There are few things as satisfying in just about any video game as being completely and totally invincible. The enemies that previously menaced you are nothing more than minor annoyances to be stomped over as you storm through a level without a care in the world.
Of course, a game can never let you be invincible all the time, lest the fun be completely sucked out of everything. This is why invincibility is usually doled out in the form of power-ups and special abilities. You may not be able to use them all the time, but that just makes the few moments you can use them all the sweeter.
10 Power Pellet - Pac-Man
Imagine being stranded in an infinite maze where you're constantly menaced by a gaggle of multicolored specters. You can't stop them; all you can do is outrun them - outthink them. Then, suddenly, you find that glorious sphere: the Power Pellet (also known as Energizers, Power Food, Power Pills, and Power Cookies). One bite, and suddenly the hunted becomes the hunter.
Apparently, after his original game, Pac-Man started keeping Power Pellets close to him. In the 1982 Pac-Man animated series, Pac-Man and his family live near a forest where Power Pellets grow on trees, and he keeps an emergency cache of them in a box outside his house. You spend long enough being hunted by ghosts, you learn to keep your advantages handy.
9 Wonderwing - Banjo-Kazooie
Out of all the collectibles in Banjo-Kazooie, and there are quite a few, there are surprisingly none that grant on-the-spot invincibility. This is because, rather than on-the-spot invincibility, Banjo-Kazooie places the power in your hands with the Wonderwing ability.
When activated by the player, Wonderwing makes Banjo and Kazooie completely invincible to all harm, be it from enemies or obstacles. The only catch is that they need Golden Feathers in order to maintain the Wonderwing state. Of course, you could just use the infinite feathers cheat code and run around the entire game as a shining ball of invincibility if you like.
8 Invincibility Candy - Kirby Series
Kirby is already a borderline invincible entity, and we should be so lucky that he feels merciful toward us. On a rare occasion, though, a single piece of candy is all it takes to bring Kirby to full-on unstoppable status. Nothing short of a bottomless pit can stop Kirby after he eats a shining piece of Invincibility Candy.
Fans have theorized that Kirby's empowered state when eating a piece of Invincibility Candy is actually a result of a sudden sugar rush. It makes sense; Kirby's entire life revolves around food, so if a piece of candy possessed a certain density of pure sugar, it wouldn't be out of the question for it to affect him on a physical level.
7 Super Star - Mario Series
Since the very first Super Mario Bros. game, the Super Star has been the baseline, accept-no-substitutes invincibility power-up. When Mario grabs one, he starts flickering and flashing like crazy, dazzling foes as he dashes across the fields of the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond.
Later Mario games have introduced nifty variants of the Super Star, such as Super Mario Galaxy's Rainbow Star and Super Paper Mario's gigantic, pixelated Super Star. Really, the only thing better than being invincible when using a Super Star is getting to hear that classic invincibility jingle.
6 Reflective Shots - Blood
Blood does have a traditional invincibility power-up, the Death Mask, that makes you completely immune to all forms of damage, but it's not as interesting as the alternative: Reflective Shots. When you pick up a Reflective Shots power-up, not only are you completely immune to enemy attacks but any attacks that hit you are immediately reflected back on your attackers.
This means you can just stand stock still while an entire squad of monsters surrounds you and let them pummel and shoot you all they want. You can then watch as all of their heads suddenly explode from their own attacks. Of course, this doesn't work on fire and spirit attacks, so maybe don't take it for granted.
5 Super Sonic - Sonic The Hedgehog Series
Possibly the only invincibility power-up more established than the Super Star is Sonic's Chaos Emerald-powered Super Sonic state. It takes a lot of work to obtain this ability in most 2D Sonic games, as you need to enter and complete every single bonus level to find all the Chaos Emeralds. When you do, though, all you need is 50 rings and a jump, and you're off to the races.
In the modern, 3D Sonic games, Super Sonic is unfortunately relegated mostly to final boss status, adding an extra wrinkle of strategy and gameplay. Though, on the bright side, that does usually mean that you can count on a playing of the games' awesome theme song whenever Super Sonic shows up.
4 Bullet Bill - Mario Kart Series
The item systems in the Mario Kart games are all about prioritizing those lagging behind. The further back you are from first place, the more likely you are to get something cool to help you even the odds and close the distance. While you could get a Super Star for invincibility, though, there's a much more satisfying option: Bullet Bill.
When you activate a Bullet Bill, your cart is transformed into a gigantic, er, Bullet Bill! With the power of Bill's oversized rocket engine, you'll shoot past the competition, blowing them out of the way at high speed and completely no-selling any potential attacks. Of course, you're never quite sure where your trajectory will leave you when it wears off, so you could end up flying right off a cliff.
3 Metal Cap - Super Mario 64
You didn't think the Super Star was the only invincibility option in Mario's playbook, did you? No, that plumber's got quite a few means of rendering himself impervious to harm, and one of the coolest and most iconic ones, potentially even more than the Super Star, depending on who you ask, is Super Mario 64's Metal Cap.
As Metal Mario, not only is Mario completely invulnerable to attack from enemies, but he can also breathe and move freely underwater. While he may not have the verticality swimming offers, just being able to run and jump normally underwater makes it much easier to navigate. And of course, we can't forget to mention that awesome invincibility theme remix.
2 Infinity - Persona 3
Invincibility in a JRPG? It's more likely than you think! Through the use of Fusion Spells, special abilities unlocked by having certain Personas in his heart, the Protagonist of Persona 3 can bring about all kinds of beneficial effects. Naturally, one of the most beneficial is Infinity, brought about by a combination of Vishnu and Ananta.
Infinity makes every character in your party completely invincible for one turn. That may not sound long, but one turn can make all the difference in a battle where a single attack can wipe a party. In Persona 3 Portable, Fusion Spells were switched to consumable cards rather than regular SP skills, but if you know how to get them, you can still use Infinity plenty.
1 Berserk - Doom
If there's one thing the Doom Slayer is known for above all else, it's his boundless, inexhaustible wellspring of pure, fiery rage. The guy is full-tilt angry 24/7, but what would it look like if he were even angrier than that? Well, it'd probably look something like when he obtains a Berserk power-up.
Under Berserk's red-tinged influence, not only is the Slayer invincible to harm, but his hands become even deadlier weapons than they already are, crushing almost any foe in a single punch. In Doom (2016), in particular, he also gets access to special Glory Kills while Berserk, several of which are even more brutal than usual.