Aside from engaging gameplay and a captivating story, every video game needs interesting characters and creative character design in order to truly make a lasting impression on players. Every great character design starts with a unique element that makes them stand out rather than just being another face in the crowd.
Rather than being seen as a weakness or disadvantage, eyepatches have been used to give characters a bit of a mysterious edge and to display their unwavering perseverance in the heat of the battlefield. Here are some of the most iconic video game characters that sport a stylish eyepatch.
Disclaimer: Series spoilers ahead!
10 Demoman
- Game Title/Series: Team Fortress 2
- Reason For Eyepatch: Lost eye in an incident involving a magical spell to stop the Bombinomicon from possessing him
Demonman is the famous TF2 Scottish demolitions expert and is one of the most versatile characters on the roster. Demoman, due to his rough childhood as an orphan, had a lot of time on his hands and later found an interest in explosives. He eventually honed his skill with tinkering and tampering with explosives, but not before he lost an eye during his stay at the Crypt Grammar School for orphans.
Although he's now stuck with an eyepatch, he should consider himself lucky that a single eye was all he ended up losing after all his years dealing with dangerous explosives!
9 Xigbar
- Game Title/Series: Kingdom Hearts
- Reason For Eyepatch: Lost eye during a fight against Terra
Xigbar, the Nobody of Braig (and Luxu by extension), serves as an antagonist for the series and is associated with both Organization XIII and the Real Organization XIII and was known to help out fellow Organization member Roxas with missions every so often before his conflict with Sora.
Due to Xigbar's status as a Nobody, his missing eye comes from the injuries that his original/human form, Braig, sustained from his battle with keyblade wielder Terra.
8 Wolf O'Donnell
- Game Title/Series: Star Fox
- Reason For Eyepatch: Aesthetics (?)
Wolf is the leader of Star Wolf, a.k.a. Fox McCloud's rival from the Star Fox series. While it's no doubt that Wolf wears the one-eyed aesthetic well, the reason behind his eye covering is a bit of a mystery.
There isn't any canonical information about Wolf losing an eye in battle or an accident. Wolf's previous appearances in Star Fox Command and Star Fox: Assault also imply Wolf can see through his left eye as he sports a handy scouter/visor instead of a covering. To make things even more puzzling, early concept art of Wolf for Star Fox 2 has Wolf wearing his signature eyepatch on his right eye rather than his left!
7 Beidou
- Game Title/Series: Genshin Impact
- Reason For Eyepatch: Pirate tactic
Captain Beidou may not be the only Genshin Impact character with an eyepatch, but she's definitely the one that most fans may think of first (sorry, Kaeya). Beidou resides in Liyue as a fleet captain of her crew, The Crux, and is an electro-vision user.
Beidou, being a pirate, wouldn't be complete without an eyepatch. Pirates were known to use eyepatches in order to retain their eyesight when they go below deck; keeping one eye adjusted to the dark while the other is still exposed to light is likely the reason Captain Beidou uses one as well.
6 Undyne
- Game Title/Series: Undertale
- Reason For Eyepatch: Lost eye in a spear-related training accident
Undyne is Undertale's resident fish-like monster and royal scientist Alphys' sweetheart. Undyne is the incredibly determined leader of the "elite" group, the Royal Guard. Undyne isn't just talented on the battlefield, but she also has a great eye for fashion as she tends to change her look up depending on the situation. In battle, Undyne sports a dark eyepatch, while on dates with Alphys, she switches it up for a light-colored one.
However, after her HP reaches zero and she enters her Undying form, she ditches the eyepatch completely, revealing her empty eye socket and unleashing her spear-shaped light attack.
5 Beatrix
- Game Title/Series: Final Fantasy 9
- Reason For Eyepatch: Likely lost eye in battle (?)
Beatrix is the fearless top general of the female army of Alexandria and the most feared soldier around Gaia. She appears as a boss but also later appears as a playable character to have on the player's team. Beatrix is the perfect soldier, outside of her cockiness that peeks through every now and then.
She is a strong leader but still addresses those close to her in a much more gentle tone and manner. Although there was no formal explanation about how she ended up with her silver eyepatch, it's safe to assume that she likely lost it during a fierce battle.
4 D-Dog
- Game Title/Series: Metal Gear Solid 5
- Reason For Eyepatch: Lost eye as a puppy in the wild
D-Dog (sometimes referred to as "DD") is a wolf with a full-time job at Mother Base for the private military company, the Diamond Dogs. On an early mission in Metal Gear Solid 5, Venom Snake comes across a small injured pup that seems to take a liking to him.
After being sent back over to Mother Base via the fulton system, DD is then trained to be Venom's own attack dog and is fitted with his own slick eyepatch to cover his missing eye (just like his owner!).
3 Sagat
- Game Title/Series: Street Fighter
- Reason For Eyepatch: Lost his eye in a fight with Dan Hibiki's father
Sagat is the famous final boss of the original Street Fighter and the renowned "Emperor of Muay Thai." Sagat was once a member of Shadaloo and is widely considered an iconic Street Fighter antagonist despite eventually changing ways and leaving the organization.
Before Sagat's change of heart, he had challenged Go Hibiki in a fist fight where Go had gouged Sagat's eye out after recognizing it as an obvious weakness. It was then that Sagat, in a frenzied rage, summoned the powerful Tiger Shot, killing Go in an instant.
2 Goro Majima
- Game Title/Series: Yakuza
- Reason For Eyepatch: His eye was gouged out for his insubordination
Goro Majima made his debut in the Yakuza series in the original game back in 2005 (Japan release)/2006 (North America release). Since his introduction, he became such a popular fan favorite that he returned as a supporting character in later games and even became a playable protagonist in Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Dead Souls.
While many video game characters have lost an eye accidentally, in the heat of a battle, Majima lost his left eye as an act of punishment. After being ambushed for his refusal to step down from a hit he had planned, he was tortured and eventually had his eye gouged out by a blade, leaving him with his iconic tough guy look.
1 Big Boss
- Game Title/Series: Metal Gear Solid 3
- Reason For Eyepatch: Received a muzzle burn that completely blinded his eye
While there are quite a few good candidates in the Metal Gear series that have mysterious eyepatches, Big Boss himself is by far the absolute most iconic one. Big Boss was the renowned special forces operative that served as the base of the Les Enfants Terribles government project.
During Operation Snake Eater, Boss (still referred to as Naked Snake at the time) was captured by Volgin and Ocelot. In an attempt to save EVA from Ocelot's game of Russian Roulette, Snake nudged Ocelot as he took the shot, having his eye injured in the process and leaving him with his signature eyepatch.
Bonus: 2B
- Game Title/Series: NieR: Automata
- Reason For Eyepatch/Covering: Android utility, symbolic design
2B sports something more accurately called a "covering" or blindfold rather than the typical eyepatch. 2B, being an android, doesn't need a regular pair of human eyes to see properly; in fact, the covering around her and companion 9S's eyes functions as a HUD-type visor, giving them more information about their surroundings.
In addition to their android utility, 2B's creator, Yoko Taro, stated that 2B and 9S's blindfolds serve as a meaningful analogy, signifying how they (YoRHa units) are blind to the truth.