Video game characters always excel at specific traits and skills which make them memorable to fans. They compete against one another throughout the community to see who's the best at that skill, and when newer characters arrive, they attempt to prove themselves in these categories also.
Players enjoy playing as fast characters, and therefore an important skill that is spoken about is speed. With so many franchises out there defining what it means to be fast in a variety of ways such as combat or running, it makes players wonder who the fastest characters in video games are.
10 Vega – Street Fighter
Deemed as one of the most agile characters in Street Fighter, this self-absorbed Spanish ninja first appeared in the franchise as a non-playable boss back in Street Fighter 2. Once he became a playable character in the Champion Edition update, players were able to put that speed to the test.
Vega's combat style consists of quick lunges, which gives him enough speed to assault opponents with a flurry of attacks before they can even get a hit in. However, this agility does come at a cost and Vega's defenses are very low, meaning players using him must be quick with not only their attacks but also their dodges.
9 Zagreus – Hades
The Son of Hades may not have a quick walking speed, but his dash ability makes him quite the nimble foe for the enemies of the underworld. As Hades itself is a roguelike dungeon crawler, players will find that this speed is of use to them when dodging the onslaught of attacks while trying to make it to the surface.
The dash ability can be upgraded each run through a chanced meeting with the god Hermes, who has plenty of ways to increase the amount of time Zagreus can dash or the sort of recovery he gets from using it.
8 Miles Morales – Spider-Man
Similar to Peter Parker, after Miles got bitten by a radioactive spider he was given superhuman abilities. This means he can lift more and run faster than any normal human. Miles cannot only run fast but also swing at insane speeds through the busy streets of Manhattan.
It could be argued by players that Peter should be here instead of Miles. However, although Peter Parker is more experienced than him, in the current game with all of its improvements from its predecessor Marvel's Spider-Man, Miles just plays a lot smoother and feels faster to fans of the franchise.
7 Kitana – Mortal Kombat
Many of the characters of Mortal Kombat could be seen as fast, but none of them compare to the agility or swiftness of Kitana. In her first appearance back in Mortal Kombat 2 Kitana had the ability to teleport across the arena as well as having a form of flight that allowed her to cover distance quickly.
This was nerfed in later titles of the franchise, but she was able to keep her agility using her teleportation. Even without her magical abilities, Kitana's combat with her dual war fans makes her capable of fast melee attacks that will leave opponents trapped in a whirlwind of pain.
6 Scout – Team Fortress 2
As a quick-witted character that tells his opponents to think fast, it's of no surprise that Scout and his offensive battle tactics make him one of the fastest characters in gaming currently. Scout taught himself to run so that he could beat his seven older brothers to the fray while growing up on the south side of Boston.
This paid off as according to his stats, his base running speed forward is 133%, making him the fastest character in the game. Scout's role in Team Fortress 2 is to go ahead of his teammates and rush their opponents armed with preferably a shotgun and a handy bat. This speed boost means he can do exactly that without much injury.
5 Octane – Apex Legends
Before joining the arena, Octane was always trying to set records, some of which were far more dangerous than others. Using a grenade to fling himself over the finish line and set the world record for a pilot gauntlet, Octane destroyed his legs in the process. This didn't stop him.
After replacing his legs with platinum ones, he took his need for a rush to the Apex Arena in the hope of one day becoming the Apex Champion. He swapped out his grenades for jump pads to throw him across the map, as well as having the tactical ability called stim, which pushes Octane to run that much faster. Players with a need for speed have found exactly that while playing as Octane.
4 Tracer – Overwatch
Plenty of other characters in Overwatch could be seen as being as fast as Tracer, such as Genji being able to boost himself forward with his attacks or even Lucio, who can speed boost the whole team. However, Tracer is the fastest due to her abilities that defy time itself.
The Chronal Accelerator that must remain strapped to Tracer allows her to make the most of the accident that caused her particles to drift through time. This means she can blink through space itself in a mere second, allowing players to complete their role of getting behind the enemy and ruin their defenses.
3 Samus Aran – Metroid
Enhanced by Chozo DNA, Samus is a force many do not wish to mess with through her skill in both strength and combat. These DNA changes have also made her incredibly fast, as can be seen in the Speed Booster Ability that returned to Metroid Dread.
The Speed Booster Ability allows Samus to reach high speeds like a raging bull, crashing through both walls and enemies. It can also be used to solve puzzles in the game, which may need players to speed across areas to avoid damage.
2 Regieleki – Pokemon
This Electric-type Pokemon may not have any legs, but sprinting was never a requirement in what classes as a fast character. Regieleki has the highest base speed stat out of any Pokemon in the entirety of the franchise, which is also helped by him being one of the smallest and lightest of the legendary titans.
Although leveling it is slow, by level 100 Regieleki can have a speed stat of between 364 and 548, meaning players that want to be the first to attack, especially in larger battles, will always have that chance.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog
When players think of fast video game characters, it's of no surprise that they name Sonic. The blue hedgehog has made history as being one of the fastest out there while wearing his red sport sneakers and his well-known theme song of “Gotta Go Fast.”
By being charged by a mass amount of chaos energy from the chaos emeralds, Sonic has enhanced everything that makes him the speediest animal alive. Even without using his spin dash, which can make him reach unnatural speeds, players are in for an adrenaline ride when playing the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise.