10 Best LGBT+ Characters In Gaming History

9. Ontos - Xenoblade Chronicles

Xenoblade Ontos
Monolith

What's fun about Xenoblade's Ontos is that, through the series, they have expressed different gender leanings.

Stay with me here because Xenoblade can accurately be described as "Kingdom Hearts for philosophy majors". That is to say, it is complex and there are easily-lost nuances thanks to multiple character transformations. Also, major spoilers follow.

In the original Xenoblade Chronicles, Alvis appears to be your standard bishounen pretty-boy JRPG character. However, as the plot unfolds, it's revealed that their true identity is "Ontos"; one of three artificial intelligences making up a supercomputer called the Trinity Processor. Specifically, they are the gender neutral middle-ground between Logos and Pneuma.

Later in the series, Alvis' body becomes inhabited by an antagonist named "Alpha", whilst their original consciousness is split off to inhabit another - this time with a much more traditionally feminine look - and begins going by the name "A".

So, all along, Ontos was nonbinary. While Alvis and Alpha are both referred to with he/him pronouns, A's are never specified. In fact, an artbook printed alongside the original game even described Alvis' gender as a series of question marks. This provesng all along that the writers intended that the character's consciousness existed outside of the gender binary.

Gaming doesn't have many gender non-confirming folks, but Xenoblade has one that sits at the heart of the lore.

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Coming from a content creation background that now spans over two decades, Psy cut her teeth on personal video production and community radio. Originally joining the team as a writer and presenter, she added video editing duties to her responsibilities over time and became the longest-standing editor of the irreverent gaming show Tues Your Own Adventure. Psy has worked on many previews and reviews, long-form editorials (either her own, or supporting as an editor), as a frequent quizmaster and more. Praised for the two-pronged attack of her hard work ethic and light-hearted editing style, Psy is otherwise known as a font of retro video game knowledge which has caused her to rack up many quiz wins. Outside of WhatCulture, Psy runs First Aid Spray Podcast - a long-running channel that focuses on Resident Evil in all of it's forms. You can follow her on BlueSky at http://psywhite.bsky.social and Instagram at http://instagram.com/therealpsywhite