12 Most Epic Character Introductions In Gaming History

4. Samanosuke (Onimusha 3: Demon Siege)

Frequently hailed by critics as having one of the best opening cut-scenes of all time, Onimusha 3 is regarded by many to be the peak of the franchise, and it made this intent known from its absurdly entertaining opening gambit. The scene begins with protagonist Samanosuke taking on the Genma army, slicing his way through hordes of demonic entities with some of the most sophisticated motion capture that video games had seen up to that point: we could truly believe what we were seeing. It is only during one of these fights that Samanosuke's ninja veil is removed and we see his face for the first time, as he prepares to engage in a fight with Mori Ranmaru. The battle is incredibly slick and cinematic, taking place in the air and on the ground, and once he has defeated him, he goes to approach Nobunaga, before the scene ends on a cliffhanger. We're presented with a corny-but-cool credit roll of Samanosuke (played by Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Jacques Blanc (played by Jean Reno), before the title screen appears. Above all else, this scene proved that video game action can be every bit as epic and superbly directed as something you might see in a live-action movie. Fantastic.