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Jan 22
A look at just some of the incredible characters that originate from Australia


Total War: WARHAMMER III
It’s Australia Day! Here at Fanatical we’re celebrating our friends down under by taking a look at the best Australian characters in video games, so watch for spiders and crocs as we take a deep dive into our favorite Australian characters, both heroes and villains.
by Ryan Easby
Kano (Mortal Kombat)

Kano Wins! Fatality!
The Mortal Kombat series is a beloved one. Part of the appeal of the game is the characters, and there’s no character with more….well, character, than Kano. Along with Johnny Cage, Cassie Cage, Sonya Blade, Jax…. Jesus, Mortal Kombat has a LOT of great characters doesn’t it? No wonder it’s so beloved. Anyway….
Kano is a loud-mouthed, expletive filled Australian mercenary. He leads the Black Dragon criminal organization and uses a fatality that involves ripping the heart out of his enemy. Kano only has one working eye, the other being a cyborg eye that he had to get because of an…incident, but the eye shoots lasers so frankly, it’s all worth the pain in the end. He just looks cool, and the fact he’s Australian is a nice bonus. He’s been through the wringer across the Mortal Kombat series, and has changed sides more times than I have fingers, yet we all still love him despite these qualities.

Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect)

Miranda Lawson is a no-nonsense badass. Played by the Australian Yvonne Strahovnski, she’s never been explicitly stated to be Australian but since the actress is, we can assume.
She’s part of your crew on the Normandy in the Mass Effect games, and her character is an incredibly detailed exploration of the military and the effect it can have on people. She’s also a representation of forgiveness, as she’s first introduced working for a shady individual known as the Illusive man, but then joins your team and proves herself to be one of the best members of your crew, and if you decide to, she could become something more than a crew member, a companion perhaps. Her romance arc is so beautifully done that it’s one of the few things you lose when you decide to run through the game.
One of the best things about the Mass Effect titles is that sense of discovery and character evolution, and Miranda has that evolution in spades. Along with Garrus, Liara and Tali she’s one of my favorite crew members in the entire series, and it’s not hard to understand why. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is only going to create new fans of the character, so why not get a head-start and pick it up today?
Chloe Frazer (Uncharted)

Chloe is probably the best character in the first two Uncharted games. Chloe is so popular that she got her own spin-off title in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy that’s incredibly well regarded, and it’s not exactly hard to see why. She’s got an insane amount of chemistry with Nathan Drake, a great character and despite her multiple betrayals, she’s just extremely lovable.
I mean look, she was popular enough to get her own spin-off after the main series had completely finished! As a cooler female Nathan Drake, she provides the audience a representation of what Drake could have been if he’d only decided to do whatever it takes for his own personal goal, rather than having a very fine and (admittedly, small) moral line. It’s rare for a character to instantly click with an audience, yet Chloe Frazer somehow managed to do so.
Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot)

Okay so we’re ending with a stretch here. But come on, are you gonna look me in the eye and tell me Crash Bandicoot ISN’T Australian? Just look at him! He’s a orange marsupial! There’s no WAY he’s not Australian.
As it stands, Crash Bandicoot is one of my favorite characters in all of gaming despite his lack of a voice. He just looks cool, he sounds cool, everything he does is cool, he fights a series of increasingly insane scientists.
The Crash Bandicoot games make him out to be a dumb yet lovable scamp, with his sister (also Australian, obviously) being the more intelligent one of the pair. Crash is a impulsive, fast-running, long-jumping orange blur and it’s this that makes him so amazing.