10 Video Game Anti-Heroes We Can't Help But Love

4. Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island Series)

Video Game Antiheroes Kain Ben Throttle
Lucasarts

It might not be immediately clear why inherently adorable dork Guybrush Threepwood is an anti-hero, but stop and think about this for minute. Why does he wash up on Mêlée Island in the first place? That's right: to become a stinkin, theivin', rotten pirate. Even if he looks more like a flooring inspector.

Guybrush doesn't need to complete three arbitrary buccaneering trials to demonstrate his corsair credentials. Ransacking the governor's mansion to prove his skills in larceny hardly seems necessary for kleptomaniac Guybrish, having already pocketed everything around town which isn't nailed down. Then there's the unspeakable things he does with a rubber chicken...

And that's just in the first game. By Monkey Island 2, Guybrush, addled by fame, is a mordant, egotistical bastard. With an evil goatee.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.