Welcome to the Video Game Hall of Fame!!! Each week, we induct a character and give some fun facts about him or her. Don't worry if your favorite character is missing; he or she will be added in due time.
Series: Super Mario Bros.; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Donkey Kong (1981); Fun Fact: Before he was named Mario, he was called Jumpman and he was a carpenter before becoming a plumber
Series: The Legend of Zelda; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: The Legend of Zelda (1986); Fun Fact: Zelda was named after Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald
Series: Super Mario Bros; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Mario Bros (1983); Fun Fact: Luigi got his name from a pizzeria in Washington State called Mario and Luigi's
Series: Super Mario Bros and Yoshi's Island; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Super Mario World (1990); Fun Fact: Yoshi's species is T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas and his family comes in many colors
Series: The Legend of Zelda; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: The Legend of Zelda (1986); Fun Fact: Link's outfit is inspired by Peter Pan
Series: Pac Man; Company: Namco; First appearance: Pac Man (1980); Fun Fact: Pac Man's face was modeled after a pizza with a slice missing
Series: Metal Gear; Company: Konami; First appearance: Metal Gear (1987); Fun Fact: Solid Snake's real name is David, named after his voice actor David Hayter
Series: Bomberman; Company: Konami; First appearance: Bomber Man (1983); Fun Fact: Bomberman was owned by Hudson Soft before he was a Konami superstar
Series: Metroid; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Metroid (1986); Fun Fact: Samus Aran could be loosely based on Ripley from the Alien series
Series: Sonic the Hedgehog; Company: Sega; First appearance: Rad Mobile (1991); Fun Fact: Sonic was the first video game character to be featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
Series: Donkey Kong; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Donkey Kong (1981), (modern) Donkey Kong Country (1994); Fun Fact: The Donkey in DK's name means he is stubborn, and the Kong means he is an ape, hence, he is a stubborn ape
Series: Kirby; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Kirby's Dream Land (1992); Fun Fact: Kirby is named after the vacuum cleaner; a prototype was named Popopo, which the islands were named after
Series: Mega Man; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Mega Man (1987); Fun Fact: Mega Man's name in Japan is Rockman
Series: Resident Evil; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Resident Evil (1996); Fun Fact: Jill is called the Master of Unlocking
Series: Star Fox; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Star Fox (1993); Fun Fact: Fox is loosely based on Luke Skywalker of Star Wars fame
Series: Street Fighter; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Street Fighter (1987); Fun Fact: Ryu's signature move is the Hadouken
Series: Street Fighter; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Street Fighter 2 (1991); Fun Fact: Chun-Li's signature moves are Hyakuretsukyaku (Lightning Kick) and Spinning Bird Kick
Series: Tekken; Company: Namco; First appearance: Tekken (1994); Fun Fact: Kazuya is a collector of sneakers
Series: Castlevania; Company: Konami; First appearance: Castlevania (1986); Fun Fact: the name of Simon's weapon is Vampire Killer
Series: Sonic the Hedgehog; Company: Sega; First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992); Fun Fact: Although his real name is Miles Prower, he is given the nickname Tails because of his two tails
Series: Rayman; Company: Ubisoft; First appearance: Rayman (1995); Fun Fact: Rayman was originally supposed to be athletic with a full body, but due to constraints, he has no neck, arms, and legs
Series: Mortal Kombat; Company: Midway/Netherrealm Studios; First appearance: Mortal Kombat (1992); Fun Fact: Scorpion's signature move is the Spear Throw (or Get Over Here, as voiced by Ed Boon, the creator of the MK games)
Series: Street Fighter; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Street Fighter (1987); Fun Fact: Ken's signature move is the Shoryuken
Series: Fatal Fury and King of Fighters; Company: SNK; First appearance: Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (1991); Fun Fact: Terry has a pet monkey named Ukee, who was SNK's mascot before Terry took the scene
Series: Pokemon; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Pokemon Red and Blue (1996); Fun Fact: Pikachu is fond of ketchup, but also likes to eat apples and berries
Series: Tomb Raider; Company: Square Enix; First appearance: Tomb Raider (1996); Fun Fact: Lara was born on February 14 and she is the daughter of aristocrats
Series: Mortal Kombat; Company: Midway/Netherrealm Studios; First appearance: (Sub-Zero I) Mortal Kombat (1992); (Sub-Zero II) Mortal Kombat 2 (1993); Fun Fact: Sub-Zero's signature move is the Ice Ball
Series: Sonic the Hedgehog; Company: Sega; First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994); Fun Fact: Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald, which controls all seven Chaos Emeralds
Series: Fatal Fury and King of Fighters; Company: SNK; First appearance: Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (1991); Fun Fact: Although he was born in Japan, Joe calls Thailand his home
Series: Final Fantasy; Company: Square Enix; First appearance: Final Fantasy VII (1997); Fun Fact: Cloud's favorite weapon is the Buster Sword
Series: Alex Kidd; Company: Sega; First appearance: Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986); Fun Fact: Alex Kidd is loosely based on Sun Wukong, the Monkey King in terms of looks
Series: Street Fighter; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Street Fighter 2 (1991); Fun Fact: Guile's signature move is the Sonic Boom
Series: Tekken; Company: Namco; First appearance: Tekken 3 (1997); Fun Fact: Jin studied mechanical engineering at Mishima Polytechnical School
Series: Golden Axe; Company: Sega; First appearance: Golden Axe (1989); Fun Fact: Gilius has a twin brother who was killed by Death Adder
Series: Crash Bandicoot; Company: Naughty Dog; First appearance: Crash Bandicoot (1996); Fun Fact: Crash Bandicoot was originally going to be a wombat
Series: Super Mario Bros; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Super Mario Bros (1985); Fun Fact: He is also known as King Koopa and has eight children
Series: The Legend of Zelda; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: (as Ganon) The Legend of Zelda (1986); (as Ganondorf) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998); Fun Fact: As Ganon, he's a hog-like villain; as Ganondorf, he is more human
Series: Mortal Kombat; Company: Midway/Netherrealm Studios; First appearance: Mortal Kombat (1992); Fun Fact: Liu Kang's signature moves are the Fireball and the Flying Dragon Kick
Series: King of Fighters; Company: SNK; First appearance: King of Fighters 94 (1994); Fun Fact: Kyo owns a motorcycle and uses it to ride across Japan
Series: Spyro the Dragon; Company: Insomniac Games; First appearance: Spyro the Dragon (1998); Fun Fact: Spyro is believed to have Attention Deficit Disorder by Astor
Series: Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive; Company: Tecmo; First appearance: Ninja Gaiden (1988); Fun Fact: Ryu wields the Dragon Sword, carved out of a dragon's fang
Series: Final Fantasy; Company: Square Enix; First appearance: Final Fantasy VIII (1999); Fun Fact: Unlike Cloud, Squall is a loner who would rather be alone than with company
Series: Half Life; Company: Valve; First appearance: Half Life (1998); Fun Fact: Gordon never speaks throughout the games he appears in
Series: Resident Evil; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Resident Evil 2 (1998); Fun Fact: Leon is a rookie cop by occupation
Series: Hitman; Company: Eidos Interactive; First appearance: Hitman: Codename 47 (2000); Fun Fact: Agent 47 has 47 chromosomes and his real name is 640509-040147
Series: Kirby; Company: Nintendo; First appearance: Kirby's Dream Land (1992); Fun Fact: King Dedede represents the sins of greed and gluttony
Series: King of Fighters; Company: SNK; First appearance: King of Fighters 94 (1994); Fun Fact: Benimaru likes clay pigeon shooting
Series: Sonic the Hedgehog; Company: Sega; First appearance: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991); Fun Fact: Dr. Robotnik is often called Dr. Eggman because of his egg-like physique
Series: Tekken; Company: Namco; First appearance: Tekken (1994); Fun Fact: Heihachi is the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu corporation
Series: Devil May Cry; Company: Capcom; First appearance: Devil May Cry (2001); Fun Fact: Dante's guns are named Ebony and Ivory
Series: Fatal Fury and King of Fighters; Company: SNK; First appearance: Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (1991); Fun Fact: Andy is in a relationship with Mai Shiranui
Series: Sly Cooper; Company: Sucker Punch Productions; First appearance: Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccooonus (2002); Fun Fact: Sly's favorite weapon is his family's cane with a golden hook
