So many gaming heroes just ooze coolness. Master Chief, Kratos, and even Mario. But other protagonists? They’re just a little dorky, a little dweeby, and whatever else in-between. Maybe they’re not fleshed out as well as they could be, or maybe they look like a backup dancer for an N’Sync reunion that’s about 20 years past its prime. That’s what today is all about. Those heroes that we know have the potential to be something bigger, better, and bolder, but are trapped looking like they would have gotten shoved in a locker in High School. This Waypoint Wishlist is about our favorite protagonists who may deserve a swirly, but still have our hearts in a hold. This Waypoint Wishlist is All About Our Favorite Weird Little GuysScreenshot: Shaun Cichacki/Square EnixBrent Koepp – ContributorFor this week’s wishlist, I want to nominate resident Final Fantasy 12 dork Vaan as a character that needs a second chance. The FF12 protagonist has been divisive since the game originally launched in 2006. And I mean, just look at his outfit—do I need to say more? Dorky attire aside, though, the biggest issue with Vaan is that he’s pretty much a side protagonist in his own story. It also doesn’t help that FF12 has some of the best secondary characters in the game. Balthier, Fran, and Captain Basch pretty much steal the game’s spotlight by the time you are halfway into the story.Speaking of FF12’s story, it’s also one of my favorites in the entire franchise. It’s pretty much a Star Wars plot, but with Square Enix’s magic sprinkled in. The 2006 RPG is basically a single-player MMO as well, and is incredibly ambitious. I know we technically got the Zodiac Age remaster in 2017, but I would love a full FF7 Rebirth remake treatment of FF12. Not only would the game translate really well into a modern RPG, but Square Enix could flesh out Vaan so he isn’t such a goober.Maybe They Could Put This Waypoint Wishlist’er in ‘Final Fantasy XIV’?A reworked Vaan could also work as an NPC in a special Final Fantasy XIV event. Or what about a cameo in something like Kingdom Hearts? Yeah, I know I’m just throwing things at the wall at this point. I guess all this is to say I truly love FF12. But I still have massive regrets that Vaan is such a dorky protagonist. Last year, I replayed the Zodiac Age, and I couldn’t help feeling that the game would be so much better if Vaan were just written a little differently. Or heck, just give the man a new outfit. I would seriously take anything at this point!Screenshot: Shaun Cichacki/SmashWikiAnthony Franklin II – contributorThe easiest pick would be Final Fantasy X‘s Tidus. He’s a complete dork, but it’s not malicious. He’s just someone who comes off naive and totally new to anything that isn’t Blitzball-related. But my actual pick in this case is the truest dork (in the worst way) of all, Bowser. He’s not even a proper protagonist, and I still gotta dunk on him. Can he be rehabilitated? I don’t know. I just kind of needed a reason to call him out for dirty macking so much. We can’t allow this behavior to be normalized (Thank you, Kendrick Lamar). Get your own woman, bruh. Nintendo, help him out. Even if she’s just as evil as him, at least his whole personality won’t be singing to a woman he can’t have. Who does Bowser think he is? Joe?Screenshot: Romangelo/YouTubeMatt Vatankhah – ContributorFinal Fantasy protagonists usually follow a specific pattern regarding their personalities. Stoic, serious, always focused, sometimes even apathetic. It’s not very often we get a bumbling dork as the star of the show. That’s just one reason that makes Final Fantasy X so good. And sure, maybe it’s already had the remaster treatment in the past, but I don’t think that’s enough.Final Fantasy X is, perhaps, the most deserving of the “Remake” treatment in the series at this point. It’s over 20 years old, so it’s certainly old enough to warrant a reimagining. It’s the first in the series to not have an overworld, so a hypothetical remake would have an excuse to avoid that technical undertaking. And, compared to the most recent entries into the series, Tidus is the most light-hearted, goofy main character who perfectly contrasts its beautiful, heart-wrenching story.I’m over the brooding, always-frowning-with-crossed-arms type. Give me a clumsy idiot with the most annoying laugh of all time any day. Maybe the real Waypoint Wishlist was the laughs we had along the way. Screenshot: Shaun Cichacki/NintendoSHaun Cichacki – COntributorMuch like Anthony, I’m breaking the norms. Waluigi isn’t a protagonist. He’s typically relegated to the role of a comedic relief side-character, partnered alongside Wario. But, if I post about how he’s just a complete and total dork that I love beyond words, maybe, just maybe, he’ll get his own game. Luigi has gotten his own game, Wario has his own game, and Mario has more games than I can count. Peach has multiple games, and Yoshi even has a few games. But nothing for our purple-clad stud. Yes, he’s an absolute dweeb and a half, but I’ve been infatuated with him since I first saw him in Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64. Please, if I can request one thing and one thing only for the Switch 2. Give our boy a game of his own. If nothing else, make some weird, alternate reality version of New Super Mario Bros. where we get to play as Wario and Waluigi. That would be the greatest day of my life, and I wouldn’t feel like I was copping out by picking this dork as my main choice for this Waypoint Wishlist. Also, I just need to see him in a starring role at some point or another. After Donkey Kong Bananza, we need Wario and Waluigi Land, please and thank you. Another Waypoint Wishlist Has Come to An End, And Nobody Got A WedgieIt’s funny. Even though these characters are all “dorks”, they’re all lovable in their own ways. Especially Waluigi. He’s love, he’s life. Even the goofiest of goofballs find their way into our hearts in some way, shape, or form, and all of these characters have a loving fanbase of their own. To be fair, Vaan and Tidus both kicked major ass in Dissidia NT, so they got their chance to shine. Bowser got Bowser’s Fury, which showed off how good he is at embodying the role of pure evil. Waluigi got a Maraichi costume in Mario Kart World. You know what? Worth it. The post Waypoint Wishlist: Dorky Characters That Deserve a Second Chance (And Maybe a Wedgie) appeared first on VICE.