Who are you people?! (Unexpected Guest)

Have you ever played a game and then a character from another game just appeared out of nowhere? If the answer is no, then it's totally understandable 'cause this is a highly specific topic.

Still, there have been a couple of instances where certain characters just cross-over for no reason other than the surprise of it; I personally adore when this happens and makes these occurrences exciting in a different way than if it was just advertised in the box. Again and as always, suggestions are always welcomed, especially in a case such as this where is so specific, it would be fun to discover what games meet the criteria!

Mort the Chicken from... well, Mort the Chicken, makes a surprise appearance as a gimmick in one of the levels and in the final one.
Patches, while being better known thanks to Dark Souls, it originated from Demon's Souls, a completely different continuity and world.

Also, Seath the Scaleless shares name with Seath, a boss from King's Field; that one doesn't really count but it's worth mentioning.
There's a minigame where you catch monkeys from Ape Escape. ( Added by @Corrugated_Fox)
Miriam from Bloodstained makes a cameo in this game. (Added by @AlphaOne2)
There are boss battles with Final Fantasy's Behemoth and The Witcher 3's Leshen, and had Moogles and Geralt for the respective crossovers.(Added by @AlphaOne2)
R.O.B. makes a surprise appearance in this one as the only non-Mario character in the game, which to this day I do not understand why, but hey, it's funny as shit so I'm not complaining.
In the PC version, the characters from L4D2 are playable in the mercenaries mode. (Added by ZapRowsdower)
There are various nods to other Nintendo franchises, but most notably, Chain Chomp appears as a weapon.(Added by @AlphaOne2)
There are a ton of different characters that can be unlocked, like Jill from Mighty Jill-Off or even Steve from Minecraft. (Added by @AlphaOne2)
There was a whole FFXV even and even Ardyn shows up. (Added by @Matt)
Indiana Jones is a playable character.
A lot, and I mean, A LOT of playable characters based on movie monsters. There are also Resident Evil and Silent Hill characters together in the same game, i.e. Nemesis, Wesker, Jill, Chris, Leon, HUNK, Ada, Rebecca, and Claire for RE and Pyramid Head, Heather, James, Lisa, and Robbie the Rabbit for Silent Hill. Plus there's Bill from Left 4 Dead. Plus, there are Jill, Sheva, Carlos, Cybil and Maria as alts.(Added by @Matt)
Characters like the Battletoads and Kratos show up as console exclusive boss fights. (Added by @EVX)
Nights shows up in the casino level.(Added by @Matt)
Link and Mario appear in the final results screen. (Added by @AlphaOne2)
Aurora from Child of Light is a playable character. (Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Negan from The Walking Dead, Akuma from Street Fighter, Fatal Fury's Geese Howard and Noctis from FFXV are playable fighters. (Added by @Yanser94)
Samus, Link, Captain Falcon and Fox make cameos through-out the game.
Rayman and even characters from Steven Universe show up as playable fighters. (Added by @EVX)
... quite literally ''Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series''... (Added by @AlphaOne2 and @EVX)
A monster from God Eater shows up.(Added by @Matt)
Raz from Psychonauts makes a cameo. (Added by ZapRowsdower)
Monster Hunter's monsters make a surprise apparition in one of the missions.
Kratos and Freddy Krueger make an appereance as guest characters.(Added by @moschidae and @MegaTheRealOne)
Gon from the Gon series is a playable fighter. (Added by @taigamask and @EVX)
Han Solo is a playable character.
Comander Keen and the Nazis from Wolfenstein 3D show up. (Added by @Matt)
Frog Detective makes an appearance as a cameo. (Added by @Taaroni)
Mad Scienstein from The Frog for whom the Bell Tolls shows up. (Added by DeltaWDunn)
Isaac Clarcke from Dead Space shows up. (Added by @conman)
Meat Boy from Super Meat Boy is one of the secret playable characters.(Added by @Taaroni)
In the Wii U version, you can summon a ton of different Nintendo characters like Mario, Peach, Bowser, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, among others from those two series. (Added by @AlphaOne2)
There are actually a handful of cross-overs in this one, R.O.B also appears alongside Donbe & Hikari from Shin Onigashima and Chao & Goku from Yūyūki, but perhaps most known of all, the Metroids and Samus can be found in one of the many levels, the former as enemies and the latter as an ally.
Several characters from other Nintendo series, most notably Mario enemies and Wart from Doki Doki Panic/Super Mario Bros 2, appear in the game. (Added by @Nyo)
Heavy, Scout and Spy are playable characters. (Added by ZapRowsdower)
Multiple characters from Double Dragon appear in the game. (Added by DeltaWDunn)
Mad Scienstein from The Frog for whom the Bell Tolls shows up. (Added by DeltaWDunn)
Shovel Knight has an entire quest in one of the first levels.
DK is the only secret boxer after finishing the game. (Added by @DeltaWDunn and @EVX)
Spyro shows up in one of the cutscenes as a gag. (Added by @AlphaOne2 and @MegaTheRealOne)
Several crewmates from Among Us appear through-out the game. (Added by @Matt)
Vyse, Fina and Aika from Skies of Arcadia appear as playable troops / Support. (Added by @FallenGrace)
Shovel Knight and Ori are playable DLC fighters. (Added by @EVX)
Starfy makes a surprise appearence.(Added by @Dalaamclouds)
Spyro from Spyro the Dragon is a playable character.
Duke Nukem appears as a cameo. (Added by @MendelPalace).
Lars Alexandersson from Tekken 6 is a playable character. (Added by @cappone_ceraio)
The general from Tonic Trouble appears in the game. (Added by DeltaWDunn)
The surprise that gave us the best cutscene in all of gaming
The Doom Guy makes a cameo. (Added by @EVX)
Toree from Toree 3D makes an appereance. (Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Several characters from different Sega series make an appereance as playable characters. (Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Ok, while the apparitions of Link, Heihachi and Spawn are very much advertised in each of the boxes, they are some of the first examples of guest fighting characters and such an interesting surprise that I had to put them here.
Jill from Va-11 Hall-A shows up. (Added by @MobileSpider)
Same as Sports Mix. (Added by @Baird)
Ratchet from Ratchet & Clank can be unlocked as a playable character for the races.
Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Rodin are secret characters from the Bayonetta series.(Added by @AlphaOne2)
Max from Sam & Max makes a cameo. (Added by ZapRowsdower)
Several Final Fantasy characters appear as playable characters. (Added by @Baird)
Spider-Man shows up as a boss. (Added by DeltaWDunn)
There are several cameos from different characters, like Lara Croft or even Sailor Moon. (Added by @Matt)
Mad Scienstein from The Frog for whom the Bell Tolls shows up. (Added by DeltaWDunn)
Mario makes a cameo in this and other NES games, like Punch Out. (Added by @EVX)
Shovel Knight appears if you use its amiibo. (Added by @EVX)
Several Star Fox characters show up in the Nintendo Switch version. (Added by DeltaWDunn)
Pepsiman is a playable character.(Added by @conman)
Shovel Knight is a playable character. (Added by @EVX)
Shovel Kight, Rick and Morty are playable guest characters. (Added by @EVX)
Earthworm Jim shows up as a playable character. (Added by @conman)
Shovel Knight and Shantae are playable characters. (Added by @EVX)
President Wilson from Metal Wolf Chaos is a playable character.(Added by @Detectivefail)
Sonic appears as a NPC. (Added by @MagneticBurn)
Several guest indie characters can be played as. (Added by @EVX)
There's an easter egg in a secret room, in the last corridor you'll encounter pyros from Ultima viii pagan. (Added by @Pilotin_67)
The knights of Castle Crashers and the protagonist of Hyper Light Drifter can be found on the backgrounds of the game. (Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Raccoon City is a level an Jill, Carlos and Nemesis appear though-out it. (Added by @MendelPalace).
Many indie characters, like Cuphead, Rusty or Shovel Knight, can be played as. (Added by @EVX)
Cars from Carmaggedon can be used.(Added by @Matt)
There are a total of two different EX Characters to chose from with Copen and Empress from different games by Inti Creates.(Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Yooka and Laylee make an appereance.(Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Mario, Peach, Luigi and Yoshi show up in the GCN version(Added by @EVX)
Shovel Knight and other characters appear as guest playable character. (Added by @EVX)
Shovel Kight is a playable character. (Added by @EVX)
Klonoa from the Klonoa series shows up. (Added by @MobileSpider)
The Knight from Hollow Knight shows up in a secret room as an easter egg.(Added by @Taaroni)
Shovel Knight makes a background cameo. (Added by @EVX)
Pepinno from Pizza Tower and Clive from Clive N' Wrench are playable characters. (Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Max from Sam & Max makes a cameo. (Added by ZapRowsdower)
Earthworm Jim and Boogerman are guest playable fighters.
You can play as Sonic and defeat Eggman in one of the levels. (Added by @Matt)
Crewmate, Shantae, VVVVVV and Abe from Oddworld are some of the playable guest characters. (Added by @EVX)
The Everyone is Here Update was a special update that was an official crossover event with several other Indie games, like Hollow Knight or Tomb of the Dead Gods, adding new weapons and outfits that were either pulled from or inspired by each game.(Added by @DeltaWDunn)
Jack Frost from SMT shows up. (Added by @MobileSpider)
Mike Haggar shows up. (Added by @EVX)
Shovel Knight and Isaac appear as playable characters. (Added by @EVX)
Shovel Knight appears on the retro level. (Added by @EVX)
Shovel Knight is one of the playable heroes. (Added by @EVX)
Spyro the Dragon is a secret playable character.
Plague Knight from Shovel knight is a playable character. (Added by @EVX)

32 Comments


9 months ago

Great list! Love when unexpected guests join. President Wilson from Metal Wolf Chaos(A mecha game) joins Enchanted Arms(JRPG) as a playable character. Although afaik he's only available in the Xbox 360 version. Not the PS3 version. Both games are made from Formsoftware. But I think it fits he criteria for this list.

9 months ago

Yooka and Laylee show up in Demon Turf
Peppino and Clive (From Clive n' Wrench) show up in Antonball Deluxe
Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed has a ton of characters from other series
You can play as Aurora from Child of Light in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
A few different characters are DLC for Blaster Master Zero 2
Dead Cells had the "Everyone is here" Crossover
River City Ransom: Underground has characters such as the Castle Crashers and the main character of Hyper Light Drifter that show up in the background
Donkey Kong shows up in Punch-Out!! for Wii
Toree shows up in Lunistice

That's all I got for now.

9 months ago

Probably cheating but this is like the central gimmick for Dead Cells’s DLC. Great list as always!

9 months ago

Bloodstained's Miriam cameos in Blasphemous
Monster Hunter World has crossover boss battles with Final Fantasy's Behemoth and The Witcher 3's Leshen, and had Moogles and Geralt for the respective crossovers.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is literally the origin of "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series".
The Wonderful 101 has Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Rodin as secret characters from the Bayonetta series.
Speaking of, Bayonetta 2 on the Switch has nods and allusions to a lot of Nintendo properties, the most blatant one being the Chain Chomp which is an unlockable weapon (but its an actual, living Chain Chomp)
Crash Twinsanity has a very sudden and random Spyro cameo in the middle of one of its custscenes
The Wii U version of Scribblenauts Unlimited allows you to summon a ton of different Nintendo characters like Mario, Peach, Bowser, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, among others from those two series.
Donkey Kong Country II has Link and Mario appearing in the final results screen.

All I got for the time being, hopefully this list won't be too much work to maintain.

9 months ago

Oh and Super Meat Boy. Waaaaay too many characters to list. You got representation from Spelunky, Minecraft, Braid, VVVVVV, Mighty Jill Off, I Wanna Be The Guy (*Internal Screaming), Half-Life, Bit.Trip Runner, Castle Crashers, and so on.

9 months ago

Mortal Kombat has Freddy and Bubba in it right? And a bunch of other weird movie people

9 months ago

gon (from gon) in tekken 3

9 months ago

Klonoa in Alpine Racer 3
Jack Frost in SBK Snowboard Kids
Jill (from Va-11 Hall-A) in YIIK

9 months ago

Sonic's an NPC in crusader of centy

9 months ago

The incredibly raw inclusion of Final fantasy/Dragon Quest characters to ball in Mario Sports Mix (and hoops 3 on 3 i think)

9 months ago

My bad, @AlphaOne2 beat me to it!

9 months ago

Hey everyone, I apologize for the late response! It was pretty late over here and so I went to bef shortly after making the list, but now it's time to add all.the suggestions!

@Detectivefail It does fit perfectly! To the list it goes, thank you so much!

@DeltaWDunn These are quite a lot, and all fit the list with no problems! Thank you so much for all of these! I don't know how I forgot about DK in Punch-Out, I love that one.

@cowboyjosh Delta beat you with that suggestion, but thank you nonetheless! And happy to hear you and the others like the list! Thank you for the kind words! :D

@AlphaOne2 Thank you so much for all these, they are all fantastic entries and I'll add them in a moment! And don't worry, mantaining these os easy, the only thing now is that I have to add quite a lot of entries because of my sleep schedule XD. Still, thank you so much! :)

@moschidae True! There are a few guests in some MK games, I'll check it and add the games, thank you!

@taigamask Ah, how could I forget the punching big head dino... I'll add it in a moment, thank you!

@MobileSpider I'll add all there in a moment, thank you so much for these suggestions! :)

@MagneticBurn Noted and will be added in a second! Thank you so much!

@Baird The surprise guests that confused kids across the world... I'll add the games un a moment, thank you so much!

@T0M196 Still, thank you nonetheless!

9 months ago

I had no idea who Starfy was when I played Super Princess Peach as a kid x)

9 months ago

@Dalaamclouds Added! Thank you so much for the suggestion, I had no idea Starfy appeared in that one!

9 months ago

Assassin's Creed Origins has a crossover with Final Fantasy XV with Ardyn and Bahamut appearing out of nowhere and it's super confusing. Similarly, I think there was an AC-themed event at one point in FFXV, though I don't know if any AC characters appeared there.

9 months ago

@Penumbra Someone actually suggested that one over on the discord server and I added it! Still, thank you for suggesting it and also talking about the FFXV event, I had no idea there was also one in that Game and it's super interesting.

9 months ago

All current games on the list finally have a description of the cameo in question! It took a while, and I apologise for the wait, but it's finally done! Now, to add even MORE entries!

9 months ago

A few more:

River City Girls features multiple characters from Double Dragon
Mario is the ref in Punch-Out!!
Mario and Peach show up in NBA Street V3 for some reason
The general in Tonic Trouble also makes a brief appearance in Rayman 2
Spider-Man is a boss in The Revenge of Shinobi
Starfox characters show up in Starlink: Battle for Atlas
Mad Scienstein from The Frog for whom the Bell Tolls shows up in Dr. Mario 64, Wario Land 3, and Wario Land 4.

9 months ago

@DeltaWDun I mentioned Mario being the referee in Punch Out in the Tennis NES entry and NBA Street V3 is already on here, the rest tho are fantastic entries and I have added all! Thank you so much! :DDDDD

9 months ago

Valkyria Chronicles had Vyse, Fina and Aika from Skies of Arcadia in as playable troops / Support.

9 months ago

@FallenGrace Added! Thank you! :D

9 months ago

Tekken 7 has Negan from The Walking Dead as a playable character (and also Akuma from Street Fighter, Fatal Fury's Geese Howard and Noctis from FFXV)

9 months ago

@Yanser94 I'll add it right away, thank you so much!

9 months ago

Lars Alexandersson from Tekken 6 is a playable character in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

9 months ago

@cappone_ceraio Now that's one I didn't see coming... I'll add it right away, thank you so much!

8 months ago

There is a mini game in Metal Gear Solid 3 (Snake Eater and Subsistence versions) called Snake Vs Monkey. As Snake you try to stun/capture the monkeys from Ape Escape. Sadly, this was removed from the HD versions. :\

8 months ago

@Corrugated_Fox The fact that each major instalment of the series references each other is amazing, and it is a huge bummer that they took that part out from modern versions, that sounds hilarious and extremely cool. To the list it goes, thank you so much!

8 months ago

Chicory: A Colorful Tale - cameo by the Frog Detective
Haiku, the Robot - easter egg room with the Knight from Hollow Knight
Spelunky HD - Spelunky in Super Meat Boy has been mentioned, but Meat Boy is also a playable character in Spelunky

very fun list to read through, thank you

8 months ago

@Taaroni No, thank you for this suggestions, I'll add them all right away!

But really, thank you so much for reading and for the kind words! :D


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