Tough first day? That’s what we all say when someone gets a new job. Leon’s first day was hallmarked by a zombie virus outbreak. Resident Evil 2 came out in the 90s and Leon came with it and ever since he’s stolen the hearts and minds of survival horror fans everywhere because he’s sacrificed everything to try and stop the Umbrella Corporation. Leon has never known true happiness or true love, and you root for him every time he’s on screen because you just want him to find peace.

Lara Croft is the queen of the action-adventure genre. For two decades now and across multiple consoles she’s been solving puzzles, jumping across ledges, hunting for treasure and saving the world a dozen times over, and looking damn good doing it. Lara inspired most of the franchises we love today, like Uncharted, and that’s why she’s one of our heroes. Without her world-saving, globe-trotting adventures, gaming wouldn’t be what it is now.

It’s hard not to call the man that quite literally gave his life to the fight against the templars a hero. Ezio gave everything he had, his money, his time, his body, his life to the Brotherhood of Assassin’s. Building it from nothing to the expansive organization that fights the Templars across the globe. Ezio witnessed great trauma when his father and brother were executed, he used that pain to say that no on else would die on his watch if he could help it. He made good on that promise by choosing to defend the innocent.

Arthur is you, he’s me, he’s everyone reading this. He’s a tired, worn down man that’s trying to muddle his way through life the best he can, but the people and the world around him just won’t let him be. He can’t find peace, he can’t find comfort, he can’t find solace, but even still he works every day to try and create a brighter future for the young men and women that call him an inspiration.

Commander Sheppard quite literally died to save humanity, came back to life and still kicked alien ass all across the galaxy. Shepard is the definition of a hero because no matter what the odds stacked against him were, he didn’t care, he took them head on. ME:2’s suicide mission? Not a problem. Fighting Saren even though the council was convinced Shepard had gone rogue? He did it because it was the right thing to do. Standing up to the Migrant Fleet to expose a traitor in their midst even when Shepard knew he’d need their loyalty? It was worth the risk. You name it, Shepard will do it if it’s for the greater good.

Chief is a legend because he’s literally been a one-man army against entire alien races determined to wipe humanity out of existence. Chief has fought with the Flood, the Covenant, and everything in between, with no fear whatsoever, because he knows that he worked his entire life to get where he is. Chief is the best in the universe at what he does and his heroics prove that over and over again.

A perfect example of death and destruction, Kratos and his rage have been on screens since 2005 when God of War burst onto the scene. It’s hard not to feel for the guy since he was tricked into murdering his wife and daughter by the Gods. His revenge tale is one that’s easy to buy into and hard to pull away from. Watching him find peace, and even redemption in the end is a beautiful sight.

You might not think an every day man is a hero, but Lee Everett from The Walking Dead is, to Clementine at least. Lee, an escaped criminal that’d killed his wife took it on himself in the middle of a zombie invasion to save the life of a little girl he didn’t even know. Lee could have hightailed it and left Clem to die, but he chose to take care of her, no matter what.

Snake is a character that’s hard to describe. From the onset, you may think he’s just your typical action hero character put in place to give a power fantasy. But you’d be wrong, the more time you spend with snake, the more you realize just how powerful of a character he truly is because of his ambition. All he wants is to find a way to be a good soldier, while he struggles with the morality of the people he kills. Snake hates the things he does, he gets his hands dirty and soaked with blood so everyone else can stay clean. It’s what makes him so special.

It’s hard not to call Geralt a hero. Everything he does impacts the shape of the world, whether he’s hunting monsters in Vizima or combating political intrigue in Novigrad, the Witcher is at the center of it all. If you listen to him tell it, Witchers, and he by default are altruistic, but he’s wrong. You always have to take a side, and Geralt does. He always chooses the people. Which is ironic, because the people are the reason he ended up dying and losing his memory in the first place.