History Main / JokeCharacter

* The Can parts in ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'' for the UsefulNotes/GameCube are basically less powerful versions of the parts you start the game with. The Can Legs decrease all capabilities, while the Can body is ridiculously weak and easy to knock down.

* If you manage to beat ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'s'' lost chapter Angel Slayer (big emphasis [[NintendoHard on]] '''[[BonusLevelOfHell if]]''') you unlock Little King Zero, a legless skeleton with a beard (yeah…) who talks only in high pitched grunts. In combat, he's just as effective as Bayonetta and has the same powers and weapons. The problem is… there is no such thing as ScratchDamage with him. Any tiniest hit will take off his entire lifebar, leaving only his LastChanceHitPoint. Which means he can be instantly killed even by a single ''Decoration'' (the weakest among the weakest enemies)! Needless to say, beating the game above Easy Mode with him by using no items [[CherryTapping officially makes you a badass]].

* Early ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' games tend to put some of the early SuperRobot support units in this category, such as [[Anime/MazingerZ Boss Borot, Aphrodite A]] and [[Manga/GetterRobo Getter-Q]], mostly because they'd either be around for one stage, just be re/re units (basically healers and re-suppliers), be completely pathetic stat-wise or all three. As Banpresto started to move away from this, the units got better - Boss Borot, for instance, [[TakeALevelInBadass took many levels in badass]] throughout the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance era of games - ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance'' gives Boss the Borot Pressure Punch, which gives him a ranged attack. With each succeeding game, he gets it earlier and earlier. Then came ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsJudgment'' which shifts him to his ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'' counterpart and makes him so much better.

* Jeff from ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion''. He's a surfer dude who, like the main hero Dave, he has no way of getting past Purple Tentacle at the endgame. His only special skill is to fix the phone, which can also be done by the much more useful Bernard. (A poster included in the box seems to imply he gets clairvoyant flashes when he sustains an electric shock, but this was never implemented in any version of the game.)

* Jeff from ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion''. He's a surfer dude who, like the main hero Dave, he has no way of getting past Purple Tentacle at the endgame. His only special skill is to fix the phone, which can also be done by the much more useful Bernard.

* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance'' features Unusually Ruthless Reuben, who has terrible stats and terrible starting equipment[[note]]His shooting stat starts at 35, in a game where anything under 50 is dangerous to attempt, and his starting equipment doesn't include a ''gun'', but instead two completely worthless items[[/note]], with his only redeeming factor being an insanely low daily cost. Given that the game limits you to 8 mercenaries at a time, he only exists to be laughed at, or to send into an ambush to be killed.
* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance2'' has several joke characters. The mercenaries you can hire through AIM are all varying degrees of helpful in some way or another, but the mercenaries offered through MERC are by and large hot garbage: Biff, the so-called star of the line up, has stats well below acceptable and a low wisdom score, meaning that his stats take longer to increase. He also might randomly quit if he kills someone, and panics very easily. The other mercenaries are no better, with [[LethalJokeCharacter Flo and Gumpy]] the only potentially useful offerings because of their very high wisdom stats, which mean they ''can'' improve quickly, but still require a lot of investment before they are anywhere close to par.

* Taokaka was supposed to be ''Franchise/BlazBlue'''s version of Dan, though she ended up just being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.

* Taokaka was supposed to be ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'''s version of Dan, though she ended up just being a CloudCuckooLander.

** The main ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTensei'' series also has more than its fair share of Joke Demons, most of them appearing early in the game. For example, the [[BlobMonster Slime]] in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' is weak to everything except Gun and Dark attacks, including basic physical attacks.

** The NES Silver Surfer, modeled after [[VideoGame/SilverSurfer the game with the same name]]. He's weak, can't turn around, gets killed by anything up to and including [[NoFourthWall the edge of the screen]], and the game even shows you the game over image from his game whenever he's knocked out. At least he's faithful to what he's based on.

* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'': In ''[[Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger Abaranger]]'', Emri frequently tries to help out the team as "[=AbarePink=]"--and even makes her own Ranger suit in one episode--but since she lacks any powers, her effectiveness is...limited at best. Later, she returns in ''[[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Gokaiger]]'' and presents Ahim with the [=AbarePink=] Ranger Key--which naturally possesses no special powers and just puts Ahim in Emri's homemade costume when she uses it, forcing her to sit out the ensuing fight.

* ''{{VideoGame/Kenshi}}'' has Beep. He's a [[ZergRush Hive Worker Drone]] who was kicked out of his Hive for being "annoying". He has 1 or even ''[[BeyondTheImpossible negatives]]'' in all of his stats (in a game where stats cap at 100 apiece), and as a Hive Worker Drone he has 75% as much durability as other races in each of his limbs, including his head, chest, and stomach. Oh and he wants to be the WorldsStrongestMan and has a [[SuicidalOverconfidence Brave]] personality, meaning he ''will'' aggro into any enemy he sees. And likely cause his [[BloodyHilarious limbs to go flying off]] in the process.

%%* Hong Meiling in ''[[VideoGame/{{Touhou}} Immaterial and Missing Power]]''. She's the worst character in the game, but she's not totally unusable. It's more that Meiling's strengths don't work in this game. Playing as China has the feel of trying to kill ComicBook/{{Spiderman}} by dropping him off a cliff.%%

* The ''Osiris'' in ''[[Videogame/MechWarrior MechWarrior Living Legends]]'' was long considered to be a joke character, owing to its... unfortunate appearance (likened to a buttplug with legs), nonexistent armor and pathetic armaments. However, the final update completely revamped the ''Osiris'', making it a LightningBruiser among light mechs. Its joke role was taken over by the ''Solitaire'', a mech so far down the FragileSpeedster path that its entire body has less armor than the ''arm'' of an assault mech; it packs an enormous ShoulderCannon but it's attached to the fastest chassis in the game paired with the worst firing arc, making it all but impossible to circle-of-death with, forcing the user to perform suicidal jousting charges.

* ''Videogame/ForzaMotorsport 4'' features several cars which have absolutely no reason to be in a racing game, like the [[GreenAesop Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf, and Chevrolet Volt]], [[EveryCarIsAPinto Ford Pinto]], and AMC Pacer. Most are incapable of being competitive even with the game's [[DesignItYourselfEquipment extensive customization system]]. On the other hand, a few become {{Lethal Joke Character}}s with careful upgrade choices, such as the Pinto becoming a Leaderboard car.

** [[spoiler:The Lost]] takes the above a step further - he has ''no'' hearts at all. [[OneHitpointWonder One hit and the run is over]]. This makes a comical number of items literally worthless, although thankfully he can take Devil Deals for free. Completing the game as The Lost unlocks some of the best items, and ''Afterbirth'' lets you can unlock the Holy Mantle as his starting item, giving him a once-per-room hit protection.

* Depending on [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo which version of]] ''Videogame/{{Robopon}} 2'' you have, most battery combinations will yield either a Gear or a Bulbot. Both of these monsters are worthless because they have weak stats, and unlike [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Magikarp and Feebas]], they don't get any better at all.

* VideoGame/{{Touhou}}:
** Merlin Prismriver in ''Phantasmagoria of Flower View''. Horrible stats, the worst scope in the game, slanted shots that only make it difficult to hit things, and her only half decent attack is the one you can't control. The good news is that she doesn't have a storyline, so she's mostly there as a handicap for experienced players.
** Sakuya may have been a GameBreaker in ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'', but the nerf she got for ''Imperishable Night'' is ridiculously excessive. Very weak firepower even at maximum, encouraging the player to get close to the bosses in a ''bullet hell'' just to deal decent damage - and even then, only Alice and Reimu have less firepower.[[note]]Alice's shot doesn't spread, making shotgunning pointless for her. Reimu is a homing type in a game where hitting the boss is difficult.[[/note]] Her focused speed is the fastest in the game and her unfocused speed is the slowest, when the ideal is the reverse. Her only redeeming quality is her ability to cover a wide area... except that Yuyuko can do the exact same thing without any of the above drawbacks. And unless you're playing extra, Yuyuko gets more bombs than Sakuya, just to rub it in further.

* The ''Disgaea'' series' Majin class has been utterly destroyed from its second installment upwards. In ''VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice'', the Majin is unlocked post-game with poor stat-aptitudes across the board and growth to match. All of its Evilities are designed to hamper it in some way sans its final Evility "Violence,"which gives it a bit of a buff....at the cost of another handicap. Having incredible base stats doesn't matter when it can't even grow very far.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':

* Several in the ''[[VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater Tony Hawk]]'' series, though the most obvious and fitting is Benjamin Franklin (''the'' Benjamin Franklin) in ''[[VideoGame/TonyHawksUnderground THUG]] 2'', who has the lowest stats out of any playable character. There's also Paulie "Wheels of Fury" Ryan (a ten year old boy in a body cast and wheelchair), Jason "Wee Man" Acuna (a little person best known for being a cast member on ''Series/{{Jackass}}''[[note]]And a pretty talented skater, so calling him a joke character is selling him a bit short[[/note]]), Jesse James (of ''Series/MonsterGarage'', riding on his souped-up segway), a cowardly Spanish Matador, an Australian Aborigine in a go-kart, {{Bigfoot| SasquatchAndYeti}}, a Cajun voodoo priest on a rocket powered tricycle...

It might seem like bad design to include a deliberately bad character, but as usual, TropesAreTools. The joke character can create an interesting dynamic with players: appealing not to people who want to win, but to people who want to show their skill by winning [[BraggingRightsOption using the absolute worst character in the game, earning some claim to fame]]. That said, the growing scope and audience of the games industry has caused this trope to [[DiscreditedTrope fall out of use]] multiplayer games: with more people playing games just for fun, not for fame, and on the other end, the rise of serious competitive fields like esports where more than just fame is at stake, it's become increasingly hard to justify the inflating costs of designing new characters just to make them perceived as a "wasted slot" to a grand majority of the playerbase. Even classic examples of this trope like [[Franchise/StreetFighter Dan Hibiki]] and [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Pichu]] have been [[BalanceBuff retooled to be closer to the other characters in power]]. Despite this, singleplayer games seem happy to keep the trope alive, as CompetitiveBalance is far less of a concern there.

It might seem like bad design to include a deliberately bad character, but as usual, TropesAreTools. The joke character can create an interesting dynamic with players: appealing not to people who want to win, but to people who want to show their skill by winning [[BraggingRightsOption using the absolute worst character in the game, earning some claim to fame]]. That said, the growing scope and audience of the games industry has caused this trope to [[DiscreditedTrope fall out of use]]: with more people playing games just for fun, not for fame, and on the other end, the rise of serious competitive fields like esports where more than just fame is at stake, it's become increasingly hard to justify the inflating costs of designing new characters just to make them perceived as a "wasted slot" to a grand majority of the playerbase. Even classic examples of this trope like [[Franchise/StreetFighter Dan Hibiki]] and [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Pichu]] have been [[BalanceBuff retooled to be closer to the other characters in power]]. Despite this, singleplayer games seem happy to keep the trope alive, as CompetitiveBalance is far less of a concern there.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' series gives us Decarabia, who, in the [[VideoGame/Persona4 fourth]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5 fifth]] games is weak to ''physical attacks,'' meaning any enemy can knock you down for extra turns if you use it. While it can be fused to resist or nullify physical attacks, its other attributes aren't anything to write home about (aside from having the very useful [[AttackReflector Tetrakarn]] skill), so it'll probably end up being fusion fodder for other, better Personas.

** ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'' has G3 Mild, who stat-wise, is among the weakest of all Riders ever.[[note]]It shares this distinction with [[Series/KamenRiderV3 Riderman]], [[Series/KamenRiderSkyrider Skyrider's original form]], and [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Kamen Rider Joker]], although in the case of Riderman, he made up for it using external weapons, Skyrider was somewhat of a JackOfAllTrades, and Joker was WeakButSkilled[[/note]] It's worth noting that the form in-universe is a prototype version of a mass-production model of the G3 System...except unlike other rider-like {{Mooks}} (i.e., [[Series/KamenRiderFaiz Riotroopers]], [[Series/KamenRiderGaim Kurokage Troopers]]), the form doesn't even get the distinction of being mass-produced, since they end up using the regular G3 (or in some cases, G3-X) system as mass-produced riders near the end of the series.

* Among the many unlockable characters in ''VideoGame/ChocoboRacing'', Cactuar and Jack (of ''VideoGame/The3DBattlesOfWorldRunner'' fame) are easily the worst. Their top speed is so atrocious (barely half of what even the slowest story characters can achieve) that winning any races is basically impossible. The S.S. Invincible of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' fame has the opposite problem; it's ridiculously fast but has no cornering or handling ability whatsoever, so you fly off the track constantly (ironic considering it was the ''slowest'' of the three airships in it's native game).

*** ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga'' has Growing Form, the first form Yusuke transforms into. A white version of the regular Kuuga suit with smaller horns, it has all of the weaknesses of Kuuga's other forms, none of the strengths, lacks it's own weapon, and it's FinishingMove, the Growing Kick, is so weak that it needs to be used three times in a row to destroy just ''one'' monster. In contrast, some of Kuuga's other forms are so powerful that their finishing moves can [[PersonOfMassDestruction wipe out entire city blocks]] and his strongest form, Ultimate Kuuga, [[AllInTheManual apparently]] had the capacity to destroy the entire ''[[EarthShatteringKaboom planet]]''.

* Most Creator/FromSoftware games that allow character customization have at least one option that is designed for challenge runs. The name depends on the game (in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', it's the "Waste of Skin"; in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', it's the "Deprived"), but the basic elements are the same - it starts with pathetic stats, no armor, and the weakest available weapon. The challenge option's one saving grace is its lower level, allowing it to gain a few levels cheaper than the other options... and even this is a joke, because its stats are so weak that you'll use up those "free" levels ''catching up'' to the other choices, ''and'' it starts with a lower amount of the game's currency, meaning you'll have to work just to get to where everyone else starts. Notably, the original ''Dark Souls'' ''doesn't'' have one of these; while there is a character that starts at Soul Level 1, the Pyromancer, it's not a joke option (Pyromancy damage scales to the level of the character's Pyromancy Flame in that game, ''not'' any of their stats).

* Most Creator/FromSoftware games that allow character customization have at least one option that is designed for challenge runs. The name depends on the game (in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', it's the "Waste of Skin"; in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'', it's the "Deprived"), but the basic elements are the same - it starts with pathetic stats, no armor, and the weakest available weapon. The challenge option's one saving grace is its lower level, allowing it to gain a few levels cheaper than the other options... and even this is a joke, because its stats are so weak that you'll use up those "free" levels ''catching up'' to the other choices, ''and'' it starts with a lower amount of the game's currency, meaning you'll have to work just to get to where everyone else starts.

It might seem like bad design to include a deliberately bad character, but as usual, TropesAreTools. The joke character can create an interesting dynamic with players: appealing not to people who want to win, but to people who want to show their skill by winning [[BraggingRightsOption using the absolute worst character in the game, earning some claim to fame]]. That said, the growing scope and audience of the games industry has caused this trope to [[DiscreditedTrope fall out of use]]: with more people playing games just for fun, not for fame, it's become increasingly hard to justify the inflating costs of designing new characters just to make them perceived as a "wasted slot" to a grand majority of the playerbase. Even classic examples of this trope like [[Franchise/StreetFighter Dan Hibiki]] and [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Pichu]] have been [[BalanceBuff retooled to be closer to the other characters in power]]. Despite this, singleplayer games seem happy to keep the trope alive, as CompetitiveBalance is far less of a concern there.

* The boss for the [=DLC=] extra stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' is...no, not EvilCounterpart Bass, not ''VideoGame/MegaManX'''s Zero...it's [[spoiler:Fake Man]]! Yeah, [[spoiler:the phony police robot that arrests Dr. Light at the start of the game]]. Let's refrain from obvious jokes about using [[spoiler:[[DonutMessWithACop Donut Man]]'s]] weapon, shall we?

* The Bugatti Veyron in ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed [=ProStreet=]''. In real life, this is the second-fastest car in the ''world'' (253 MPH top speed) and they put it in a sim-racing game that's mainly about racing tuned Golfs and RX-7s and even GT-spec Aston Martins, Porsches and Lamborghinis. It is also only obtainable through a hack (formerly buyable DLC) in the PC version or by buying the car online for the console versions. So you put down the cash and... it handles like a freaking land barge. Due to simulated physics, you can go fast in the straights, but good luck getting the car to turn. Oh, did I mention that you can't actually tune it? And that this is a tuner game? Whoops.
** The Veyron averts Joke Car status in ''Need for Speed Most Wanted (2012)'' by virtue of its extreme speed and weight making it a great battering ram for taking down opponents (the boat-like handling is still there, though). Instead, this game has as its Joke Car the Ford Focus ST. In a game all about driving and crashing half-million-plus dollar exotics capable of 200+ MPH, this car is...a rather ordinary four-door hatchback. Like the ones you see on the road everyday. It only gets [[SarcasmMode better]] when you consider that you have to ''earn'' it first by winning 5 events in Ford vehicles.

Characters, often in the form of {{Easter Egg}}s, deliberately unbalanced in the negative sense. They mainly have a [[ButtMonkey humorous value]] and the fandom often likes them due to their sheer awkwardness or strangeness. This is a trope heavily associated with fighting games, or any game where the player has to pick between a large number of characters. Joke characters are sometimes used by especially proficient players to beat other players, mainly [[CherryTapping for bragging rights.]]

In modern fighting games and competitive games in general, this is increasingly heading towards being a DiscreditedTrope, due to it becoming far more of a developer goal to keep the entire cast at least somewhat viable, and the increased costs of adding any character to the game causing them to be perceived as "wasted slots." Even old standbys like [[Franchise/StreetFighter Dan Hibiki]] and [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Pichu]] have been [[BalanceBuff retooled to be closer to the other characters in power]]. That said, singleplayer games seem happy to keep the trope alive, as CompetitiveBalance is far less of a concern there.

In modern fighting games and competitive games in general, this is increasingly heading towards being a DiscreditedTrope, due to it becoming far more of a developer goal to keep the entire cast at least somewhat viable, and the increased costs of adding any character to the game causing them to be perceived as "wasted slots." Even old standbys like [[VideoGame/StreetFighter Dan Hibiki]] and [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Pichu]] have been [[BalanceBuff retooled to be closer to the other characters in power]]. That said, singleplayer games seem happy to keep the trope alive, as CompetitiveBalance is far less of a concern there.