Capcom isn't just one of the biggest names in the video game industry. Few other commercial ventures have has the same longevity or success. This company was making arcade games before it moved successfully to consoles and personal computers, then finally to the internet and the wonderful world of multiplayer.

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Capcom's long history has some noted protagonists, and they are some of the most powerful in the gaming universe. That depends on how an individual measures power, but here are some of the most talented, skilled, and impressive protagonists that Capcom has ever created, and they win every battle they fight.

7 Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney

Phoenix Wright pointing to someone off-screen in the court room.

His name is just epic anyway, and if the pen truly is mightier than the sword, he could be on the top of this list. A killer combination of intellect and charisma, Phoenix Wright is the defense attorney who served as the main protagonist of the first three Ace Attorney games and appeared in later sequels as supporting characters.

Wright appears in a number of fighting games, such as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Although his inclusion is on the lighthearted side, he uses his lawyer powers of research and deduction to find his enemy's weaknesses. Because knowledge is power.

6 Claire Redfield, Resident Evil/Biohazard

Claire leading Sherry Birkin in Resident Evil II

It's not just the jacket that's badass. Claire got her skills with firearms and combat from her brother, Chris, a US Air Force cadet, while her own hobbies included motorcycles and lockpicking. Her talents with weapons and survivalism are what enabled her to survive the events of Resident Evil 2 and go on to be one of the most popular video game protagonists of all time.

Claire Redfield didn't just find her brother and escape from Raccoon City. She defeated a few monsters and rescued some kids in the end too, just because bringing down the Umbrella Corporation isn't alone badass enough.

5 Ryū, Street Fighter

Street Fighter 5 Ryu Update

The original Street Fighter arcade game appeared in 1987, and Ryū was introduced with it. The popularity of the Street Fighter franchise was part of what made Capcom a permanent video game fixture, and this could be the company's flagship series.

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The name manes "Dragon" in Japanese, and is intended to suggest that this character has the same type of power, human but also supernatural. Takashi Nishiyama, who created the series, actually based him on a real martial arts master Mas Oyama. The result is a character that's a mix of traditional karate experts and modern superheroes.

4 Dante, Devil May Cry

Dante attacking multiple opponents at once

The first video game in this series was released in 2001, and more than 20 years later it's still going strong with a fifth installment released in 2021. Part of the reason for the game's success is the main character Dante, who is a creator Hideki Kamiya based on the 1980s icon Cobra, designed with the same cool, badass attitude and overpowered skills.

Dante is a demon hunter, and one of the reasons he's so good at fighting demons is that he has some demonic powers himself. If that alone doesn't make him a powerful character, he's actually the rightful ruler of the demon realm because of his ancestry.

3 Amaterasu, Ōkami

Okami artwork of Amaterasu

Based on the Japanese goddess Amaterasu, this character has some powers that are indeed otherworldly. According to the game, she was a former resident of the Celestial Plane and descended to earth to battle Orochi, the Eight-Headed Serpent.

It's an epic battle, to begin with, and this is all lore just to get the game started. Amaterasu regains her powers as the adventure progresses, and most of them have some kind of basis in the natural world. By the end, she returns to the Celestial Plane as a god. She appears in other games like Teppen as one of the heroes.

2 Sir Arthur, Ghosts 'N Goblins

Who? And why are they so high on the list? Because this is the hero of one of the toughest, saddest, and most thumb-wrenching games in all of Capcom history, Ghosts n' Goblins. This was one of the earliest games made for the fledgling Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, and for many, it was their first experience of console gaming.

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This is the same kind of side-scrolling cruelty that made the name Metroidvania famous. Sir Arthur has to fight past some of the toughest enemies in any video game ever, and he only has two chances to do it. Any gamer who has any memory or experience with this game knows there could be only one Capcom hero more powerful than Sir Arthur.

1 Mega Man, Mega Man

Mega Man Mega Buster (1)

One of Capcom's original creations from the early days, Mega-Man is an iconic name that's known throughout the world of entertainment. If the size of the franchise is any indicator, this could be the most powerful character in video game history.

Aside from their own vast collection, the Mega-Man games are also counted as part of the Metroidvania library of games, so players know they're going to be difficult, and tough games call for tough heroes. Originally he was known as Rockman, and that was when the series was first developed for stand-up arcade consoles and Nintendos in 1987.

The story is that Mega Man started as a simple robot, built by two scientists to help with chores in the lab. After one of the scientists is betrayed and attacked, Rockman volunteers to become a fighting robot to protect him. Mega Man can blast through just about anything with his Mega Buster, but his real power is learning the skills and powers of his defeated enemies.

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