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JOEL (THE LAST OF US)
Obviously Joel was going to be on this list. On paper, he’s a generic gruff, merciless survivor in a brutal world- but it’s the outstanding execution of those well-worn beats that makes him stand out so much. Joel, like most other characters in The Last of Us, is flawed, conflicted, and not always the good guy (to say the least). But he is so grounded, so honestly portrayed, that even in his lowest moments, we can – knowing his tortured past and how it haunts him still – understand why he does what he does, even if we might not agree with him. The creatives at Naughty Dog – and Troy Baker, of course – deserve all the credit in the world for creating one of the best video game characters we’ve ever seen.
