A curiosity, what are your top 10 protagonists and antagonists of all video games of all time?

Mine in no particular order:

Protagonists:
1. The Bard (The Bard's Tale)
2. Johnny Klebitz (GTA IV: The Lost and the Damned)
3. Rikimaru (Tenchu Series)
4. Gordon Freeman (Half-Life 1 and 2)
5. Agent 47 (The Hitman Series)
6. B.J. Blastowicz (Wolfenstein Series)
7. John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)
8. Jack Swift (Red Dead Revolver)
9. Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin's Creed Series)
10. Kirby (Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland)

Antagonists:
1. Archdruid Fiannoch (The Bard's Tale)
2. The Elder God (Legacy of Kain Series)
3. President John Henry Eden (Fallout 3)
4. Colonel Agustin Allende (Red Dead Redemption)
5. Onikage (Tenchu Series)
6. Jack of Blades (Fable)
7. Jyggalag (TES: Oblivion: The Shivering Isles)
8. Duc Volpe (Stronghold Series)
9. Doctor Mobius (Fallout: New Vegas: Old World Blues)
10. Andrew Ryan (Bioshock)

I've always had a soft spot for Sofia Lamb from Bioshock 2.

Favourite protagonists:
John Marston.
Niko Bellic.
The player in Saints Row 2 when you give him the cockney accent.
Gaz and Ghost from Modern Warfares 1 and 2 respectively. Seriously, I love these guys and I don't know why.

Favourite Antagonists:
GLaDOS.

Wow, it's going to be really tough to only choose 10. It's going to be even harder to rank them, so I'll just put them in a random order.

Bear in mind, this is just protagonists and antagonists. I haven't even started with side characters yet.

Protagonists

Solid Snake - Metal Gear Solid series
Gordon Freeman - Half Life series
Agent 47 - Hitman series
Altair Ibn La Ahad - Assassins Creed
Kratos - God of War series
Sam Fisher - Splinter Cell series
Master Chief - Halo series
Marcus Fenix - Gears of War series
Cloud Strife - Final Fantasy VII
Niko Bellic - Grand Theft Auto IV

Antagonists

Sephiroth - Final Fantasy VII
Atlas - Bioshock
Malcolm Landgraab - The Sims series
Edgar Ross - Red Dead Redemption
Organization XIII - Kingdom Hearts II
Dimitri Rasalcov - Grand Theft Auto IV
Shao Kahn - Mortal Kombat
Darth Vader - SW: Force Unleashed
Team Rocket - Pokemon series
General Sheperd - Modern Warfare 2

1. Artyom - Metro 2033
2. The Overlord - Overlord
3. Master Chief - Halo
5. Mike Thornton - Alpha protocal
4. Sam Fisher - Splinter cell
5. Khan - Metro 2033 (I dont care if he isnt that envolved, he is [censored] awesome)

1.Jyggalag (hate spelling it) - Shivering isles
2. Gravemind - Halo
3. Soverign - Mass effect
4. Jack of Blades - Fable (tlc)
5. The enclave - fallout
6. The helghast (I havent played the game, but for some reason I like these guys). - Killzone
7. Andrew Ryan - Bioshock

Also the nazis in metro 2033. Unoriginal. But I think they are the only enemies in game that have ever felt human. Kinda wanted to avoid killing them in the level "black station".

No particular order...

Protagonists
Link - Legend of Zelda
Mario - Super Mario Bros
Turok - Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Commander Shepard - Mass Effect
Master Chief - Halo
Duke Nukem - Duke Nukem
Joanna Dark - Pefect Dark
Leon Kennedy - Resident Evil 4
Roland - Borderlands
Doomguy - Doom

Antagonists
Nazara - Mass Effect
Bowser - Super Mario Bros
Archdemon - Dragon Age Origins
The Mother - DAO Awakening
Andrew Ryan - Bioshock
Nefarian- World of Warcraft
Dagoth Ur - Morrowind
The Hate - Condemned: Criminal Origins
Alatreon - Monster Hunter Tri
Olga Flow - Phantasy Star Online Ep 2

Protagonists (in no particular order)

John Marston -RDR
Sam Fisher - Splinter Cell
Ezio Auditore - Assassin's Creed 2
Batman - Batman: Arkham Asylum
Revan - KotOR
Jimmy Hopkins - Bully
Garrus Vakarian - Mass Effect 1/2
Alistair - Dragon Age: Orgins

Antagonists (also in no particular order)

Edgar Ross -RDR
Benny - Fallout: New Vegas
The Joker - Batman: Arkham Asylum
Darth Malak - KotOR
Gary - Bully
Dagoth Ur - Morrowind
Saren - Mass Effect
The Arishok - Dragon Age 2

Protagonist:
Boone - fallout new vegas
Cpt. McTavish - CoD: MW1&2
Artyom - Metro 2033
John Marston - Red Dead Redemption
Carl Johnson - gta: Sanandreas
Irish - Red Dead Redemption
Dante - Dante's Inferno
Bill - Left 4 Dead
Ellis - left 4 dead 2
Master Chief - Halo

Antagonist:
Tabitha - Fallout: New Vegas
Tank - Left 4 dead 1&2
The huge squid - Destroy All Humans: Path of the furon (if i got that right)
Big Daddy - rogue trip
Fidel Castro - CoD: Black Ops
Haihachi(?) - Tekken

The one and only one(s)

Protagonist:
The Nameless One - Planescape: Torment

Antagonist:
Jon Irenicus - Baldur's Gate 2

Neither of both:
Morte - Planescape: Torment

No particular order

Protagonists
1. John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)
2. JC Denton (Deus Ex)
3. Gordon Freeman (Half Life 1&2)
4. Ellis (Left 4 Dead 2)
5. Shepard (Mass Effect)
6. Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell)
7. Ezio Auditore (Assassin's Creed 2 and Brotherhood)
8. Heavy Weapons Guy (Team Fortress 2)
9. Sonic (If you need to know, you seriously need to have your head examined)
10. Contains Knights of the Old Republic spoilers:


Antagonists:

1. Andrew Ryan (Bioshock)
2. Frank Fontaine (Bioshock)
3. Sofia Lamb (Bioshock 2)
4. Cesare Borgia (Assassin's Creed Brotherhood)
5. Saren Arterius (Mass Effect)
6. Loghain Mac Tir (Dragon Age: Origins)
7. Alma (F.E.A.R. series)
8. Arthas (Warcraft series from Warcraft 3 to WoW - Wrath of the Lich King)
9. Dimitri Rascalov (GTA4)
10. GLaDOS (Portal)

Protagonist:<3 Agent 47 <3 and Doomguy.

Antagonist: SHODAN (am I the only person on the Beth forums who has played System Shock?), GLaDOS, The Scissor Man, Andrew Ryan, Kefka. The Icon of Sin, from DOOM II, because he is the antagonist of existence.

Protagonists:
John Marston - Red Dead Redemption
Alta?r Ibn-La'Ahad - Assassins Creed
Ezio Auditore di Firenze - Assassins Creed 2-Revelations
Solid Snake- Metal Gear
Mario -..... Mario
Sam Fisher- Splinter Cell
James Bond- GoldenEye

Antagonists:
Vamp- Metal Gear
Andrew Ryan- Bioshock
Glados- Portal 1 and 2
President John Henry Eden - Fallout 3
Mr. House - Fallout: New Vegas

Protagonists

• Gordon Freeman - Half Life
  
• James Bond - Golden Eye
  
• Auron - Final Fantasy X
  
• Amaterasu - ōkami
  
• John Marston - Red Dead Redemption
  
• Hope - Mirror's Edge
  
• Donkey Kong - Donkey Kong Country
  
• Kratos - God of War
  
• Snake - Metal Gear Solid
  
• Link - The Legend of Zelda

Antagonists

• Bowser - Mario
  
• Dr Wily - Megaman
  
• Dr Robotnik - Sonic
  
• Sephiroth - Final Fantasy VII
  
• Psycho Mantis - Metal Gear Solid
  
• Gannondorf - Legend of Zelda
  
• Zeus - God of War
  
• Mr House - Fallout
  
• GLaDOS - Portal
  
• Spoiler

  Scott Shelby - Heavy Rain

Protagonists

• Garret - Thief series
  
• Chris Lightfellow - Suikoden III
  
• Mint - Threads of Fate
  
• Guybrush Threepwood - Monkey Island series
  
• Hoagie - Day of the Tentacle
  
• Amaterasu - ōkami
  
• Samus Aran - Metroid series (not including Other M )
  
• Cate Archer - No One Lives Forever
  
• Manuel "Manny" Calavera - Grim Fandango
  
• Max Payne (from the first two games anyway, the 3rd doesn't look promising)

Antagonists

• SHODAN - System Shock series (GLaDOS have nothing on her )
  
• Luca Blight - Suikoden II
  
• Kefka - Final Fantasy VI
  
• Andrew Ryan- Bioshock
  
• Lavos - Chrono Trigger
  
• LeChuck - Monkey Island series
  
• Bob Page - Deus Ex
  
• Hector LeMann - Grim Fandango
  
• Jack Lupino - Max Payne
  
• GLaDOS - Portal

I'm surprised how many people list Gordon Freeman, I think he's a horrible character. He never say a word, never do any character development or anything. He's a nobody.

Favorite protagonists:

1. Weighted Companion Cube (Portal)
2. Faith (Mirror's Edge)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
4. Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
5. Master Chief (Halo series)
6. GLaDOS (Portal)

Favorite antagonists:

1. GLaDOS (Portal)
2. The Joker (Batman: Arkham Asylum)
3. Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
4. Sofia Lamb (a psychologist! Woo-hoo! ... wait...) (Bioshock 2)
5. Saren Arterius (Mass Effect)

1. Nathan Drake- Uncharted series
2. Sam Fish- Splinter Cell series
3. Batman- Batman: Arkham Asylum
4. Paper Mario- Paper Mario series
5. The Courier- Fallout: New Vegas
6. Vault Dweller- Fallout 3

1. The Joker- Batman: Arkham Asylum
2. Sofia Lamb- Bioshock 2
3. Fontaine- Bioshock
4. GlaDOS
5. Metal Sonic- the game he appears in
6. Dr. Robotnik- Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Edit: Andrew Ryan really isn't an antagonist.

One of my favorite antagonists is a very ambiguous one. Really, I don't even know what to call it -- it's more a primal, ancient force than anything. I'm talking about the dark of King's Field IV. It's almost Lovecraftian in the way that you feel it more than anything, always hinted at through old scratchings and carvings, lying far down in the deepest pits of the city, in the earth itself. I don't think you ever see it, yet you feel surrounded by it, like it's pervaded every corner and stone. It seems ancient and unearthly. I love it.

I realize that's not a list of ten. And I don't have any protagonists. But, oh well.

I'm not even going to try to do these in order. I'm having enough trouble trying to remember my favorites.

Protagonists
Batman - Batman: Arkham Asylum
Master Chief - Halo
The Arbiter - Halo
John Marston - Red Dead Redemption
Ezio Auditore - Assassin's Creed 2
Altair - Assassin's Creed
Mario - Super Mario Brothers

Antagonists
The Joker - Batman: Arkham Asylum
Scarecrow - Batman: Arkham Asylum
GLaDOS - Portal
President John Henry Eden - Fallout 3
Andrew Ryan - Bioshock

I know I'm missing a lot of ones I like. I also like the protagonists of the BGS games, but I didn't want to put them because they aren't set characters. I also want to give special mention to Cave Johnson. He's just a side character, but he is too awesome to leave out.

Out of the games that I've played
Protagonist
1. Haseo (.Hack GU)
2. Commander Shephard (Mass Effect)
3. The Warden (Dragon Age Origins)
4. Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)
5. Ness (Earthbound)
6. Link (Legend Of Zelda)
7. John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)
8. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)
9. Revan (KOTOR)
10. Sora (Kingdom Hearts)

Antagonist
1. Loghain (Dragon Age Origins)
2. Saren Arterius (Mass Effect)
3. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
4. Kefka Palazoo (Final Fantasy VI)
5. Darth Malak (KOTOR)
6. Kreia (KOTOR II)
7. John Henry Eden (Fallout 3)
8. Mankar Cameron ( The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion)
9. Ganon (Legend Of Zelda)
10. Dhoulmagus (Dragon Quest VIII)

He spends half the game trying to kill you, I'd say that makes him an antagonist however misled he may have been.

I honestly can't come up with ten from each catagory.

Antagonists:
1. Atlas/Fontaine from BioShock.
2. Andrew Ryan also from BioShock.
3. The General from Saints Row 2.
4. The Jackal from Far Cry 2.

Protagonists:
1. John Marston from Red Dead Redemption.
2. Agent 47 from the Hitman franchise.
3. Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 4.

Not going to write up a whole top ten, so...

Favourite protagonists (and party members)

• http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz292/BlackFeathered_Yandere/Left%20for%20Dead/halolz-dot-com-left4dead2-nick-obam.gif
  
• http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/fursecutioner/Jupiter/Stealmycuteness.jpg
  
• http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee207/exmortius/Kain_Demigod.png
  
• http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll80/MistressSerene/disgaea-portable-20060831061913494_.jpg
  
• http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss334/changanjie/Aerie50.jpg
  
• http://i422.photobucket.com/albums/pp302/Aquatrez/Suikoden%20V%20Character%20Art/Miakis.jpg
  
• http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc141/chun0702/tifa.jpg (of course!)
  
• http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/ss09/rikku.jpg
  
• http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm236/TheImmortalDarkness/Tali.jpg (not vas Normandy - making her romanceable was the stupidest, fanservicy'est move Bioware could possibly do)

Favourite antagonists (and party members)

• http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d122/AsharaStark/Dragon%20Age%202/Heather%20Hawke/Meredith.jpg
  
• http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m21/Cim_Trifius/Rufus%20ShinRa/RufusCGRender.jpg (much better antagonist than that one-dimensional Sephiroth)
  
• http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv285/WhiteTigerDW/The%20Last%20Remnant/l5.jpg

... there's more, but I gotta go to work now.

This, except for the Master Chief. I freaking love Halo, but I'd hardly call him an amazingly compelling protagonist.

i cant be bothered to think through 20 years of game characters so i'll give 1 of each.

fave hero - the main character from two worlds who dont afraid of nothin' FORSOOTH IT BE RAINING!!!111! thats right two worlds guy, you tell em'.

fave villain - the boss from MGS3.

He may not be the real enemy but he appears to be for the better part of the game, therefore he is.