As geeky and delusional as he may be, No More Heroes' antihero is one of the best assassins of all time

Travis Touchdown is the worst of us, but he may also in some ways be the best of us. As a fellow games enthusiast, he gives us a bad name – a naïve sociopath lost in a world of escapist fantasies. Yet give him time and you may discover that his otaku lifestyle has blessed him with some skills and smarts after all. When we first meet Travis in No More Heroes, he's undoubtedly a loser, living in a motel room with no cash and a circle of friends that could barely fill a hatchback. 

His days, and indeed his entire outlook on life, are filled by games, anime, porn, and Mexican wrestling tapes. It's no surprise, then, when he falls for the charms of socialite Sylvia Christel, who offers him the chance to join the United Assassins Association and kill other assassins to become number one.

End zone

As gullible and socially stunted as he is, he laps up the opportunity of this game-like quest, even working menial jobs to pay for the privilege, never stopping to consider whether it makes any sense. As much as Travis is a fantasist dangerously obsessed with videogames, though, maybe he's on to something by refusing to accept reality. 

The UAA matches give him a sense of purpose that a regular job never could, and with his knowledge of wrestling and a new beam katana, he turns out to be pretty handy at assassinating. Plus, perhaps playing games has instilled some ethics in him after all, at least when it comes to demanding a fair challenge. 

Travis isn't one to shy away or cheat, and shows little respect for arrogant foes. True, he remains oblivious, obscene, and antisocial, but hey, one day those characteristics will lead him to save the world.

This feature first appeared in PLAY magazine - Subscribe here to save on the cover price, get exclusive covers, and have it delivered to your door or device every month.