Some might say I'm a paladin enthusiast. My first girlfriend DnD character was a paladin. When I started Baldur's Gate 3, the first thing I did was create a Paladin of Oath of Vengeance. I'm forever drawn to characters who follow the path of a holy knight. So, I thought about who would be the best warrior for the holy light. Is it a top quality product when it comes to hitting?
First of all, there are standards. What I'm counting as a paladin here is someone who balances the fine line between warrior and cleric. Warriors alone don't count here. So neither Kratos nor pure clerics count. It is their faith that forms a large part of their abilities. However, a character does not necessarily have to be labeled a paladin. They just follow Tee's aesthetic. Their power must essentially come from the will power that their oath provides, whether self-given or given by an organization.
My definition of a paladin is a character driven by ideals who follows a clear set of morals that are taken as oaths. This means you can accept a typical medieval Paladin, but you can also accept a heavily armored Warhammer 40k Crusader with a rocket launcher.
10 Flynn Sipho – Tales of Vesperia
Flynn comes from an old Xbox 360/PS3 JRPG, and every time I think about how a paladin would act, I default to this excruciatingly stubborn guy. He ignores the main character Yuri's arguments about why murder is the better thing and chooses his choice. Even if the murdered man was an irredeemable monster, we should take a stance against it.
Can you become a paladin by fighting against sin? Not entirely, but when you combine his holy glowing dragon art with a costume that screams “Warrior of Light” it becomes very clear how intertwined he is with the Paladin aesthetic. His idea as a soldier is to try to change the evil empire from within.
Eventually, throughout the story, he sees the protagonists as a greater evil and coaxes them into joining his party, despite having problems with the protagonists' law-breaking. He is a very judgmental type and is a mascot with a “holier than thou” attitude.
9. Cal Kestis – Star Wars: Jedi Series
Choosing a Jedi representative for this list was difficult. Because they needed a Jedi representative. Most of the prominent Jedi are claimed in the movies, Ahsoka doesn't appear in any games that I'm aware of, and Revan has no definitive path to good or evil, and it's unclear what oath he follows. It is left to the player's discretion. That's why we chose our beloved Cal for the 9th spot.
Cal consistently proves to be a believer in the Force according to his own beliefs and beliefs about the Force, but finds himself finding the best moral path in a new world without too many Jedi. This often happens. It must be quite difficult to try to defend the doctrine of the command when it may not even exist anymore. His oath is that of his friends and army, and he deserves the oath of protection.
8. Cassandra Pentagust – Dragon Age Inquisition
The Chantry of Dragon Age may not be the purest organization, but it is a belief in “The Maker,” a more benevolent deity of the Dragon Age universe. Her call to follow the Chantry's leader leads this woman to form an Inquisition to rid the world of vanishing creatures. They are basically magical creatures. It is formed from negative human emotions.
A prominent member of the Inquisition, she follows the Inquisitor into battle and provides a more lawful council at the player's request. She abandoned her life as an aristocrat and became a seeker of magic – the FBI. She plays the role of an advisor and is responsible for empowering the character at the start of the game. Her oath is to the leader of the Chantry, Justinia, the Seekers, and the Inquisition. oath of duty.
7. Demitri/Edelgard – Fire Emblem Three Houses
This is quite difficult. Both of these characters follow their own ideals and follow the path of a paladin in their own twisted ways. However, the two are in conflict, and neither will back down. It is also very difficult to say who is morally right. Edelgard wants to overthrow a corrupt and tyrannical regime and is willing to do anything to get rid of it. Demitri doesn't think the price of blood and tearing is acceptable. However, he considers peacebreakers to be subhuman and worthy of contempt.
What we have here is a clash of vows of vengeance versus vows of vengeance. Both are born out of hatred towards the other. In addition to this, they both use magical weapons that enhance their abilities. Both rulers are driven by a vow to themselves. And between the two, it's not fair to prioritize one over the other. So they both share this spot on my list. Without their clashing ideologies, I believe neither would be as attractive as they are.
6. Sora – Kingdom Hearts
Surprisingly, Sora meets the requirements for becoming a paladin. His main motivation is to protect his friends, and he is a fervent believer of the Light. In fact, he continues to embrace and protect the light and hearts of others within himself. Also, during battle he yells “LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT” like crazy. Needless to say, he jumps in and responds every time King Mickey Mouse calls, demonstrating a consistent problem-solving pattern wherever he goes. Sora fights for Hikari and his friends, making this a vow of friendship.
Come on, Sora, you've been gaming for three years! Could you please tell your parents that you're okay?
5. Basim Ibn Ishak – Assassin’s Creed Valhalla/Mirage
Paladins can be more legitimately evil characters. Basim himself is in a rather interesting position as a member of a brotherhood of assassins called the Hidden Ones. They have beliefs and work to stop an ancient evil. As it happens, Basims' past is a little more complicated than I can mention here. And his motives are often distorted.
Suffice it to say that Basim is indeed a trickster with an oath, which on the surface may seem like an oath of protection to the order of the ancients, but at the same time he is very willing to He is steering the ship with a vow of revenge. time.
It would be easy to say that Basim very easily followed the path of the villain, but personally, I admire his determination, never straying from his path, and collaborating with the hidden ones at almost every opportunity. I feel like his drive makes him quite the person he is. To me, he is a mysterious person who embodies the ideal of a neutral paladin.
4. 2B – Nier Automata
An android serving YoRHa, 2B is equipped with all sorts of robotic enhancements and gadgets, but above all, she has a mission that she must follow at all costs. why? Because she has no other purpose. The androids in NieR: Automata are crying out for purpose. 2B happens to already have something that is tormenting her with her guilt and sadness. To make matters worse, she may already know that their mission to prepare for humanity's return is ultimately futile.
Yet, she continues to slaughter her robot brethren solely to satisfy both her programming and her need to serve a higher power. At least until she learns the meaning behind caring for others.
Her oath is to order, and in-game we also learn that breaking that oath can still lead to the death of your entire being, even if your reasons for supporting it are meaningless. Masu. Nier: Her Automata tells a perfect story about the tragedy of her inability to change her mindset and accept new things.
“Glory to mankind.”
3. Doomguy/The Slayer – Doom
You might be thinking, “Wait a minute, Doom isn't a role-playing game!” But, dear reader, I have to recommend Doom RPG to you and say that this one is definitely worth it. Mainly because Doomguy is exactly the paladin archetype I wanted to include on this list. And you will definitely play his role in the game called Role His Playing Game!
He is a violent psychopath bent on ridding the face of hell of his hated enemies by any means necessary. His goal is to defeat demons, and he does so with an unusual level of energy.
I wonder if such strong hatred for Daemon means he has an oath of revenge, or at least an oath to protect humanity. In any case, he has special powers from the sacred machine, which is enough for my paladin diagnosis!
The music in the game definitely sounds like the music I imagine going through a paladin's head when defeating heretics.
2. Cecil Harvey – Final Fantasy 4
Cecil narrowly defeated Noctis from Final Fantasy 15 to earn this ranking. But Cecil will forever be a Final Fantasy Paladin. Realizing that his oath to the Empire is morally bankrupt, Cecil becomes a traitor and rebels against the Emperor with his group. During his journey, he encounters the Cave of Trials, where he abandons his self-loathing and transforms into a paladin.
Cecil's motivation and character growth throughout the game is significant, as he grows from a “follow orders” type of dark knight to a warrior of light. It's a classic and iconic symbol of the ideal of heroism, and even if you're too involved with megalomaniac empire enthusiasts, it's never too late to embrace a new path. about it. Cecil's oath is to Light and his partner Rosa, which is a big reason for his character's motivation.
1. Arthas Menethil – Warcraft 3
Will there ever be a franchise where Paladins is better than Warcraft? As well as the big names Uther the Lightbringer and Tyrion Fordring, there's also a character named Prince Arthas. This is one of my favorite stories about the downfall of a paladin that I've ever seen. With the city overrun by the undead and forced into a no-win situation, Arthas makes the tough decision to keep his oath and eradicate the city of Stratholme, but in the face of growing despair, he seeks power and is seduced by the devil. However, it was his power that consumed him and set him on the path to becoming the terrifying Lich King.
Arthas is definitely the classic paladin and follower of the light, so obsessed with fulfilling his duty that it turns him into something he wants to protect. Very similar to the story of Anakin Skywalker, but unlike Anakin, Arthas was uncompromising, determined, and resourceful enough to achieve his goals, but at a terrible cost. It was unforgivable. Since paladins are inherently incorruptible, he thought his will was enough to thwart corruption. The tragedy is that he did all this without realizing that he had been corrupted long before he picked up the cursed blade he was looking for.
He is a classic example of Oath of Vengeance and, in my opinion, the best example of a paladin in fiction.
Did you enjoy the list? Have any problems or additions? Talk to me in the comments section below. Let's discuss it.
