The video game industry has been home to some of the most iconic fictional characters of all time. So many video game characters are recognizable at a single glance and have their own fanbases even outside of their respective games. This, of course, has led to some characters breaking the bounds of their own game and being featured in others, whether as fully playable guests or as simple skins.
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This leads to an obvious question: which character has appeared in other games the most times? While it would take quite a bit of research to find out, there are a few characters who have become known for appearing in everything. The following list is of these gaming alumni who you may expect to see all the time.
13 Non-Super Mario Appearances
It should come as no surprise that Mario, arguably the most recognizable character in video game history, has had quite a few cameo appearances outside of his own game. Now, most of these appearances take the form of subtle cameos, like being the referee in Punch-Out or having a portrait of him visible via an easter egg in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
There are a few accounts of Mario being playable outside of his own series, of course, as he appeared in the sports games NBA Street V3 and SSX On Tour, and of course, he has also been a mainstay character in theSuper Smash Bros.franchise. While Mario’s playable appearances in other games are much lower than those of other characters on this list, he still deserves some credit for always popping up in Nintendo properties.
13 Non-Devil May Cry Appearances
In 2004, one of the most historic exchanges in video game history happened. Shine Megami Tensei artist Kazuma Kaneko would design Dante’s devil trigger form forDevil May Cry3, and in return, Dante would appear in the second release of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne. This is easily one of the most famous cameo appearances in gaming, to the point of being heavily advertised on Nocturne’s English box art.
Despite “Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry Series” being quite a famous video game meme, there actually aren’t as many examples of Dante appearing in other games as one would think. Dante’s appearances in other games are almost entirely composed of largecrossover gameslike Marvel vs Capcom, Project X Zone, and Teppen. However, he does thankfully have a few oddball cameos, such as his appearances in Viewtiful Joe and Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2, to make this list.
14 Non-Xeno Appearances
Next up on the list is Kos-Mos, one of the main protagonists of the Xenosaga franchise. The history of Xenosaga is difficult to discuss as the franchise ended prematurely before its full story could be told, leaving Kos-Mos’ future in gaming adrift. Luckily, the series’ spiritual successor Xenoblade has since been allowed to have Kos-Mos and elements of Xenosaga appear and be integrated into its world.
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Despite her own series never getting a conclusion, Kos-Mos has become a fan favorite character of Bandai as she is constantly making both crossover and cameo appearances in other games. She has been featured in large crossovers such as the Project X Zone games and has made brief cameos in five differentTales Of games! While a Xenosaga 4 is likely impossible, this Xeno robot will never fade from memory.
16 Non-Nier Appearances
NierAutomata’s popularity cannot be overstated; this one title propelled Yoko Taro from being a director only known by those who are interested in the niche to a household name. This, of course, has led to Automata’s main heroine 2b appearing in many games over the years. These appearances have primarily been in gacha games like Nikke, Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin, and Star Ocean: Anamnesis. Even one of Yoko Taro’s own gacha games, SINoALICE, had an entire event dedicated to Nier characters like 2B appearing in the game.
There have also been a few examples of 2B appearing in fighting games like Soul Caliber 6 and Granblue Fantasy, but perhaps the biggest appearance 2B has had outside of the Nier franchise was in Square Enix’s premier MMO Final Fantasy XIV, as theAlliance Raidsin that game’s Shadowbringers expansion were focused entirely around Nier, with the player even having to fight against the Soul Caliber version of 2B as a callback to another collaboration she was involved in!
6Ezio Auditore da Firenze
16 Non-Assassin’s Creed Appearances
During the late 2000s and 2010s,Assassin’s Creedwas at the top of the gaming world. The Assassin’s hood could be recognized at a glance, and because of that, it made for the perfect design to have cameos in unrelated games. Assassin’s Creed 2’s protagonist, Ezio, especially got to enjoy appearances in other games such as For Honor and Fortnite. Like 2B before him on this list, he also has gotten a few fighting game appearances under his belt as he has been a guest character in both Soul Caliber V and Brawlhalla.
Even in 2025, over a decade after he has been playable in an actual Assassin’s Creed game, Ezio is still making cameo and guest appearances in other games. As of this year, he has appeared in both Balatro as a card skin and in the gacha game Reverse 1999 as a playable character. Even as time moves on, history will never forget Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
5Terry Bogard
16 Non-SNK Fighting Game Appearances
When it comes to SNK’s mascot, Terry Bogard, it can be very difficult to define what is or isn’t a guest appearance for him. Despite not debuting in it, he has been in every one of SNK’s King of Fighters games. However, as that series has become something of a second home for him, it shall not be counted for the purposes of this list. Despite that handicap, Terry still has enough cameo appearances in other video games to make the upper half of this list!
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These extra appearances come from a wide variety of places. Terry has appeared as a guest in SNK’s non-fighting game series like Metal Slug a few times over the years, been in other fighting games, Super Smash Bros, and Street Fighter 6 as a guest character, and of course has been featured in a large number of gacha games like Puzzles and Dragons. While Terry’s title of being the king of fighters is debatable, his place as SNK’s mascot is set in stone.
22 Non-Street Fighter Appearances
Ryu from Street Fighter is by far the most iconic character in fighting game history, even people who rarely play games can recognize him and his iconic Hadoken. With a reputation like that, it should come as no surprise that he is also the character Capcom is most willing to let cameo in other video games. Shockingly, this has rarely been in the form of guest appearances in other fighting games but rather through a wide variety of roles.
Ryu has been a superboss in Asura’s Wrath, a skin in Fortnite & PUBG, a party member in Granblue Fantasy, and of course, a costume in almost too many games to count. What makes Ryu’s appearances in other games so interesting compared to other collaboration characters is how Capcom is seemingly willing to do almost anything with him, and that leads to unique roles that suit his iconic status.
23 Non-Persona Appearances
Persona 5’s popularity is almost inconceivable. This one title launched the Persona franchise to never before seen heights and made it a household name. With that popularity, it should come as no surprise that Atlus has been putting Joker into any and every game that’ll have him. While there are some console appearances, such as him being the first DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, most of Joker’s appearances in other games have taken the form of gacha banners.
This has led to Joker being seen as a kiss of death for other video games. As many gachas, including Full Metal Alchemist Mobile, Dragalia Lost, Star Ocean: Anamnesis, and Sword Art Online: Unleashed Blading, have all shut down within a year of their appearance in them. Whether this is caused by Joker being cursed or if only games that are already in decline are desperate enough to include him is up for debate. Regardless of his reputation, he still has enough appearances to be ranked high on this list.
2Illyasviel von Einzbern
24 Non-Fate Appearances
One might expect that Saber, the mascot of the Fate franchise, would be the character to appear in the most games. However, that title actually goes to a girl who wasn’t a heroine in the original visual novel: Illya. Ever since Illya was given her own spinoff, Type-Moon has allowed her to appear in everygacha gamefrom Puzzles & Dragons to Symphogear ZDU. In some ways, Illya has also made up for not being a romanceable heroine in her original game, as games like Hyperdimension Girlfriend provide all one would want from Illya in that role.
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Illya’s reputation for appearing in any and every game that wants Fate representation truly began in 2021 with the release of the movie Fate/Kalied Prisma Illya: Licht - The Nameless Girl. Ever since the release of this movie, Illya has appeared in at least one new game every few months as a way of advertising the movie. This has led to four years of Illya constantly appearing in other games and nearly topping this list; however, there is one gaming character who comesos even more than her.
1Shovel Knight
38 Non-Shovel Knight Appearances
When discussing characters who appear in other video games all the time, there is one iconic character who must dominate the discussion: Shovel Knight. This indie darling is practically the face of crossover appearances, as in the past decade, he has appeared in over 38 other games.
Just listing them out, these appearances would take ages, but he has been playable in seventeen different games, including Brawlhalla, Rivals of Aether, and Runbow. Meanwhile, he has made minor cameo appearances in twenty-one different games such as Yooka-Laylee, Guacamelee! 2, and Katana ZERO. With no signs of this knight ever slowing down, it’s entirely possible that he will surpass this list entirely and appear in over fifty different games in the future.
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