Top 10 Video Game Characters based on Celebrities

Our list begins with the PCP smoking, vertically challenged gangsta from Los Santos. This character, who does nothing to help stereotypes die, was based on the N.W.A. late rapper and vocalist Eric Lynn Wright, better known as Eazy-E. Beside their looks, the two share the traits of being born on the west coast, having dropped out of school in the 10th grade and selling drugs afterwards to survive.

Apart from his “X” shaped scar and his skills in ninjutsu, not much is known of this cold-hearted fighter. It is, however, very easy to see that he was inspired by Wesley Snipes, more precisely, from his role as Blade with a dash of his role from Demolition man. Their physique being quite similar, we can also note that both are incredible fighters whose combat abilities aren't encumbered by shades.

This little girl made quite an impression on a lot of people, being the only human immune to the cordycep infection. Ellie's physique was slightly altered from the initial reveal trailer, after which fans had already drawn the comparison to Page, but not by much. Naughty Dog found themselves in quite a pinch when Ellen Paige noticed their striking resemblance; The young actress didn’t appreciate her likeness being used as she had already played a lead role in another game “Beyond: Two Souls”.

The main Russian immigrant who moved to Liberty City is quite a character. Voiced by Michael Hollick, Rockstar Games originally wanted Russian actor Vladimir Mashkov to play the role, but he declined. They still kept the character of Niko to look like him, but beside that and and the fact that they both come from Eastern Europe, the actor and the mobster do not share much.

The “super cop” of Hong Kong was based on famous actor and stunt master Jackie Chan. Beside the slight resemblance, most of Wulong's stances and moves inspired by Chan's. Wether it's the classic martial arts' animal stances, the drunken fighting style, or just kicking and punching, they all came from the master. They share a comedic similarity, Wulong being the Tekken series' comic relief, and Chan being the ultimate funny-man of the martial arts genre.

This foul mouthed Otaku assassin's looks and general attitude were based on Jackass star Johnny Knoxville, who was also the partial inspiration for Uncharted's Nathan Drake. It figures you'd base a hit man who likes anime and swears constantly in his game on a guy who professionally finds exotic and humorous ways to injure himself and other people. Well, maybe that doesn’t figure but it still work. If the attitude, hairdo and aviator sunglasses don’t convince you, perhaps the last name steeped in Americana will tip you over the edge.

Being an actor doing martial arts film, Crators Ed Boon and John Tobias decided to base him on an actual actor who does martial arts film, and they chose Jean-Claude Van Damme. The idea was to have a character who was a cocky actor meant to be a comic relief. Some of Van Damme's moves were used in the original version of game, some, like his famous groin punch splits from Bloodsport, making it into the game, and even in the movie adaptation.

The story here is complicated, but once you understand there’s really no room for interpretation. In 1996, Sega released a game called “Dynamite Deka” or dynamite detective. It was a beat-em-up starring a hero name Bruno Delinger. When the game came out in the U.S., it was released with the Die Hard license with Bruno remade as John McClain. Flash-forward to 2013, and we see the Namco, Capcom and Sega crossover game “Project X Zone” However since Sega no longer had the Die Hard licence, They kept Bruno’s old name, with Bruce’s likeness.

Howard Hughes was one of the richest men on earth in the early 20thcentury and had a huge impact on aviation and cinema, you may know him best from Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of him in The Aviator. He also became a strange recluse during his later years, with a laundry list of strange habits and projects. He never founded a city on the bottom of the ocean, but he was still an enigmatic, escentric and clearly deranged visionary millionaire with a pencil stash: sound familiar?

Before unveiling our top pick, let's have a look at some honourable mentions.

Hugo, Resembling André The Giant
“Final Fight” and “Street Fighter” series (1989- )

Courtney Gears, Resembling Britney Spears
“Ratchet and Clank” series (2004- )

Bill and Lance, Resembling Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone
“Contra” (1987)

Topping our list is this massive boxer whose name did not come from Tolkien's mythology but rather from a name switch in order to evade a possible lawsuit. His original Japanese name is Mike Bison. Combine that with his physique and you have the least subtle allusion to Mike Tyson in history. Fearing legal pursuit, Capcom swapped his name with other characters characters Balrog and Vega. His name may now be Balrog but as far as we’re concerned, but we all just love the idea of playing as Mike Tyson.


Do you agree with our list? Which character was inspired by your favourite celebrity? For more video game and celebrities top 10, visit us at WatchMojo.com.