9 Best Game Franchises That Constantly Change Protagonists

Summary

• Games like Far Cry, Call of Duty, and Assassin’s Creed introduce new protagonists for players to control in subsequent titles.
• Grand Theft Auto and Borderlands feature different protagonists in each game, showcasing various sides of the criminal underworld.
• In franchises like Final Fantasy, Mortal Kombat, Castlevania, and Resident Evil, new heroes take on enemies across different timelines or outbreaks.

In many video game franchises, such as The Legend Of Zelda and the Batman: Arkham series, players typically control one main character throughout many subsequent games. In contrast, some franchises have gained popularity by featuring different protagonists each time, sometimes even more than one.

Whether it is for story or gameplay purposes, certain gaming franchises have become known for introducing new main protagonists for the player to control in subsequent titles. There are also cases where side characters become the new protagonists, consistently swapping out with other heroes who occasionally return in later entries.

9

Far Cry

A Hero Always Rises To Fight Evil In Exotic Locations

• Games: Far Cry, Far Cry 2, Far Cry 3, Far Cry: Blood Dragon, Far Cry 4, Far Cry Primal, Far Cry 5, Far Cry: New Dawn, Far Cry 6
• Genre: First-Person Shooter, Action-Adventure

Far Cry features characters in radically different locations in every game, from the fields of Hope County in Montana to jungle islands in South America. Each game also presents a new standout villain as the main threat, which results in a new hero fighting them via an open-world adventure filled with threats, both human and animal alike.

Some protagonists in Far Cry games are better than others, but there are some famous ones, such as Jason in Far Cry 3, who stands out for becoming just as villainous as the pirates he’s trying to kill. Rex Colt from Far Cry: Blood Dragon is another, due to his intentionally ridiculous story which parodies 80s action movies and video games.

8

Call Of Duty

Generations Of Soldiers Have Stormed Into Battle

• Notable Games: Call Of Duty: Black Ops, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call Of Duty: WWII, Call Of Duty: World At War
• Genre: First-Person Shooter

Whether it’s the Mason family, the Black Ops series, or the multiple protagonists in Modern Warfare games, Call of Duty tends to change with every game. Some games take place in World War 2, while others take place in the distant future, and as a result, gamers have taken control of a plethora of soldiers in the past twenty years of Call of Duty campaigns.

The voice acting of the protagonists in Call Of Duty varies depending on the developers and the series. Some are fully voiced and motion-captured, but they have been completely silent in other cases, such as in Call Of Duty: Ghosts and Call Of Duty: WWII.

7

Assassin’s Creed

Going Through Time With The Animus Has Introduced Many Iconic Assassins

Besides the trilogy of Assassin’s Creed games starring Ezio, almost every game in Ubisoft’s franchise introduces a new assassin as the main protagonist. This approach is a result of the series’ exploration of different historical periods and locations throughout the world. From the original game to the most recent installment, this tradition continues.

The different protagonists have allowed Assassin’s Creed to experiment with different gameplay styles while also keeping the same stealth-based template. Whether it’s a Viking warrior, a gangster in Victorian London, or even a Medjai in Ancient Egypt, each games has featured unique gameplay elements as well as exciting stories to witness.

6

Final Fantasy

Every Final Fantasy Game Is A New World To Explore

Final Fantasy has had sixteen mainline entries and none of them share any characters or stories. Each Final Fantasy is essentially a reboot that takes place in a new world with unique characters, lore, and history. The only time Final Fantasy continues a particular story is with titles like Final Fantasy 10-2 or the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, which can be confusing to newcomers.

The approach of a new world for every entry has allowed Final Fantasy to introduce entirely new parties of characters for players to control. Final Fantasy 7 introduced iconic heroes like Cloud, Barrett, and Tifa, while Final Fantasy 12 featured Vaan allying with the pirate Balthier and Princess Ashe to save the world of Ivalice.

5

Grand Theft Auto

Rockstar Has Yet To Reuse A Protagonist In Their Games

• Notable Games: Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto 4, Grand Theft Auto 5, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Grand Theft Auto 6
• Genre: Open-World, Crime

Every Grand Theft Auto game takes place in a different city and time period, allowing for new protagonists each time. C.J. from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is arguably the most famous main protagonist in the series, but the late Ray Liotta did shine as Tommy Vercetti in Grant Theft Auto: Vice City.

The different protagonists in Grand Theft Auto also showcase different sides of the criminal underworld; some are mafia henchmen, some are skilled robbers, and others are up-and-coming gangsters. On top of that, Rockstar Games have gone above and beyond to make every character vastly different in terms of story and personality.

4

Borderlands

Pandora Can Always Use Four More Vault Hunters

Despite each game carrying on the story from the previous game, Borderlands makes the strange choice of having the four protagonists from each entry come back as NPCs. As a result, every new game, from the original Borderlands to the new Borderlands 4, features four new Vault Hunters to pick, play, and plunder across the alien planet of Pandora.

While it may be disappointing to not play characters like Lilith and Mordecai again, they continue to be beloved characters in other ways. As NPCs, they get far more story and dialogue than ever, which continues to be a tradition. This also allows new characters to feature distinct abilities and designs, allowing the looter shooter adventures to feel different with every entry.

3

Mortal Kombat

The Fate Of The Realms Is In The Hands Of Many Champions

• Notable Games: Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat 11, Mortal Kombat 1
• Genre: Fighting

As the Mortal Kombat games have evolved, their story modes have become increasingly intricate. Each installment introduces new concepts, characters, and storylines, enhancing the epic saga of this fighting game series. With a vast array of characters in the Mortal Kombat universe, some characters have the opportunity to shine as heroes while others remain on the sidelines.

In Mortal Kombat (2011), there were several storylines, but the main one focused purely on Raiden trying to stop an apocalypse. Mortal Kombat X shifted to focus on Johnny Cage and a new generation of Earthrealm champions. The latest game, Mortal Kombat 1, focuses mainly on Fire God Liu Kang as he leads his fighters through his new timeline.

2

Castlevania

Someone Is Always There To Fight Dracula And His Minions

• Notable Games: Castlevania, Castlevania: Bloodlines, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, Super Castlevania 4, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Genre: Platformer, Metroidvania

The idea of Castlevania is simple, with heroes taking on Dracula whenever he returns from the grave. However, thanks to a very long and complicated canonical timeline, Castelvania has evolved to have dozens of heroes taking on the Prince Of Darkness across hundreds of years, dating back to the 1000s.

In the main Castlevania timeline, gamers have played as various members of the Belmont family, Morris family, Dracula’s son Alucard, and one-off characters, such as Shanoa. Even when the series was rebooted twice with the Nintendo 64 games and then the Lords Of Shadow series, Castlevania invented new characters to carry on the franchise each time.

1

Resident Evil

Every Outbreak Has A Different Surviving Hero

From Jill Valentine to Ethan Winters, the Resident Evil universe is massive with new kinds of monsters and strains of viruses popping up more times than the common cold. To combat these threats, each game features some survivors who are as lucky as they are unlucky, using every item and weapon they can find to fight zombies, giant mutated animals, and other terrifying bioweapons.

Many heroes in the Resident Evil franchise have gone on to become fan favorites, such as Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy. Some characters would even get to return in future games, like in the case of Leon being introduced in Resident Evil 2 and becoming the sole protagonist of Resident Evil 4.