A Scar is Born

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Final Fantasy VIII, but the opening cinematic was incredible. Before the story even begins, we’re treated to an epic gunblade duel between Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy. We’re not certain who these characters are, nor do we know why they’re fighting. The impact of the battle is long-lasting, however, and they’re left with matching scars that they carry for the rest of the game. The facial scars define their complex relationship, and they serve as constant reminders of how close they were to death. Seifer’s scar speaks to his impulsive nature, while Squall’s could be seen as a physical manifestation of his internal turmoil. Squall’s journey leads him toward emotional vulnerability, but Seifer is driven by a darker ambition. In either case, their scars symbolize their hardened, solitary exteriors.

Sigma is an unusual choice for this list by virtue of the fact that he’s a robot. This means that the distinct purple scars on his face could more accurately be described as dents. (They could probably be fixed with Bondo and a few coats of paint, but I digress.) The markings are the robot equivalent of a scar, so they’re fair game for this countdown. The explanation for how he got the scars keeps changing, however. It was originally explained that Zero attacked him after being infected by the Maverick Virus. This left Sigma with a scarred face, which is how the virus was transferred to him. In the Maverick Hunter X OVA, Sigma is wounded when X claws at his eyes. The Rockman X switches things up yet again and implies that Sigma’s wounds were self-inflicted. It’s said that every scar has a story, but Sigma’s have three!

The claw-like gashes on John Marston’s face tell his wild west survival tale at a glance. He was mauled by wolves after a failed robbery attempt, but there’s a deeper meaning behind the markings. After he steps away from a life of crime, the scars on his face serve as constant reminders that he can’t outrun his past. John makes a concerted effort to live a better life, but his face carries physical manifestations of his violent history. Although he tries to pass himself off as a peaceful family man, his prominent scars are more indicative of an outlaw. John Marston’s design was directly inspired by Red Harlow from Red Dead Revolver, and the developers have suggested that John’s scar is merely an homage to the original game. Whether the symbolism was intentional or not, the scars are part of his history.

As one of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, Saïx is a cold and emotionless operative who can become violent without a moment’s notice. His power is (almost) unrivaled, and he’s one of the most feared villains in the entire Kingdom Hearts series. His visage is largely defined by the X-shaped scar that extends across the bridge of his nose. When he taps into the moon’s power and enters his Berzerk state, the scar becomes larger and more jagged in appearance. The scar itself is revealed to be a Recusant’s Sigil, which is essentially a type of branding that was given to him by the ominous Master Xehanort. The mark is a salient reminder of Xehanort’s power, and it paints Saïx as a mere subordinate. Any way you slice it, carving an X into someone’s face to exert dominance is a pretty bold move.

Before he became the head of a criminal enterprise, Geese Howard had to fight for survival in the mean streets of South Town. His extensive body scarring is a reflection of his hardships, and the gashes under his left eye and across chest were inflicted by his half-brother. The massive scar on his back is even more interesting, and it’s tied to the most iconic scene in the entire SNK library. At the end of Real Bout Fatal Fury, Geese falls from the top of a high rise building and is presumed dead. Against all odds, he somehow recovers in time for the sequel! The distinct X-shaped marking on his back has been persistent from that point on, and he goes out of his way to highlight it during his intro pose. Geese wears it like a badge of honor, and it speaks to his resilience. Above all else, the scar proves that he’s a survivor.

Heihachi Mishima is a shrewd businessman, a renowned martial artist, and a horrible father. He conceives the King of Iron Fist Tournament as a way of testing his strength. While most entrants seek fame and fortune, Kazuya uses the tournament to exact vengeance. Kazuya has been fueled by hatred since childhood, and his anger is not misplaced. When he was five years old, Heihachi threw him off of a mountain as a way of testing his resilience. This left Kazuya with a distinct scar across his chest and served as an ever-present reminder of his father’s cruelty. Kazuya gives Heihachi a taste of his own medicine by yeeting him off a cliff, and things only escalate from there. (They even resort to throwing each other into volcanoes!) Although Kazuya’s body is covered with scars, it was the initial scar across his chest that set everything in motion.

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but you can tell a lot about Kratos just by looking at him. Every mark on his battle-hardened exterior tells a story. He has a scar on his stomach from the time his dad stabbed him, for instance, and magical chains from the Blades of Chaos were seared so deeply into his forearms that they scorched his bones. The red scar over his right eye dates back to his childhood, and he received it while defending his younger brother Deimos from the God of War, Ares. Ares was concerned that Deimos was the fabled “marked warrior” who was prophesied to destroy all of Olympus. Kratos was unable to stop Ares, and he received a backhand for his trouble along with an emblematic scar that he carried for the rest of his life. In an ironic twist, Kratos himself turned out to be the marked warrior that the gods were so afraid of.

The Undying Blade Ashera is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but fate is not on her side. She was beheaded in a past life, and the resulting trauma somehow persists through all of her reincarnations. No matter how many times she’s reborn, a faint scar eventually starts to form around her neck. The scar is anything but superficial, and it brings unwanted memories of her execution. The pain intensifies as the scar becomes more pronounced, and the gruesome details of her death come flooding back. In time, the physical and mental anguish become so unbearable that Ashera feels compelled to take her own life. This cycle continues again and again, as Ashera is stuck in an endless loop of torment. Ashera’s scar is not even visible in her official artwork, but it’s easily the most devastating scar on this entire countdown.

The Metal Gear franchise is filled with mercenaries who put their lives on the line for the greater good. Scars are commonplace, so there are any number of characters that could have been mentioned on this list. Naked Snake has a large scar across his chest, Skull Face has a Glasgow smile, and Venom Snake has shrapnel embedded into his skull. Nobody sacrificed more than the Boss, however, and the snake-shaped scar on her torso and lower abdomen was the result of an emergency C-section on the battlefield. She sacrificed her body and gave up her child for her country, so she views the scar as a symbol of her loyalty. The scar causes lingering pain, which the Boss likens to a snake slithering across her body. Since she’s in a Kojima game, the snake-shaped scar turns into a real snake when she dies and fucks off into the forest. Brilliant!

Sagat is a seven-foot tall Muay Thai champion who served as the final boss of the first Steet Fighter game. He was one of only three characters to return for the sequel (along with Ken and Ryu), but his physical appearance had been altered somewhat. Although he was still an imposing figure, he was now marred by a massive diagonal gash across his chest. It’s said that Sagat received the scar in the final round of the first Street Fighter tournament. Incidentally, Ryu hit him with a devastating Dragon Punch that tore his chest open. The injury fueled Sagat’s desire for a rematch, and he even developed his own version of the move, called the Tiger Uppercut. The rivalry lasted for decades, and Sagat’s scar was visible in every pose like a badge of shame. It would even glow in certain conditions. Sagat is haunted by the scar until he finally let’s go of his pride.