The Most Annoying Video Game Characters of All Time
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Some of the best and worst parts of gaming are the nonplayable and playable characters we collect in our brains along the way. Many stick with us as memorable because of their outfits, dialogue, skills in-game, their backstory, and the many noises they make during gameplay.
Some characters are memorable because gamers love them, cherish them, get tattoos of them, tell their kids about them, play alongside their best friends and family members with them as the protagonist. Others are memorable because they are one-hundred-percent annoying, despicable, awful additions to an otherwise lovely game with stellar gameplay.
These characters are the ones we remember because of their persistent talking, annoying voice, meaningless dialogue, brutal battle skills, better-than-thou attitudes, and grating laughter or other noises. Some of them we want to like, we try to like. Maybe they are even ridiculously cute and being annoyed by them feels wrong, but we can’t help ourselves?
Whatever the case, these 15 video game characters drove gamers up the wall because they were just that annoying.
15 – Codsworth- Fallout 4
Codsworth is a domestic model (a robot butler prior to the fallout) Mister Handy who made its first appearance in Fallout 4. Fallout is an amazing game with killer graphics, fun gameplay, and thoughtful writers. Everything from creating the protagonist (Sole Survivor), to collecting resources, to killing enemies is nothing short of epic. When I first started playing, I played because of Codsworth. Yes, he is literally the reason I started playing. I wanted to play the game with the cute robot companion and retro soundtrack. Big mistake. Huge. While he starts out useful at the beginning of the game, Codsworth is one of the most annoying companions I’ve ever had the displeasure of playing alongside.
Why Codsworth is an annoyance
There are many reasons why Fallout fans find Codsworth annoying. Here is just a few of them:
- He is a smug robot butler. Can robots be smug? He has a know-it-all attitude that is intolerable. He knows everything, and you, Sole Survivor, know nothing.
- His jokes are like robot-dad jokes and they are never very funny.
- Like many characters on this list, his voice is annoying.
14 – Skeleton Mobs- Minecraft
Minecraft is oddly satisfying. The sounds. The digging and chopping and searching for resources. The different terrains and the way everything changes at night. I spent days building the biggest treehouse with the longest spiral staircase of all time one winter; it was a blast. There is a reason Minecraft is such a fun game for all ages and backgrounds. It’s so creatively driven and the pigs are basically the cutest thing on the planet. However, this is one Minecraft mob that is annoying and always comes out of nowhere to ruin your peace: skeleton mobs. While there are a few creatures on Minecraft that can be sources of frustration and annoyance (spiders make the most annoying noises in Minecraft), skeleton mobs seem to be the most universally hated among the bunch.
Why skeleton mobs are an annoyance
So, skeletons tend to be useful, because they drop resources that can be used in-game, but that doesn’t make them any less annoying when they decide to show up in a mob with all their dead skeleton friends. When they travel in mobs, they tend to all be shooting arrows at once and it seems impossible to dodge them and fight them off or run away at the same time. It’s always arrows from every foreseeable direction possible and it’s, you guessed it, annoying!
13 – Sarah Palmer- Halo
Sarah Palmer, a Spartan commander, had to make this list because she is maybe one of the most talked-about characters in the Haloverse simply for being annoying and even hated. Halo is one of the most played and most loved video games of all time, by far. People either love it, or they respect it for being a great game that just isn’t their style (for the most part). I’ve never heard of anyone hating Halo. Do you hate Halo? I’d actually love to test this theory out! Regardless, even those who love Halo, who play the game religiously, hate Sarah Palmer. I didn’t find her as annoying as most did, but I get it. She has some personality traits that can be annoying in-game. I say, we need less Sarah Palmer and more Cortana or another epic NPC.
Why Sarah Palmer is an annoyance
Sarah Palmer is kind of awesome. She’s a female Spartan commander who has climbed her way to the top. At first glance, she’s amazing, or I thought so at least. However, there are a few key aspects to her characterization that make her annoying. The main reasoning behind her annoyance is that she doesn’t have much of a personality. She’s bland and a bit boring as a character, especially considering she is this woman and a commander who really had the potential to be an awesome character. I think the unreached potential behind the character is what makes her a real annoyance for me.
12 – Noober- Baldur’s Gate
As a big, huge, totally giant fan of CRPGs, I had to add Noober from Baldur’s Gate, in 1998, to the list. Baldur’s Gate was a fantasy lover’s dream, set in the Forgotten Realms and using Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules in gameplay. Most people don’t remember his name, but they remember him in all his annoying glory: Noober. Noober was widely considered one of the most annoying NPCs in the game and is still considered one of the most annoying characters in the gaming sphere. Even if most gamers can’t remember who he was, if they played Baldur’s Gate they remember a few choice things about him they wish they didn’t have to remember in the first place.
Why Noober was an annoyance
Did Noober ever stop talking? Did he ever stop saying redundant, meaningless, stupid things that seemed to play on an endless loop? Did he bother you endlessly like he did me? While he was only a brief part of the game, I have to say: I remember very few things about Baldur’s Gate, but I remember Noober. He is still annoying me by taking up space in my brain. Tell me I’m not alone!
11 – Teemo- League of Legends
If you are a lover of strategy games with cute champions, you have probably played, or want to play, League of Legends There are some ridiculously cute enemies and champions and the game itself is chock-full of great battles and challenging gameplay. There are a few characters throughout the game that, though completely and utterly adorable in every sense of the word, are beyond annoying. If you’ve played League of Legends, you know Teemo, the fuzzy yordle, is one of them.
Why Teemo is an annoyance
He’s fuzzy. His outfit is cute. His face is cute. Even his deadly mushroom is cute. Everything about him, head to toe, it completely adorable, and yet I had the responsibility of adding him to this list. Teemo is annoying. He is a trickster, who can go invisible, blind you, and poison you. If you try to chase him or escape his deadly clutches, you end up stepping on his mushroom and die. His skills are impressive and deadly behind that cute exterior. To top it off, his laugh is annoying. If he wasn’t so cute, I might dislike him even more than I already do.
10 – Phillippa Eilhart- The Witcher
The Witcher was first a popular and well-written book series, then a great game, and now a TV series on Netflix. The Witcherverse is expansive and every little detail is beloved by its fans. The Witcher game series doesn’t stay completely true to the books, taking some creative liberties, but still stays true to Geralt and The Witcherverse. Having read the books after playing the games, I think I saved myself from any complaints on accuracy. Either way, I loved The Witcher and The Witcherverse. There was, however, one character that really bothered me during gameplay and that was Phillippa Eilhart.
Why Phillippa Eilhart is an annoyance
Phillippa has been through some serious stuff. She had her eyes gouged out, and I cannot imagine that it gets any worse than that. I feel for her and admire her determination and strength, but the way she treats Geralt, Yennifer, and Fringilla is annoying and frustrating. Here are the reasons why many The Witcher fans find her one of the most annoying characters of all time:
- She treats Geralt and the other characters badly, especially Geralt.
- She is untrustworthy and dangerous. She is not dependable.
- She is extremely conceited, which I find an annoying trait in anyone, characters included.
9 – Maxine Caulfield- Life is Strange
I love a good story-based adventure game. It’s part movie, part game, like those decision-making storybooks I used to get at the library as a kid. I downloaded Life is Strange on mobile, because I am a huge fan of being able to move from room to room to room while gaming (just my style). Here’s the thing, the game has some great writers behind it. There are some clichés regarding the characters and the main villain in the series, but there are also many beautiful moments throughout the series and the gameplay is enjoyable and creative.
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I loved Life is Strange. I loved being able to rethink my decisions and quickly rewind. However, I am not a fan of Maxine Caulfield. She took me out of the story several times throughout the series and I didn’t enjoy her as a protagonist.
Why Maxine Caulfield was an annoyance
Maxine Caulfield is annoying for many, many reasons. Here are my top three reasons for her annoyance level:
- She is clueless. Maxine Caulfield has a very low level of personal awareness. She needs a serious wake-up call on how to be a good friend and how to pay attention to her surroundings.
- Though she is generally a kind person who wants to help others, she tends to be fairly selfish and makes a lot of selfish decisions while also saying she wants to help. Maybe, Max needs some help on how to help.
- She’s has a very low-energy, distant, disconnected personality. She’s pretty bland.
8 – Cliff Racers- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls series is my favorite gaming series of all time. It’s open-world. The story and back story are amazing. The gameplay is unbeatable. I don’t know that there are many games that can rival it, but that’s just one girl’s opinion. The point is, it’s an amazing series. Many Elder Scrolls fans believe that The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is the best of the series. It isn’t my favorite of the series, but I can understand why Morrowind is a fan favorite. However, if you played the game, you know that in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind there was one particular Elder Scrolls beast that made its first appearance in Morrowind at Stonefalls that was very difficult to beat: cliff racers.
Why cliff racers are an annoyance
Cliff racers are evil, borderline possessed beasts that made their appearance in Morrowind and have been part of The Elder Scrolls series ever since. They are aggressive, persistent, and hard to beat. Their enthusiastic aggression is annoying. The difficulty of beating them is annoying. I may or may not be guilty of yelling at my computer monitor on several occasions because of these guys. The Elder Scrolls fans know what I mean.
7 – Hsu Hao- Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat was the game to play in the ’90s and early ’00s and is still one of the most popular video games of all time because of its playable characters and incredible gameplay. Beating my brother as Kitana will never slip my memory (He was so good at the game that I never beat him again). Hsu Hao made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance in 2002, quickly became one of the most hated video game characters of all time, and is still known by most as one of the worst, if not the worst, Mortal Kombat character in the series.
Why Hsu Hao was an annoyance
There’s no mystery here. Hsu Hao was bad. It’s rumored that even the creators of Mortal Kombat disliked Hsu Hao. The overall design, in comparison with the other characters, is bad. His outfit is bad, he has a chest laser, and he’s a boring character. While he has a lot of decent skills they don’t make for great gameplay. He’s been considered the blandest character in Mortal Kombat and it’s pretty clear why.
6 – Claptrap- Borderlands
Borderlands is one of my favorite first-person shooters. Though first-person shooters aren’t my favorite, I gave Borderlands a chance and never looked back. Claptrap, a CL4P-TP robot, makes his first appearance in Borderlands in 2009. Borderlands fans either loved or hated him pretty instantaneously. At first glance, I thought he was cute. Animated robots are generally cute, aren’t they? While Claptrap is a little beat up, he’s still cute, but he is still annoying. The personality he is programmed with really cramped my style while playing Borderlands.
Why Claptrap was an annoyance
The definition of claptrap, according to Oxford Languages, is, “absurd or nonsensical talk or ideas.” This definition sums up the annoyance that is Claptrap. Unlike Codsworth from Fallout 4, Claptrap is known for his overenthusiastic, attention-seeking, and lonely. While he talks and brags a lot, he’s not quite as smug as Codsworth (though he’s only slightly less annoying). I really felt bad for the lonely robot, programmed with this annoying personality, but not enough so that he didn’t drive me nuts.
5 – Paimon- Genshin Impact
If you haven’t played Genshin Impact, you should. Beautiful art, elemental magic, a massive open-world, and diverse characters make it one of the best RPGs I’ve played. If you like anime or RPGs and enjoy a variety of side-quests, Genshin Impact is for you. I started playing this game on mobile and loved the world Teyvat. I’ve lost hours and hours of my life playing this game, and regret nothing. However, the companion in Genshin Impact, Paimon, is annoying.
Paimon acts as a guide and a companion in Genshin Impact, while the protagonist (that’s you!) adjusts to the world of Teyvat. At first, I found her super cute, but eventually, she became annoying. Many Genshin Impact fans and active players also consider her an annoyance even refer to her as “emergency food,” and there are also many interactions within gameplay where you can refer to her as “emergency food.”
Why Paimon is an annoyance
Paimon always refers to herself in the third person, never stops talking, and has a very grating, high-pitched voice. She always seems to be right there next to you, telling you what to do when you have other things in mind. She just never stops and it’s annoying. As cute as she is, she’s still emergency food to me.
4 – Navi- Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Navi, who made her first appearance in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 1998, is simultaneously one of the most iconic and one of the most annoying characters of all time. I hesitated to add Navi to this list, because, if I am being honest, I loved Navi. I know every other Zelda fan in the nation, continent, and the world seems to have found her annoying, but I thought she was an adorable addition to Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. I always considered her the Tinkerbell of Zelda.
Who doesn’t want a sweet, little sidekick helping out, while they run around saving the world? Even in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, the cut-scene at the opening of the game insinuates that Navi is Link’s “beloved and invaluable friend.” Navi, maybe nobody else appreciated your good intentions, but Link and I sure did.
Why Navi was an annoyance
So, there are a few reasons why Navi was annoying, but there were a few core reasons most Zelda fans found her annoying. Check them out:
- Her voice. Her very, very high-pitched voice. This was the main reasoning behind Zelda fan’s clear hatred of the cute, fairy side-kick.
- She was constantly talking. She was a bossy, talkative little fairy. The chatter was very consistent during gameplay.
- Her dialogue. The dialogue in conjunction with the high-pitched voice and constant talking is what deemed her annoying. “Hey!” “Hello!” “Watch out!” “Listen!” were exclaimed a little too frequently throughout gameplay.
3 – Cats- The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs
The Sims is very nostalgic for us millennials. We played The Sims in our pajamas, on the family computer (before the time when everyone had laptops), and lost days of our lives giving our sim the life we dreamed of. We learned the rosebud cheat code that gave us money and decked out our houses with the best that The Sims had to offer.
As The Sims evolved and fans started buying expansions, the addictiveness of the nostalgic game only grew and grew. However, I have a big, but tiny and annoying caveat when it comes to The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs. The cats are annoying.
Why the cats are an annoyance
As a Sims and cat fan, I was excited when this expansion came out. I have cats, two beautiful but naughty three-year-old cats that I love to death, but the cats in The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs are the most annoying video game animals of all time. The meowing is constant. It never seems to stop. If you are anything like me and have way too many cats in your decked-out sim house, you regretted it after experiencing the continuous meowing. It is worse when you fast forward because the meowing is high and accelerated.
2 – Slippy Toad- Star Fox
Slippy Toad is a toad and mechanic that made his appearance in Star Fox in 1993. Like many characters on this list, Slippy Toad is nearly universally hated, though there are some that bear the unpopular opinion that he wasn’t so bad after all. The Star Fox series was a ridiculously fun third-person spaceship shooter during a time when spaceship shooters were the highlight of the gaming sphere. Slippy Toad was a huge part of the series, and my theory is that part of why players found him so annoying was that he was so integral to the series as a good friend of Fox’s. Had he been a smaller part of the series, Star Fox fans might have gone easier on him.
Why Slippy Toad was an annoyance
Slippy Toad was an annoyance for a few distinct reasons, even though I kind of have a soft spot for the helpless toad. Here they are:
- He needed a lot of help. He really was helpless. He always needed help with something, and players tend to find him inadequate as a character.
- His voice is a bit annoying (voice acting done by Lyssa Browne). It’s not quite as annoying as some character’s voices, but it’s up there.
1 – Baby Mario- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Baby Mario made his first appearance in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island and remind an integral part of the Yoshi’s Island series. I miss Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. I played Yoshi’s Island on our big, heavy box TV in the living room and loved every second of it. The graphics were fun and lively, Yoshi finally got his due as a protagonist, and there was so much exploring to be done.
Baby Mario and Yoshi searched for Mario’s brother, Luigi in hopes of rescuing him (kidnapped by Kamek). Yoshi’s island is one of the best games of all time with iconic characters and legendary bosses. However, Baby Mario made this game unbearable to play at times. While he was notoriously cute, he came with a big, unavoidable annoyance.
Why Baby Mario was an annoyance
Baby Mario had a serious annoyance factor that is undeniable. There is not a human alive who played Yoshi’s Island and doesn’t know where I’m going with this. Crying and more crying.
I know babies cry. We all know this small bit of human knowledge. It’s universal, but this game took it to a whole new level. Baby Mario’s crying was jarring, loud, and repetitive. Everytime Baby Mario was kidnapped, the tears came and it was enough to turn the volume down (or off all together).
