Originally known as terrifying creatures that use their sensuous songs to lure sailors to their deaths, mermaids are now recognized as one of the many mythological creatures along with fairies and unicorns to entice little girls into buying more doll accessories.
That's part of what makes mermaids so interesting! They can range from being adorable childhood icons, like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, to terrifying creatures that will shoot blood out of their blow holes like in Cabin in the Woods. But either way, the mermaids on this list are entirely memorable, and worthy of your attention.
9 Trixie (ToeJam and Earl)
ToeJam and Earl is, surprisingly, one of the earliest examples of a roguelike. Wandering around Earth, the titular heroes need to find the pieces of their spaceship in order to return to the planet Funkotron. When they do, they are greeted by family and friends. One of these friends, if you wander around enough, is Trixie.
Originally seen just hanging out on an island in the first game, Trixie is seen in just about every ToeJam and Earl game in secret areas. Sometimes she gives out power ups, other times she just exists. More importantly, she is chill, and just a delight to be around. Plus, she is one of the few mermaids who is plus-size, something that is much rarer than it should be.
8 Diane (Vampire Night)
The House of the Dead series is well known for its genuinely scary monsters and locations, as well as comedically terrible voice acting. Vampire Night lives in the same universe, except instead of zombies it has, believe it or not, vampires. But if there's one thing we've learned from the Underworld series, it's that to make a really cool monster you've got to combine it with another. Vampire Night's version of that is Diane.
Diane is a vampire-mermaid hybrid, and she is genuinely terrifying. Originally seen as a tall, blonde French woman, Diane transforms into a monstrous undead mermaid for her boss fight. It really makes a lasting impact, and is one of the more memorable bosses in the House of the Dead universe.
7 Leia (Harvest Moon DS)
From Gothic horror to something a lot more wholesome. Harvest Moon DS is a farming simulator where you need to save the Harvest Goddess, after the Witch Princess petrified her with a curse. Despite the oddly grim setup, all you really do is farm, get to know the locals, and get married. One of your potential brides could be Leia.
You first meet Leia in Daryl's basement, where she is being stored in a tub. Don't worry — she's injured, he's helping her, and all she wants to do is to freely roam the sea once again. Eventually, you can help her, and even get to marry her... after which she is left to live in a small pond in front of your house. A witch's curse and a mermaid who's trapped in a tub? Maybe this series isn't that wholesome after all...
6 Splash Woman (Mega Man 9)
One of the great things about Mega Man is all of the robot masters. Each one of these menacing machinations are meant to stand in Mega Man's way in his attempts to stop Dr. Wily, and they each have wonderful personalities. Oddly enough, only one of these robot masters is a mistress, and that's Splash Woman.
Going against the history of mermaids, Splash Woman was programmed to rescue swimmers from sinking ships. On top of that, she has a lovely singing voice and enjoys doing karaoke, a trait she shares with Guts Man (I totally ship them by the way, pun intended), but she won't pursue that because she's afraid of crowds. Most importantly, Splash Woman has a great design and is a lot of fun to fight, making her appearance on this list an absolute necessity.
5 Esna (Ever Oasis)
Ever Oasis is an RPG about a young seedling of the Great Tree, trying to save their brother and create an oasis in the middle of the vast desert. In order to do that, they need the help of a water elemental named Esna.
Esna is unable to leave the spring that makes up the oasis, but she is able to communicate with the main character as they go on their journey, since they carry a drop of the river's water with a Sarab they travel with.
She is kind, sweet, and wants to do as much as possible to help the residents of her new found oasis, even if it means her own life. She is an absolute delight throughout the whole game, so it's a shame the game didn't sell better. But she did appear as spirit in Smash Bros., so there's that.
4 Giga Mermaid (Shantae: Half-Genie Hero)
The Shantae series is filled with many nautical mavens, so it only seemed like a matter of time until they introduced a mermaid worthy of discussion. And when she did arrive, she made a massive impact.
Giga Mermaid is the queen of all mermaids, which is evident purely based on her size alone. She is chained to masts and forced to attack Shantae, because she is being mind controlled by the Techno Baron. After she is released she continues to fight, until Shantae defeats her. While she is very interesting and a fun boss battle, she has become more well-known for the fan art made of her by the Shantae community. Either way, she has made her mark in the minds of gamers everywhere.
3 Irenes (Chrono Cross)
Chrono Cross is a game that players either love or hate, with no room for the in-between. But one thing that everyone can agree on is that Irenes is a great character. Demi-humans in the Chrono Cross universe are seen as lesser than humans, and a lot of them are forced to work on a cruise ship against their will. All Irenes wants to do is save them all and have them treated as equals.
She's very useful in combat, as well. She focuses in water magic, and can use her siren song to summon waves to crash onto her opponents. But despite her impressive abilities in battle, she'd rather see everyone living in harmony. What's more beautiful than that?
2 Cala Maria (Cuphead)
Cuphead is one of the most beautiful games ever made due to its wonderful hand-drawn calssic cartoon style. This results in every boss battle feeling unique and memorable. And one that has become a fan favorite is the gigantic mermaid Cala Maria.
Cala Maria has three stages for her battle. The first is a plain old cute mermaid with an octopus for her hair, and various sea creatures helping her out. The second stage sees her killed by electric eels, becoming a medusa-like creature and the aforementeioned electric eels circling her. Finally, her body turns to ash, and she becomes just a gorgon head flying around trying to kill you. This battle really throws you for a loop, and is a ton of fun, making it the best boss battle on this list.
1 Michelle (Dragon Quest 11)
Much like Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, Dragon Quest 11 also has a mermaid queen of note: Queen Marina. However, there is another mermaid that made a more emotional impact. Her name is Michelle, and she is longing for a long lost lover, Kainoa. Unbeknownst to her, Kainoa died a long time ago, but she refuses to move on until she hears from him.
It's at this point the player has an option: tell her the truth, or lie to her. Lying moves the story along and takes you to Nautica, home of the mermaids, and the game continues. Telling the truth takes both of you on an emotional journey towards the fishing town of Lonalulu, so she can see the truth for herself. It's incredibly sad, but also really moving. It's this depth that makes Michelle stand out from every other mermaid on this list.