10 Best Joke Characters of Gaming

Joke characters have been used throughout video game history for developers to jest and poke fun at the stereotypes, standards and expectations associated with their specific branches of gaming. These characters are meant to shatter the fundamentals of the game and break down the fourth wall in order to yield a comedic response from gamers. Playing as a joke character tends to be a distinct challenge since they usually have their statistics drastically reduced. As a result, success with using a joke character is associated with high renown and reflects a mastery of the game. Be prepared for the good, the bad and the funny as we point and laugh at the 10 Best Joke Characters of Gaming.

Zero - Bayonetta

Taking almost 10 times more damage than Bayonetta or Jeane, Zero played exactly like the game's title character. Given his thin, long frame and black cloak, his appearance drew out the absurdity of the shapeshifting witch's unbelievably-disproportionate figure since they looked very similar from far away as they were in motion.

Zombie Liu Kang - Mortal Kombat Series

After Shang Tsung and Quan Chi teamed up to kill him in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Liu Kang was brought back as a zombie. Mixing up zombie groans with Liu Kang's trademark kiai, Zombie Liu Kang was a hilarious representation of the state of the MK series before the 2011 reboot.

Tofu Boy - Super Meat Boy

PETA created a parody of Super Meat Boy starring this character which the guys at Team Meat decided to add into the original title. Tofu Boy is substantially weaker than Meat Boy due to a severe iron deficiency. Speaking about walking pieces of bean curd..

Tofu - Resident Evil 2 / Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

Tofu's joke appearance in Resident Evil 2 was in response to players who bragged about strict knife-only runs of the initial title. Watching a giant block of tofu dodge zombies and hearing the squishiness of Tofu's feet hitting the floor had us holding back laughter during his parody of RE2.

Mojo - Chrono Cross

This giant walking, talking, voodoo doll was a funny addition to Serge's crew in Chrono Cross. Seeing Mojo dance and cartwheel against enemies next to the likes of Glenn and Kid was unforgettable and hilarious.

Phoenix Wright - Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Continuing in the same tradition as Norimaro and Servbot, Phoenix Wright's addition to the crossover fighting series was unbelievable but extremely funny, especially because the Ace Attorney could fight on equal terms with the likes of Iron Man, Ryu and Thor.

Mega Man - Street Fighter X Tekken

When we heard that Mega Man was being added to Street Fighter X Tekken, we did not expect to see that Rock had let himself go. Parodying one of the worst video game covers of all time (the first Mega Man title's boxart), the Blue Bomber's overweight, middle-aged makeover was gut-bustingly funny. But unfortunately, it was also a sad reflection of Capcom's abandonment of the Mega Man franchise.

Clayton Carmine - Gears of War 3

Anthony Carmine was killed by a Locust sniper in the first Gears of War. Benjamin Carmine's insides were dissolved to the bone by Nemacytes in Gears of War 2. As a result, we went into Gears of War 3 thinking that the third Carmine brother, Clayton, would also die a horrible death. Instead, Clayton was a miracle survivor and comedic gold. Clayton's sniper scene and his emergence from the helicopter crash shattered our expectations thanks to his distinct mixture of hilarity and badassery.

Johnny Sasaki - Metal Gear Solid Series

He may have been knocked out and got his clothes stolen by Meryl in Shadow Moses and blown Rat Patrol 01's cover while having a bowel movement, but these horrible blunders did not mean that Johnny's jokes ever stopped throughout the entirety of the MGS series. Hell, Johnny's grandfather was the same way in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater! When Johnny finally took off his mask for Meryl at the end of MGS 4, the hilarity peaked when we found out that he looked remarkably like a pretty, young version of Solid Snake. We can't wait to see if Johnny's father will be a soldier that Punished Snake/Big Boss will encounter in The Phantom Pain.

Dan Hibiki - Street Fighter Series

Master of the Saikyo-Ryū, Dan's flamboyant and boisterous way of fighting has been unforgettable, especially with all of the laughs he's pulled out of fighting game fans. Beating other players with Dan is beyond a standard loss; it's something your ego will never recover from. Taunt, crouching-taunt, jumping-taunt, Gadoken.. missed, Super-taunt!

Any silly characters we missed? Let us know in the comments!