Morrigan Aensland - Reception

Reception

Morrigan is widely seen as the most iconic character of Darkstalkers. Sega Saturn Magazine praised both her design and abilities as "awesome". Featuring Morrigan and Felicia in their girls of gaming special in 2003, play wrote that the two are famous for how they "unified the haunting with the erotic, along with previously unseen level of animation and creature design." The 2009 book 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Helen McCarthy cited Morrigan as an example of the popularity of the Darkstalkers character designs, with fans frequently cosplaying as the character at various conventions since the original game's release. In 2010, UGO's Chris Plante called her "Darkstalkers' most recognizable character also wildly popular with cosplayers." In 2011, GameFront's Phil Owen run a feature article showcasing some of Morrigan's (and Lilith's) cosplayers, calling it "probably the sexiest gallery I’ve ever posted."

According to GameSpot, "Morrigan has been a mainstay in the Capcom crossover fighting games and is definitely a fan favorite." In 1998, Morrigan was named the 17th best character of 1997 by the Japanese magazine Gamest. Play featured her in the "Girls of Anime" special, later regretting her absence in Capcom Fighting Evolution in their "Girls of Gaming" special. In 2008, Morrigan was included on a list of top "chicks behaving badly" for her "penchant for magic and kick-ass fighting moves" by IGN's Scott Cullura, her outfit described as "one that would make even Jenna Jameson blush." She was also featured in a list of ten "babes who shouldn't meet your mom" by GameDaily in 2008, as well as in a list of ten "game girls you wouldn't dare to date" by Virgin Media in 2010. Also in 2010, Game Informer chose Morrigan as one of the 20 Capcom characters they would like to see in a rumored crossover fighting game Namco Vs Capcom, her Namco side equivalent being Ivy Valentine. In 2012, Complex ranked Morrigan as the 13th "most dominant" fighting game character for being "super sexual but also super deadly," also including "Capcom vs. DC Universe" as third fighting game crossover idea they would like to see the most, for a battle between Morrigan and Wonder Woman. That same year, Lucas Sullivan of GamesRadar ranked Morrigan as the fourth best character in the fighting game genre's history, stating: "This sultry succubus is one of fighting games' leading ladies, striking a balance between the dignified seriousness of Chun-Li and the hyper-sexualized cleavage-heaving antics of Mai Shiranui" and adding that "besides her full-time gig as a male fantasy, Morrigan’s made quite a name for herself, showing up in almost every Capcom crossover and spin-off."

Morrigan was often noted as one of the most sexy characters of fighting games and gaming in general. In 2003, GameSpy's Bryan Johnson ranked Morrigan as the third top "babe in games", calling her Capcom's answer to SNK's Mai Shiranui. UGO included Morrigan on their 2008 list of 11 "hottest babes to ever hit the video game world", stating that "her appearances across the Capcom fighting franchises prove that the company has an excellent eye for the female form", as well as in the 2011 list of 50 "hottest girls in games", adding that "with a body like that, we can ignore those wings coming out of her head." In 2009, Gelo Gonzales of FHM listed the "undeniably seductive" Morrigan among the nine sexiest "bad girls of videogame land", while Manolith included her on the lists of top ten "sexiest video game women" and 25 "hottest female video game protagonists". In 2010, Johnny Firecloud of CraveOnline featured her on the list of ten "hottest video game girls of all time", commenting: "The iconic succubus is more than just an anatomic wonder - she's also one of the single most sexually stylistic ladies in gaming land." In 2011, UGO ranked her as the fourth in their list of the "foxiest fighting females to ever be pixelated," while GameFront featured her twice on the list of "greatest boobs in video game history", as 37th (for the Darkstalkers version, called the "reason 12 year olds packed arcades into the late 90s") and 11th (for the Marvel Vs. Capcom version, being "50% of all Comic Con costumes"). That same year, Japanator.com's Bob Muir included her on the list of "Japanese gaming's top ten hottest girls", stating: "In fact, Morrigan is so popular that many people know of her sultry looks who have never touched a Darkstalkers game." In 2011, Rich Knight of Complex pitted her against Agent Rayne in the "battle of the beauties" feature, comparing them to "the sexy goth girls you were too afraid to ask out in high school" and choosing Morrigan. In 2012, Larry Hester of Complex ranked also her as the third "hottest" character video game in video game history, while K. Thor Jensen of UGO included her among the 99 "hottest" fictional women of 2012, calling her as "the best thing" in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.