Crossover video games like Marvel vs. Capcom are both indulgent and cool - a chance for fans to see heroes from their favorite franchises fight, team up, and interact with one another in charming ways. The following characters are just a few of the video game protagonists that have hopped from their video games of origin into different virtual worlds – and sometimes even into different modes of gameplay.

A sizable number of "crossover" video games are published by Japanese game studios such as Capcom, Bandai-Namco, and Nintendo, ranging from multi-franchise fighting games like Super Smash Bros to mobile games and MMOs such as Final Fantasy XIV where players can fight monsters, gain equipment, and interact with characters from different franchises during special events.

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Though crossovers in video games like Kingdom Hearts or Fortnite may come across as a modern innovation, they arguably hearken back to ancient sagas like the voyage of the Argonauts or the tales of King Arthur's knights – timeless narratives where the protagonists of separate stories pool their strengths to accomplish great deeds together. Perhaps, in a far-future time, the video game characters below will form the basis of a new myth or epic poem about unlikely heroes forming an unlikely alliance.

Geralt of Rivia From The Witcher In Soulcalibur 6 & Monster Hunter

Geralt of Rivia, the monster-hunting protagonist of the Witcher novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher Netflix TV adaptation, and the bestselling Witcher RPG trilogy by CD Projekt RED, lives in a land buffeted by magical storms that open pathways to other dimensions. For this reason, it's strangely appropriate the sword and sign-wielding "White Wolf" keeps getting dragged through portals into fantasy worlds somewhat like, but subtly different, from his own.

Geralt is a guest fighter in Soulcalibur VI, and he duels with weapon-masters fighting to claim and destroy a holy and cursed pair of swords. The Nintendo Switch Mecha game Daemon X Machina has special pilot skins for both Geralt and his adoptive daughter Ciri. In a Monster Hunter: World expansion, he hops through a portal to the New World and helps the Research Commission hunt down a magical beast, bemused in a good-natured way at the over-sized weapons and heroic reputations the local Monster Hunters possess.

Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn Is Playable In Genshin Impact

Aloy fires her bow and arrow in Genshin Impact

Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn, comes across as both a fantasy and science-fiction heroine thematically. She's a nomadic archer and huntress who tames fantastical beasts while exploring ancient ruins - and she's also the genetic clone of a long-dead scientist, created to stop an evil AI from corrupting an ecosystem of robotic terraformers. So far, Aloy has only appeared in Genshin Impact outside her home game, but her blend of motifs makes Aloy a good candidate for crossover appearances in other sci-fi and fantasy games, too.

Ace Attorney's Phoenix Wright Is A Part Of Many Game Crossovers

Phoenix points his finger in Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy

Phoenix Wright, an earnest defense attorney from the Ace Attorney franchise, has a knack for gathering evidence, grilling witnesses in court, proving the innocence of his clients, and sensing the presence of lies in a person's heart through the power of a magic amulet. This non-combative skillset hasn't stopped Phoenix Wright from appearing in fighting games like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, tactical games like Project X Zone 2, or teaming up with the puzzle-solving Professor Layton in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright.

Dante From Devil May Cry In Marvel Vs. Capcom & SMT

Shin Megami Tensei 3 HD Remaster Dante Replaces Raidou DLC Difference

As a half-demon devil hunter with a snarky attitude and a propensity to do sick stunts while slaying the hordes of hell, Dante from the Devil May Cry franchise makes for an entertaining guest character in any video game with a supernatural or superhero theme to it. Besides being a major character in two Marvel vs. Capcom games, he's also shown up in the Project X Zone tactical games, cameoed in the Viewtiful Joe side-scrolling game, and appeared in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne as a demon-hunting mercenary the Demi-Fiend can recruit.

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