The best hooded characters in video games. Because Assassin's Creed III and Halloween

Its no co-incidence that good is just one letter away from hood

Hoods are brilliant, as our stabby chum Altair up there is ably demonstrating. So, to celebrate the release of Assassins Creed III, we thought it was time we damn well looked back through the hooded annals to bring you the definitive list of best hooded characters. Theyre all equally awesome, so we havent put them in any particular order. But we have given you extreme hood-related information. So hood on over to page 2 and take a look. Under the hood. (Note: Masked maniacs need not apply.)

The Grim Reaper (Grabbed by the Ghoulies)

Grabbed by the Ghoulies has a wicked sense of humour, but none as black as the Hooded Skeleton himself, Death. If he touches you, you die. If youre close enough to see his face under his hood, youre too close and therefore probably about to die. But at least you can use his mortalitastic touch to kill other enemies with some careful, tactical evasion. Death is badass, plays air guitar with his scythe and... has a hood. Nuff said.

Reason for hood: Traditional attire for Death
Does hood come down? No
If hood were removed? Jack Skellington

Marc Ecko (Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure)

Marc Eckos Getting Up. No, really he is--just give him a minute, hell be down. He was out late last night so hes a bit sleepy, bless him. OK, silly name jokes aside, Marc Ecko is a proper hoodlum--and his hoods one of the biggest giveaways. However! This hood is usually down in-game (presumably to save on polygons), but its in full my hoods up mode on the games front cover, obviously as a statement of hooded intent.

Reason for hood: Anonymity
Does hood come down? Yes
If hood were removed altogether? 40 hours Community Service

Organisation XIII (Kingdom Hearts series)

Kingdom Hearts' utterly needless Organisation XIII serves only to muddy the waters of a previously enjoyable and simple (and Clean if you want an in-joke) plot. Its members invariably turn up a few times wearing a hood over their eyes before whipping it off with a 'ta-da' sort of intention. What a shame we always think 'Oh look! It's... erm... who's that again?' Know what that is? That's the sign of a hood poorly used, folks. For shame.

Reason for hood: Presumably to annoy everyone in the world
Does hood come down? Yes, thank goodness
If hood were removed altogether? 40 hours less game

YoYo (Jet Set Radio)

The GGs arent big on their hoodies, which is why YoYo here stands out so much. In fact, he'd stand out pretty much anywhere. If everyone's wearing a grey hoodie, the police can't say "it was the kid in the grey hoodie wot done it, Superintendent". However, the Keisatsu most certainly can say "Yes, it was the chubby kid in the luminous green hoodie what done it, Onishima-san". He couldn't look any more conspicuous if he tried. Still, does he look like he cares about fitting in?

Reason for hood: Erm... medical?
Does hood come down? Not in the first game
If hood were removed? Ron Weasley

Nameless pilgrim (Journey)

The silent characters in Journey can only peer out from their hoods, unable even to communicate via conventional methods. In fact, while you can see where the hood ends and the cloak begins, you could argue that this attire is nought but one body-length hood that covers even the poor individual's arms. Still, it's undeniably immediately recognisable as Journey, so the art designers did a good job there.

Reason for hood: Religious?
Does hood come down? No
If hood were removed? Sunburn

Snake (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)

Snake is the master of covert ops, and also the master of covert tops, too. See what we did there? This is the opening from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, effortlessly demonstrating PS2's power under the hood. How do you do that? With an actual hood, that's how. This particular hood may have only graced our screens for a scant few moments, but it stayed in our hearts for a decade.

Reason for hood: It's raining
Does hood come down? Yes, almost immediately
If hood were removed altogether? Even more gruff noises of annoyance

Garrett (Thief series)

Garrett here is a thief. A very interesting thief, despite hiding away underneath his trademark hood. He's also got a bionic eye, so perhaps a hood is necessary to stop people getting put off by it. You know, in case they fear it's an X-Ray specs sort of thing, laughing at their Superman pants. You never know. Still, he's rocking the hood look and setting an example to all the would-be-hood-wearers of a pilferous disposition.

Reason for hood: Anonymity
Does hood come down? No
If hood were removed? "Look - that bloke out of Terminator is nicking stuff!"

Corvo (Dishonored)

Corvo is not only wearing a hood, but also a downright terrifying mask should you happen to peek under it. Probably best to avoid him altogether, really. Especially as, similar to many hooded characters, he likes to sneak around and stab people. Look at the blood on that sword.

Reason for hood: A few seconds of rat protection should he fall over
Does hood come down? Yes
If hood were removed? A career as a Soul Calibur fighter beckons, unless Kilik kills him for having the same hairstyle

Alex Mercer (Prototype)

Know what's cooler than having supernatural abilities? Nothing. That's what. But if you did have superhuman strength, abilities and ridiculously long arms, you'd need something to cover up the idiotic grin on your face. That's the good thing about Alex's hood. He can grin all he likes and no-one knows.

Reason for hood: Alright, the truth is, it's actually part of his anatomy. No, really, as with the rest of his outfit, it's called 'biomass'. So not actually clothes at all. A bit like Bayonetta in that respect
Does hood come down? Fleetingly
If hood were removed? Mr Tickle

Monks (Resident Evil 4)

"Cojelo... Cojelo... Cojelo..." And so the creepy monks' creepy chant goes creepily on. There's nothing else for it--if you're going to say such creepy things, you've GOT to wear a creepy hood. It's an old tradition, or a charter or something.

Reason for hood: For being creepy
Does hood come down? Sometimes
If hood were permanently removed? Death from the Wyld Stallyns. Or Uncle Fester, depending. Depending on what? Erm... height

That's all well and hood, BUT...

We've clearly left out the other best hooded character. You know the one. The one you're thinking about right now. So let us know who that is in the comments and we'll nod our hooded heads in acknowledgement of your additional hood knowledge.

And if you're looking for more, check out our Assassin's Creed III review or perhaps the 100 best video game heroes.