Throughout all video game history, there have been a relatively small amount of characters with physical disabilities that aren't minor NPCs or just horribly written, and almost all of them are beloved. Characters like Joker in Mass Effect, Bentley from the Sly Cooper franchise, or even Huey Emmerich from the Metal Gear franchise (though he's not really "beloved).
It's always great to disabled representation of any kind in gaming, especially when the characters are written well and aren't constantly trying to "fix" their disability or are entirely defined by it. So, let's go over some iconic video game characters who are specifically blind to show just how well these characters can be designed, written, and personified.
7 Kenshi Takahashi: Mortal Kombat Franchise
There's no world where this list doesn't include Kenshi Takahashi. Kenshi is not only one of the coolest video game characters in history, but also one of the best Mortal Kombat characters as well. Robbed of his sight as a result of being tricked by Shang Tsung (it happens to a lot of characters), Kenshi has trained all of his other senses to the extreme, including his sixth sense in the form of telekinesis and being able to sense the energy or "souls" of those around him.
Kenshi is an extremely accomplished warrior, a well-developed character, has some of the most brutal Fatalities in the franchise, and is very likely the character that immediately pops up in everyone's head when they think of blind video game representatives.
6 Hawkeye Gough: Dark Souls
This next one is a bit of an odd inclusion, as it has never been confirmed as to whether this character is literally blind or is just "blinded" because his helmet slits are packed with tree sap. Hawkeye Gough was one of Gwyn's four knights that dwelled in Anor Londo alongside Artorias the Abysswalker, Lord's Blade Ciaran, and Dragonslayer Ornstein, and one of the greatest archers of his age.
Additionally, Gough was also a giant, and as such the people of Oolacile, hating giants, packed his helmet with tree sap which is implied to have eventually blinded him. In any case, Gough is fan-favorite NPC of the first Dark Souls game, not only because he's such a sweetheart, but also because he manages to shoot down one of the most difficult bosses in the game, Black Dragon Kalameet, out of the sky in a single shot.
5 T.K. Baha: Borderlands
T.K. Baha is one of the first NPCs that players meet in the original Borderlands game, and he's a real character. He's not "just" blind, by the way, but the guy is also missing a leg, both of which are the result of confronting a particularly nasty Skag named Scar. Plus, T.K. Baha isn't just one of the most beloved NPCs in Borderlands history, outside of Handsome Jack, of course, he's also one of the most tragic.
The guy had most of his designs stolen by Hyperion, had assassins sent after him and had to escape to Pandora, lost his wife to a Skag, lost his leg and sight to the same Skag, but he also is killed tragically by Psychos. Thankfully, he does reappear as a zombie in the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned DLC where he seems to be enjoying his new…un-life, but still, what a trooper.
4 Zato-One: Guilty Gear Franchise
Zato-One is part of the insanely expansive Guilty Gear repertoire of characters, and he's one of the more popular ones among the fans. Zato-One, in life, was just an orphan who was brought into the Assassin's Guild. There, he eventually became disgusted at his own powerlessness and turned to dark magic in order to grow stronger, sacrificing his eyesight in exchange for his body being host to a powerful "Anti-Gear" Forbidden Beast named Eddie.
With Eddie, Zato-One could now fight and do all kinds of things using his shadow, and he quickly rose to the position of Leader of the Assassin's Guild. Overall, not only does Zato-One have one of the more interesting backstories for a Guilty Gear character, but his moveset and combo potential have also always been a blast to see in each game.
3 Voldo: Soul Calibur Franchise
Moving on to a character that's certainly iconic and well known, but not exactly beloved, Voldo from the Soul Calibur fighting game franchise. Voldo is one of, if not the weirdest fighting game character of all time. For one, he's covered head-to-toe in sadomasochistic fetish-type attire.
Two, he fights with his entire body in these horrifying ways that always seem to contort his limbs. And three, he's canonically blind and insane after spending years guarding an underground tomb that his old boss, an Italian Weapons Merchant called the "Merchant of Death" ordered him to guard. It's a shame such an oddball character is included as part of the cast for blind representation in video games, but he does have a certain "charm" to him and he's assuredly a very powerful fighter.
2 Jedi Master Kreia AKA Darth Traya: Knights of the Old Republic 2
Kreia, otherwise known as Darth Traya, is one of the best-written Star Wars characters of all time (from one of the best Star Wars games of all time) and is someone who can't be accurately summarized in a short paragraph. Therefore, just know that she was a blind Jedi Master who constantly questioned the world around her, including the Jedi ways. Her teachings eventually came into question when her student Revan fell to the dark side and took a lot of her students with him.
From there, Kreia was exiled, fell to the Dark Side, formed a new Sith Triumvirate, was betrayed by her partners, and ultimately pursued the destruction of both the Sith and the Jedi. She's absolutely a character with a lot of nuances, and even when she spoke of plans to murder entire groups of people, her arguments were still somehow compelling and relatively convincing.
1 Godot AKA Diego Armando: Ace Attorney Series
Godot, otherwise known as Diego Armando, is one of the most iconic Ace Attorney characters of all time, thanks, in part, to his bright white hair and futuristic-looking visor. And, while it's unclear whether he's fully blind or partially so, this visor is what allows Godot to see, although it doesn't seem to return his sight 100%.
Godot is one of the more compelling Prosecutors in this visual novel franchise, as his calm and collected (sometimes smug) manner of talking did a lot for his character. And, his connection to Phoenix, the explanation for his blindness, and his reason for being so antagonistic towards Wright are all fantastic as well.