In the world of video games, few characters leave an impression like the dark and brooding types. Whether they're quite literally an incarnation of death like Thanatos from Hades or perfectly ascribe to the archetypal Goth look as in Ophelia from Brutal Legend, the Goth character has an unmistakable air about them. While many titles, like Hades, would have multiple characters that could qualify, in the spirit of fairness only a single character from any given franchise can make the list.
Though it certainly helps to look the part, the Goth character should not be necessarily restricted to drab and muted colors, as some characters fit perfectly into the category while looking entirely different from what fans might expect. Also, while Goths may often be associated with nihilism or anarchy, a character doesn't have to be a straight-up villain just to make the list.
5 Vincent Valentine
If this were a ranking, it would all be downhill after Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy 7. It's hard to imagine a more quintessential Goth character than Vincent. Even if fans ignore the fact that he is found sleeping in a coffin in the basement of a haunted mansion, Vincent Valentine's backstory should be enough to convince them of his Goth credibility. After failing to protect his love interest, Lucrecia—the scientist who saved Vincent's life by turning him into a shape-shifting monster—Vincent locks himself in a coffin for two decades as a form of self-punishment.
Vincent is basically a blend of every Gothic horror movie trope rolled into one. His transformations run the gamut from a blend of Jason Vorhees and Leatherface to a hulking version of Frankenstein's monster. There is hardly a single aspect of Vincent Valentine that departs from the Goth trope.
4 Morrigan Aensland
Morrigan comes from an underrated fighting game series, Darkstalkers. While she strays a bit from a strict Goth definition in terms of color choices, Morrigan is basically in the same vein as Vincent Valentine. While she was initially designed as a sort of vampire character, developers inevitably settled on the lesser-known succubus as her character. Regardless, she's got four wings—two sprouting from her head and two from her back—that offset her somewhat cheerful hair color and certify her as an iconic Goth.
Like many parts of Elden Ring, Morrigan's character is inspired by Irish mythology, specifically the goddess, The Morrigan. If Morrigan's character weren't Goth enough already, the fact that her inspiration comes from a crow goddess associated with war and death is probably enough to cement her place on this list.
3 Dante
There's a definite theme brewing here. Like the others on the list, Dante is not entirely human. He's a half-demon; his enemies are devils. Also, his name is drawn from Dante Alighieri, who is best known for his depictions of Hell in the poem Inferno. That's about as Gothic as a premise as one could expect. Except for a small misstep in DMC: Devil May Cry, when Dante was remade entirely, he has remained a Goth icon since the first Devil May Cry.
As the timeline of Devil May Cry has progressed, Dante has only arguably gotten closer to the definition of Goth. While he was initially confrontational and cocky, the Dante of Devil May Cry 5 seems ever so slightly more despondent and uninterested. Even if his personality still isn't entirely Goth, his signature trench coat and overlapping leather straps do a lot of heavy lifting.
2 Alice
The Alice of American McGee's Alice differs quite dramatically from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. In American McGee's Alice, players are introduced to a much darker version of the story, where Alice suffers from severe PTSD after her parents' deaths. She ventures into Wonderland to find out the truth about what happened and, in a fashion similar to the Kingdom Hearts series, sets out to rid the world of the encroaching evil.
On its own, the premise of the game wouldn't be enough to place this version of Alice as particularly Goth, but she does forego her typical blond locks for black hair and wanders about wielding a blood-soaked kitchen knife. Though it's been over a decade since the release of Alice: Madness Returns, the Goth aesthetic resonated with fans, and a third Alice game is in development.
1 Thanatos
Since Hades' amazing lore takes place in the Underworld, it's unsurprising that the cast would include a handful of Goth characters. While Thanatos is the best candidate since he is the physical embodiment of death, Megaera, and Thanatos' own mother, Nyx, fit the bill as well. He's clad in black robes, equipped with a giant scythe, and his belt buckle is a literal skull. In terms of appearance, it's hard to beat Thanatos' Goth levels.
As players romance Thanatos in Hades, they'll discover a character that is arguably more Goth in personality than any other on this list. He's constantly dejected or indifferent, and even as he begins to become more interested in Zagreus, every sentence of dialogue still begins with a massive sigh. He's the complete Goth package.