List of black video game characters
A study was published in 2009 by the University of Southern California called: "The virtual census: representations of gender, race and age in video games" and it showed that Black characters appear in video games in proportion to their numbers in the 2000 US census data, but mainly in sports games and in titles that reinforce stereotypes.[1] Following is a list of Black video game characters, excluding sports and music titles. The game character roles are either a player character (PC) or a non-player character (NPC).
Before 2000
2000s
2010s
2020s
| Character | Game | Release date | Role | Nationality | Notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Hunter | Streets of Rage 4 | 2020 | PC | |||
| Colt Vahn | Deathloop | 2021 | PC | [60] | ||
| Julianna Blake | Deathloop | 2021 | PC | [60] | ||
| Antón Castillo | Far Cry 6 | 2021 | NPC | |||
| O'saa | Fear & Hunger 2: Termina | 2022 | PC | |||
| Ryme | Pokémon Scarlet & Violet | 2022 | NPC | Spanish | [61] | |
| Tyme | Pokémon Scarlet & Violet | 2022 | NPC | Spanish | [61] | |
| Dolores | The King of Fighters XV | 2022 | PC | |||
| Taion | Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | 2022 | PC | [62][63] | ||
| Alfre Holland | Forspoken | 2023 | PC | American | [64] | |
| Estelle | Season: A Letter to the Future | 2023 | PC | [65] | ||
| Wyll Ravengard | Baldur's Gate 3 | 2023 | PC | One of ten companions the player can choose to recruit. He is also PC as an Origin character. | [66] | |
| Kimberly | Street Fighter 6 | 2023 | PC | American | ||
| Deadshot (Floyd Lawton) | Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | 2024 | PC | American | [67] | |
| Amanda Waller | Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | 2024 | NPC | American | [67] | |
| John Stewart (Green Lantern) | Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | 2024 | NPC | American | [67] |
See also
- List of black animated characters
- List of black superheroes
- List of Native American video game characters
- Lists of black people
- Race and video games
References
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The cast feels, for the lack of a better word, "balanced." You won't find the traditional archetypes of the JRPGs of yore here, and Taion is a great example of that. A black character (a scarcity in JRPGs in general) who isn't stereotyped in the usual role we've seen before of darker-skinned characters, but rather one who's nuanced and given actual care and attention.
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While Taion could stand to be a bit more clearly dark-skinned, he is voiced by a black actor and as far as I can tell, clearly intended to be black. Likewise, there are several key NPCs later who are black and voiced by black actors. This is so uncommon in JRPGs that it is worth mentioning. He is a fantastic character amongst a fantastic cast, and simply integrated without any fanfare, virtue signaling, or fighting amongst fans. But now black fans of the series can see themselves represented on the screen. Keep doing this, Monolith Soft.
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