44. Aya Brea

First appearance: Parasite Eve (1998)

Parasite Eve is one of those series that rose to challenge giants like Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII, but slowly fell off the map as a series.

Still, main character Aya Brea remains an icon of 3D gaming’s first steps.

This American police officer’s cells have mutated mitochondria, allowing her to remain in control even when Mitochondria Eve turns the cell’s powerhouse against its hosts.

It also gives her superhuman abilities once awakened, becoming a thorn in the antagonist’s side.

Her cold and brooding demeanor are a staple of “cool” characters of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but Aya wears it better.