What a year 2024 has been! Full of wild news and ups and downs, we’ve been glad to be guided through it with a little help from our fictional friends across the realms of genre film, TV, comics, and games. Here’s our rundown of our favorite characters of the year, for whom we’ll always be thankful.
The cast of Dragon Age: The Veilguard are all a fun bunch, but Taash is among the game’s best companions. While they initially seem blunt and kind of mean, further time with them reveals they’re more uncertain of their place in the world than it seems, in part because they just aren’t as worldly as the other characters. When they aren’t being unintentionally hilarious, Taash proves to be a charming addition who just wants to figure out where they belong and knock some dragons around from time to time. Who can’t relate to that? – Justin Carter
From the moment you load up Persona 3, you are constantly reminded of memento mori: the inevitability of death. Depending on whether you clued yourself in early or not, its blue-haired protagonist was never going to make it out of Persona 3‘s grim narrative without some sacrifice, allowing you to reckon with what it means to play a protagonist destined to die. That reckoning is spent making the most out of the time you do have, making friends and developing connections to the community around you. And then, when your perspective shifts from the protagonist to his android ally Aigis in the epilogue DLC, The Answer, that reckoning is with how to move on from grief, with those connections as a memory and comfort. Makoto’s journey in Persona 3 was just as potent and touching in 2006 as it was experiencing it against in 2024, and Reload made every moment bittersweetly worth it as I navigated my own grieving journey this year. – James Whitbrook
You don’t cast a musical theater legend in your musical TV series without making use of her talents, and Marvel understood the assignment, giving Patti LuPone’s Lila Calderu chances to show off those award-winning pipes. But the witchy Agatha All Along also made space for Lila—a tarot-reading time-shifter—to feel like a real person amid all the flashy costumes and magic tricks, with a heroic sacrifice making her exit extra bittersweet. – Cheryl Eddy
This year was especially rough for me having been laid off from my previous games journalist job. For a while, I struggled to find the spark to enjoy the hobby anymore when I was tasked with reviewing Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth—a game series I cherish, and always envisioned being my first to review, under different circumstances. To my surprise, the opening minutes see hero Ichiban Kasuga experience being laid off in his own right (albeit through arguably more nefarious means). Rather than wallow in experiencing the phenomenon twice, Ichiban’s sprawling adventure provided me representation and comfort in spades as his indomitable spirit pressed on to do the best he could to help others out when they needed it most. Dude isn’t called the best for nothing, and seeing the world through his optimistic eyes helped me get out of my own funk and continue to fight for my dreams. – Isaiah Colbert
Gambit wasn’t just a highlight of Deadpool & Wolverine, he was also a standout part of X-Men ‘97, too. While he wasn’t around the entire time, it was great seeing him bounce between being adorably down bad for Rogue or flinging cards and spinning his staff like the hero he is. Whatever else you can say about Gambit, he will always stand out in a way that makes you remember him. – Justin Carter
Deadpool & Wolverine was stuffed with comic-book characters, especially Deadpools. But the most important variant wasn’t played by Ryan Reynolds—it was Deadpool’s scruffly pup, Dogpool, who brought “ugly-cute” to an entirely new level. Her adorable presence was also a reminder to fans that the R-rated blockbuster did indeed have a heart, lurking beneath all those snarky swears and self-congratulatory vibes. – Cheryl Eddy
Despite what many a gamer chud might have initially thought, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a political game. One might even venture to say it is one of the wokest award-winning games this year. You play as a darker skinned protagonist who is at the brunt of every racial stereotype the moment they set foot in any village. People talk crap behind your back, store clerks uncharge you and shoo you away from their businesses—the game isn’t subtle at all about what it’s an allegory for. In a change of pace from Atlus’ mascot characters who have been more grating than endearing to me, Gallica is by far the most outwardly kind. One of her first bits of characterization is checking in on you to ask how you’re managing with all the macro and micro aggressions you’ve endured in your first day of playing, and she outright calls out the bigotry in their fantasy world. There might be more outwardly cool characters in Metaphor, but Gallica is a real one. – Isaiah Colbert
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes doesn’t try building its hero Noa to the same stature as Caesar from the previous trilogy, but he becomes compelling in his own right. As he ventures to save his kidnapped clan, Noa’s confronted with the legendary ape’s legacy and how it could affect him and his people. By the film’s end, he’s gone from a struggling falconer to the leader his Eagle Clan needs, and another ape bought in on what Caesar stood far. – Justin Carter
A nun who can see demons is a valuable asset when it comes to fighting the forces of darkness—and even if Evil’s Catholic Church bigwigs didn’t always see her value, the show’s core characters, and the audience, certainly did. Played by comedy legend Andrea Martin, Sister Andrea could take down a devil with a sharp stick or a human with a withering remark, both with equally deadly aim. – Cheryl Eddy
While it might be easy to walk away from a film like Look Back and see yourself in a character who robs her pride by comparing herself to others like Ayumu Fujino, Kyomoto’s journey of self discovery and standing on her own two feet was truly inspiring. Seeing her go from being a shut-in who could have easily coasted off of playing assistant to her bestie, to declaring that she’s going to go to university to learn more about art and tackle her fears of socialization was some soul stirring stuff. Especially with how she did so despite Fujino’s barbs harping on her insecurities. Although things don’t go well for anyone in the short term (it is a Tatsuki Fujimoto work after all), the overall theme of why artists persevere in pursuit of their craft is enough to make anyone want to get up and continue making whatever fulfills them as a creator. And for that, I’m grateful. – Isaiah Colbert
He may not have as much screen time as the other mains, but man, Ekko just rules. Watching him come into his time-travel skills was extremely satisfying, and it was equally pleasing to see him get to have the peace in an alternate timeline with Powder that he unfairly lost in his own reality. He is the Boy Savior, both in the show and for Arcane’s final, ultimately flawed season. – Justin Carter
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
ArcaneDeadpool and WolverineKingdom of the Planet of the ApesPersona 3The Wild RobotYear In Review
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The Best Tech Gifts of 2024 ➜
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