Too Many Chiefs...

Fighting games in the 1990s often had token Native American characters, and Chief Thunder was basically a walking stereotype. He wielded a pair of tomahawks, he used spirit-based projectile attacks, and he could attract lightning by performing tribal dances. (He could also use his immense mohawk as a weapon.) His backstory was retconned in the 2013 Killer Instinct reboot, but he was still depicted as a brave warrior that respected tradition and fought with his heart. He’s deeply protective of his people, and he takes it upon himself to avenge his brother when he goes missing. Upon learning that his brother had been transformed into a mindless skeletal warrior, Thunder attempted to destroy the specter so his brother could finally be laid to rest. The chief was unsuccessful in this regard, but we can still give him credit for trying.

Rick Strowd spent ten years of his life working as a light-weight show boxer at an Indian casino. After growing tired of his life as a showman, he began to listen to the voices of nature. He felt the wind calling him away, so he searched far and wide for worthy opponents to fight. Although he can be a little rowdy at times, Rick is an honorable fighter who respects the code of the warrior. He puts his boxing skills to great use, and his style revolves around frenetic combos. His punches are devastating enough to create powerful air currents, and he’s always seeking ways to become even stronger. Unfortunately, he never seemed to get the respect he deserved. A fighter named Vanessa would implement a similar style in the King of Fighters series, and SNK clearly favors hot redheaded chicks over white-haired Native Americans.

A strong-willed bounty hunter from the fictional Garvoy tribe, Shania is driven by vengeance. She can be a little cold at times, but you’d be detached too if everyone you knew was murdered. Shania arms herself with twin tomahawks in battle, and can also form “Soul Pacts” with spirits in order to use their powers. Her enemies occasionally let their guard down because of her appearance, but Shania is a merciless warrior who is a lot stronger than she looks! Her guardian, Natan, was the only other person to survive their tribe’s massacre, and he accompanies Shania on her adventure. He’s more in line with what you’d expect a Native American warrior to look like, but Shania is being recognized because she challenges social norms. There’s a distinct lack of Native American sex symbols in popular culture, so gals like Shania are always welcome.

Wolf Hawkfield is a gentle man who is deeply connected to nature. He’s filled with a fighting spirit, however, and he won’t back down from a battle if he is provoked. Wolf spent most of his life as a hunter in the Canadian wilderness before he was discovered by a professional wrestling promoter. His incredible strength made him an instant star, but he left the wrestling world because he was dissatisfied by the level of competition. He eventually found the challengers that he was looking for in the “World Fighting Tournament.” Wolf ultimately failed to win the top prize, but his spirit was unbroken and he continued to dominate the underground fighting circuit after he returned home. Wolf is technically a First Nations Canadian, but he’s fair game for this list. As noted in the intro, we’re not going to get too caught up with imaginary borders.

Nightwolf is an Apache warrior and the first Native American character to appear in the Mortal Kombat series. As the shaman of his tribe, he is able to contact the gods through his dreams and visions. Nightwolf fights to preserve the culture of his people, and he uses his immense magical power to protect the entire Earthrealm from invading forces. He has tremendous inner strength, but he’s also able to draw energy from external sources. He’s so in tune with his surroundings that he’s able to manifest bows out of spiritual energy! He can also call forth lightning from the heavens, and he can even turn into a wolf and maul his enemies to death. Some critics view Nightwolf as an offensive stereotype, but I’m not going to complain about a magical shapeshifting shaman who destroys evil-doers with an enchanted tomahawks.

Vulcan Raven was born to Alaskan Indian and Inuit parents. He was blessed with shamanic intuition, and he was constantly testing the limits of physical and spiritual strength. Raven was a graduate emeritus from the University of Alaska, he took part in the Eskimo-Indian Olympics, and he once walked across the frozen Bering Straight to Siberia. After serving as a member of the KGB, Vulcan Raven became a mercenary for hire and joined U.S. Army’s elite FOXHOUND unit. His proficiency with heavy weapons made him a force to be reckoned with, and he used everything from Abrams tanks to hydraulic autocannons. Vulcan Raven was surrounded by technology, but he reveled at the thought of returning to Mother Earth and becoming one with nature. Appropriately enough, he was eaten by his own ravens after he was defeated on the battlefield.

Domasi “Tommy” Tawodi is a Cherokee garage mechanic and former U.S. Army soldier living on a Native American reservation in Oklahoma. Unlike most Native Americans in gaming, he doesn’t wear face paint, he doesn’t have feathers in his hair, and he doesn’t carry tomahawks around with him wherever he goes. He makes a concerted effort to push his heritage away, in fact, and he has grown tired of life on the reservation. It’s only after his dead grandfather bestows him with spiritual powers that Tommy begins to accept his culture. He eventually gains the ability to separate from his body, and the ghost of his childhood pet hawk acts as a spirit guide. His journey is informed by blatant Native American tropes, but Tommy never feels like a stereotyped caricature. At the end of the day, he’s just a guy who’s trying to find his place in the world.

Connor was born in 1755 to a Native American mother and a British father. (He was raised in a Mohawk tribe under the name Ratonhnhaké:ton, but he adopted the name “Connor” to ease communications.) His turbulent childhood instilled a deep-seated resentment of colonists, and this informed his decision to join the Assassin Order prior to the American Revolutionary War. Like most assassins, Connor has a myriad of weapons at his disposal. In addition to the Order’s signature hidden blades, he uses pistols, swords, clubs, and – you guessed it – tomahawks. He also has an ability called “Eagle Vision” that allows him to see a person’s true nature. Connor’s effective even without his weapons, and his repertoire of dropkicks and suplexes wouldn’t look out of place in a wrestling ring. Wolf Hawkfield would be impressed.

After being abandoned in the ruins of an ancient settlement, Julia was adopted by a Native American woman name Michelle Chang. (Michelle’s father had emigrated to Arizona from Hong Kong, so she was technically of mixed descent.) Julia was trained in the martial arts to honor her mother’s Asian heritage, and she was also taught to respect nature. It’s unclear if Julia was Native American by birth, but she certainly embraced her Native American upbringing. She studied archaeology in school, and she researched forest rejuvenation with the hopes of restoring her tribal lands. She also used her fighting abilities to protect Mother Earth, and she wasn’t afraid to stand her ground. Julia had a stint as a luchadora and found success as a live streamer, but her decisions were all fueled by her passion for her homeland.

Thunder Hawk was one of four new challengers introduced in Super Street Fighter II, and he stood out immediately. At 7’7″, he was the largest character in the entire game. His strength was rivaled only by Zangief, but he was remarkably graceful given his size. He even had swooping aerial attacks in his repertoire, and some of his maneuvers could be likened to an actual hawk! A member of the fictional Thunderfoot tribe, T. Hawk entered the Street Fighter tournament to reclaim the land that had been taken from his people. His ancestors had been forced from their home in the Sonora desert 30 years earlier, so T. Hawk spent most of his life living near the Monte Albán plains in Mexico. T. Hawk carries himself with a great deal of pride, and he is willing to do whatever he can to right the wrongs of the past.