As long as video games exist, there will be queer characters. Regardless of the genre of a video game, you can findLGBTQ+ charactersleaving an impact on players around the world. While some characters have a well-known identity to players and non-players alike, there are some characters that you may not know are queer.
Here, we are going to take a look at the best characters that are actually LGBTQ+. Notice that your favorite is missing? It’s important to note that this will cover video game characters that many people didn’t know were LGBTQ+, rather than characters known primarily for their identity. That doesn’t mean that these characters are unknown though!
8Madeline
Celeste
First up, we have Madeline, who is the main character of Celeste. It’s totally possible to complete Celeste and fully grasp that Madeline is transgender, but it’s also possible to take away other aspects of the story.
Overall though, Madeline is a transgender young woman, which has been confirmed by the developer, who is also a transgender woman. Celeste is ultimately about the struggles of Madeline, which extend far past gender dysphoria.
7Tony
Earthbound
Tony from Earthbound is a case of a character not explicitly being gay in-game, but the fact was definitely confirmed in a later interview. So, Tony is a canonically gay character who lives as a roommate with his best friend, Jeff.
In an interview, Shigesato Itoi (the director of Earthbound) mentioned that Tony was gay, even if he is a child. The reasoning was that gay kids exist, and he knows a lot of gay people, so it would be natural to add a gay character into the game.
We found a translation of this interview on theWayback Machine from 2008.
6Erika
Catherine: Full Body
Erika is a side character in Catherine: Full Body (and the original Catherine game), working as a waitress at the Stray Sheep. Over the course of the game, you can watch her relationship with Tobias develop, as he has a cute crush on her.
At no point is it directly mentioned that Erika is transgender, but this is implied. At one point, there is a flashback to Erika in high school, where she presents as male. Additionally, she left school and everyone thought that she had killed herself, which may have actually been her transition. Overall, the characters of Catherine often allude to Erika not being a typical girl.
5Mai & Masako
Ghost Of Tsushima
Next up, we have two characters from Ghost of Tsushima. Mai and Masako are two members of Clan Adachi, with Mai being a former servant andMasako being a former Lady. In the clan, Lady Masako was married to Harunobu Adachi, but she cheated on him with Mai.
Based on this, we can safely say that both Mai and Masako are at least bisexual. Masako was married to a man, but there is a high chance that this marriage was probably not based on love. Interestingly, the queerness of characters in Ghost of Tsushima isn’t the highlight here, and Jin seems to not really care.
4Cammy
Street Fighter
Cammy is a character from Street Fighterwho has quite some speculation around her sexuality. Doing a quick search, you’re able to find tons of threads of people debating whether she is straight, lesbian, or bisexual. The most likely answer? Cammy is bisexual.
Ultimately, it seems that Cammy is romantically involved with Juni. The discussion around her sexuality deals with the fact that Cammy has shown attraction to male characters, but Cammy doesn’t need to act obviously (and stereotypically) gay or bisexual to be queer.
3Bloodhound
Apex Legends
Bloodhound is one of the many characters that you can play as in Apex Legends. Their appearance is quite hidden due to their outfit, but Bloodhound is non-binary, going by neither male or female pronouns.
This has also been confirmed by a community manager, who stated that Bloodhound goes by they/them pronouns. Overall, this isn’t the most impactful information to the game, but it really normalizes non-binary characters simply existing in spaces where they may have previously not been seen.
2Achilles & Patroclus
Hades
Achilles and Patroclus are two characters that you’re able to meet in Hades, though they aren’t initially together. If you aren’t familiar with Greek mythology, they may just seem like really good friends, but this close relationship has often been interpreted as a romantic relationship.
If you like reading and want a deeper look at the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, I highly suggest reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I devoured this book and was left in tears.
Hades is no stranger to queer characters, and the dialogue given by both Achilles and Patroclus implies that they were lovers. Regardless of how you interpret their relationship, there is no denying the bond that the two of them shared.
1Birdo
Mario Franchise
Last but not least, we have Birdo. Looking at Birdo, she is clearly not human.Many people believe her to be transgender, although this is never really brought up. Nintendo hasn’t spoken on the matter, but in 1987, we got our first bit of evidence that Birdo might be transgender.
In a manual for Doki Doki Panic (this was an early prototype for Super Mario 2), we learned that Birdo is a male who thinks he is a girl. Interestingly, this information was removed in later prints. The fact still remains though; Birdo was originally described as a boy who thinks he is a girl.
