One of the most important aspects of any video game world is the characters that inhabit it. Especially in longer games, where players can end up spending upwards of a hundred hours progressing through the main story, it’s important that the characters are the same – but this is easier said than done. Even in standout games that make most of their main cast incredibly beloved and well-written, there’s usually at least one outlier that gets under the fans’ skin.
From story-driven single-player RPGs to online multiplayer titles, no genre is safe from the inclusion of characters that fans just can’t stand. Some of the most annoying characters in games are navigators who constantly annoy the player, heroes in multiplayer games with little or no counterplay, and side characters who get way more plot relevance than they deserve.
10/10 Morgana controls the player’s available actions
Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5’s mascot character, Morgana also acts as a navigator through the game’s first four palaces. Personality-wise, Morgana is nice, and even a little likable. Morgana has no memories, and no idea what his true identity is.
However, Morgana dictates what the player is allowed to do each night, which quickly becomes tiring for many players. There are many instances where there shouldn’t be anything stopping players from going out and advancing their familiars, but Morgana decides they’re too tired to do anything but sleep.
9/10 Sombra can completely shut down other heroes
Overwatch
The way Sombra’s character was teased Overwatch before her actual addition to the roster was a fan favorite, including cryptic messages and in-game easter eggs for players to decode. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the way Sombra plays in the game.
Sombra’s kit revolves around two things – invisibility and the ability to hack her opponents, rendering their abilities useless. Overwatch 2 managed to make Sombra even more annoying, as she now has the ability to hack enemies while completely invisible, making it even harder to disrupt her.
8/10 Paimon is a navigator who is difficult to listen to
Genshin effect
Genshin Impact’s official mascot character, Paimon follows the mostly silent protagonist, often interpreting their thoughts for other characters. The problem with this is that Paimon tends to derail the current plot instead of adding to it. She also adds unnecessary details.
This isn’t helped by the fact that Paimon’s English voiceover is incredibly high-pitched and shrill, with many fans finding it difficult to listen to. That’s not to say that Corina Boettger doesn’t do a good job, but the high, sweet voices that Japanese titles are known for usually translate poorly when dubbed into English.
7/10 Mr. Resetti ends up being more hurtful than helpful
Animal crossing
There is a reason why Mr. Resetti is practically non-existent in the Animal Crossing latest title, New horizons. As a concept, Resetti makes sense. He teaches younger players the consequences of shutting down the game without saving, hammering home that any progress they made last session is forever lost.
In practice, Resetti ends up annoying older players, and bullying younger players. There are also situations where Animal crossing shuts down beyond the player’s control, such as the battery dying or the game itself crashing. Even in these cases, players would have to spend several minutes dealing with a lecture from Resetti.
6/10 Chloe Price makes it hard to like her
Life is strange
It has many fans Life Is Strange Chloe Price, who can relate to her character and wants to see her grow in positive ways. However, Chloe’s actions in any given situation make her hard to like for most players.
Chloe consistently blames all her problems on other people, including her late father, and she will lash out at Max for problems beyond her control. Whenever Max tries to disagree with Chloe, even in situations where it’s absolutely necessary, Chloe will feel guilty and manipulate Max, making her feel like a terrible friend until she agrees to go along with what Chloe want.
5/10 Navi’s pitch and frequency of voice lines is almost unbearable
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
The main purpose of Legend of Zelda’s Navi is understandable – it’s meant to help players and prevent them from getting stuck and frustrated. In the process, however, Navi ends up causing far more frustration than she prevents for many players.
The two main reasons for this are Navi’s incredibly high pitch, and the frequency with which her same few vocal lines are repeated. Even Shigeru Miyamoto, the series creator, states that he wanted to remove the Navigator system entirely, but felt it was too unfriendly to newer players.
4/10 Claptrap’s role as a walking annoyance gets old fast
Borderlands
Clap off Borderlands the series was purposefully designed to be annoying. This worked well, and many fans found Claptrap bearable throughout the first game. The problem is that Claptrap is a huge part of every single mainline title, and the purposefully annoying trope gets old incredibly fast.
Claptrap is not helped at all by his role in Borderlands 2, where he acts as a guide for the player. Whenever the player strays momentarily to loot something in the world, in a series all about looting, Claptrap annoyingly beckons the player back to him with uninterrupted voice lines.
Yoshi’s Island
The overall concept of Yoshi’s Island is charming – Baby Mario rides around on Yoshi’s back, and the latter tries to lead Baby Mario back to his brother Luigi. The problems with this concept arise when the two are separated for an extended period of time.
Whenever Yoshi and Mario are separated, Mario will cry non-stop until the pair are finally reunited. While it’s a gimmick that serves a purpose, motivating players to reunite the two as soon as possible, the decision to use the sounds of an actual crying baby annoys many players to no end.
2/10 Teemo’s mushrooms and blinds are difficult to counter
League of Legends
One of the most recognizable faces in League Of Legends, Teemo serves as one of the MOBA’s mascot characters. Visually, Teemo’s design is incredibly sweet, but it’s a completely different story when it comes to how the champion actually plays on Summoner’s Rift.
Teemo is designed to annoy his opponents to no end. He is able to blind his opponents so they cannot automatically attack him, making him every marshman’s worst nightmare. As soon as he gets his Ultimate, Teemo can fill the entire map with invisible poison mushrooms that do a large amount of damage in the mid to late game.
1/10 Ava is essentially being rewarded for causing the death of a fan-favorite
Borderlands 3
Claptrap is a nuisance for too long Borderlands players, but at least some can appreciate his humor. When it comes to Borderlands 3’s Ava, but it’s hard to find a single quality that redeems her. Introduced as Maya’s apprentice, Ava is a brash and emotional teenage girl who consistently goes against orders.
This has devastating consequences, and Ava is the direct cause of the death of fan favorite Vault Hunter. Even after this, Ava continues to blame everyone but herself. Instead of being punished or simply scolded for her actions, Ava is rewarded at the end of the Borderlands 3 by becoming the new boss of Sanctuary III, when there are far more capable and deserving characters.
