Summary
Canada has a history of being overshadowed by its neighbor to the south, the United States. In an age where America dominates the entertainment industry, with films and television often being very Amerocentric, one would think that it would be rare to find much representation of Canada in video games. Surprisingly, this is not the case. Canada is currently home to several major developers like Ubisoft and Bioware, and there is actually a decent range ofgames that use Canada as a setting. If anything, Canada is a bit more represented in games than it is in other media, and that also extends to characters. The realm of gaming is home to many Canadian villains likePunch Out’s Bear Hugger andFar cry 6’s Sean McKay, and NPCs likeWatch Dogs' Clara Lille orBlack Flag’s Olivier Garneau, but just how many of them are actuallyplayable?
When it comes to playable Canadians, there is an interesting selection for gamers to try out. Canadian protagonists come in many different shapes and sizes and can also have a variety of unique professions. Certain Canadians in video games are even based on real life celebrities and historical figures, ensuring that gamers looking toplay as a Canadian in a video gamehave plenty of options available.
Street Fighteris home to somepretty intimidating characters, but the Canadian ex-Mad Gear Abigail is easily one of the toughest the series has to offer. He stands at a full 8ft tall, making the extremely buff Zanghief look tiny by comparison. In a thorough subversion of the stereotype that Canadians are friendly, Abigail is also one of the meanest fighters the series has to offer.
Even after leaving behind his life of crime, he is quick to anger and has a reputation for flailing people around when he goes into a rage. One does not want to be on the receiving end of his rapid-fire punch attacks.
There isn’t a huge range of Canadian video game leads, let aloneFrench-Canadian playable characters, so Sebastian “Buck” Cote was a welcome addition to the roster ofRainbow Six Siege. He was an operator for Joint Task Force 2 (Canada’s special forces unit, similar to America’s Navy SEALs or Britain’s SAS) and is described as a skilled tactician and outdoorsman. These are obviously useful skills forRainbow Six, but his bio and psychological report also mention an interest in Canadian history.
Buck is heavily inspired by old stories of the French traders who once paddled through Canada’s rivers (including his own great-grandfather) and has a strong desire to better understandKanien’kehaculture.
11Frost
A Canadian Operator And Expert Survivalist
Rainbow Six Siegeseems to love its Canadian operators. Tina Lin “Frost” Tsang is another JTF2 operator, this time from Vancouver. She is described as an expert survivalist, something reflected in her preference for shotguns and the bear trap-like “welcome mat” she can deploy against her opponents.
This background has made her very perceptive and great at using the environment to her advantage. Getting an edge on her is easier said than done, which makes her a valuable asset to the team.
10Raquna Sheldon
A Paladin From Ontario
TheEtrian Odysseygames take place ina post-apocalyptic world, but that didn’t stop the developers from introducing a Canadian to the playable roster ofUntold: The Millenium Girl. Raquna is the team’s “protector” (meaning that she is equipped for blocking attacks), originally from “Ontario,” which may or may not be the same place as the real-life Ontario, Canada.
Despite the vagueness of her background, Raquna embraces a somewhat stereotypical Canadian image, from being super kind to her friends to loving maple syrup and finding ways to put “eh” into her sentences.
It turns out that Canada has produced a surprisingly large number of professional wrestlers, but one of the most iconic has to be “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. The guy had a reputation as both a wrestler and an actor (most famously in John Carpenter’sThey Live), but his reputation has also led to a number of video game appearances.
A lot of wrestling games like to make a selling point of featuring actual wrestlers as playable characters, so it’s hardly surprising that someone as iconic as Roddy would make an appearance in several franchises, particularly theWWEseries. Not even Piper’s death in 2015 could stop him from having an impact on the gaming community, as he was still digitally resurrected as a playable character forWWE 2K22.
Capcom’s folklore-themed fighterDarkstalkershasa wacky range of playable characters, but one fan favorite that has consistently appeared throughout the series is Sasquatch. The character started as an homage to legends about bigfoot and yetis but eventually grew into something that really stood apart from his inspiration. His mix of fighting prowess and goofy personality proved a big hit.
The game’s lore places Sasquatch as a member of the “bigfoot” species, originally from the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He is consistently portrayed as being unwaveringly loyal to his tribe and determined to protect them. At the same time, he also has some bizarre fighting tactics. This includes things like being able to swallow his opponents whole, freeze them inside his body, and then regurgitate them fully encased in ice. He’s probably not someone gamers would want to get on the bad side of, but he’s a lot of fun to be around for those who are friendly to him.
Overwatch’s playable roster had a pretty diverse range of nationalities from the start, but the original game never really got a Canadian hero. That was until Blizzard announced plans to startOverwatch 2.One of the first big reveals about the upcoming game was a Toronto map and a new Canadian hero, Soujourn.
She was a veteran of the Canadian army and a war hero, as well as a captain andan expert fighterin her own right. Even after her retirement, she was ready to get back into the action as soon as Toronto came under fire. Big guns are usually seen as more of an American thing, but that didn’t stop Sojourn from having a huge railgun ready to go. AlthoughOverwatch 2may have stumbled, it was still nice to see a badass Canadian finally make her way into the roster.
6Thunderbird
An Expert Canadian Pilot
Yet another Canadian Operator inRainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft opted to try something different with Mina “Thunderbird” Sky. She added a bit more diversity to the cast, being the third Canadian but also the firstIndigenousoperator in the game. She is originally from the Nakota in Saskatchewan and proudly displays the facial tattoos of her people.
She is portrayed as an expert medic, pilot, and mechanic, whose introduction toRainbowcame after she saved Nomad’s life. But her real passion is flight. She comes from a background in the Royal Canadian Air Force and knows her way around a helicopter.
TheGTAseries is usuallyset in the United States, typically a thinly-veiled analogue to a famous American city like New York, Miami, or Los Angeles. This makes sense since the franchise largely serves as a social satire of American life. As such, it was seen as a curious choice whenGrand Theft Auto 5introduced Canadian crook Trevor Phillips as one of its three playable characters, though one could easily be forgiven for not realizing he was Canadian at first.
Interestingly, Trevor is the antithesis of the Canadian stereotype, as he easily outdoes his fellow (American-born) protagonistsMichael De Santa and Frank Clintonin terms of cruelty and his capacity for violence. Despite his personality and general lack of redeeming qualities, Trevor still became a fan favorite among theGTAcommunity.
4Wayne Gretzky
A Canadian Hockey Legend
Canada’s long-standing association with hockey means it has produced a lot of famous players, but one of the most iconic has to be Wayne Gretzky. So, it should come as no surprise that this celebrated sportsman has frequently made his way into hockey video games.
Not only has he been playable in these titles, but the titles of certain games in which he appears are even named after him. He has made many appearances in theNHLseries, a franchise that is known for using the likenesses of actual players.
