15 most badass women in video game history

5. Samus Aran (Metroid)

Key quote: “Is that all?”

Who she is: Samus Aran is the protagonist of the Metroid series. After a Space Pirate raid killed her parents, she was adopted by the Chozo, an ancient and powerful species. They injected her with their DNA and made Samus a warrior. Years down the road, she chose to become a bounty hunter as well as doing side work for the Galactic Federation. She has a cybernetic power suit that allows her to defy all odds and do things that seem outright impossible. She destroys the Space Pirate base on Zebes, ends the Metroid species, and survives the Galactic Phazon crisis. Since the late ’90s, she’s been a staple of the Super Smash Bros. series to throw down with other characters in gaming, both in her classic Power Suit and, since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in her Zero Suit as well.

Why she’s on the list: While you don’t see much of Samus’s personality throughout the series, it’s clear that she tends to be a gloomy loner who doesn’t talk much. She continuously seeks revenge against those who have caused her pain such as the Space Pirates, no matter how many she takes down. Their deaths are what have shaped her to be who she is: a self-doubting and anger-filled bounty hunter.