10 Video Game Characters Who First Appeared Sooner Than You Think

1. Ralf Jones - TNK III

Ralf Jones is one of the most popular characters from the hit beat 'em up series King of Fighters, which launched with The King of Fighters '94 and counted Ralf among its original roster.

But long before he became a franchise mainstay, Ralf made numerous earlier appearances in games of totally different genres that were also developed by SNK.

In 1986, he appeared in the arcade run-and-gun title Ikari Warriors and its 1988 and 1989 sequels, going by the name of Colonel Ralf in the Japanese release before being renamed to "Paul" for the international versions.

But Ralf also appeared in another game prior to Ikari Warriors: he was the protagonist of the 1985 arcade shooter TNK III. Though the player never actually sees Ralf in the game, he is nevertheless piloting the tank which the player controls throughout.

Yet almost an entire decade would pass before Ralf would star in King of Fighters and become the more mainstream fave he's known as today.