15. General Leang (Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour)
General “Tigress” Leangis the final boss ofCommand & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour’s campaign mode. She’s a high-ranking and elite official who’s affiliated with the game’s Chinese faction.
What makes her so badass is how she’s a pretty skilled and experienced commander in nearly all fields and military strategies, meaning she has all the arsenals of all the factions in the game.
From suicide bombers, fighter planes, and hordes of infantry to the superweapons of each faction—SCUD Storm, Nuclear Missile, and Particle Cannon—the final fight against her is quite tough.
Related:What Are RTS Games? Explained (And the Best RTS Games of All Time)
14. Tyrande Whisperwind (Warcraft)
Tyrande Whisperwindis one of the utmost badasses in the entirety ofWarcraftlore. As the High Priestess of Elune, she leads the entire Night Elf race—in war, in peace, to conflict, to victory. She also embodies Elune’s Wrath as the current incarnation of the Night Warrior.
Having lived for thousands of years, Tyrande has acquired more wisdom than many, and she uses that insight to lead and protect her people. She’s fierce, smart, and loyal—even willing to put herself in death’s way if it means securing justice for her people.
13. Death Angel Alice (Call of Duty Mobile)
A female operator inCall of Duty: Mobile,Death Angel Alice(or just Alice) is a strong, well-built, tattooed woman who wears a full-face mask. Like the other operators in the game, she exhibits the appearance of a wild fighter who’s always ready for action.
Although her appearance isn’t in focus when we’re playing as her, the distorted voiceovers for the character’s lines along with the sound effects always make us aware of how brutal she is in a gunfight.
Related:The Best Underrated Mobile Games
12. Uriko (Bloody Roar)
Urikois one of the monster characters in theBloody Roarfighting games series. She was formerly a boss in the early games of the series, but was eventually nerfed into a playable character later on.
In human form, she’s a typical teenage girl with martial arts skills. In beast form, she resembles a half-beast half-woman hybrid that’s noticeably humanoid yet grisly. In her transformed state, she becomes more fierce and deadlier than ever.
11. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
Lara Crofthas been the main character of theTomb Raidervideo game franchise, and she’s been played by two actresses in theTomb Raidermovies: first portrayed by Angelina Jolie, then by Alicia Vikander.
On paper, she’s simply a “tomb raider”—someone who investigates dangerous archaeological sites for lost artifacts—but the incredible obstacles and threats that come her way make her adventures extraordinary. She’s even more badass than Indiana Jones!
10. Boa Hancock (Jump Force)
Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress from theOne Pieceanime series, is one of the best female video game characters ever—not just in theJump Forcecrossover fighting game featuring characters from a handful of different anime/manga franchises.
If you’ve seen the anime, you’d never forget her signature kicks that helped Luffy in the Marineford War. Those kicks are featured in the game and perfectly depict the beauty and ferocity of Boa Hancock in every fight, proving how badass she is.
Related:The Best Fighting Games That Are Similar to Super Smash Bros
9. Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)
In theMortal Kombatfighting game series, GeneralSonya Bladeof the Earthrealm is a Special Unit leader and one of the first female characters introduced. In fact, she debuted in the originalMortal Kombatand was the ONLY female character on the roster.
If that wasn’t badass enough, the thing that makes Sonya Blade so dangerous is that she doesn’t have any magic skills like all the other female warriors inMortal Kombat. She can hold her own using nothing but raw strength and a bit of technological aid.
8. Natalia (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
Nataliais an assassin-type hero in theMobile Legends: Bang Bangmultiplayer online battle arena game. She uses claws as a weapon and has special expertise when she’s hiding in bushes.
Orphaned as a child, she was taken in by the Monastery of Light and raised as a killing machine. Unfortunately, on one mission she failed to assassinate an important target, resulting in the death of all her companions. Now she’s on her own mission, to regain what she lost.
Never underestimate the badassery of a woman who has nothing left to lose. This incredible killer can slay in the blink of an eye.
7. Ellie (The Last of Us)
The Last of Usis one of the best video games of the last decade, and much of that is due to its characters and writing. In particular, the main character ofElliehelps makeThe Last of Usas legendary as it is.
She’s just a young girl who stands as one of the last survivors in a dangerous, post-apocalyptic world. Despite her youth, she has the skills and wits necessary to survive—even when adults fail. And she has what it takes to fight for her life.
As humanity’s only hope, and with her incredible survival skills and character growth, it’s only fitting for her to be on this list.
6. Wanwan (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
Wanwanwas raised as a kind-hearted girl, but she’s definitely not someone you should mess with. She’s a marksman-type hero and one of the most-banned characters due to her agility that makes her a hard target for both melee and ranged heroes.
When built with high attack speed and critical damage, she can become quite overpowered, able to escape while dealing damage or inflicting lots of hurt as she chases her target.
What makes her even cooler is her passive ability, Tiger Pace, which allows her to blink with every attack or damage dealt. Plus, she can nullify crowd control effects with Needles in Flowers, making her hard to catch.
5. Katarina (League of Legends)
While Jinx is now the face ofLeague of Legendsthanks to the success of Netflix’sArcane,Katarinastill remains one of the most-picked champions. She offers a set of skills that’s easy to master yet devastating, especially during the early parts of a match.
Katarina is an assassin-type character equipped with decent movement speed and a blink skill. However, it’s no ordinary blink—she deals damage as she picks up her dagger, so she can inflict a cool combo with Bouncing Blade followed by Shunpo.
She was born into a noble family but was raised and trained by her father to become a fighter. Her brutal childhood experience and the heavy burdens of failure turned her into the fierce warrior she is now.
4. Geisha (Identity V)
Michiko Donelly (orGeisha) is one of the Hunter characters in the horror survival gameIdentity V. As a Japanese-inspired character, Michiko dons a traditional outfit, which kind of makes her look less horrifying.
But wait! It’s when she wears her masks that she looks and feels more like a monster, increasing her fear radius. And with her Dash Hit ability, she can catch Survivors off guard if they’re in her range.
Geisha was someone who fell deeply in love but was killed for it. Now, she’s a vengeful spirit full of resentment and will spare no one.
3. Chun Li (Street Fighter)
Chun LiofStreet Fighteris one of the most iconic video game characters of all time, and for good reason:
Like Sonya Blade inMortal Kombat, Chun Li was the very first female fighter inStreet Fighter. She debuted inStreet Fighter II: The World Warrioras the ONLY female character on the roster.
With only her kicks, she can knock any enemy out with a perfect combo. She’s able to hold her own against some of the most powerful fighters in theStreet Fighteruniverse.
Although the series later expanded its roster with more female characters (including the popular Cammy) and even collaborated with Marvel inMarvel Vs. Capcom, Chun Li is still one of the best picks in the game—and still one of the most badass characters.
2. Viper (Valorant)
Viper, as her name suggests, relies on poison-type abilities. As a Controller-type Agent inValorant, this combination makes her terrifyingly badass. Lore-wise, she lost everything and now only wants revenge.
Because of her background in science and chemicals, it’s no wonder her choice of weapons is lethal toxins that gradually kill anyone who comes into contact, like when they’re caught inside her poison screen.
1. Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII)
Tifa Lockhartwas first introduced inFinal Fantasy VIIas an innocent bartender and a supportive friend to main character Cloud Strife. Later on, we find out that Tifa Lockhart is also a skilled fighter who’s mastered all kinds of elegant (and flashy) combos.
Despite being shy and reserved, Tifa will do anything—even at risk to herself—to protect her friends. She’ll put the beatdown on anyone who threatens her friends or family, and she’s deliver a knockout using nothing but her bare fists and boots.
With her combination of innocence, beauty, supportive and motherly nature, ferocity, tenacity, martial skills, and iconic identity, Tifa Lockhart tops our list of badass female video game characters.
