Ranking Video Game Heroes Based On Their Ken-ergy

You’ve probably seen plenty about the imminent release of Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s self-described “Ken-ergy” lately, but have you considered which video game heroes have the most Ken-ergy? It’s been rattling around my brain for the last few days, and I’ve taken the liberty of ranking a handful of iconic game characters based on their Ken-ergy for your reading pleasure.

But Emily, you might ask, what is Ken-ergy? Well, gamers, it’s less a defined ‘thing’ and more of an esoteric concept. However, if I absolutely had to describe it, I’d be backing AV Club’s definition: confidence (or blissful idiocy), loyalty, joviality, sincerity, and (the most important one) slay. Ken-ergy is being happy to let someone else take the spotlight, or as Gosling says, to be “an accessory, and not even one of the cool ones.”

Here’s our rundown of some of the video game heroes with the most (and least) Ken-ergy, ranked.

10. Geralt of Rivia – (The Witcher)

Geralt ranks low on the list due to main character syndrome, but is redeemed enough to end up on the list at all thanks to his deference to the powerful women he’s surrounded with (Triss, Ciri, Yennefer). He’s a beefcake, depending on which of the games you’re playing or if Henry Cavill’s interpretation is to be believed, although he’s slightly more put-together and calculating than a true Ken should be. I’d argue his loyalty is disputable – while he’s loyal, especially to Ciri and Yen, he can be swayed by just about anyone else for the right amount of coin. 

9. Nathan Drake (Uncharted franchise)

4/10, Nathan Drake has way too much main character energy to have any notable amounts of Ken-ergy. Points awarded for fulfilling the ‘slay’ component, though.

8. Simon “Ghost” Riley (Call of Duty franchise)

Ghost gets an honourable mention for being cheeky and kinda girlypop, if nothing else. He’s certainly devoted enough to make it onto this list based on that attribute alone, and I can absolutely see him belting out a “Just Ken” musical number, although whether he’d nail the Fosse Broadway vibes is up for debate. 

7. Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin’s Creed II)

Ezio is absolutely a himbo, and no, I won’t be taking a more nuanced perspective on this. His Casanova personality perfectly matches the brash (and sometimes idiotic) confidence a Ken would have, albeit probably a bit less family-friendly than your typical doll (given the whole…assassin thing). He’s pretty jovial for the most part and certainly loyal – his whole life’s mission is spurred on due to the fate of his family. 

6. Kratos (God of War series)

Kratos obviously slays no questions asked, but much like Barbie’s Ken, he also does just about everything in service of someone else. Kratos is loyal, too – but gets points docked for being less than jovial. His honestly depressing circumstances probably have a bit to do with that, of course.

5. Leon (Pokemon Sword and Shield)

The Galar region’s Pokemon champion has such strong Ken-ergy it’s almost too much. He’s clearly very focused on his appearance (although I personally think his outfit was not a slay), enthusiastic and confident in his abilities, and just a nice dude to boot. He’s also a bumbling fool. Very much confident, but goofy, and certainly giving off those “accessory” vibes Kens are known for.

4. Prince Sidon (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)

Prince Sidon is an absolute SIMP for Link, evidenced by the extremely OTT statue he erects in place of Mipha’s statue in Zora’s Domain. He’s also hellbent on helping both the Zora, but also his “dear friend” Link, sometimes at his own detriment. He’s jovial, sincere, and a bit of a himbo  – significant Ken-ergy.

3. Link (The Legend of Zelda franchise)

I’d argue that Link deserves his own spot on this list – he’s always tasked with saving the princess or fighting alongside her (loyal), doesn’t get any voiced lines (if you don’t count the hyah’s and oofs), and without a doubt is peak slay. Given we don’t get too much of a view into his thoughts, he’s bumped down the list based on disputed proof of whether he’s also a himbo, but Link exudes Ken-ergy nonetheless.

2. Tidus (Final Fantasy X)

Tidus takes a step back from the spotlight in FFX despite literally being the main character so that best girl Yuna gets her time to shine. Tidus isn’t anything special (if you ignore the whole his dad being Sin thing) compared to the summoner, and I’d personally describe him as an accessory, as well as a full of often ill-informed confidence in his approach to situations. What a kenergetic king. 

1. Leon S. Kennedy – (Resident Evil series)

I mean, come on. He’s literally got “Ken” in his name. But in all seriousness, consider Leon’s various video game iterations; in RE2 he plays support to much more competent women who realistically ran rings around him. In RE4, his main task was to rescue Ashley and get her to safety, and despite grumbling about the situation the whole time (points docked for a lack of Golden Retriever vibes), he never refused to complete the mission. He’s so babygirl, as the masses on TikTok say. Peak Ken-ergy.

There you have it, folks. Perhaps ‘himbo’ is slightly interchangeable with “having Ken-ergy” here, but honestly I’m not mad about it. Give us more video game dudes that are a little girlypop, happy to let a strong leading lady have her moment in the limelight, goofy, and slightly more Parks & Recreation’s Andy Dwyer, and the world will be all the better for it. Barbie has me in a chokehold.

If you had to rank video game heroes based on their Ken-ergy, who would make the top of your list?