10 Least Threatening Video Game Protagonists

Since they generally spend their time ploughing through hordes of enemies in order to save the world from some terrible threat, it’s only natural that most video game heroes usually look pretty tough. These guys often tend to be legendary warriors or genetically-modified super soldiers, after all.

Characters like Marcus Fenix from Gears Of War, Kratos from God Of War, or Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series represent the virtual embodiment of the male power fantasy, with gruff voices, big muscles, crazy combat skills, and no-nonsense attitudes. In short, they’re the sort of guys you wouldn’t want to bump into in a dark alley.

But not every video game protagonist is designed the same way. They’re not all big bags of testosterone, blasting their way through enemies with gigantic machine guns and ludicrous weapons. Some of them are a little less threatening, at least on the outside.

Underneath their soft and squishy exteriors, many of these video game heroes are more than capable of saving the day in their own special ways. But at first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking they really don’t look like posing much of a threat.

The playable protagonist of the Adventure Island series is a pudgy little guy with a grass skirt, a funny cap, and a bit of a gormless expression. He didn't really look like the sort of hero who should be adventuring anywhere, let alone saving a princess from an evil witch doctor.

Fittingly, Master Higgins could die from even the slightest touch from an enemy attack, and even from tripping over rocks or eating aubergines. He was incredibly fragile, making the Adventure Island games some of the most difficult platformers of the 8-bit era.

Funnily enough, the design of Master Higgins was actually based on a real guy named Takahashi Meijin. Over in Japan, Meijin was well-known for his fast fingers and awesome arcade skills, able to hit the button on an NES controller an incredible 16 times per second. He appeared in a bunch of games and does bear a strong physical resemblance to his Adventure Island persona.