one of its most prominent, central characters. Zelda is often featured as the daughter of the King of Hyrule, and as such is the second-in-command to the kingdom. In various incarnations, Zelda is more often than not the one who sends Link on a mission to save Hyrule.

Portrayed as a kind yet firm princess to Hyrule, Zelda embodies the values of goodness and magnanimity, traits that tie in with her role as the mortal incarnation of the goddess Hylia. But even so, Zelda’s compassionate, selfless demeanour shows a deep love for her kingdom and her people, making her a character that any person can look up to and strive to become. 

Bayonetta (Bayonetta series)

Image: Platinum Games

By: Tommy Makmur

Perhaps one of the best examples of a strong, independent woman in the gaming world. Bayonetta is the protagonist of the Bayonetta series. She is a member of a near-extinct clan called The Umbra Witches, who use magic after making a pact with demons from hell. She was left without her parents since her youth and lived alone without her family and clan before the start of the game.

Bayonetta is cool, strong, badass, sexy, mischievous, and slightly callous. However, behind the strong persona lies another side of her that is kind, caring, and will go the extra mile to ensure her loved ones are safe. She didn’t deter when her life was at its lowest, and when surrounded by her loved ones, she cherished the moments. Some traits from her personality could be questionable, like her preference for torture devices, but hey, nobody is perfect! 

That imperfection itself is why we felt we could look up to her and relate to her.

2B (NieR: Automata)

Image: Square Enix

By Kurt Lozano

YoRHa No.2 Type B, or more commonly known as 2B, is the protagonist of the 2017 cult classic action RPG NieR: Automata and the biggest reason why the previously niche Nier series has hit the mainstream. 2B is an android, created to battle machine lifeforms that invaded Earth on behalf of humanity.

On the surface, 2B exhibits traits one would expect from an android made for war. She has a stoic and aloof personality, solely focused on her mission and with little regard for frivolous matters like small talk. But that’s just a facade for 2B’s actual kind and emotional self, which lets her keep her distance from her partner 9S due to the grief and guilt she carries over what she has to do to him. Over the course of her journey with 9S and the other Machine lifeforms they encounter, 2B discovers just what it means to be human – from the joys of life and love, to the dilemma of duty, and the heartbreak of losing a loved one. 

Most gamers know 2B as that beautiful, sexy android woman from that one niche game, and while that is true, she is also one of the most tragic and well-written video game protagonists out there. And the way she journeys onward with grim determination – even as she struggles with choosing between her duty and personal desires – makes her a female character everyone can relate and look up to.

What I’m writing here barely does any justice for the emotional rollercoaster newcomers will be going on with 2B and 9S, so go ahead and play NieR: Automata to know just what I’m talking about.

Samus Aran (Metroid series)

Image: Nintendo

By: Anna Bernardo

Samus Aran is widely regarded as one of the earliest and most influential female video game characters in history. As an elite bounty hunter, she faces formidable alien threats, often outsmarting powerful enemies through her strength, independence, and skill. Her role in gaming extends beyond her abilities—she is a trailblazer who redefined expectations for female protagonists.

When Metroid was first released on the NES in 1986, players assumed Samus was male. The game’s instructions even referred to the character using male pronouns, reinforcing this assumption. It was only at the end of the game, upon completing it under certain conditions, that players were met with the now-iconic reveal—Samus Aran was a woman all along. At the time, this twist was met with surprise and intrigue, as female protagonists in action-heavy games were virtually unheard of. Rather than facing backlash, the reveal was largely embraced, with many players impressed by how Metroid subverted expectations while maintaining a strong, capable lead character.

At a time when video games were largely dominated by male protagonists, Samus shattered stereotypes and proved that women could take on leading roles in action-heavy, sci-fi settings. However, her significance goes beyond simply being a female lead—her character is defined by her skill, intelligence, and resilience. She is not a strong protagonist because she is a woman; she is a strong protagonist who just happens to be one.