Skip To...
Turns out what kills you also makes you stronger, assuming you come back to life as an undead. Vampires, zombies, liches, skeletons, and ghosts have made some of the most annoying, persistent, and interesting video game characters over the years. With Halloween right around the corner, we thought it might be fun to take a look at some of our favorite undead characters in gaming. These top undead video game characters just don’t know when to quit.
[Updated on October 11, 2024 – Added three new characters and made several other revisions]
The Chosen Undead – Dark Souls (2011)
Each new Souls game (Elden Ring included) has its own iteration of The Chosen Undead but the original undying god-killer remains the most iconic as a pioneer of its own genre. He’s more than an undead character. The Chosen Undead is also the video game avatar of our very own gamer pride and stubbornness — often refusing to give up no matter how many times they die and no matter how many broken controllers they bring to the grave with them.
Withers – Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023)
As far as undead video game characters go, Withers in Baldur’s Gate 3 has ascended away beyond a mere ghoul, for he is probably the Death God named Jergal in the Dungeons and Dragons lore. It’s just that Withers prefers to be low-key.
Who can blame him, though? His job in your camp as the party member reviver is fun, especially when he gets to mock your failures in a nonchalant tone. Just look at him. You know he’s seen worse than what you’re going through right now and is now eternally working overtime.
Talion – Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor / Shadow of War
Talion is an odd take on the undead trope since he wasn’t zombified or vampirized when brought back after Orcs killed him. Instead, the powerful Elven spirit of Celebrimbor took over his body to exact revenge on Sauron’s forces (something about a ring and being the lord of it). So it’s not clear what Talion really is, but he’s definitely not among the living.
Dry Bones – Super Mario Games
What’s not to love about Dry Bones? So people might have selected Boo as their pick from Mario, but we are partial to this skeletal reptile. From his aesthetically pleasing design to the comical way he collapses into a pile of bones when defeated, he is by far one of our favorite enemies from the Mario franchise. This undead turtle has become one of our go-to choices in the recent Mario Party and Mario Kart games, and as such he earns himself a spot on this list.
Kain – Legacy of Kain Series
Kain is a vampire, and he is also hateful, revenge-obsessed, sometimes an anti-hero, and sometimes a villain, but always awesome. Although some people seem to prefer this franchise’s other protagonist Raziel, we grew attached to Kain during our time with the original game.
It would be nice to see him return in a new game sometime in the future, but even if that never happens at least we can appreciate the times we had with him.
Morte – Planescape: Torment (1999)
Planescape: Torment is, as many people will tell you, one of the greatest video game stories of all time. Morte is one of your several companions in the game, and as you can see above his is nothing more than a floating skull. He is sarcastic and wise-cracking, which made him a welcome member of our party during the game. As his story develops you learn that there is more to him than you first assumed. He easily earns his place on your party.
Cervantes de León – Soulcalibur Series
The evil pirate that sets the standard for evil video game pirates. Serving as the primary antagonist in the first game of the franchise, Cervantes has returned as a character in every Soulcalibur game since. He is an intimidating personality, with a fighting style all his own. This undead pirate is not to be trifled with, and his quest for power makes him quite a formidable zombie pirate.
Noob Saibot – Mortal Kombat Series
The undead wraith Noob Saibot was once Bi-Han, the first character to carry the Sub-Zero name in a Mortal Kombat game. Having been killed by the series’ most famous undead character (but not our favorite) Scorpion, Bi Han returned as a vengeful and evil specter and has remained an antagonist to the series’ heroes ever since.
This guy is seriously awesome, possessing a devious move set and a cold and calculating demeanor. It’s no wonder he is a fan favorite– who doesn’t like an undead ninja?
Ash – Phantom Brave (2004)
Death couldn’t stop this hero. In life, he was a Chroma, which is a kind of bounty hunter/ghostbuster combination, but after he was killed he was transformed into an undead called a phantom. From there he went on the serve as the immortal guardian of the young Chroma girl Marona. He has a strong and protective personality and is just as charming as the games he is featured in.
Valvatorez – Disgaea Series
A vampire that doesn’t drink blood and is obsessed with sardines? Sounds like a winner to me. This guy used to be a more typical and much more powerful vampire. That was until an event 400 years ago caused him to promise to stop drinking blood. He is sometimes naive, but all-around a good person. He gets a place among our favorites, even if his breath probably smells like fish.
There we have it. There were a few other characters that came close to making it, but we wanted to keep it to one entry per franchise. We’re going to be doing a few more Halloween-themed features this month, so keep an eye out.
