Let’s face it, someone tasked with running a country has a seriously important job. Their decisions have a bit more heft to them than my daily choice between making my own meals at home or absolutely obliterating an entire box of donuts. Such an important job should go to an important figure, and who is more important than our favorite video game characters?
Everyone has a favorite video game character, but not everyone thinks about what kind of leader they’d be. Maybe your favorite character would change the world and extend humanity to entirely new planets, and maybe others would get a bit more creative.
10 Claptrap
Okay, Borderlands mainstay Claptrap might be a bit of a weird pick to some people, but hear me out! That little robot has the kind of attitude required to be a leader. Claptrap blatantly ignores what is actually going on all around to focus in on the tiny issues that irritate the strange unit.
It’s possible that all the power might go to Claptrap’s… thinking unit, but we’ve seen time and time again that the robot does mean well. It might be strange to hear the president refer to the people as their minions, but think of the branding. Claptrap would be a top pick as long as there were plenty of ramps available.
9 Jill Valentine
If there’s one iconic thing every president has had, it’s a catchy slogan. Luckily, Jill Valentine is absolutely filled with iconic one-liners. The iconic heroine from the Resident Evil franchise already has a very broad and freedom-adjacent-sounding line to use.
Everyone knows that if they needed stars, Jill Valentine is the woman to call. She’s got plenty of other fantastic traits like being a master of unlocking and having dealt with viral outbreaks, but c’mon, “I’ll give you stars” is just too good of a campaign slogan.
8 Shovel Knight
Could you imagine Shovel Knight as president? He’d rule the lands with an iron shovel. He could quite literally dig the country out of any hole it found itself in. The man slays dragons with ease, and he does it with a shovel, so he’d probably be fine with complex fiscal policy.
Someone like Shovel Knight would be the closest person to nobility ever to be president. He’d be handing out shovel justice across the country, making sure everyone has their very own shovel in order to find treasures of their own. Basically, there’s a good shot Shovel Knight would end poverty.
7 Luigi
Luigi might seem like a weird choice to run a country, but there’s more than a player-two behind that thick mustache. All these years, Luigi has been biding his time, waiting for just the right moment to truly show everyone that he is the superior Mario brother.
He’s always had a bit of a twisted chip on his shoulder, so we’d all just have to hope he doesn’t reveal himself to be Green Thunder instead. As a man of few words, we all know Luigi would do what is right, even if it utterly terrified him.
6 Kirby
Imagine everything Kirby could accomplish as a major world leader. The adorable little puffball may not even have a neck, but it would have no issue when it came to conflict. Who would ever want to be at odds with something so cute… and capable of eating everything in sight with no effort?
That’s right, Kirby wouldn’t just be a leader; Kirby would be an unopposed leader. All the competition would suddenly go missing, with Kirby suddenly having a few new policy ideas ready to go, and the puffball would just steal the nation's heart with a single “hi!”
5 Tom Nook
No one would be without a home if Tom Nook were in charge. He’s almost too perfect of a pick to run for president. He’s well aware of what it takes to lead nations filled with happy Animal Crossing villagers, and he’s also got some experience in business.
He might make the entire nation’s debt a problem for the people, but that’s a small price to pay. Nook would probably go door-to-door to find out exactly how many bells everyone had, making sure the world knew that he had the Racoon Goons at his disposal, whatever that means.
4 Red
You might be thinking Red is a great pick because, with his powerful Pokemon by his side, he’d be able to tackle tons of different problems. Instead, he’d be great for a reason similar to why Kirby would be so great. He’d be unstoppable.
Everyone would fear Red, as anyone who got on his bad side might end up trapped inside a Pokeball, forever relegated to Bill’s PC. His would be a land ruled with an iron fist and a literal dragon creature… on second thought, maybe Red shouldn’t run for president.
3 Steve
While a lot of game characters would bring unique skills to the presidency, Steve would bring everything Minecraft had to offer. He’d be able to fix issues with housing, but he’d probably end up forgetting and building all manner of strange things.
Who needs more homes when Steve can build an enormous sandcastle in order to adventure to the Nether? We all know he’d be a man of few words, but when you can punch a tree down, you don’t need to say much else.
2 Clementine
Pretty much anyone who played through Telltale’s The Walking Dead will know exactly why Clementine would make a great president. She’d been through more in her life by the time she was sixteen than most people go through in their entire lives.
Knowing everything she’d been through with Lee, it would be impossible not to pick her; everyone loves a good heartwrenching story. She’s also kind of the most epic single mother of all time when you think about her having to raise AJ by herself.
1 Wario
When Wario said, “I’m-a gonna win!” it’s probably safe to say that most people didn’t expect that to apply to something like the presidency. He’s proven to Mario fans that he’s not someone to be trifled with no matter what sport he’s playing, and that has to apply to being president somehow, even if he is greedy.
There is the other elephant in the room, Wario’s gas. The man could single-cheekily power an entire city for a month with a single gastric boom. It’s something that most people would overlook, but Wario could really make a difference for quite a few people.