With every game, and with every sport, there are always the background characters that are needed to tie the whole thing together. Most of the time, however, these characters are often looked over. Many of the peripheral characters in your favorite games don’t get the credit that they deserve.
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This can be especially true when it comes tovideo game sports. One of the most essential aspects of keeping everything under control is the referee. Without them, who would call the foul plays? Or put a stop to the fighting when it gets out of control?
10Mario In Mike Tyson’s Punch Out
Mario has a wonderful habit of showing up where you least expect him. The lovable Italian plumber has made an appearance in hundreds of games, includingPunch-Out. Not only does he appear in the first Punch-Out game, but he also serves as a referee in the following installments of the series.
Mario’s job is to enforce the rules of boxing while remaining encouraging and fair to each player in the ring. His cheerful demeanor and familiar face make him one of the best referees in any sport.
9Big John McCarthy
Even if you are not a gamer, it is like you have heard of Big John McCarthy. This is because he has not only been a referee in many UFC video games, but he also serves as a real-life referee. The American has been featured in several titles, including UFC: Tapout and UFC: Throwdown.
Games can throw in any random referee, but to have such a big name establishing the rules of your chosen sport can make the game much more exciting.
8Herb Dean
Herb Dean is a classic example of having a celebrity star as a referee in multiple games. In real life, Dean works as a professional referee for mixed martial arts.
In the digital world, he recreates his role in UFC: Undisputed 2009 and 2010. Herb’s job is to keep everyone in line, and to make sure that each fight is fair and safe. Apart from hiscelebrity status, Herb Dean also makes a great referee due to his great looks.
7Lakitu
Apart from Mario, Lakitu is one of the most easily recognizable referees on any gaming platform. His characteristic yellow body, red shell, and floating white cloud have been spotted throughout countless Nintendo games.
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Typically, Lakitu is a bit of a nightmare in most of his in-game appearances. When he is not serving as a referee, he is doing his best to stand between you and your victory. However, in games likeMario Kart, he is simply there to signal the start of your race.
6Mr. Clanky
You may remember playing titles in the Backyard Sports series growing up. This series featured many different kinds of sports, such as baseball, skateboarding, and football. Within these games was a pleasant and cartoony referee by the name of Mr. Clanky.
This robot wore many hats. He served as an umpire and referee, along with coaching players. There are also ways to unlock Mr. Clanky as a playable character. While Mr. Clanky spends most of his time as some sort of authority figure, he is also known to enjoy joining in.
5Nights
Where Nintendo has its own lovable go-to referee (Mario), Nights is Sega’s reliable overseer of sports. Perhaps the most stylish referee out there, Nights made their first appearance in Nights into Dreams. Since then, the jester has since appeared in over ten different games. Some of the games feature Nights independent of acting as a referee.
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Most of the time, Nights can be seen serving as a referee for Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends as they play various sports. Some of these sports include golfing and racing.
4Grubba And Macho Grubba
One of the most woefully under-recognized referees is Grubba, who later becomes Macho Grubba. This is most likely due to the fact that he only appeared in one game:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In this appearance, he serves as a referee in the first round of the Glitz Pit chapter.
In asurprise twistto the game, you end up fighting Macho Grubba as the final boss in this chapter. The friendly referee does a 180 and engages you in battle. In the short period of time when Macho is not fighting you, he makes a great referee.
3Crowd Hater
The Mutant League series features an entire host of referees. Unlike many other video games that involve sports, there are multiple referees, and one of (if not the best) referees is Crowd Hater. His name sums up everything that you need to know about him.
Apart from enforcing the rules of the game, Crowd brings a surly attitude towards those watching. Crowd Hater shows up in Mutant League Hockey as a representation of all of those who love sports, but hates the crowd. If you can relate, you may find this particular referee to be cathartic.
2DJ Jazzman
DJ Jazzman works as the referee for the Beyblade Super Tournament Battle. He is friendly, charismatic, and is on the whole a pleasant referee. He also works as the tournament announcer, and can be found in the Beyblade animated TV show as well.
Aside from calling the shots as a referee, DJ also enjoys working as a general announcer for the matches. To top off his good humor and attitude, he also has a good fashion sense.
1Flag Guy
Although his name is not very descriptive, Flag Guy has been around since the 1980s. He stars in the Outrun series and his main job is to signal the start and end of each race. As you can probably guess, he signals each phase with a chequered flag.
The best part about Flag Guy is not necessarily just that he enforces the rules and signals each phase. Instead, the best part is if you leave him be for just a moment, he does a spectacular little dance with his flag.
