Top 10 Player Two Characters

Who says playing second fiddle is that bad? Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our list of Top 10 Player 2 Characters.

For this list we are including characters that are defaulted to the second player slot in both co-op and head to head multiplayer. The characters must be playable by whoever has the 2nd controller, thus games that offer more than 2 characters to play as are out.

This popular arcade game improved on its predecessor with an option for two players, which has since become a staple of the series. The second player controls Robert Baxter, a former Navy SEAL, part time bus driver, and one of the most senior members of the counter terrorism agency, V.S.S.E. Unlike other arcade rail shooter games, each character had his own dedicated screen, allowing him to flank enemies his partner Keith Martin can’t get to and vice versa. Plus he get’s the machine gun before Keith.

Resident Evil is a series known for constantly introducing new and intriguing characters. When Chris Redfield heads to Africa, Sheva, an African anti-bioterrorism agent, becomes his new partner. Sheva, although certainly attractive, is much more than eye candy. She brings a new dimension to Resident Evil with her driven charter traits and tragic backstory connecting to the series’ main antagonist, the Umbrella Cooperation. Just make sure you actually have someone controlling her, as her single player A.I. will drive you nuts.

Contra is, with good reason, one of the most popular run and gun arcade shooters of all time, thanks in no small part to its great co-op multiplayer. In the various Contra games Lance in red teams up with Bill in blue taking on the likes of terrorists and aliens all in the name of saving the world. Keeping with the game’s theme, Lance’s appearance is based on one of the 80’s biggest action stars, Sylvester Stallone and his name is taken from actors Lance Hendrickson and Michael Biehn, whom both starred in the action classic Aliens.

Bubble Bobble features a pair of brother dragons know as Bub and Bob, with the second player controlling Bob. The pair actually start out as humans but are turned into bubble blowing dragons by Baron Von Blubba, after he kidnaps their girlfriends. Bob is recognizable from his older brother due to his distinctive blue color scheme and bubbles, and still shows up even in one player mode in the corner of the screen. More importanly he’s actually required at the end of the game, as you need 2 players to finish if you want to get the good ending.

Double Dragon is one of the original arcade games to highlight cooperative play. This focus on teamwork, and the cool second player character, is what sets Double Dragon from dozens of other side scrolling beat em’ up games of it’s time. Co-op sadly isn’t available in the NES version, but in the Arcade the 2 brothers can fight together. But this time both are in love with the same damsel in distress, and if both players finish the game, Jimmy has a chance to beat Billy in a duel to win her affection.

Halo 2 introduced a secondary protagonist in a storyline that ran parallel to Master Chief’s quest, the shamed Elite, Thel 'Vadamee, who became the Arbiter. In the third Halo installment the Arbiter reappeared as a supporting character alongside the Chief, playable this time if a second player joins the game. The inclusion of the character provides another point of view, creating sympathy for the Elites as well as adding a level of complexity to the story and gameplay.

Just as tough and gritty as Gears of War’s main character, Markus Fenix, is his best friend Dominic Santiago. In fact Dominic sets the events of the series in motion when he completes a daring rescue mission and saves Markus from a military prison. Dominic’s story is a filled with horror and anguish involving the death of his children and the disappearance of his wife, whom he searches for in Gears of War 2. Despite all of this he refuses to lose hope or compromise his values.

Diddy Kong has a different skillset than his uncle Donkey Kong; while he may not pack as big a punch, he is much more quick and agile, as he has a jetpack. Diddy’s youthful attitude and appearance, with his trademark Nintendo cap and star shirt has won over a lot of fans and pushed him into the spotlight. While he is playable solo in the first DKC games, by the time Returns and Tropical Freeze came around, he was relegated to the Player 2 role.

There is a lot to love about Miles “Tails” Prowler. Not only is he Sonic’s best friend and longtime partner, but he sports a pair of tails, a through the roof IQ, a knack for designing cool machines, and the power of flight. First appearing Sonic 2, Tails can join Sonic on his adventure as he tries to keep up with the blue hedgehog. Though in Sonic 3 if a second player controls him, he now has the ability to fly, and can carry Sonic into area he can’t usually access.

Before we unveil our top pick here are a few honorable mentions:

James Cools
“Virtua Cop” (1994)

Gunstar Blue
“Gunstar Heroes” (1993)

Julie
“Zombies ate my Neighbors” (1993)

Floyd
“Jet Force Gemini” (1999)

Pretty much the dictionary entry for a player 2 character, first appearing as a pallet swapped version of Mario in Mario Bros and the Super Mario Bros games. Today his character has developed into one of the most recognizable video game characters in the world, possessing a personality and story all his own. Luigi is one of the Mario series’ most popular characters, and even stepped out of his brother’s shadow to star in his own bestselling series, Luigi’s Mansion.

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite player two character? For more exciting lists published daily be sure subscribe to WatchMojo.com.