Summary
Not all ofNaughty Dog’s characters have become fan-favorites like Nathan Drake or Crash Bandicoot. Although these developers have a knack for incorporatingcompelling and well-written charactersinto their fantastic stories, there are a few who a lot of people have overlooked, or even completely forgotten about, even though they play very important roles in the wider narrative.Naughty Doggames often tend to be almost entirely focused on the main character and their journey through the world, so although they often get much of the spotlight throughout a game, there are always going to be allies, or even villains, who also deserve to be emphasized every now and again for how amazing they are.
This has inevitably led to numerous characters from Naughty Dog games being seen as underrated since although they do play a big part in the story of their respective game, they can still often be left out of conversations for one reason or another. These characters listed below are prime examples of individuals from Naughty Dog games who really ought to get a little more love from fans.
Samos acts asJak & Daxter’s mentorwhen they’re both starting out on their adventure together. He might not look very intimidating on the surface, but Samos is actually an experienced and dangerous man who has been fighting against Baron Praxis and his legions of soldiers for as long as he can remember. After taking in a young Jak who he would find wandering the streets, Samos would come to raise both him and Daxter as if they were his own children, and though they can act rebellious towards him at times, the three of them share a close bond since they have all grown up together.
Though Samos’s screentime unfortunately gets shorter with each game, he still plays a big role behind the scenes, since he’s always the one guiding Jak & Daxter to their next objective, keeping them on the right track. Since it was actually he who sent his apprentices to the three sages in the first place, it also means Samos is responsible for kicking off the events of the series, and for that, he definitely doesn’t deserve to be overlooked.
It’s clear that when creating the character of Harry Flynn, Naughty Dog was trying to introduce someone who could act as the polar opposite of the protagonist of the series, Nathan Drake. Though the two are treasure hunters and skilled combatants and explorers, their reasons for seeking out treasure are completely different since Harry only cares about becoming as rich as possible by any means necessary. His endless sarcasm and belittling quotes make him a joy to watch whenever he shows up, and he would have perfectly suited the role of the main antagonist for the secondUnchartedgame if he was granted the position.
In truth though, Harry is the right-hand man of the actual villain of the game,Zoran Lazarević, who gives him a pretty humiliating death scene and largely overshadows him for much of the story. Despite this, Harry is still a fun and intriguing character whose fascinating similarities to Drake make him the perfect foil to the hero of the story.
Every newCrash Bandicootgame will throw a brand-new antagonist into the mix who often acts as a subordinate to the evil Dr. Neo Cortex, and for the third game in the series, Dingodile was the new face on the block. Because of how popular and iconic Cortex is as a villain, it often means the other big baddies of theCrashuniverse never get quite as much attention as they really should, and this includes Dingodile, who has one of thebest designs and boss fightsin the entire series.
At first, he actually tries to scare away Crash, claiming that he’s only doing what he was told by Uka Uka and Cortex, and doesn’t need the wild bandicoot interfering with his plans. Of course, Crash eventually does decide to take on Dingodile, resulting in a chaotic and memorable boss fight where Dingodile makes full use of his deadly flamethrower weapon and ice barrier. Even when defeated, Dingodile admits Crash won fair and square, showing him to be a much more honorable combatant than his stubborn peers.
Baron Praxis might just be the most dangerous and ruthless character in theJak & Daxteruniverse. Not only did he forcefully overthrow the rule of King Damas so he could become the sole ruler of Haven City, but Baron was also the one responsible for inflicting Jak with his dark powers which would torment him for the entire second game. Baron may claim he’s acting as the “Savior” to the people of Haven City, but in reality, he’s a tyrannical ruler with little to no regard for his own people who will gladly crush anyone who opposes him.
Alongside his ruthless personality, Baron’s bulky half-mechanized appearance further adds to his intimidating aura, making him look like a grizzled warrior who has experienced his fair share of bloodshed throughout his life. TheJakgames are usually more appreciated for theirinnovative action-adventure gameplayas opposed to their villains, but it’s evident Naughty Dog put a lot of effort into making Baron more than simply a one-note antagonist, and instead, a character with a fleshed-out backstory and plenty of layers to peel back.
Similarly to Dingodile, N. Gin almost never gets talked about due to being overshadowed by Cortex, despite being a mainstay villain who has been around ever since the second game in the series. Once a world-renowned physicist, N. Gin somehow accidentally got a missile lodged into his head, which he then managed to reconstruct into his own personal life system. This gives him a striking design that perfectly suits the whole’mad scientist' tropethat Naughty Dog was clearly going for with this weird and unnerving character.
N. Gin is also Cortex’s most valuable adversary, having been the one to discover that there were 25 smaller Slave Crystals that Cortex would need to seek out to activate his Cortex Vortex machine during the events ofCrash 2. He even goes as far as to pilot a giant mech to try and stop Crash in his pursuit of the Crystals, leading to another incredible boss fight where N. Gin is eventually sent into the vacuum of space. It’s understandable why Cortex is such a fan-favorite, but considering N. Gin’s unique design and integral role in the wider story, he’s arguably just as important of a character.
When Henry first appears along with his younger brother inThe Last of Us, it seems as though the two of them could end up becoming new allies who would help out Joel and Ellie for the rest of the game. This sadly doesn’t turn out to be the case though, as Henry’s journey with the two is cut short after his brother Sam becomes infected, causing Henry to take his own life. He may not be in the game for too long, but Henry’s fierce dedication to protecting his brother in a world full of monsters makes him very human and sympathetic, while alsomaking his eventual demise all the more heartbreaking.
If not for Henry, Joel and Ellie also would have had a much harder time finding the Fireflies, and it’s unlikely they could have gotten through the infected-ridden suburbs without his help.The Last of Usseries is packed full of incredible characters, and while Henry can sometimes fly under the radar, Naughty Dog did a great job at making him as believable and intriguing as possible during his few brief appearances.
Although Riley is only shown in theLeft Behind DLCfor the firstLast of Usgame, she’s still a well-written and important character to the overall story, and more specifically, to the character of Ellie. Riley and Ellie were best friends growing up in Boston when the outbreak first started, but Riley’s determination to become a Firefly started to cause cracks in their relationship. On the other hand, though, Riley’s character also highlighted why people, even at such a young age, might come to advocate for the Fireflies, and why their plight would be seen as worthwhile to a lot of people.
After both girls were bitten following an attack from a horde of Infected, the two began to weigh up their options, even pondering if the best thing they could do was shoot each other to prevent turning into monsters. In the end, though, Riley succumbed to her infection while Ellie lived on, giving the latter a strong feeling of survivor’s guilt which she would carry with her into the first and second mainline games. Riley might not be physically present in the story for very long, but she still makes a massive impact on one of the story’s most important characters, while also shedding light on the Fireflies and their greater motives.
