With HBO’s The Last of Us season 2 grabbing everyone’s attention with its character-driven story-telling and lesbian main character, we thought it might be a good time to take a look at some other queer characters in the world of video games.
Birdo, Super Mario Bros series
In the first-edition manual for the North American release of Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is referred to as a “male who believes that he is a female” and would rather be called “Birdetta.” She is generally considered to be the first trans character in video games.
Zagreus, Hades
To fit with the Greek setting of the game, Zagreus, the rebellious son of the god of the Underworld, is depicted as bisexual, with romantic pursuit options for both male and female deities.
Madeline, Celeste
The leading lady of this challenging platformer was confirmed by creator Maddy Thorson to be trans but it hadn’t started off that way. Thorson revealed in a blog post that during development of the game, “I did not know that Madeline or myself were trans” but while working on the game’s DLC, Thorson “began to form a hunch” and now that the game is complete: “I now know that we both are [trans].”
Flea, Chrono Trigger
A major villain in this time-travelling RPG, Flea is genderfluid/gender nonconforming, at one point stating in a self-referential manner “Male or female, what difference does it make? Power is beautiful, and I’ve got the power.”
Dorian, Dragon Age Inquisition
This quick-witted mage is the first male party member to be romanced exclusively by a male protagonist in the Dragon Age series. His sexuality is shown to be an issue with his family and you even have the option to support him in a confrontation with his homophobic father.
Vivian, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Vivian is canonically transgender in every translation of the game except for English, until the 2024 remake, that is. She starts off as a villain, a member of the shadow sisters, but her older sister constantly berates and misgenders her until she leaves to find love and acceptance with Mario and friends. Vivian actually earned Nintendo a nomination for a 2024 GLAAD Award for Outstanding Video Game.
Kung Jin, Mortal Kombat X
In its tenth entry, Mortal Kombat welcomed its first gay character in the heroic archer, Kung Jin, cousin of series regular Kung Lao. It’s a “blink and you’ll miss it” kind of thing but still notable for the world of fighting games.
Jynx, Pokemon series
The Drag Queen Pokemon. Per the Pokedex: “Jynx sashays rhythmically as if it were dancing. Its motions are so bouncingly alluring, people seeing it are compelled to shake their hips without noticing.” AND some Jynx apparently have such “beautiful and delicate voices,” they have even “gathered a fan base.” Slay, Poke-Queen.
