The Green Lanterns are the center of the emotional spectrum. As a corps motivated by willpower, Green Lantern rings are sometimes considered as the “most powerful weapon in the universe” with its only weakness being the willpower of the wearer. While a Green Lantern’s biggest weakness may be the onset of fear weakening their will, many believe that a Green Lantern that has felt fear and is able to overcome that fear has the potential to conquer anything that may stand in their way. As the rapper, Common once said: Knowing when I’m weak is when I’m really being strong.
Below is our list for some of the most determined characters in gaming. These Green Lanterns have faced insurmountable odds with their whole world against them and still came out on top while sticking to their morals.
Cole Phelps
Sure, Cole’s position in the Gaming Green Lanterns may be riding off the popularity of this year’s hit L.A. Noire, but for those that played the game, you can’t deny the determination and grit of this detective. In this corps, Cole would serve as the leader as he has experienced fear and regret from his time as a Marine in World War II. To avoid going into direct spoilers (because the story really makes this game that much greater), Cole’s past in the Marines act as a catalyst to push Cole to seek personal salvation by serving as police officer in the LAPD.
While working for the LAPD, gamers get to see Cole shine as he always remained focused on upholding the law and sticking to his morals. Even when all of Los Angeles was against him, Cole never gave up seeking justice, even in an environment where racism and bigotry were common. With the immense determination and rich character moments of Cole Phelps, this summer’s Green Lantern film, may have been better off if they used him as the main hero instead of Ryan Reynolds playing…….well Ryan Reynolds.
Ryu
The original “shoto” known as Ryu of the Street Fighter series needs little introduction. The generally silent and serious wandering warrior is a kind and good hearted person that quickly forms bonds with like-minded individuals. The thing many gamers respect about Ryu is his determination to improve himself and seek out stronger opponents to overcome. Simply looking at Ryu’s resume of defeated opponents is a testament to his will and strength of mind as he has fought world-eating space entities, demons and…….. pretty much everything else pales in comparison after writing “world-eating space entities”. The great thing about Ryu is even after defeating an opponent, he always had some helpful advice to encourage others to find the will to improve themselves. Therefore, all Green Lanterns in this corps can look to Ryu as the drill sergeant.
Ryu’s willpower extends past simply getting stronger though. Ryu currently holds within him the “Satsui No Hadou”. That is the “evil intent” that can possess some fighters that also use Ryu’s Shotokan fighting style (as it has already done Akuma). Ryu shows fantastic willpower to not let that evil intent take him over. The Satsui No Hadou would actually allow Ryu to become stronger almost as soon as he gives in. For a fighter who’s main desire is simply to continue growing stronger, it takes a great amount of willpower to not succumb to that murderous intent that tries to take him over during every fight. There are probably very few gaming characters more deserving of the Green Lantern’s power than Ryu.
Lara Croft
Lara Croft’s been reinterpreted multiple times since her debut in the mid 90’s but the one thing that always remained consistent about her was her fearless, confident, and self-reliant attitude. There is no way Ms. Croft could discover any artifacts if she didn’t have the aforementioned traits as she has run up against various ancient death traps, being a raider of tombs and all.
In the upcoming reboot to the Tomb Raider series, it appears Ms. Croft will be getting a true test of her will as the developers have stated several times that this new title will be focused on survival. Simply put, one must have the will to survive in order to continue to press on so it is very likely that gamers will get to see Croft in a whole new light that further sets her inclusion in the corps.
Link
The man that never speaks, Link, from the Legend of Zelda series is not only the hero of time, but hero that has stood the test of time. For over 20 years, gamers have continued to flock to the stores to experience Link’s epic adventures. For a guy that never speaks, he gets a ton of love from the gaming community. Link has always been shown as a humble and courageous young man that rises up to save his kingdom. While it can be argued that players inject more of their personality into the character, Link rarely shows any weakness in his games, even when going up against Ganon and his massive forms.
Another thing people don’t think about though relates to all the crap Link carries around with him. Seriously, how is he able to travel the planet with iron boots, a shield, a hammer, multiple items, etc. Clearly, a great amount of determination is needed to press forward on a long journey with that much stuff on your back. In all seriousness though, if you still doubt Link’s worthiness of receiving a Green Lantern ring, I need only turn you to the first image seen in this article to make you a believer.
Lloyd Irving
Many RPGs have heroic protagonists by default but Tales of Symphonia’s Lloyd Irving went from a literal nimrod to a memorable hero. Seeing as how Symphonia was one of the few quality RPGs on the Gamecube, Lloyd’s status among the heart’s of gamers rises a little more.
Skilled in melee combat, Lloyd got by with his general optimism and doing what he felt was best for the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe’alla. Considered immature by his party members, gamers got to see Lloyd move away from making hasty decisions and “clinging to the Chosen” and become a man by fighting with his own strength and new ideals. Once Lloyd began fighting as a more focused hero, his willpower allowed his party members to rally behind him, which is immense since the bulk of his crew was far more experienced and older than him. Lloyd came into conflict multiple times with his particularly because he wanted to reunite the worlds without any sacrifices. Holding on to such an ideal when saving the world only made the task that more difficult for his party but through his sheer will to uphold his morals against all odds, even nonbelievers in Lloyd’s party began to follow Lloyd’s ideals. As a Green Lantern of Gaming, Lloyd’s willpower will go on to become legendary.
Gotta admit, I feel more motivated to conquer something epic. What do you think of our list for the Green Lanterns of Gaming? Who would you include from the world of gaming? Comment below and we hope to see you tomorrow to meet our Blue Lanterns.
If you haven’t already, make sure you checkout our previous list(s):
Gaming’s Red Lanterns of Rage
Gaming’s Orange Lanterns of Avarice
Gaming’s Yellow Lanterns of Fear
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