From horror to JRPGs, the need to buy and sell items to a merchant is usually present in most video games. Sometimes they’re a great way to make some extra cash by selling some things you don’t need and other times using their services is necessary to proceed into the game.
Some of these iconic characters are memorable for being helpful, funny, mysterious, or just being integral to the plot. Nevertheless, these video game merchants made such an impact on us that they become an integral part of the game they appear in or even the franchise they’re from.
Here are some video game merchants that we love to buy from.
The Merchant – Resident Evil 4
What intrigues us about The Merchant in Resident Evil 4 is just how mysterious he is and continues to be. Practically nothing is known about The Merchant and there is no connection to him in other Resident Evil games other than The Duke from Resident Evil Village making an offhand reference to him.
Like so much of Resident Evil’s lore, this character doesn’t really make much sense, as he suddenly appears before the game’s protagonist, Leon Kennedy, early on in the story. Without much context, he offers his wares to Leon and happily takes his coin. He then appears at predetermined locations, again offering his services without explaining who he is. Leon can even kill him at any point, and he’ll still show up again in the next location. Like many Resident Evil characters, he’s pretty unkillable.
But despite his mysterious nature and love for money, he never fails to be charismatic, which is why we like him so much. His famous catchphrase “what are you buyin’?” is etched in our memories forever.
Timmy & Tommy – Animal Crossing New Horizons
If you’ve ever played Animal Crossing New Horizons, then you’ve spent a lot of time with Timmy and Tommy. They’re the only means of selling your goods to make money and buy more items for your house/island. Thankfully, they’re both incredibly adorable and are a pleasure to do business with.
Timmy and Tommy are the adoptive nephews of Tom Nook, the greedy real estate agent who is always looking to settle debts. After Tom Nook’s change in his career to real estate, Timmy and Tommy took over the family business and started to run Nook’s Cranny, where items can be sold.
Since they’re twins, Timmy and Tommy often finish each other’s sentences, which is pretty dang cute. When customers enter their store, they follow them around, tending to their every need, which is a bit funny since they only ever have one customer at a time. In a world filled with anthropomorphic animals, Timmy and Tommy are still the cutest.
Marcus Kincaid – Borderlands
While there are plenty of greedy video game merchants out there, Marcus probably takes the cake for being the most ruthless and cutthroat of them all. His legendary motto is “no refunds,” and he’s not afraid to shoot anyone who asks for one. Just like the rest of the residents on Pandora, Marcus doesn’t have any morals, and will often kill or steal from his competition.
Marcus is actually the first character you meet in Borderlands, as he is the bus driver ferrying the vault hunters to the town of Fyrestone. He gives a detailed explanation of the history of Pandora and the vault, before ushering the hunters to get off his bus. Why he’s the one driving the bus is never really explained, but in every future Borderlands game, he’s the one giving the intro/context of past games.
Given his greedy nature, he’s still great for a good laugh and often provides comedic relief during the quests he can give you. Over the years he’s helped various vault hunters, which is most likely just for personal gain, but he’s still loveable regardless.
Khajiit Traders – The Elder Scrolls
“Khajiit has wares if you have coin,” is a phrase just about anywho who has spent even a little bit of time playing Skyrim has heard plenty. These small bands of feline merchants travel the continent selling goods in order to make a living. But due to racial stereotypes, Khajiit traders are not allowed in Skyrim’s main cities, thus they camp in the outskirts.
While there are plenty of merchants and colorful characters to buy things from in Skyrim and the other Elder Scrolls games, the Khajiit traders have reached legendary meme status for how iconic they are. The “Khajiit has wares” meme was thrown around everywhere when Skyrim first came out, usually used with a picture of a cat lounging in any public area.
It wouldn’t be a trip throughout Skyrim without stopping to see what items you can buy from Khajiit merchants, or maybe you’ll use the moment to level up some stealth skills since they offer training in such fields. Yes, they have a lot of uses, but it could be possible we like them so much because we are cat people.
Anna – Fire Emblem
Anna is the one thing that connects all the Fire Emblem games together, as she makes an appearance in some capacity in each game. While she is often a secret merchant or helps with tutorials, in newer games she becomes playable, like in Fire Emblem Awakening & Fire Emblem Three Houses.
As one might have guessed, the Anna’s that appear in each game are not the same person, but they are all related (kind of like all the Nurse Joy’s in the Pokemon anime). Yet, despite being different people, every Anna is happy-go-lucky, whimsical, and always tries to be helpful. If you’re knowledgeable enough to find her secrets shops in the GBA Fire Emblem games, you’ll be rewarded with amazing stat-boosting items.
When she is playable, she’s usually in the thief/trickster line of classes due to her love of money. Despite her greed, it’s hard not to attach Anna with positive emotions since seeing her usually means you’re about to get great items, or an influx of cash, a rare resource in many Fire Emblem games.
No matter what Fire Emblem game you’ve played, everyone can bond over their love for Anna.
Beedle – The Legend of Zelda
Whether adrift in time, skyward bound, or glowing in the embers of Twilight, Beedle arrives all the same. Beedle is one of the many characters in the Legend of Zelda universe that gets reincarnated throughout the years. If there was a fourth piece of the triforce, Beedle would be the keeper and he would represent capitalism.
Beedle is a merchant of simple provisions such as arrows, bombs, fish, bait, and many other useful things. In the games he does appear in, he usually travels the land, looking to widen his customer base. He appears timid, but his passion for being a merchant shines through, which makes us love him even more. Since Beedle is one of the few characters who regularly show up in Zelda games, it’s hard not to get attached to him since he’s so prevalent throughout the series.
When adventuring around Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, Link might even stumble upon Beedle in the most surprising of places, selling wares to those willing to buy. He can be spotted from afar due to his backpack that is shaped like a beetle. Where ever The Legend of Zelda takes us next, we hope Beedle is there along for the adventure.
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