https://blackgirlnerds.com/4-best-black-female-video-game-characters/

By April Prince @LyricAiLove

In terms of Black female video game characters, there have been many popular and powerful women who raise the bar in terms of fighting prowess, intelligence, and presence — women who give their male counterparts a run for their money and give women, both young and old, someone to look up to.

But here, we want to focus on the melanated beauties. These are the best Black women in gaming.

Lisa aka La Mariposa: Dead or
Alive

Dr. Lisa Hamilton is one of the most versatile
and acrobatic fighters in the Dead or Alive series. She’s also one of two Black
characters, the other being Zack, and the only Black woman. She’s a former
DOATEC scientist who’s known for working on both genetic projects, Project
Alpha and Project Epsilon.

Lisa is also a celebrated and successful
Luchadora under the name of La Mariposa. She began wrestling when her childhood
friend, Tina Armstrong, convinced her to join the business. She uses the Baji
Quan fighting style, and her moves are as flashy as her iconic Lucha costumes
that she’s known for.

Lisa stands out in the character roster while
being one of the more subdued as far as story goes. She’s someone who’s always
working in the background of the overall narrative, but to the Black girls who
love the Dead or Alive series, Lisa is nothing short of magic.

Jade: Mortal Kombat

When you think of Black women in video games,
it’s hard not to have Jade come to the forefront of your mind. She’s not only
an icon in the Black gamers community, but she’s also an icon of gaming to
begin with.

Introduced as a secret character in Mortal
Kombat II, Jade has made her mark in the MK series. She’s not only an amazing
fighter and strong woman, but she’s also the general of the Edenian Royal Army
and the best friend of a fellow iconic character, Princess Kitana. The two have
been friends since childhood, and for Edenians, that’s no small feat since
their lifespans can stretch to be thousands of years.

In fact, most of Jade’s motivations stem from
her wanting to protect her best friend. She’s as loyal as she is powerful. At
one point, she even borrowed her weapons from Kitana’s lead. She used steel
fans in her first appearance in MK II. Since then she’s switched to her large magical steel bōstaff that she uses to spear and
subdue her opponents, along with her bladed boomerangs, named razorangs.

Outside of the games, Jade is a popular
cosplay for wearing around Halloween time and to conventions. She even
represented Mortal Kombat in G4’s Video Game Vixens, a special focused on the
sexiest characters in video games. Looking at the roster of Mortal Kombat,
that’s quite a feat. Overall, Jade means a lot to the Black girls who play
Mortal Kombat, and she’s quite the representative for dark-skinned women. This
is why her return in Mortal Kombat II was met with such excitement when the
initial trailer for her dropped.

Clementine: The Walking Dead
Video Games

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like
for a child to grow up during a zombie apocalypse, pick up the entire TWD game
series and play through all four main seasons. In the first episode of Season
1, we’re introduced to a little girl by the name of Clementine. She’s the
character who sticks around for the entire series.

Clementine starts off as an innocent 8-year-old
who the player has to protect through the main character of Season 1, Lee. By
the end, not only has Lee created a bond with Clementine but the player has,
too. In the spirit of not spoiling the end to Season 1, let’s just say, when
Clementine is faced with the last choice of the season it’s not just her who’s
in tears.

Throughout the rest of the seasons, we pick up
with Clementine through different stages of her life, from a strong but naive 9-
to 11-year-old in Season 2 all the way until Season 4 when we pick up with
Clementine at the end of her teenage years where she’s a hardened but still
loving young woman. 

Seeing Clementine journey from where we first
meet her to where we can end our journey with her at the end of Season 4, it’s
no wonder that fans of the series can’t help but have a soft spot in their
hearts for her.

Karui: Naruto Ultimate Ninja
Storm series

Though the Naruto fighting games include
characters from the popular anime, it’s still never a crime to show some love
to these characters as far as their depictions in these games go. We’re here to
show some love to Karui, a dark-skinned woman from Kumogakure, the village
hidden in the clouds.

Karui can come off a bit hot-headed at times,
with one famous scene being of her punching Naruto in the face repeatedly until
dragged away from him — something that sticks in the heads of series fans.
She’s also known as the woman who stole the heart of Choji Akimichi, a feat
worth mentioning as Choji is one of the most pure-hearted individuals of the
series.

Karui made her video game debut in Ultimate
Ninja Storm 4 and brought along her great sword skills, also known as Kenjutsu,
with her. She highly skilled with her chosen weapon, having been trained in the
art by the Raikage himself, Killer Bee. She’s also able to use lightning
release. This makes her a very capable and skilled fighter.

As far as how Karui handles while playing as
her, she handles very well, with her sword fighting lending itself well to
quick attacks and slashes. For those who are drawn to a quicker playstyle, it’s
worth it to give Karui a try and see how she feels.

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