The Mass Effect galaxy is one of constant turmoil and danger. From batarian pirates to a Reaper invasion, it is never truly safe. Yet, in the darkest moments, characters have a chance to shine through with acts of bravery and selflessness.
Although, as you will find out, bravery comes in many forms. It can also come from motivations that can be called questionable at best. The Mass Effect series is certainly chockfull of both. These are the characters in the series who are the bravest, in their way.
10 Jacob Taylor
Ah, Jacob Taylor. You may be wondering what he is doing on this list. Jacob's offer to volunteer for the first part of the suicide mission — which consists of infiltrating thermal vents and hacking doors — is certainly more rooted in foolishness than in bravery.
Yet, there is one move that catapults Jacob to the bottom of this list: he is the only character in the game who dares to cheat on Commander Shepard. If you romance Jacob in Mass Effect 2, he will cheat on you in Mass Effect 3. Cheating on the most badass woman in the galaxy, who eats Reapers for breakfast, is certainly brave.
9 The Virmire Survivor (Kaidan / Ashley)
As Dumbledore said in the first Harry Potter, it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your friends. While escorting the Council to safety during the Citadel coup, Kaidan/Ashley brings this into practice by pulling a gun on Shepard.
In addition, Kaidan and Ashley are both willing to sacrifice themselves on Virmire, in the first game. Whether they are protecting a bomb, salarians, or the Council, the mission always comes first, which is commendable.
8 The Illusive Man
The Illusive Man is a secondary antagonist in Mass Effect, so his position on this list may be another surprise. However, of all villains, the Illusive Man is certainly among the bravest. For starters, he is only human, yet he dares to threaten a galaxy. He is bold and takes risks. While his methods may be questionable, his ultimate goal is similar to that of Shepard. They both want to put an end to the Reaper threat.
To achieve this, the Illusive Man lets himself get implanted with reaper control mechanisms. He refuses to use any anesthetics during the procedure. And if Shepard opts to go for the blue ending — known in other terms as the Control ending — it turns out that the Illusive Man was right all along and that there is a way to control the Reapers.
7 Miranda Lawson
Miranda Lawson is the ice queen who brought Shepard back from the dead in Mass Effect 2. She was genetically engineered to be perfect, so her bravery in combat can hardly be called exceptional. Nonetheless, three good reasons land her a well-deserved 8th spot on this list. Reason one is that, eventually, she is brave enough to admit where she was wrong (a certain control chip comes to mind).
Reason two is that, if Shepard opts to destroy the Collector Base, Miranda quits her job in one of the most memorable moments in gaming. Finally, the third reason is that Miranda handles her problems on her own and lets Shepard focus on the war effort.
6 Kal'Reegar
Kal'Reegar is a quarian Marine, and he's among the bravest characters you meet in Mass Effect. During the first encounter, he is about to take on a squad of geth including a Geth Colossus all by himself, despite being wounded. In a second meeting, he can defend Tali during her trial. It takes bravery to stand up to your admirals like that.
But Kal'Reegar's most brave act of all occurs in Mass Effect 3, which we only learn about afterward through an email. It turns out that Kal'Reegar sacrificed himself on Palaven to help the turians by protecting a communications tower. Whether he is defending a fellow quarian or a turian, Kal'Reegar is brave and selfless until the end.
5 Captain Kirrahe
Captain Kirrahe was everyone's favorite salarian until Mordin came along, but he still makes for a fantastic runner-up. When first meeting Kirrahe, he rouses his troops for a suicide mission, in a battle speech that is both memorable and inspiring. "We will hold the line!" As much as Commander Shepard tries their best to be equally inspiring in a speech, there is simply no contest here.
If Kirrahe survived, he reappears in Mass Effect 3 and can be found on Sur'Kesh. Later, if Thane Krios did not survive the previous game, it will be Kirrahe who saves the salarian councilor by taking a bullet for them. Then, in another rare third encounter, Kirrahe can appear on Earth if Wrex is dead, and will again rouse his troops with his famous speech.
4 David Anderson
Captain Anderson had shown enough valor that he was considered to be the first human Spectre until Saren intervened. During the events of Mass Effect, he continues with this mean streak. First, by knocking out Udina to get Shepard off the Citadel. And then, in the third game, by refusing to leave with Shepard and staying on Earth to defend it.
During the entire course of the third game, Anderson is leading the rebellion on Earth, never getting a day's rest. By the very end, he is exhausted, yet he joins Shepard in their mad rush towards the Citadel beam. Truly, he has been with Shepard from the beginning until the end and acted as his mentor and surrogate father figure.
3 Mordin Solus
Mordin Solus' bravest act is similar to Miranda's and consists of him admitting that he was wrong but on a much grander scale. Mordin eventually learns and accepts that his life's work to modify the genophage was wrong and needs to be corrected. In a powerful statement, Mordin shouts out: "I MADE A MISTAKE!", and only then realizes the full significance of what he had just said.
After he comes to this realization, Mordin stops at nothing to cure the genophage. Depending on player choice, this means he is potentially shot by Commander Shepard and fails, or he sacrifices himself and cures the genophage. Many players considered this their favorite moment in Mass Effect 3. In part because of Mordin's character and to a large extent because of his bravery.
2 Garrus Vakarian
Garrus Vakarian is the best friend (or potentially more than that) Shepard could wish for. As they say: "There is no Shepard without Vakarian." Garrus simply always has your back and would follow you into hell itself. Garrus' bravery does not go unnoticed within the Turian military either, where he even has generals saluting him.
Garrus' bravest act takes place in the second game though. Under the alias of 'Archangel', he takes on all the crime bosses on Omega. He becomes such a hindrance that the three mercenary factions form an alliance to take him down, which was unprecedented. And even this alliance isn't enough to take down Garrus, although he needs the help of someone else to bail him out...
1 Commander Shepard
Who else could it be? Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre, is by far the bravest character in all Mass Effect games. While the player can choose between paragon and renegade actions, which equates to whether you are honorable (to a fault) or ruthless, the amount of bravery shown throughout the trilogy remains constant.
Commander Shepard is the last person to leave a ship before its destruction and the last thing a Collector or Reaper sees before its inevitable end. Shepard is the archetype of a superhero, but without the superpowers (well, unless you are Biotic). Shepard is like Batman but in space. And a woman, if you get that first choice of the trilogy right.