That's the Spirit

Mia Fey was born into a family of renowned spirit mediums that was originally known for its service to the gods. Mia became a defense attorney in the hopes of uncovering information about her mother’s fall from grace, but she left her firm after losing her first case. It was only after a young attorney named Phoenix Wright was put on trial for murder that Mia decided to re-enter the profession. After proving his innocence, Mia took Phoenix under her wing and instructed him in the ways of the legal system. She was murdered after working just one case with him, but she was still able to serve as his mentor since her sister and cousin could channel her spirit. Even in death, Mia provided Phoenix with invaluable advice. As an added bonus, the boobs of Mia’s family members increase in size when they channel her spirit. How awesome is that?

A smooth-talking amnesiac ghost on a quest to recover his lost memories, Sissel is driven by a strong moral code that prompts him to save the lives of others. He has no idea who he is and has been rendered illiterate as an apparent symptom of his memory loss, but this doesn’t make him any less determined. He has a plethora of “ghost tricks” at his disposal that allow him to do all sorts of amazing things. He can talk to the dead, manipulate objects, and use phones as teleportation hubs. His greatest trick is the ability to rewind time four minutes before a person’s death. This ability ultimately allows him to save the lives of nine individuals. He had to save one woman five different times! (Who says chivalry is dead?) Many aspects of his life are hidden from the player, and that makes him all the more mysterious.

Beyond: Two Souls is centered around a young girl named Jodie and a spirit named Aiden who has been linked with her since birth. As a child, Jodie was placed in the custody of the Department of Paranormal Activity. She seeks independence from both the government and Aiden, but she becomes more accepting of the powers that she and Aiden share as she moves from adolescence to adulthood. Through the power of telepathy, Jodie can communicate with Aiden to perform acts ranging from object manipulation to mind possession. Aiden is revealed to be Jodie’s stillborn twin brother, and their bond is so strong that Jodie feels physical pain whenever she’s separated from Aiden’s spirit. Whether he’s leaving messages on bathroom mirrors or creating energy fields to protect her from bullets, Aiden always has his sister’s back.

Fatal Frame is built around ghosts and supernatural events, so the series provides a lot of options for this list. Some of the ghosts are passive, but hostile beings like Sae Kurosawa are a lot more prominent. Sae was killed as part of a bizarre ritual intended to appease the underworld. The ritual requires an individual to murder their twin, and it is said that their spirits will unite as one after the deed has been done. In Sae’s case, she was simply hanged by the neck and thrown into the abyss. Since she died alone, the conditions of the ritual were not met and she was unable to unite with her sister. Instead, she was corrupted by a dark force known as Malice and returned to the village to wreak havoc. Wrapped in a bloody kimono and surrounded by a crimson mist, Sae’s sadistic laughter fills the air as she slaughters everyone is sight.

Alma was cursed with psychic powers that attuned her to the negative emotions of the people around her. When she was three years old, researchers began running tests to identify her psionic abilities while she was still impressionable and open to influence. Alma did all she could to stop the immoral experiments, and she even attacked the researchers with her psychic powers. The scientists placed her into a coma and sealed her in a vault in an effort to pacify her, but this only fueled her rage. The mystery surrounding Alma is the core of the F.E.A.R. series, and its never clear if she’s real since she can link her mind with others and create hallucinations. She initially appears as an eight-year-old girl with a disturbingly-blank face, but her presence is almost always associated with extreme violence.

The goal in most Zelda games is to save the eponymous princess from harm, but Spirit Tracks breaks this convention. Early into the game, the evil chancellor uses a spell that separates Zelda’s soul from her body. In order to reclaim her body, she enlists the help of Link and accompanies him through his entire adventure. She’s more of a partner than a sidekick, however, and she looks after Link as much as he looks after her. Although she lacks a physical body, she’s still able to aid in combat and puzzle-solving thanks to her ability to take control of the corrupted phantom guardians that populate the land of Hyrule. On a list that features stillborn babies, guinea pigs, and sacrificial lambs, an adorable spirit like Zelda helps lighten the mood. Even her enemies acknowledge how adorable she is.

With their red eyes and sinister grins, Gengar laugh at their victims and prey on their life force. Equal parts playful and malicious, the mischievous creatures have been known to cause chills, lay curses, and steal the lives of those who become lost in the mountains. According to various Pokédex entries, Gengar can even hide in a person’s own shadow and wait for the perfect opportunity to attack. There’s no telling when Gengar will strike, but they are seldom seen in the wild. (Gengar is the evolved form of Haunter, but the evolution only takes place if he is traded to another player.) We have been introduced to many ghost-type Pokémon over the years, but none are more iconic than Gengar. Appearances in various spinoff games (such as Pokkén Tournament) have helped cement his legacy over the generations.

Boos have been a mainstay in the Mario series ever since their debut in Super Mario Bros. 3. The unrelenting ghosts can fly through walls and are organized enough to attack in formation, but they stop in their tracks and cover their faces whenever anyone looks at them. Boos come in all different shapes and sizes, and the existence of King Boo suggests that they have somehow established a formal monarchy. They’re too shy to look anyone in the eye, but they’ll gladly challenge you to a tennis match or a round of golf. Regardless of their size or social standing, Boos are gaming icons. They spend most of their time trying to sneak up on others, so it’s not surprising that they dabble in larceny. They steal items in Mario Kart, they steal coins in the Mario Party series, and they steal my heart every time I hear their impish laughs.

Yo-kai Watch is a mixed-media franchise from Level-5. The manga technically predates the video game by a few months, but I’ve decided to include its characters on this site since the game was planned from the very beginning. (I made a similar exception for Strider Hiryu on my list of best ninjas.) Yo-kai are a class of supernatural beings from Japanese folklore. With the help of a special device called the Yo-kai Watch™, players can see the invisible beings that are causing mischief. If certain conditions are met, Yo-kai can be befriended and will even assist you in battle. As a self-appointed Yo-kai butler, Whisper helps players understand the Yo-kai world. He’s an arrogant know-it-all, but the information he shares is invaluable. There are hundreds of Yo-kai to encounter through the series, but Whisper is the face of the franchise.

They have been given different names over the years, but the four ghosts that chased Pac-Man through mazes in the iconic 1980 arcade game are best known as Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde. The first ghosts to appear in a game (and easily the most famous), the fearsome foursome are ruthless killing machines. They can end Pac-Man’s life with a simple touch and will never stop pursuing him. Pac-Man is occasionally able to turn the tables on them, but the ghosts recover almost immediately and can never truly be defeated. Each ghost has their own personality traits and movement patterns, but any one of them can end you in an instant. Pac-Man eventually has a child with Ms. Pac-Man, but his ghostly rivals show no regard to his family and will happily hunt them down as well. There is no escape from the nightmare that is Pac-Man’s life.