What These Video Game Characters Would Look Like In Real Life
While video game graphics have gotten pretty realistic, developers can only do so much due to the limits of technology. However, there's little more magical than seeing some of your favorite characters come to life.
In the past, looking up the voice actors behind your favorite video game personas was one of the only ways to see what the character looks like in real life. For example, the face model for Lady Dimitrescu has even cosplayed the gorgeous vampire, so fans pretty much know exactly what to expect from Lady D's real world appearance.
Thanks to a new artificial intelligence called StyleCLIP, fans can now see in-game characters converted to photo realistic images — no cosplay required. This process was made popular when Corridor Crew shared a video of real-world interpretations of cartoon characters on August 29.
These are some of the best portrayals the AI has come up with!
The many versions of Kratos
One of the most popular characters that popped up from a variety of users was Kratos from "God of War." The Reddit thread from mm2k2k showed a Kratos that even they called "cursed." The user shared a second version of Kratos to try and make up for the horrors they unleashed with the first "dad" looking take, who's featured above.
Over on Twitter, a Senior Staff Tech Animator with Sony, Dan Lowe, also created a version of Kratos using the AI. This variety is a lot more intense and realistic looking considering Kratos' adventures in the games. He also shared what the AI made of Atreus, and the father-son duo looks similar enough to actually be related.
It's almost hard to recognize Kratos without the signature pale, white skin and red slash down his face, but with enough imagining, it's pretty easy to see this Kratos taking on Greek gods.
Jak and Daxter push the limits
One Reddit user wasn't impressed by the AI created faces when the original images were so realistic looking anyway. The original poster, mm2k2k, decided to try and use the AI on a subject that wasn't quite so realistic looking, like Jak and Daxter.
It's worth noting that the hair's a bit funky since both characters have something on their heads — they're also in their humanoid forms. Mm2k2k mentioned that the AI needs to be able to "identify facial features" to work correctly, so characters like Ratchet, Clank, Crash, and even Sonic don't really fit the bill.
Considering these characters are animated, and much older than many of the more realistic characters on this list, it's interesting to see how the AI interpreted their human faces. Even their expressions are pretty accurate, with Jak's looking almost identical.
Final Fantasy's Sephiroth
It's no secret that the cast of "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" is gorgeous in real life, and IGN wanted to see just how amazing Sephiroth could look with the AI. The outlet shared the picture on Twitter alongside the caption "Sephiroth sort of looking like [a] 'LOTR' elf." They're not wrong — the intense eyes and angular face structure make it seem like Sephiroth stepped off the set of Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" series.
As other users quickly pointed out, the AI didn't do Sephiroth's hair justice. It could be because the original picture was cut off, or because the AI isn't really focused as much on hair as it is facial features. Some weren't too happy about what the AI did, but it's pretty interesting to see how an animated character in the style of "Final Fantasy" could look in a live adaptation.
Street Fighter's Juri
Juri from "Street Fighter" got her own time to shine, too. Twitter user Siberian_644 shared a huge thread with various characters from "Street Fighter," and Juri's was one of the most interesting.
While the face is somewhat realistic, the AI image still gives off some pretty cartoonish vibes. Instead of the signature eyepatch, the AI decided to give Juri a pair of glasses, making her slanted fringe look even more dramatic.
"Street Fighter" fans weren't too big on the look, with one person even saying "I feel like if Juri actually saw this, she would kick this algorithm in the face." Another likened the realistic version of the character to Edna from "The Incredibles" — the two are actually surprisingly similar.
The whole "Street Fighter" thread is worth looking at — while Juri's is comical, the others are pretty good pictures to come from an AI, especially with some of the unique features the characters in the game have.
Kat from Gravity Rush
Have you ever wondered what the anime protagonist would look like in real life? Reddit user mm2k2k has your back — they put Kat from the PlayStation game "Gravity Rush" into the AI to see what it came up with.
The AI didn't seemingly understand some of Kat's drawn features, such as her up-turned nose. The AI also refused to give Kat her signature red eyes. However, other aspects of Kat's physical features were spot on, such as her hair and the way it falls around her face.
The first picture from mm2k2k is, admittedly, a side angle that might be a bit difficult for the AI to interpret. The user also posted a second picture of Kat, one that's from a 3D game model looking straight ahead, and the AI created a completely different "real-life" look for the character. However, even this second attempt lacked those unmistakable red eyes.
Street Fighter's Ibuki
Another one of the greatest creations from @Siberian_644 was a real life counterpart for the "Street Fighter" franchise's tough-as-nails ninja-in-training, Ibuki. In the "Street Fighter" games, Ibuki tends to conceal the lower half of her face below a mask, allowing her to separate her normal high school life and her participation in one dangerous martial arts tournament after another. While the mask has become a defining part of Ibuki's style, it also is what leads to the AI-generated version of the character looking pretty off-putting.
As it turns out, the real life version of Ibuki would apparently end up trading out her long hair and mask for a short cut and a bit of stubble. Maybe Ibuki just got tired of fussing with all of those hair ties? Whatever the case may be, this might be one of the most dramatic AI transformations for a member of the "Street Fighter" cast. Even @Siberian_644 was shocked by the results here, captioning the photo with a simple "I just can't."
The original Lara Croft
IGN pushed the program a bit further by choosing an image of Lara Croft from the 1996 hit "Tomb Raider." The old school polygonal Lara Croft gave the AI plenty to work with, and the result wasn't quite as "uncanny valley" as the others. In fact, her facial structure was pretty spot on — just look at the cheekbones!
The AI seemed to struggle around her eyes, though, which resulted in the real world version of Lara Croft looking as though she's squinting real hard at something. Paired with the slightly open lips, it's a pretty funny expression.
Considering the fact that the AI wouldn't work with figures that weren't mostly human-looking (like Sonic or Ratchet), it's interesting to see what it did with this famous treasure hunter. While Laura is obviously a human, the graphics from the time weren't exactly realistic looking. However, the AI stepped right up to the task, giving fans a Lara that looks like she could walk onto the set of the next "Tomb Raider" movie.